Streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube Music have made finding and listening to music as easy as possible. Most people prefer to turn on their favorite running playlist and start working out. However, true music lovers prefer to listen to vinyl records. And this is not only due to the widespread fashion for vintage.
Even though vinyl is costly, it is in most cases the best way to listen to music. After all, the feeling when you put a physical record on a vinyl record player, put the needle down, and enjoy listening to music is incomparable. So if you’ve never listened to vinyl, you should at least give it a try, and here’s why.
Why do vinyl records have a unique sound?
The warm sound that vinyl lovers talk about is due to several objective reasons.
First, vinyl has an analog sound. When a record is recorded, the sound wave travels a long way, at the end of which it ends up stamped into the grooves of the vinyl. What we hear can essentially be seen under a microscope.
Everything we’re used to hearing today, whether it’s radio, music on a streaming service, or in an MP3 music library, is sound waves extracted from a digital code. The digital more accurately conveys what has been recorded. The breadth of the frequency range is second to none, but it’s not all that clear-cut.
The next feature of vinyl sound is the effect of the mechanics on playback. Fluctuations in needle height and detonations from the running motor create additional vibrations. Vinyl lovers claim that it is this effect that “animates” the turntable, making the sound unique.
It is important to understand that the transition to vinyl in terms of sound isn’t a step backward. Rather, it’s a step away. The analog sound has characteristics that will be an advantage for some people.
Is vinyl aesthetically pleasing?
People passionate about vinyl collect everything they can get their hands on: turntables, accessories, and, of course, records. They carefully store and wipe off dust, wash records, change needles, and upgrade and do the preventive repair of devices. It’s unlikely they would be doing that in the streaming era if they didn’t enjoy taking care of their turntables and phono library.
Listening to the music itself becomes a ritual, too. Unpacking an envelope and watching the record plate move in a circular motion is much more exciting than a couple of clicks or taps on the screen.
Are almost all significant releases released on vinyl?
Vinyl sales have been skyrocketing over the past few years. Almost any significant foreign release can be found on vinyl. Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Adam Lambert, and Kendrick Lamar are among the thousands of musicians whose albums are released on vinyl on world premiere day. In addition, vinyl versions often come with additional exclusives in the artwork and the playlist itself.
About ten years ago, former White Stripes frontman Jack White founded Third Man Records, a label that specializes in publishing music on vinyl. The studio experiments: it makes flavored records, records with liquid or dried rose petals inside.
There is also a concert hall in the same building, where you can record a performance and have your first run of records minted the same day. This shows that vinyl culture is not in stagnation. It is experiencing a new heyday and growing. Vinyl is really in vogue and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
Is it possible to buy a modern vinyl record player of good quality?
If there are new records, then there are new vinyl players. Unfortunately, what the mass-market offers, inexpensive all-inclusive plastic units with a built-in phono stage and speakers, is no good.
If you decide to buy a good record player, you have two ways to go: to find a decent used device or to look for new equipment of high quality. The first way hides many pitfalls – from the lack of components and official services to the risk of buying a used player in a dead state.
If the old player doesn’t suit you, you can buy a new and modern one. On the Internet, you can find many vinyl players with different prices and quality. There are many models for sale on Amazon as well. Esquire has highlighted the 12 best modern vinyl players in 2022.
In addition, your vinyl player can be a great and stylish piece of furniture for your home. In turn, rare collectible records can be hung in a frame on the wall.
What to do if you’re tired of vinyl
If you no longer want to listen to vinyl, and collecting records is boring to you, and you no longer have time for it, you can simply resell them. Fortunately, the demand for vinyl isn’t going down, it’s even increasing.
Vinyl records have proven to be a worthwhile investment. The technology has been available for many decades, but you can still buy vinyl released in the 1940s or 1950s, put it on a turntable and enjoy it. Provided the records have been cared for, the experience will be the same as when they were first released.
Many records released after the advent of CDs are also considered collector’s editions. These versions of records are often released along with CDs and digital copies and have a limited supply. The vinyl itself may be in color or with an album cover. Because supplies are limited, you may even find that they get more expensive.
The hobby of vinyl isn’t something strange, complicated, or unattainable. It is not a hobby for intellectuals with a high threshold of entry. It is easy to start listening to records. All you need is a decent machine and a small collection of releases.
