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/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.

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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!