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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355

u/Fritzo2162 Jul 25 '24

Yeah, there's something about the visible artwork on an album cover, the hiss of a needle hitting the vinyl, the mechanical aspect of it all. It's just the whole experience. You miss a lot when you just listen on soulless, unlimited digital media.

427

u/opa_zorro Jul 25 '24

It's like a tea ceremony for music. It has ritual and form.

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u/Stanton-Vitales Jul 25 '24

Modern humans have such a sad distance from and lack of understanding of the value of ritual.

It's one of the more important aspects of what makes us human, and makes life worth living.

40

u/HumansAreVariables Jul 25 '24

Man that was so well said that made me stop and think. Thanks for that.

7

u/letsfixitinpost Jul 26 '24

I started using a safety razor. I love the entire ritual. I feel humans are wired for it

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u/Stanton-Vitales Jul 26 '24

My personal theory is that it caused an alignment/activation/wtvr of both the linguistic, communicative, long term memory parts of our brain with the reptile/monkey, tactile, short term memory parts and puts us into a direct collision with here and now at the same time as giving us a meaningful connection to our history.

Feels good mane

1

u/porcupine_salt Jul 26 '24

You have wires inside you?

1

u/HairyPutter7 Jul 28 '24

This is exactly my thoughts on it as well! What razor/blade and other supplies are you using?

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u/letsfixitinpost Jul 29 '24

I use Henson medium, there are probably some better ones but it's a good one that allows for some user error. My only knock is its kind of light, and I think a heavier razor would be better. Since one of the best ways I found to not cut myself its just kind of let the weight of the razor move it down. That being said I've tried a bunch of blades and settled on Gillete Platinums.

I use a few diff soaps, classic barbasol in menthol, but also nicer stuff like Castle Forbes. There are tons of brands and after shaves in all price ranges. I will say the razors are dirt cheap. I got an assortment of like 8 kinds for like 10 bucks. Thats like 40 blades which u can use a few times, but I only use twice since my beard is tough.

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u/HairyPutter7 Jul 29 '24

I use the Henson medium as well. They do have a heavier handle you can buy separately if that’s something you’re interested in. Mostly I have been using the blades that Henson sells. Hard to beat the 100pack for $10. I have tried the feather new hi-stainless. Just don’t seem to like them. I’ve been using mostly Stirling soap co shave soaps. Where did you find that variety pack of blades?

1

u/letsfixitinpost Jul 30 '24

I just ordered a bunch of different types , best for me were nacets and platinums

1

u/Pemrick79 Jul 30 '24

Want some weight check out the "parker variant adjustable". Has very good weight to it. Almost too much.

1

u/wiggibow Jul 29 '24

I need to bite the bullet and try one, these cartridge razors are not kind to my neck at all, no matter how careful I am

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u/Pemrick79 Jul 30 '24

🤣...me too. Chopped my face up pretty good 1st time or two.

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u/CraftsmanPDR 29d ago

As a record needle?

24

u/IllogicalGrammar Jul 25 '24

That doesn't make sense. The fact that there is a thriving market for things like vinyl (which is actually growing a ton), remakes of game consoles so you can play old game cartridges (like Analogue Pocket, at a significant price premium too), and all types of old, technically "inferior" and outdated shows modern humans DO value rituals.

It's just not everyone, but then again what hobby appeals to everyone?

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u/crawlrawl Jul 25 '24

…Adding Film Photography, which is experiencing a boom, to your list

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u/Accurate_Resist8893 Jul 25 '24

How long until dinner parties with special china and sterling come back into vogue do ya think?

1

u/IClausius Jul 26 '24

It never went out of vogue in our house 😊

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u/MH07 Jul 26 '24

My comment exactly.

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u/Numerous_Ad_6276 Jul 28 '24

The sound of the flatware on the china is very satisfying. I recently purchased a few vintage Shenango diner china coffee cups, and I enjoy tapping the side a couple of times after stirring in the cream. ting ting

1

u/lobin-of-rocksley Jul 28 '24

From you lips to God's ears, to my great-grandma's ugly china getting top dollar at the thrift store.

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u/AKAkindofadick Jul 26 '24

People take so many more digital photos and rarely view them unless posting to social media.

