Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back

theodp writes "Time reports that vinyl records are suddenly cool again. Vinyl has a warmer, more nuanced sound than CDs or MP3s; records feature large album covers with imaginative graphics, pullout photos, and liner notes. 'Bad sound on an iPod has had an impact on a lot of people going back to vinyl,' says 15-year-old David MacRunnel, who owns more than 1,000 records."

Comments

Re:"Suddenly"?

[Vskye]

They can sound better if you have a good turntable with a good cartridge, a good preamp and amp, and good speakers that are capable of resolving the differences between digital and analog audio. The problem is, you're talking about $20,000 worth of high-end audio equipment there.

I've had a good system back in the day, and $20k? I don't think so.

And that's not taking into account wear and tear. Vinyl degrades with each use; there is no getting around it. You're putting two physical parts in contact and moving them against each other; over time, your records will sound worse and there is nothing you can do about it.

Umm, just a slap with a clue stick here, but I always recorded each album to either cassette or reel-to-reel tape on the first play, put the album back and that was it, end of story.

Analog IS better

[nurb432]

But its not as convenient, which is how the world works today.