Vinyl Records

For me, it's a fascination with the mechanism itself. The fact that you can put a needle on a grooved disc and make sound is amazing to me. Of course, this has lead to me collecting a bunch of different formats, because each is a technological touchstone in our quest to share music. So I also have tape, CD, minidisc, and eventually I'd like to get into reel to reel. Plus I find the 'ritual' involves me in the music more, so the music is the event, rather than streaming where it's background noise accompanying whatever else it is that I'm doing.

I started collecting music in the late '70s and vinyl was the only reasonable way.

Greybeard here..... I was lucky enough to grow up when vinyl was the format and CDs the new thing. Early CD players were terrible, usually harsh sounding compared to their vinyl counterparts. A family friend owned a higher end hi-fi store during the era when having a good hi-fi was a status symbol. I got to listen to a lot of new, expensive equipment that way. In the late 80s CD simply did not cut the mustard compared to even an entry level high-end record player. For example a Nad 3020i with a Rega Planer II would outplay the most expensive Marantz or Yamaha cd player at the time.

That kept my teenage record collection safe and allowed me to build a system that I am proud off. Keeping an eye open for sales of both equipment and records through the 90s and 2000s when everyone got rid of their records and record players.

Today, the reasons are a bit different, why do I still listen to vinyl in this age of convenience. Vinyl ticks some unique boxes that cannot be ticked by most other formats.

• There is a lot of arcane knowledge needed to get the best results (cartridges, tracking setup, speaker placement)
• Playing records require effort, which leads focus.
• Focus leads to enjoying the music.

Keep them spinning, happy listening.

This is gonna show my increasing status as an older guy, but I grew up around my dad's small collection of Zeppelin and Clapton records. Inherited them too. But they sat alone until vinyl started making a comeback. Now they're joined by Electric Wizard, Windhand, Bell Witch, and some Sabbath represses. And more.

So at some point I'd wound up on Bandcamp after the digital age took over my music acquisition, and I saw that the bands I was listening to were releasing on vinyl. Doom loves vinyl. And I love doom. So I started ordering records of my favorites.

I had a co-worker was way into vinyl lifetime, used to DJ professionally. He recommended a few things. Massively upgraded my listening experience.

And I'm thankful vinyl made a comeback because 8-tracks sucked. I did not take any of those from my dad's collection.

Old enough to have them in the house growing up. Records, 8 tracks, and cassettes. Most of which I still have. I started buying my own as a young teen when I saw a rare red Creeping Death/Jump in the Fire record a friend had. As well as a Shout at the Devil picture disc. I naively though they all were and went out and bought my own, or so I thought. But I loved the huge artwork. I loved using the old all on one unit that used to dominate the living room and now hand-me-downed to me.

Fast forward through the 90s and 2ks. I just kinda starting digging them back out and spinning from time to time. Then I got into thrift stores. Eventually I started buying new releases and still do sporadically if I really like a band. Mostly metal with some jazz thrown in.

vaporwave, early 2020s

First time I ever went into a record store I absolutely fell in love with all the big, high quality album art. I just wanted it. So I bought them. Bought about 10 records before I ever got a record player

I started when my girlfriend gift me a turntable with a copy of The Dark Side of the Moon, one of my favorites albums. Then I started to buy my own vinyls. Now I have a incipient collection of albums i love.

for me, more than sound quality --for sure sound is different from digital media, but it's hard to say that's really better-- is a more romantic question. I love to own an album, it's art, the ritual of putting it in the turntable and listening to.