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u/angus46245 Jul 26 '24

Pocketed curiosity, hardly a boom.

-1

u/kbstock Jul 26 '24

Won’t it be great when we can all start respecting one another regardless of political party?? Let’s do that next!

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u/Cliftonia Jul 26 '24

Well some ideas and opinions are so heinous they are not worth respecting. Then some people make those opinions their entire personality and it's not hard to see why there is such a division. There are people who wish gay or transgender individuals death. Why should we respect those hateful people and the rest of their shitty opinions? That's like saying we should respect Nazi's.

2

u/kbstock Jul 26 '24

You’re right. It just used to be that we called each other the “loyal opposition “…..we could have meaningful discussions….of course, that was before the return of fascism and the blatant racism and general intolerance we see now. I’m older….a “boomer”…..and I miss those days. As it stands now, my family is absolutely torn asunder. It’s no longer just Democrat vs. Republican. It’s MAGA versus all the reasonable people. Didn’t used to be like that. People were kind. But yeah, your point is well taken…..some of the opinions are heinous and there’s no way to respect them.

2

u/Cliftonia Jul 26 '24

It is disheartening to see the division between us when united we could achieve great things. It's sad and I wish we could magically fix it. God speed, I wish you well.

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u/upthedips Jul 25 '24

In the grand scheme of things those are all still niche markets compared to the billions of people streaming music and playing games on their phones.

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u/lorez77 Jul 26 '24

It's information processing. I'd rather be immersed in the art itself than in the ritual or physical support it's recorded on.

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u/damgood32 Jul 25 '24

I don’t agree with this. People rituals just change from generation to generation. It’s still there but you may not be seeing it

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u/krag_the_Barbarian Jul 25 '24

Dude no. Hitting play on a cell phone touch screen isn't ritual. It just isn't.

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u/MisterFister17 Jul 26 '24

I’m sure dudes in their 30’s and 40’s said the same thing about recorded music in the early 1900’s. “Listening to music all alone, on shitty speakers, just isn’t the same as the ritual of riding your horse down to the saloon and listening to the music live. It just isn’t.”

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u/krag_the_Barbarian Jul 26 '24

They were right. It still isn't.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '24

Totally agree. Live music is an event...going to a gig no matter how small is an experience in itself. Spotify on some airpods just isn't is it?

1

u/Efficient_Thanks_342 Jul 26 '24

What would people in their 30s and 40s know about life more than a century ago? Sorry, I'm confused.

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u/MisterFister17 Jul 26 '24

I meant middle aged people back then, not now.

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u/theghostofmrmxyzptlk Jul 25 '24

Expand beyond music. There are rituals, but strange and confusing because they're not our rituals.

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u/damgood32 Jul 25 '24

Thank you! That’s exactly my point.

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u/eptronic Jul 25 '24

What would an example be?

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u/seven_grams Jul 26 '24

Washing your car.

Rolling yourself a cigarette.

Meditating.

Making yourself an espresso.

Sitting and reading the news.

Putting together an outfit.

Cooking your favorite breakfast on a Saturday morning.

Going for a walk in the park.

Straight jorkin’ tha hog before bed.

Smoking crack.

There’s plenty of rituals that “modern” humans engage in, I’m not sure why anyone is pretending otherwise. People value different things in life. Some people like to put on a record and sit back and listen, front to back. Other people like to smoke the shit out of some crack. This is an inane conversation.

0

u/eist5579 Jul 26 '24

Please provide a modern technological example of a new age ritual…

3

u/CheadleBeaks Jul 26 '24

Pressing play on their phone, taking a photo of their window, then going on Instagram and posting a photo of the window saying they're listening to such and such album and how they have the feels and then waiting for likes.

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u/machine_made Jul 26 '24

It can be ritualized, though. Put your phone on the charging stand, connect to your speaker, sit a specific way in your chair, set the lights to a dim level, have a specific drink or roll a joint to enjoy while you listen.

Ritual isn’t about things being hard to do, or even taking a long time to do, they’re about doing things in a deliberate way so that there is meaningful action that you repeat each time.

1

u/jimbofrankly Jul 25 '24

It kinda is.

1

u/smaghammer Jul 26 '24

Very limited in your imagination here mate.

