“If you're looking for an activity or you have a special collection of very old rare vinyl, then this could be a great pursuit. However, it is somewhat like high end audio. Putting together a system to play music with great fidelity can take decades and cost a fortune. Converting analog to digital can be the same. It has all the potential trade offs.”
@ghdprentice nailed it.
I once visited a gentleman who had digitized his entire vinyl collection. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed. Something about the process, seems to strip away the soul of the music. When you digitize, no matter how good the gear, you’re inevitably “flattening” something that was meant to live in the analog domain.
Vinyl is alive in a way digital just can’t quite capture — the ritual, the warmth, even the imperfections. Digitizing feels a bit like trying to bottle up nature’s beauty… you get the image, but not the essence. Some if you may disagree with this assertion but that’s been my experience. I enjoy it all…records, cd’s and streaming.
If I were in OP shoes, I’d invest in a solid digital streaming platform first and then store the records away for six months before letting them go. That way, you’ll know for sure whether you miss the ritual and sound of records before making a permanent decision. No sense in regretting walking away from something you might still love and enjoy.