What I really think of vinyl in 2022 

I've bought at least 1 vinyl record a week since I was 14. And now at 65 I've around 10,000 records.

I work for a small indie label, due to issues with supply and manufacturing these past 2 years, our costs have gone up, which has scuppered the feasibility of releasing smaller vinyl products at a reasonable price. I am in the minority at the label, as while appreciating vinyl for all the reasons you mention, great video by the way, I view the market nowadays as out of reach for most people. Paying 25 or 30 pounds for an album is a lot and unnecessary, when we have access to objectively higher quality formats. I understand the desire to own an object, associated with the music, but maybe there is a way to affordably bridge that gap, without having to produce and supply the now ludicrously inflated vinyl units. It's difficult though, as the perceived value is associated with the ritual of the needle drop. There have been many attempts to produce physical media in other ways, like a cd in book, usb distribution and so on, yet none of these methods have really captured the market. I have no answer, and can see the interest becoming more niche and expensive to pursue.

I still collect vinyl records even it’s expensive. I also have a decent collection of CDs, cassette tapes and 8 track tapes. I don’t only value music itself but having a physical collection of my favorite music.

I'm 50- something and have spent a fortune on vinyl and cassettes in my youth, all lost to neglect. Recently played a cassette on good vintage player. Was amazed at the sound quality after decades on mp3. Don't discount analog tapes yet, you just need a decent player. I now remember we used to tape record our vinyls to avoid scratches and wear on the grooves.

Growing up in my teen in 70’s and 80’ I got exposure to vinyl. I thought cds were like magic when the 1st came out, and the technology truly is amazing, and fascinating knowing how it works. However the feel of handling a large vinyl record album with its cool easy to see artwork makes vinyl more appealing to me. It gives me much satisfaction to pull that beautiful shiny vinyl disc out of its wrapper. Vinyl is truly amazing in how well it can sound if a good pressing and played on good equipment with a properly calibrated turntable. I must say I’ve gone back to vinyl, mainly because of the wonderful childhood memories it holds, as well as the warm natural sound of it. Heck, I don’t even mind that little crackle now and then, it gives the format character, rather than being something sterile sounding. I even enjoy washing my records, it gives me much more appreciation, and then encourages me to want to listen to the entire album after the investment spent in cleaning. Vinyl is special, enjoy your time thoroughly with it and share listening with everyone. ❤️ ✌️😎👍

Thanks for the balanced and well said overview of collecting LP's. For me there is a place for listening to all formats for music. The attraction for collecting vinyl is very strong because of the tactile and physical nature of the media and the process of playing it. I rip all formats of my music to external hard drives and listen through my laptop and DAC, which is connected to my stereo system. Digital formats also allow for portability and listening on the go.

Great video. Going to agree with most of what you said. I was the typical stubborn vinyl enthusiast in the mid ‘80s. I worked as a Saturday lad in a proper “top end” hifi shop and we regularly demonstrated our LP12’s and rega decks outperforming cd’s, convincing our customers not to convert to “evil” digital. So for years I bought tons of new and 2nd hand vinyl off my friends who were converting to cd’s. 1000’s of records and years later I sold the lot as generally owning my vast collection just got too inconvenient. The kids were throwing the rare valuable 1st pressings as frisbees, and as I was getting older I kept dropping my expensive stylus on the grooves and scratching the surfaces. Also the the mrs kept complaining of a “musky” smell in the house because of the sleeves, so off they went to another vinyl audiophile. With the £ I made I managed to settle an issue I had with the tax man, treat the mrs for her 40th birthday and get a very nice seperates streaming system. Did I regret buying those records? Well I learnt a lot about music and I made some decent cash with the sale, but at least I believe the records are hopefully being played by a new generation of enthusiast, whilst I can happily be satisfied with Qobuz as long as we have internet connection! The only problem now is it’s the mrs 50th and I haven’t got anything to sell to sort that dilemma!!

Dude, you said it perfectly. I've been collecting LPs for 45 years and you made me feel like I've done the right way to listen to music. Great...

Mate!! Every album you mentioned is in my collection. Great video. I love hearing other peoples passion for music! Good work brother.