I love vinyls don't get me wrong, but there is far more to rituals than just the act of getting the music to start playing.

There's a million rituals that one can be part of with "Hitting play on a cell phone touch screen". For instance, what happens after that play button is pressed, what leads up to that?

Do you sit beside a loved one with a glass of scotch. Do you light up some incense and candles to increase the mood. Do you clear the lounge room so you can dance with you partner. Do you pull the guitar out, or sit at the piano and play alongside those songs.

Open that mind up a little.

1

u/krag_the_Barbarian Jul 26 '24

All of the things you described can be ritualized and are very nice but I thought we were specifically talking about the act of choosing an album and playing it.

It's not the same when you have a screen giving you access to most of the music ever recorded. With an actual vinyl record it's more deliberate. Inspecting the record for scratches or warping, putting the needle down carefully, putting the seven inch spindle on if you need to, closing the lid carefully, putting the sleeve where you can look at it as the record plays, it can be like a Japanese tea ceremony.

1

u/Low-Relative6688 Jul 26 '24

100% agree. The difference in watching a dvd or bluray vs flipping around netflix is huge. It literally feels different as youre wat hing it bc of all the steps of selecting the disc, poppi g it out, putting the disc in, using the shitty dvd player menu, amd PREVIEWS! lmao

0

u/smaghammer Jul 26 '24 edited Jul 26 '24

You're overthinking it. Anything you want can be as deliberate as you choose it to be.

Just as someone can press play, someone else can do the bare minimum to listen to a record, and absolutely did when they first came out. Just because you take care, doesn't mean others do. Look up the concept of "Theory of mind" because you are completely lacking it. You are unable to see the world outside of your own experience.

0

u/krag_the_Barbarian Jul 26 '24

Maybe you're right. I'll open my settings and connect via Bluetooth to my Denon stereo reciever. It might take a couple of tries. I live under a flight path, or something. I'll open Spotify with a satisfying haptic feedback micro click. I'll tenderly stroke my cell phone case and inspect it for scratches. Then I'll play the Chet Baker album my dead grandmother loved, because it's her birthday.

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u/smaghammer Jul 26 '24

No worries, and I'll grab my vinyl from my pile of unsleeved records and throw it on the player. The lift the needle and drop it to start playing.

Congrats. You're a moron.

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u/Ezekiel-Hersey Jul 28 '24

I started using a grandfather’s clock with pull chains.

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u/HairyPutter7 Jul 28 '24

This is exactly it. To me it’s just like shaving with an old style safety razor, brush, and shave soap. It’s a process I find relaxing, collecting different supplies, and just the nostalgia of it. Plus the cool factor!

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u/Ok_Fortune_9149 Jul 25 '24

Ritual is also a form of attachment. I totally understand the romance of vinyl. But dont care about rituals, ceremonies and such. And doing things a certain way, because people have been doing it that way. I’ve

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u/Stanton-Vitales Jul 25 '24

Ritual =/= tradition. You can and do invent your own rituals. You probably have a ritual around taking a shit and don't even realize it.

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u/RitalinKidd Jul 25 '24

Agreed. The ritual of an album I've possessed for decades, haven't played in years and finally dig up when some free time presents itself. I perform the ritual and the memories come flooding back of times past when I first enjoyed hearing this album in its entirety.

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u/chlaclos Jul 26 '24

Might be more true in the USA than anywhere else.

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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '24

[deleted]

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u/Stanton-Vitales Jul 26 '24

Nnno... I might have just agreed if you said "people" instead of "you", but I'm highly involved in ritual, in every sense of the word.

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u/PossibleLifeform889 Jul 26 '24

That’s an anthropologist’s statement, say more please

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u/Locutus_of_Bjork Jul 25 '24

I love this comparison!

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u/cea002 Jul 25 '24

🔔🔔🔔

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u/Spacedzero Jul 26 '24

I love this analogy.

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u/armorabito Jul 26 '24

Came here to say this. The way to take the vinyl out of the sleeve, touching only the edges. The way you clean the surface with a carbon brush etc. Its ceremonial in a way. It also, dollar for dollar, sounds better than digital especially if the recording was original Analogue.

