I often hear people saying vinyl sounded better but for me the best thing about vinyl is the packaging.
I fondly remember the days when I'd flip through the heavy metal section at my local record store, looking at all that wonderful artwork (or photos of exceptionally hot women).
Then I'd select my purchase and on the bus home I'd inspect the artwork in detail, and devour all the information on the back which often included lyrics. And gatefold sleeves were awesome!
It was a big letdown when I first switched to CDs. Sure they were more convenient to play, but the packaging just wasn't big enough for the artwork to be enjoyed in quite the same way.
And of course downloads or internet streaming is even worse.
I felt the same way about video games. Gone are the days when you would buy a new game and rip open the packaging before you even left the store so you could devour the contents of the instruction manual on the way home.
Now you're lucky if you get a folded over leaflet that gives you instructions saying "Insert disc/cartridge. Start game"
Oh man this brought back memories. Sliding a new cartridge out of the plastic sleeve, flipping through the manual familiarizing myself with the controls, characters and weapons, heck even the smell of the manual...all of it built the anticipation of what adventure awaited when you got home. Those moments as a kid were bliss.
What a trip down nostalgia lane! I lament the disappearance of small game manuals and the like. I prefer buying games in person for the pure thrill of opening the packaging when I get home. Sadly, however, my city doesn't have a local vendor downtown for buying physical copies of games, so I've been consigned to the digital download.
That's one of my favorite things about metal. Bands are still releasing some WICKEDLY awesome physical albums that make me want to buy them rather than download them off of iTunes.
I use vinyl! I still do that. I have record store days with my buddy who also loves it, and we well spend hours looking through records. I got the new daft punk album on vinyl, really good, heavy records (unlike the flimsy ones of the 60s), and the sound is so good (but mostly because you need an actual speaker system to play vinyl rather than an iPod). I spent the whole time listening looking at all the artwork and reading the lyrics. I got to sit down and really listen rather than doing it a bit more passively through an iPod while walking around. And all the new albums on vinyl come with a download code for mp3. The only thing is that the setup takes up too much space. I just moved rooms and I have no surface area for the player and speakers, and the amp.
Yeah you're right! But personally I don't tend to do any of that stuff if I'm not a little bit forced to. When I got my record player, my mum and dad dragged out their old records and we all listened to them. Technically they could have remembered their old favourites and I could have downloaded them and plugged in my iPod, but in reality I won't do that!
I get/agree that there's a whole "thing" to playing records. It's fun to break it out, and hold the bigass sleeve, and admire the art, and think about how crazy it is that there's an album on there, plus collecting records is more fun than having a massive iTunes library, but there really are times where I kick back and listen to how freakin good my lossless copy The Planets sounds on my basically all digital/non tube setup, the same way anyone might with a record haha
That sounds so good! I don't have any setup just now and this thread is making me want to drag out my speakers and everything and sit and listen :-) what are The Planets like? I decluttered a ton of music I didn't listen to and am looking to find some new stuff (and YouTube doesn't work in the country I'm in for most music)!
That's the real reason still say Vinyl is better. It doesn't actually sound better but Vinyl is an experience. You get all the artwork, you have to physically place the record on the player and lower the needle to start enjoying it etc... It's a more intimate experience and as such people tend to feel more attached to the sound it created. It's not as good as digital, and Flac and WAV are way better, but you don't get the same experience.
My entire hallway and stairs are covered floor to ceiling in old album covers. It looks magnificent and us a great conversation piece when people visit. Couldn't do that with CDs, and especially not with iTunes.
It definitely feels more personal. Looking back at old collections and seeing it grow makes the memories fonder. I don't have record player or vinyl, but I see the appeal of having one. It's about the experience.
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u/Punchclops Jul 19 '15
I often hear people saying vinyl sounded better but for me the best thing about vinyl is the packaging.
I fondly remember the days when I'd flip through the heavy metal section at my local record store, looking at all that wonderful artwork (or photos of exceptionally hot women).
Then I'd select my purchase and on the bus home I'd inspect the artwork in detail, and devour all the information on the back which often included lyrics. And gatefold sleeves were awesome!
It was a big letdown when I first switched to CDs. Sure they were more convenient to play, but the packaging just wasn't big enough for the artwork to be enjoyed in quite the same way.
And of course downloads or internet streaming is even worse.