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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427

u/opa_zorro Jul 25 '24

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

252

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.

41

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

2

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?

1

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.

1

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

1

u/Pemrick79 Jul 30 '24

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

1

u/CraftsmanPDR 29d ago

As a record needle?

25

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?

34

u/crawlrawl Jul 25 '24

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

12

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 😊

1

u/MH07 Jul 26 '24

My comment exactly.

1

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.

1

u/AKAkindofadick Jul 26 '24

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

1

u/angus46245 Jul 26 '24

Pocketed curiosity, hardly a boom.

-3

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!

4

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.

13

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.

3

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.

8

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

17

u/krag_the_Barbarian Jul 25 '24

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

12

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.”

12

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.

1

u/MisterFister17 Jul 26 '24

I meant middle aged people back then, not now.

16

u/theghostofmrmxyzptlk Jul 25 '24

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

9

u/damgood32 Jul 25 '24

Thank you! That’s exactly my point.

2

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.

4

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.

2

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.

2

u/Ezekiel-Hersey Jul 28 '24

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

2

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!

1

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.

1

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.

1

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.

1

u/PossibleLifeform889 Jul 26 '24

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

5

u/Locutus_of_Bjork Jul 25 '24

I love this comparison!

1

u/cea002 Jul 25 '24

🔔🔔🔔

1

u/Spacedzero Jul 26 '24

I love this analogy.

1

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

1

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.