Dragging a rock through a ditch. But that is not what you are listening to.
You are listening to an AC signal generated in tiny coils by the motion of a magnet or visa versa. Magnetic induction. This is followed by the electronics required to equalize the signal and drive amplifiers. Believe it or not the rock actually does a very good job within a certain frequency band and groove velocity. When compared directly to digital files of the same master, vinyl playback has an ethereal quality that adds a sensation of depth. Since a vinyl version of a digital file has the same quality this is obviously a distortion albeit happy one of the vinyl playback chain. It is also a sound quality that humans gravitate towards as even young people are buying vinyl and vinyl playback systems. Another important point is that if I make a digital file of the playback of a vinyl album I get an exact copy of the ethereal sound. The digital now sounds like vinyl. In 192/24 you can not tell the difference between the actual vinyl and the digital file of the vinyl whereas it is easy to tell the difference between actual vinyl playback and fully digital playback. This is a very repeatable observation through a variety of ears. Even my wife picks up on it. Channel D's Pure Vinyl is a great program by the way. It allows you to record vinyl to your computer and makes these comparisons easy. Mikey uses it. You can even edit out the pops and ticks!
Anyway, nobody that I know of has ever characterized this happy distortion. Humans like more sensory input. We like brighter colors, spicier food and euphoric sound so in essence vinyl playback becomes an art form. We talk about cartridges as if they were bottles of wine, a painting. Whereas digital is digital, not much too talk about. Speakers are the same way. So, we are all like wine aficionados. Nobody knows the hell what we are talking about.
You are listening to an AC signal generated in tiny coils by the motion of a magnet or visa versa. Magnetic induction. This is followed by the electronics required to equalize the signal and drive amplifiers. Believe it or not the rock actually does a very good job within a certain frequency band and groove velocity. When compared directly to digital files of the same master, vinyl playback has an ethereal quality that adds a sensation of depth. Since a vinyl version of a digital file has the same quality this is obviously a distortion albeit happy one of the vinyl playback chain. It is also a sound quality that humans gravitate towards as even young people are buying vinyl and vinyl playback systems. Another important point is that if I make a digital file of the playback of a vinyl album I get an exact copy of the ethereal sound. The digital now sounds like vinyl. In 192/24 you can not tell the difference between the actual vinyl and the digital file of the vinyl whereas it is easy to tell the difference between actual vinyl playback and fully digital playback. This is a very repeatable observation through a variety of ears. Even my wife picks up on it. Channel D's Pure Vinyl is a great program by the way. It allows you to record vinyl to your computer and makes these comparisons easy. Mikey uses it. You can even edit out the pops and ticks!
Anyway, nobody that I know of has ever characterized this happy distortion. Humans like more sensory input. We like brighter colors, spicier food and euphoric sound so in essence vinyl playback becomes an art form. We talk about cartridges as if they were bottles of wine, a painting. Whereas digital is digital, not much too talk about. Speakers are the same way. So, we are all like wine aficionados. Nobody knows the hell what we are talking about.