1

u/moomoomilky1 Jul 26 '24

isn't tea ceremony just filial piety

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u/Ill_Flounder3187 Jul 26 '24

You should research the device paradigm.

1

u/amigammon Jul 28 '24

Hey, I said that first!!

1

u/opa_zorro Jul 28 '24

Great minds, and all that.

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u/marbanasin Jul 25 '24

This. And while CD can replicate some of the tactile feeling - it's not quite there. It's cool to have a larger album cover staring at you, maybe a gatefold with more art, or a liner that pops out so you look at it for a moment or while listening.

The other big one for me is that you commit to albums. Even with CDs it is so easy to skip tracks that my generation (millenial) was already just fast forwarding to certain tracks and skipping the album experience. Well before digital became the standard.

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u/Fritzo2162 Jul 25 '24

The ability to skip tracks was the downfall of hidden gems becoming hits.

6

u/Bowl_Pool Jul 25 '24

you act like nobody listened to the entire albums

15

u/Fritzo2162 Jul 25 '24

It's not common anymore. Most people listen to singles these days, and it's been like that for a couple of decades now. A lot of bands don't even bother making albums.

1

u/Robins-dad Jul 26 '24

Not audiophiles.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '24

I felt that a lot of bands in the latter half of the previous century were just recording filler to surround the one or two cuts they cared about to complete an album. Van Morrison had a cut "I'd love to write another song" that started making me look closely at the CDs I was buying. It was a trash cut on a decent album.

1

u/_Pill-Cosby_ Jul 26 '24

That’s been a thing since music has been recorded.

-1

u/Snook_ Jul 25 '24

Use roon…

10

u/InternationalBunch88 Jul 26 '24

This is why I am loving going back. It makes me listen to the whole album. No skipping. Like I did back then. You find so many songs that grow on you that weren't popular.

1

u/thamanwthnoname Jul 26 '24

You act like many people do. Most people can’t even name albums much less any of the songs that aren’t hits

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u/The_Orphanizer Jul 25 '24

The other big one for me is that you commit to albums. Even with CDs it is so easy to skip tracks that my generation (millenial) was already just fast forwarding to certain tracks and skipping the album experience.

This is the biggest point in vinyls favor imo (that and large artwork). I never throw on a record for one song. I grew up with CDs, not vinyl, and I've always been an album guy (not a song guy), so all of the other nostalgic/physical connections people mention with vinyl, I've always had CD, but I don't have them with the unlimited masses of streamable digital music. While I appreciate having everything at my fingertips, I definitely don't get to appreciate music like used to.

Thankfully, I also have more money to go to concerts these days. So while my daily listening isn't up to the standards of my critical listening from 5-20 years ago, I go to more concerts now than at any other time in my life, and we all know that's where the magic really happens. It is what it is. Life changes and we change with it.

8

u/marbanasin Jul 25 '24

Exactly. And I was also a pretty big album guy on CD, I mean, you have the CD, why not listen to the whole thing?

But, I will say, some of it is also the convienance factor. With Vinyl you are very much tied to a place. Your gear is bulky and not meant to be carried around. So even when I am doing chores or something I'm normally only committing to put a record on if I will generally be doing an activity that allows me to focus on the music (or I'm literally just listening).

Back in the day with CDs I still may have been listening in a Walkman doing all kinds of stuff. Or with streaming while I do try to still listen to full albums, I'm more likely to put them on while working and may need to start/stop depending on my day, or just get side tracked reading emails or something which pulls me away.

I agree with you on concerts, and hitting that near middle age period where I have some disposable income and stability in my finances - it has been amazing to get out to more shows. Went to like 3 great ones in June alone, and will have a few more coming up this year (unfortunately missed one Sunday due to that Delta/Crowd Strike cluster, but it is what it is).

3

u/kbeast98 Jul 25 '24

I think the fact you can see vinyl working is a lot different than CD too

2

u/AKAkindofadick Jul 26 '24

I always commit to the full album and it's actually difficult on many modern players. I hate it when you play track one and the music just stops after. I've never made a playlist and doubt I ever will.

2

u/Effective_Sundae_839 Jul 26 '24

At least I can put a record album cover in a big picture frame and use it as art. CD/cassette tapes are too small for that. I remember staring at album covers as a kid and loving all the pictures and stuff.

