Honest question. Kind of talking myself to into taking the plunge with a player and start building a collection but not sure what the allure is for me.

For some I know there's just the cool, eclectic factor but are there any actual audio benefits with a good setup?

I've invested in a whole home Sonos system so this announced Victoria Stream Carbon is what has my attention. But kind of feels like it defeats the purpose in some way.

https://victrola.com/products/victrola-stream-carbon-works-with-sonos-turntable

A lot of it for me is definitely nostalgia but no matter what anyone says vinyl CAN sound better than any other source out there. Now my system isn't really good enough for that but I have a good friend who does and we've put it to the test. It's not all the time but it is possible.

Digital is like using a George foreman grille, vinyl is like grilling on a charcoal grille. Sure a George Foreman can work for most everything, but you get a way better profile using the old school methods.

Same thing with digital versus vinyl.

For me, it was always the artwork.
Especially bands like Iron Maiden.

the main appeal is providing you with a reason for hording those pennies......

Just looked at that 45, I had no idea that Springsteen wrote that song! Just assumed it was Manfred Mann!

"Wrapped up like a ****** another rumor in the night" Only Springsteen would write that line.. I should have known.

Agree with better sound, the artwork, the lyrics being included, various info on albums.

One thing I would add that is hard to quantify is the feeling you get letting an album play out.
You'll find songs you love that never made radio play. You'll get to know your favorite artists better.

Apache- you need to get Greetings from Asbury Park tomorrow.

Agree with the artwork.

There was always something satisfying about plopping that vinyl disc onto the platter and getting the stylus into position (especially when that had to be done manually).

And not sure I totally agree, but to quote Nic Cage from The Rock - "These sound better". Maybe when a record was new, but once they started getting some scratches, there would be popping sounds which you don't get on CDs or digital.

There was a thread on this a couple years ago that was pretty interesting. It got into the engineering aspects of sound (with lots of debate).

https://texags.com/forums/13/topics/3065197/1#discussion

For me it was how cheap it was to build out your record collection when everyone was switching over to CD and the artwork.

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One thing I would add that is hard to quantify is the feeling you get letting an album play out.

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This is 100% of what hooked me when I got back into vinyl. Most of my music at the time was on my phone or mp3 player and I'd listen to it on shuffle play, skip whenever I wanted to. I picked up an old turntable thinking "I'll just get a few records". Pretty much immediately I discovered that I loved listening to an album or side all the way through. You really can't skip songs, and the sides aren't that long, that record ain't gonna flip itself, so its a more interactive experience for me. Digital music almost fades to the background of whatever I'm doing, but vinyl I always listen to it more intently

Manfred Mann actually changed that line. I think it was originally "cut loose like a deuce". Springsteen released the song as well, you could listen...

I thought it was "rev'd up like a deuce" with a deuce being a 1932 Ford flathead.

If you prefer poor sound quality, vinyl does sound better I guess

I'm with the other posters who mention the artwork - the few vinyl records I own are in frames to be displayed as art. I would never listen to them because it's an inferior experience.

Going to the store to buy a record was an experience. You heard a song on the radio, if you didn't know the band or missed the intro/outro, it might be days or weeks until you even knew who was singing it. You went to the store, skimmed the aisles, found the one you wanted, and seeing the album was 99.9% of the time the first time you laid eyes on the band if they were new, or laid eyes on the artwork if they were established. If it was one of your favorite groups, it was like Christmas come early because you unwrapped the record, poured over the details inside, checked out the lyrics of every song. No YouTube, no Spotify, you put it on your system and it felt like you were the first person outside of the band hearing those songs for the first time.

I'm 48 and my brother is soon to be 52. We often talk about as grand as the Internet is, the anticipation and surprise factors that used to accompany not knowing when everything was going to be released to the day, hour, minute, and sometimes having to work to find an old song, an old movie, an old book was definitely part of the experience, and definitely something that sometimes we're lacking.

The Porkchop Express said:

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Going to the store to buy a record was an experience. You heard a song on the radio, if you didn't know the band or missed the intro/outro, it might be days or weeks until you even knew who was singing it. You went to the store, skimmed the aisles, found the one you wanted, and seeing the album was 99.9% of the time the first time you laid eyes on the band if they were new, or laid eyes on the artwork if they were established. If it was one of your favorite groups, it was like Christmas come early because you unwrapped the record, poured over the details inside, checked out the lyrics of every song. No YouTube, no Spotify, you put it on your system and it felt like you were the first person outside of the band hearing those songs for the first time.

I'm 48 and my brother is soon to be 52. We often talk about as grand as the Internet is, the anticipation and surprise factors that used to accompany not knowing when everything was going to be released to the day, hour, minute, and sometimes having to work to find an old song, an old movie, an old book was definitely part of the experience, and definitely something that sometimes we're lacking.

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Hunting making us happy is an evolutionary development. The only thing people have to hunt for in today's society is for reasons to be offended.

Happy hour at Hastings used to be a highlight of the week, free beer, the occasional band and discountd albums and books.

Man Hastings was a great store.

McKinney Ag said:

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Honest question. Kind of talking myself to into taking the plunge with a player and start building a collection but not sure what the allure is for me.

For some I know there's just the cool, eclectic factor but are there any actual audio benefits with a good setup?

I've invested in a whole home Sonos system so this announced Victoria Stream Carbon is what has my attention. But kind of feels like it defeats the purpose in some way.

https://victrola.com/products/victrola-stream-carbon-works-with-sonos-turntable

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Sonos isn't really an audiophile setup. Its main attraction is in its usability. So from that perspective - you are right, adding vinyl to your system does kind of defeat the purpose a little bit. But if its something you think you'll enjoy then go for it.