To be honest, I do love vinyl however I have found myself buying CD’s so much more in recent times. The sheer cost of vinyl at the moment makes it not worth the enormous cost when compared to vinyl

Great video! You answered many of your question as well as any others! Having over 500 LPs Im hoping records dont go the wayside anytime soon!

Getting my first turntable in many years, which motivated me to build a component stereo system provided me with an opportunity to hear my CDs better than I've heard them in several years. It's a win-win for me!

I liked your presentation and your pros and cons about vinyl. I feel the same

Thanks for that take on vinyl. I was thinking about adding a turntable and all the gubbins to my set up, but your thoughts have stayed my hand somewhat.

Very interesting! I like to hear from those who got interested in records during their resurgence. I've loved music since I was a little boy and started buying 45s when I was 5, way back in 1956. There were no other options other than AM radio. When other formats came along, I kept my records, though I bought cassettes and CDs. I'm still buying records. I bought some at a thrift just last week. However, I don't buy new records because of cost. I love the thrill of the hunt crate digging and can buy 10-20 records that way instead of one new record. I imagine there are many like you who became fascinated with the medium but the realities of records soon caught up. Thanks for giving me a look at the world of someone new to the hobby.

Great analysis ... Thank you!

You explained exactly how I feel about vinyl, all the honest pros and cons. I'm building a set up that gives me the best of both worlds and allows me to alternate between analog and digital.

Perfectly said and my opinion on vinyl is absolutely the same as yours .. the feeling you get from vinyl is fantastic but the price is just a lot when there is so much music to enjoy !! Thank you for your thoughts!

Best vinyl vs digital discussion yet - very thoughtfully and objectively presented.

What a great video dude! Enjoyed it very much. Nice conversation.

I think this was a pretty evenhanded and pragmatic assessment. Since I can't take a turntable with me I usually stream most of the music I hear and buy it later to assuage my guilt over so much free listening. I have to admit that lately I've been enticed (suckered) into pre-ordering upcoming releases from band I've enjoyed in the past (on the colored vinyl, 'natch). I'm glad I don't live near a Rough Trade store as I would definitely waste even more money on this. Good video.

Great video. And Violator is right up there in my top 5 as well. I'm primarily a classic rock listener but Violator is such an incredible album.

I appreciate what you say about listening to the album as a whole. One of my favorite bands is The Who. I can listen to "Pinball Wizard" on any greatest hits CD compilation, however, listening to the full "Tommy" LP is a stunning experience. You're spot on with that observation.

great critique of this interesting subject! Youve hit on the most important issues. As a DJ who grew up in the 80s Ive switched format a few times but now find myself back collecting vinyl and investing in Technics 1200s for home use. Getting great sound out of vinyl takes time and money(cartridges/needles/pr-amps/turntable stands etc) and effort - but there in lies the fun! Ironically i use software to process my DJ Mp3s to add warmth! Crate digging for bargains is a true joy and adds to any holiday i go on. Discogs and record fairs take this to another level! the hope is that value of my collection will appreciate which is probably as risky a concept as bitcoin!

I had two brothers, both vinyl deejays in the 1970's. Both have passed away now, and I inherited their sizable vinyl collections. This does not include my own vinyl colection which is sizeable enough as it is! I hadn't played any of my vinyl in over 25 years and theirs even longer. in 2016 I bought myself a brand new turntable and never looked back since. That was 3 turntables ago now. I bought and beautifuly restored and upgraded a Thorens TD166 Mk2 from ebay to better than new condition and then more recently to a Rega P6 with a moving coil cartridge. The reproduction now is so good that you can easily distingush records that were poorly mixed from turntables/cartridges of the past. I now clean and restore old records by ultrasonic cleaning, which really rewinds the years of accumulated dirt and grime, and brings many old secondhand and old records back to a very good state. Especially restoring my late brothers records that had a very hard life! I still get CD's, SACD's and Blu-Ray audio discs for 5.1 surround listening of records I am liable to frequently play, but Vinyl is my real love. It's a performance and ritual of playing vinyl records I enjoy.

Grew up with a walkman. Now, vinyl and bandcamp for me.

