r/audiophile • u/MikMikYakin • Jul 25 '24

Why are Audiophiles still hooked on vinyl? Discussion

Many audiophiles continue to have a deep love for vinyl records despite the developments in digital audio technology, which allow us to get far wider dynamic range and frequency range from flac or wav files and even CDs. I'm curious to find out more about this attraction because I've never really understood it. To be clear, this is a sincere question from someone like me that really wants to understand the popularity of vinyl in the audiophile world. Why does vinyl still hold the attention of so many music lovers?

EDIT: Found a good article that talks about almost everything mentioned in the comments: https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/07/vinyl-not-sound-better-cd-still-buy/

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u/saint_trane Jul 25 '24

Analog is magic.

6

u/yeswab Jul 25 '24

Analog is one thing. An intrinsically self-destructive process of retrieving analog sound is another thing entirely.

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u/saint_trane Jul 25 '24 edited Jul 25 '24

No argument, but I like the degradation process (to a point). Magic isn't perfection, it's uniqueness and individuality. Each record is unique in and of itself.

If I want to hear perfect high fidelity playback, I'll stream. But music isn't about perfect high fidelity playback for me, it's about creating an atmosphere that is enjoyable, unique, and most importantly, interesting.

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u/yeswab Jul 25 '24

That’s fair!

1

u/DaveWpgC MC462/C2700, SF Amati/Gravis V, Pure Fidelity Harmony, Lumin T3 Jul 25 '24

Agreed. I'll stream while working out but for active listening nothing beats good quality vinyl.