I find much more enjoyment out of GOOD sound. You can get lossless audio off of streamers like Tidal, etc. But then you really need the system to take advantage of that. Good speakers, sub, sound treatment, and (IMO) DSP (Dirac live, etc). You don't have to spend stupid money, but you do have to spend more than Sonos money to get that generally. I always suggest just starting with the weak spot in the chain and resolving that then moving to the next weak spot, etc. For a lot of people it's the lack of low end sound. For others it might be the room itself, etc.

The Porkchop Express said:

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Going to the store to buy a record was an experience. You heard a song on the radio, if you didn't know the band or missed the intro/outro, it might be days or weeks until you even knew who was singing it. You went to the store, skimmed the aisles, found the one you wanted, and seeing the album was 99.9% of the time the first time you laid eyes on the band if they were new, or laid eyes on the artwork if they were established. If it was one of your favorite groups, it was like Christmas come early because you unwrapped the record, poured over the details inside, checked out the lyrics of every song. No YouTube, no Spotify, you put it on your system and it felt like you were the first person outside of the band hearing those songs for the first time.

I'm 48 and my brother is soon to be 52. We often talk about as grand as the Internet is, the anticipation and surprise factors that used to accompany not knowing when everything was going to be released to the day, hour, minute, and sometimes having to work to find an old song, an old movie, an old book was definitely part of the experience, and definitely something that sometimes we're lacking.

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Its still a great experience, its different since those days are long gone, but the hunt for used vinyl is just as fun as ever to me. Dallas has some great record stores. I love hitting the New Arrivals as soon as I walk in the door

I always felt like it was a different way to experience the music, listening to multiple tracks from the same band and same recording sessions back to back, flipping the record over. It is a different way of experiencing the art.

With the proliferation of CDs (where you could skip tracks) and then electronic media, and now Spotify/Apple Music/Pandora, etc... where its basically your own radio station 99% of the time, no one listens to an album anymore. Too few people have the attention span for it.

For me it's the album covers. That may sound stupid but I miss waiting for that next album to come out and hold it in my hands. I also miss reading the liner notes.

For most people it's nostalgia and collecting... No different than collecting most anything else. If you are a music fan you aren't going to collect MP3s... cassette tapes are cumbersome and ****ty quality... so it's CDs or vinyl and the latter is nicer to look at.

For many it's being hipster.

For maybe a fraction of a percentage of people it's sound quality. 99% of people could put an audio filter on their MP3's and get the same effect.

There are a few reasons for me.

1. As others have mentioned, it is the experience. Listening to a vinyl album is an active pursuit whereas most times listening to digital music is passive. I like the physical aspect of taking out the record, pla ING it on the turntable, placing the stylus and listening to the album. Then getting up and turning it over.

2. Nostalgia. My dad passed last year and my mom gave me first crack at his albums. Many from the 60s and 70s. What I didn't know was that my grandparents records were there as well. Many of these were records I spent my childhood listening to. "Live from Folsom Prison", "Tennessee Ernie Ford's Greatest Hits", things like that. My dad had albums that I wore out when I was young and shaped my taste in music. Unfortunately, some of those albums were in poor shape (likely because of me) and I have found some of them in resale stores and other places and now have two copies. One I can listen to and the other just to have. Along with this, my daughter and I now have albums we look for and enjoy hunting for them. Sure, you can find anything you want on eBay, but the hunt is where it's at.

3. Finding new favorite songs. When you listen to an album from front to back, you get to find deep tracks you may have skipped on a CD or didn't find on Spotify.

I've got probably 200-250 vinyl albums from the 60s and 70s boxed up and stored upstairs along with an old Technics turntable. Played the hell out of those. Simply don't have room for them with my current A/V setup in the living room. Bought CDs to replace my favorite LPs.

The Porkchop Express said:

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Man Hastings was a great store.

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Hastings

Agasaurus Tex said:

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I've got probably 200-250 vinyl albums from the 60s and 70s boxed up and stored upstairs along with an old Technics turntable. Played the hell out of those. Simply don't have room for them with my current A/V setup in the living room. Bought CDs to replace my favorite LPs.

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Interested in selling?

The Porkchop Express said:

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Man Hastings was a great store.

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Sound Warehouse for me.

I moved to LA just in time to see Tower Records die.

PM me if you are interested in selling. I'd like to look through them at least.

Haven't thought about selling. Need to do an inventory and do some research on their value.

BTW if anyone in DFW is interested I have a vintage Technics turntable and Kenwood receiver I'm willing to let go of. Record player is in really good shape but needs a counterweight. Lemme know if you know of anyone who is interested.

Album artwork, physical collection, seeing the record turn and music come out, just physical media in general.

I think it's kind of weird you decided you should collect vinyl records before understanding why you want them.

Most of my reasons have been mentioned so far. Analog playback has a warmth and sense of novelty to it. Actually starting an album and letting it run is just something that is hard to do in this era of having every song at your fingertips. Owning a record is like owning a piece of art when you combine the cover art, lyrics on the inside, and physically owning a copy of the music itself.

But for me, my favorite part about records is going on the safari. Just going online and buying albums defeats all the fun, for me. I love going through antique stores, Cactus music, half priced books, or other places and just searching through the collection of used records. I'm not ever looking for anything specific; I just know when I find it. Whether it's stumbling across a great copy of an album you love and have been looking for for years, or finding an album you've never heard about but really like the cover art and picking it up for a great price just to try it out.

Yeah I didn't really put much thought in my phrasing. Better would have been I'm not sure what aspects appeal to me the most and I was interested to hear what others enjoy.

Definitely not a hipster and also not an audiophile but I do appreciate good sound and a more intentional experience of exploring music.

Appreciate all the good input!