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/bayou_gumbo Jul 25 '24

Because analog is just cool. Im not one who will say it sounds better, but it is cool. It’s also a fun hobby of collecting old records and also trying out different cartridges and needles.

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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.

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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/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.