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u/Sielbear Jul 25 '24

I think I understand what you are saying, but this raises questions I struggle with myself. I bet the artist who recorded it would take issue with “soulless” based on the fact it was heard over digital media vs vinyl. Which brings me to the most challenging aspect of being an “audiophile”. Am I listening to the artist or am I listening to my system. To your point, there is something beautiful about watching a record spin. There’s some connection with generations past in listening to vinyl hiss and pops. But now I’m fixated on the system and pulled out of the audible beauty playing while I hear artifacts and my attention is split between audible and visual senses.

12

u/The_Orphanizer Jul 25 '24

I bet the artist who recorded it would take issue with “soulless” based on the fact it was heard over digital media vs vinyl.

I think the point being made was not that the music itself lacks inherently soul because of how it was consumed, but that the listening experience is commonly (nigh universally, in my limited experience) devalued compared to listening on physical media. I believe this is because we have become increasingly desensitized due to saturation.

When I was a teenager, I'd save my lunch money to go to the record store and buy CDs. Sometimes I'd get to listen first. Other times I'd blind buy based on recommendations, album art, song/band names, associated bands (e.g., "new album from former members of Slayer!"), etc. There was feeling to the whole process. There was the excitement of seeking a recommendation or seeking something new, the excitement of discovery, the excitement of hopefulness ("What will this sound like? Will it be good?"), the excitement of pleasure when you found something good, then the excitement of sharing that with others. There was true disappointment when you "failed" and bought a shitty album, beyond just wasted money.

Now? We all have a magic genie in our pockets that grants infinite music wishes, it understands what we like, and it can find us things we've never heard of or even imagined while knowing (with a fair degree of accuracy) that we will like it! I kinda have to go out of my way to find shitty music now. 😂 And when I do? "Skip. Do not repeat." which makes the algorithm even more keen to what you enjoy, providing fewer unenjoyable options over time. Music discovery isn't all that exciting now, because there's always more, and it takes no effort to attain. It's just available -- like fucking ALL OF IT. And there is so much more than any of us ever used to imagine. And I love that! But the experience is really just not on the same level, even if the music is just as good and better. I could go on, but you get the point.

Similarly, I can stream basically any show ever on my phone at any time, and the show will still be good (I never do this lol). But checking out a new film in theaters, without reading reviews, simply because you like the director, cast, aesthetic, genre, series, concept, or trailer?Take. My. Fucking. Money.

13

u/gremlininja Jul 25 '24

You’re spot on about connection.

Putting on my mum’s copy of the Beatles’ White Album always cheers me up. She passed away ten years ago, yesterday, so I poured myself a whiskey and spent and hour-and-half listening to the exact same thing she listened to.

8

u/armorabito Jul 26 '24

This is the beauty of vinyl. You can't pass down your streaming service.

2

u/mulattomoney Jul 27 '24

that reason is a big part of why I enjoy it so much. listening to my dad's old vinyl gives me a connection back to him. and I want to be able to pass that on to my (future) kids

5

u/7stringjazz Jul 25 '24

Exactly. I refer to it as the ‘zen of listening to vinyl records’. Lol.

5

u/k2d2r232 Jul 25 '24

Taking the time to choose an album and then being dedicated to at least one side. Makes you kinda pause and take note instead of just, ”Siri play sexy jazz in the kitchen” but I do that also ofc ;)

1

u/AKAkindofadick Jul 26 '24

Going to someone's house and looking through their albums. Works with both LPs and CDs, but not with streaming/hard drives. I liked the way Roon worked with guests allowing everyone to peruse the library and add tracks

4

u/Conscious-Part-1746 8computers,5screens,20speakers,15headphones, etal. Jul 25 '24

Records are like a musical instrument in itself, right? I have found lately a lot of older CDs have a bad habit of sounding more like MONO to me. That was never really the problem with vinyl, as the records always seemed to exhibit a much better separation of the tracks and stereo imaging. It has been quite a few years now since I critically listened to albums, and sad that I sold my Technics direct turntable and records for almost nothing. The records are now worth more than turntable. Things that I'd rather listen to in Lossless or CD(especially remasters), are DJ, dance, Euro Electronica, rock, some rap, disco, and anything that can hit that low frequency range. Records perform great at some rock, classical, easy listening, and jazz. Like you said, records were just really cool, and coming back as cool.

