Vinyl Reason

Because of all the (mostly old) records I own. Sound, as allegedly defined by format, has nothing to do with it for me. Mastering quality far outweighs format choice in my view, and availability trumps sonics. But even if CD's (or whatever) always sounded better than vinyl, I would still be a record hog, 'cause I just plain dig 'em as cultural objects, like hunting them down, and like having them around me. I by and large don't dislike, but don't necessarily always relish, the greater inconveniences of cleaning and playing them.

However, the reason I think most present day audiophiles get into vinyl (or back into vinyl) is because it has been hyped by a high end industry that craves and needs the additional sales, creating a self-serving myth of general sonic superiority when the truth isn't that simple today. (The same sort of paradigm applies to tube gear as well.) Audiophiles do it because they've been taught to think it's cool, because it's tweaky and audiophiles like to tweak (sometimes more than they like music), because it's another avenue to explore when they get bored or itchy, and because they hope it might further distinguish them from the non-audiophile masses.

P.S. - For some of those who might be contemplating a rebuttal directed my way, before you click, better make sure you have more invested in your vinyl record collection than in your vinyl playback system...

Albert: Yes, you are one whose collection exempts you from my critique. But I wasn't refering to which format is 'superior' (IMO a hierarchy which can't be bluntly stated for all instances - even at their respective best, both formats have their strengths and weaknesses), but rather to my list of reasons for why I suspect many audiophiles have been drawn to the 'analog revival' (meaning vinyl strictly speaking, not analog per se - a distinction which you as a reel-to-reel owner are also eminently qualified to comment on :-)

I just don't feel that sound is the primary reason why we're seeing so much activity in this market segment these days, though some will no doubt disagree with me. My postscript was just in case anyone might get the impression that I personally prefer digital for sonics, when it's been my experience that many neuvo-vinylistas drop more on their rig than they have actual records to play. I don't prefer digital - or analog; I prefer music, and prefer to see audiophiles get into vinyl so that can expand their musical horizons and opportunities, not so that they can listen to the same 200 audiophile-approved recordings in another format at $30 a pop.

Well, maybe not 'digital' in the informationally coded-bits sense, as DNA might be described, but probably quantized at a certain level...

"Zaikesman, do you really think audiophiles are soo dumb that they jump on any bandwagon to come along regardless of whether or not it has anything to offer?"

Well, I'm not going to generalize about all audiophiles, and I wouldn't necessarily describe it as being "dumb" (it's any audiophile's money to entertain themselves with as they please), but essentially, yes - depending on what you mean by "anything to offer".

Vinyl offers tweaky retro fun, a cool and exclusively 'clubby' image, another chance to buy aesthetically interesting gear, and maybe a trip back to your youth. I think all those factors, plus incentive from cheerleading audio columnists, the financial imperatives of the high end industry, and the plain old bandwagon effect of what one's peers are doing, have contributed more to the vinyl renaissance than supposed sonic superiority.

But even if I did perceive it as being mostly about sound, I'd still view the trend just as skeptically, because A) digital sound is not the universally inferior monstrosity it's made out to be, and B) because I'm a bad audiophile - I have a disparaging view of a hobby that I see as being more valuing of gear and sound than of appreciating music as art. And the vinyl renaissance exemplifies this to me: Whereas my own interest in records has little to do with sound or gear and everything to do with access to music, that's not what I commonly see with audiophiles who (re)discover vinyl. I think it's a gear-driven phenomenon, couched within a near-mythological pretext of better sound.

I'm just answering the question posed at the top. I've said why I've always been into vinyl, and conversely why I think a lot of audiophiles are into vinyl now. Those with large and interesting record collections know who they are - and have no reason to take offense from my rant - and those who've merely duplicated their audiophile-approved CD holdings on vinyl know who they are. Among the former, most aren't audiophiles, but some of us are. Among the latter, all are audiophiles, and although some of them will also be true music lovers, their dabbling in vinyl won't primarily be about that.

Quite possibly not