Couldn’t agree more. Ive really enjoyed, the Album goodies ie sleeves, art, posters, Japanese Vinyl Obi’s, inserts, tour pics, even comic books like my Captain Fantastic Elton John Album. Plus the sound is just fuller than any other media. 🤙👍🤘 Great vid. Got you a new Sub 👍

Thanks for you interesting take on vinyl records. I grew up with Vinyl and always enjoyed collecting and playing records as I upgraded my hi fi system over the decades. When CD's came along I was very interested in them of course but the players were very expensive and you could only buy new CD's from a small and expensive range of titles, so I waited. By the early 1990's CD players were much cheaper and many more CD titles were available at lower prices, especially second-hand ones, so I got into it. I have not bothered buying new vinyl records since the 1990's, as they are too expensive compared to CD's. I still occasionally buy used vinyl as well as new and used CD's and still enjoy both formats, although I find CD's are more convenient as I have gotten older and they always sound as good as the day I first acquired them. I haven't bothered joining music or movie streaming services, as I can usually listen for free, to anything on RU-vid that I don't have a hard copy of, although the ads are a nuisance. I dislike paying monthly fees for anything, except for the essential services I need.

Great video and some superb vinyl albums mentioned particularly Violator and Compter World which I think sound so much better on vinyl.. I've been buying vinyl since 2013 but as you mentioned, the days of stumbling across rare records at an affordable price have long gone. I too have started to purchase CDs again which are cheap as chips at the moment compared to new vinyl releases. I paid over 30 pounds for the new Arcade Fire album which is quite excessive despite being a fine album but can't see myself paying tase prices in the months and years to come.

I am 68 and first HiFi system of sorts was purchased in 1972 and of course, the main music source was vinyl. Over the past 50 years, I have been lucky enough to have been able to afford to continually upgrade my audio system to the point now, when I can say it will be the last upgrade before my “Box”. My record deck and phono preamp would be described by some as exotic and with a price to match, but the sound reproduction I and particularly my music friends enjoy is extraordinary. To match, I have a large collection of vinyl going back to 1972. I am still buying new vinyl, mainly the new heavy vinyl half speed re cuts of old favourites, such as DSOTM by Pink Floyd. Unfortunately, I have examples of both the original vinyl and new where when played back to back, the original on SQ and dynamics wins hands down examples, Led Zeppelin II and Relayer by Yes. I bought the Steven Wilson boxed set of Vinyl Yes covering from the Yes Album to Relayer and wish I hadn’t bothered, the original vinyl is so superior. I am also returning to online vendors, one in four newly purchased vinyls due to pressing faults, surface noise or just poor sound quality. DSOTM by Pink Floyd is a lottery, it depends WHICH… European pressing plant it was manufactured at. The one I purchased 20 months ago which though, not bad on first listening eventually annoyed me enough to try for a repeat purchase is one example. This problem was even more exposed by a recent serious phono cartridge and phono preamp upgrade. The new copy delivered last week is in one word, stunning! At least equalling the quality of the SACD which I also own. The Queen boxed vinyl set was a fantastic buy! Bohemian Rhapsody is a joy to behold from the LP, also highly recommended are the Peter Gabriel half speed master albums

I've always had vinyl ( I'm a 60's child) I love the physical aspect of it. The sleeve, lyrics, the needle on the record, even the scratches. All add to the experience. When I owned my first CD Player, in 87, I was blown away by the quality and records seemed very dated. I still buy them, but not often due to the huge expense. I buy them usually to support bands that I like as most streaming platforms pay them a pitiful amount of money. Love the Kraftwerk Album/Computerworld. One of my favourite 80's albums :) Loving your channel mate with some seriously interesting stuff on :)

Love your nod to Depeche Mode there; 'Violator' is one of my all time favourite albums although you also mention both Bowie and U2 there who are also classics!