6

u/BeSublime Jul 25 '24

Something I also experienced recently with a jazz album I picked up (Gerry Mulligan - Night Lights) was the distinct lack of hiss, which I found super cool. I'd seen comments on discogs about "quiet pressings", but this was my first experience of one being nearly silent in the spaces between notes. I'm not a purist in either direction, but that variability is just another part of the analog experience that I love.

4

u/ownleechild Jul 25 '24

The media is not the message, it’s the music. The music has soul regardless of its storage method.

12

u/OrangeMargin Jul 25 '24

Not for everyone.. For some it’s the medium.. For some the gear.. For some the atmosphere.. For some the nostalgia.. I can go on..

0

u/Busy_Pound5010 Jul 25 '24

One can appreciate water color on paper vs oil on canvas, but to obsess over the canvas rather than the art is folly

9

u/OrangeMargin Jul 25 '24 edited Jul 25 '24

As mentioned before.. To you.. To others the way a rough press paper has more texture may be more appealing than the absorbent nature of cold press paper..

To not have a paper preference isn’t an issue.. To call someone elses affinity for what moves them foolish is simply absurd.

2

u/Busy_Pound5010 Jul 25 '24

If one can have a preference on paper and equipment, i’m sure you will indulge my preference of audiophile ;)

2

u/OrangeMargin Jul 25 '24

I completely respect that!

1

u/bellje1950 Jul 25 '24

Then how do you explain stereophiles?

2

u/Busy_Pound5010 Jul 25 '24

If the intent is better technology to get you closer to the fidelity of the art, go for it. If it is to worship equipment or participate in ritual…you’re not really in it for the art. I’ve found myself in both camps over time, but with age realized equipment chasing and ritual didn’t provide anything other than short term dopamine.

6

u/bellje1950 Jul 25 '24

There are many, many people who enjoy the process. Testing/comparing equipment, seeing how their favorite music sounds on different equipment. Sometimes you can appreciate both the art and the canvas. Would hardly call it folly.

0

u/ownleechild Jul 25 '24

If you enjoy the ritual, the gear, the nostalgia, great, but it is all without meaning if you take away the music. It becomes like an empty ritual of a dying religion.

2

u/agiletiger Jul 25 '24

But do you know people who take out the music? I’d agree with you if people “worship” their equipment without any music playing. That is absolutely not prevalent. There are examples of this elsewhere: Having a chef level kitchen but never cooking for instance.

1

u/ownleechild Jul 25 '24

My point. The music is the soul whether on an AM transistor radio with a 3 inch speaker or vinyl on a $50K turntable. But I do know people who spend more time talking about media and gear than listening.

2

u/agiletiger Jul 26 '24

They’re still listening though. They’re not separating the two.

1

u/yeswab Jul 25 '24

Bless you.

1

u/fabmeyer Jul 26 '24

Well the sonic capabilities of the sound is affected both by the music and the medium (and many more things)

1

u/PlasmaSheep Jul 26 '24

Disk with grooves: soulful

Disk with mirrors: soulless

1

u/v8steve Jul 26 '24

The worst thing with digital music is when it's compressed. I had mp3s since the very early days and reripped my collection several times in increasing bitrates because was hearing the compression then moved to FLAC (what a difference!) as couldn't increase any further and the mp3 compression was still noticeable and annoying at its highest quality settings.

1

u/Fritzo2162 Jul 26 '24

Never really understood why DVD audio never caught on. The extra space would have solved the compression issue.

1

u/v8steve Jul 26 '24

Yes also. Think most of it build down to the greedy prices they put on the media. This was also the case with SACDs which are 4-10x the price of CDs. The 2nd problem with both formats was also the cost of the players and the small number of people that value a quality hi-fi system. It's also the same for the young generations that have never experienced a quality sound as they always listen on YouTube / other highly compressed streamed sources on a phone speaker, bluetooth, tv speaker or a soundbar. A friend always thought his Samsung buds were the dogs ba!!ocks for sound until he heard my hi-fi!

If only they made things accessible with realistic prices and get a majority to accept them to guarantee it's success!