Pros and Cons of "Staying with" Analog and Vinyl

Chayro hits the nail on the head with a very insightful comment. This stuff is about music, in whatever form it takes. In the microscopic world of vinyl playback, everything is important, and nothing is.

There is always noise with music. Digital has its own sonic artifacts that can be as detrimental to the listening experience as tics and pops on an LP. Some hear them, some don't.

I always wonder if, as one of those weirdos who could hear a TV picture tube's high-pitched hum when it was on (back in days when there were picture tubes), a particular sensitivity makes digital more or less noisy for some. Who knows? Interesting question, though.

At any rate, have fun with this hobby, don't worry too much, and keep your toes tapping.

It isn't "us vs them," it's both. For me, vinyl is still a more enjoyable experience, even with the occasional surface noise. I have a stereo copy of the amazing "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie" that at some points sounds like someone's making popcorn in the kitchen. It's still a dazzling recording.

Without question, CD players have come a very, very long way. The gap between vinyl and digital recordings, cued up on my turntable and CD player, isn't as vast as it once was. But it's still significant.

If I didn't have any vinyl, and were just starting out, I'm not sure I would bother with it. But if you have vinyl, I'm not sure why you would get out of a particular media, and replace those discs with CDs or hi-res downloads, when you already have them.

For me, I take my music in whatever form I have it in. I have the "Complete Riverside Recordings of Thelonious Monk" on vinyl, and still remember getting it, and not leaving the house for a weekend.

I also have some CDs that bring that same delight. It doesn't have to be a closed door, but rather, another open one.

And to speak to your value analysis, it's a fascinating point. I went from a Maplenoll Ariadne Signature/Sony XA-20ES CD player to a Thorens 2030/Primare CD21. Same Grado Reference Sonata cartridge for both.

The Thorens is more than 95% of the Maplenoll, so the sound quality of analog hasn't taken a significant step back for me. But the quality of CD playback has improved significantly from when I was last shopping. So retail for that Primare is about $1500. Retail for the 2030 (thank the heavens for sales!) approaches $4k with the Rega 300 arm.

If you spend identical sums on analog and digital, what kind of results would you get? Good question. But only you can answer what analog is worth to you, fiscally.

This doesn't even get into computer audio, which is the next great audio frontier, a medium that is growing by leaps and bounds.

But it sounds like you've made your mind up. I'm down to about 1,000 LPs after giving away a couple hundred or so, and can't see anything making me give those up.

Also know that digital isn't really about "analog sound quality." Digital is, as others have noted, more accurate than analog. But whether it's the added "air" created by that sound of stylus contacting groove or what, I can still play the same disc on CD and vinyl for anyone in my listening room, and they will invariably prefer the vinyl.

Weird, that subjective preference. Digital isn't supposed to sound like analog. It's like when people ask about solid-state amps that "sound" like tube amps, when the ideal amp won't have a "sound," be it tube or solid state. Likewise with digital vs analog. A great recording will be great, no matter the format, irrespective of sonic artifacts.

It's your ears, and your money. Do what you want with it.