Great video. I am a first-time viewer of your channel. I like the balanced treatment you gave to the formats. I do agree and am also currently collecting SACD's, which is what the CD's should have been and we would not be talking about harshness. The format has been around as Sony's brainchild since 1990. Their presence is astonishing...as long as the mixing engineer is doing the mix properly. I have been in vinyl collecting since I was 6 years old (still have those childrens records that my parents gave) and I have never wandered too far from the format. All that you say about the format, I can agree on, sadly, as it makes for a dull conversation. I still enjoy collecting them and it's emotional. Yes, the warmth of the music (read: lack of full dimensional sound) is so lovely, but the participation of the experience can't be beat. From breaking the seal and looking at the cover art, pulling the record out for the first time...the smell of a new record...putting it on the turntable for the first time and lowering the stylus. I feel my stylus enjoys playing something new as well...like driving down an unfamiliar road for the first...sitting listening to the recording while burying oneself into the cover notes and inserts...wonderful. It's purely emotional. There are no technical advantages. Emotions are what drives us to do things and experience things. Sure, my CD's sound "clean" and "pure" and so fully dynamic with sound that would make a stylus jump clear out of the groove. But where's the cover jacket to dream over? Where is the interaction with technology such as cleaning the record and then dropping the stylus into the groove and waiting for the performance to begin? Love it...I keep on spinning!

Biggest problem I find with vinyl is you have to spend alot of money to get on your turntable, phono stage and cartridge to match or beat the performance of a modestly priced DAC. Modern digital is so good I sold my turntable (I did keep the records though)

To my way of understanding, the listening experience of vinyl with decent playback equipment is that you get a physical presence from the stylus and the amped signal that can't be found in digital. It's as if the air is charged by what's getting picked up off the grooves. But I still value my cds as I have a lot of exciting stuff that can't be found easily, and are cheaper now whether new or used.

As I had commented on another video; I restored my brother’s old 1985 JVC belt drive turntable by replacing the belt, getting a more modern cardtridge, and making the necessary adjustments for optimum playback. It sounded great but I decided I’m sticking with CD mainly due to cost and the superior sound quality. I’m keeping the turntable on my set-up regardless and might experiment with vinyl sometime in the future.

My teen years were in the 70's. I still own and listen to several albums I purchased back then even though most of them have a skip here and there and are not in the best of shape. I just can't see myself replacing them. I learned a few guitar licks and songs off them so many have very a sentimental attachment as even now at 62 I still play a bit. Kids today will never understand vinyl and the thought and care producers and bands took to arrange the order of the tracks. If you listen to an older album you must listen to it in full from side A to B to really understand the artist/band, their music and the album as a whole. My wife purchased me a couple new comp vinyls from Floyd and the Stones. I just can't bring myself to unwrap them even though I know the will probably sound great. I much prefer purchasing original first press albums and give them a listen.. even though at times they do not live up to the grading some idiots on ebay give them. Vinyl is just not listening to music.. it's a complete different experience :) There's my two cents.. you may keep the change.

Great video! Pleased to see Violator on the turntable! Probably the finest produced album to date.

Great video. I agree, don't buy vinyl as an investment, buy it to enjoy the music. If you take really good care of your records they will retain most of their value, and maybe more, years down the road. I don't even take the shrink wrap off most of my albums if I can help it.

I started buying albums in 1974, when there were no suitable alternatives. Here’s what I find interesting: When CDs came out in the early 80’s, you could hear the cymbals that the vinyl just didn’t have the range to reproduce. There were three letter codes on CDs ( A for analog(ue), D for digital) describing the recording, mixing and mastering processes. So, AAD meant the recording was analog, the mixing was analogue, and the mastering was digital. There were vinyl holdouts, but for most of us, we went to CDs. However, when I recently delved into the the current vinyl market, I was struck by the Mobile Fidelity (Mo-Fi) “scandal” that they have a digital step in their process. These were the albums that vinyl ‘influencers’ pointed to as the best sounding LPs. So, the interesting part is that today’s controversy is the opposite of what it was in early CD production, when people wanted more digital steps. Listening to vinyl is relaxing and has several points in its favor as you pointed out: 1. Listening to an album side is a complete experience with bands concentrating on how they would sound as a whole. 2. The artwork and size of the jackets was levels above the artwork you could fit to the relatively puny CD cases. 3. The ritual of playing an album, which takes some time, helps prepare your mind for a pleasurable listening experience. One last thought: The transition from CDs to digital streaming was worse, as the lossy mp3 format, in lower sampling rates, noticeably degraded the digital advantages. With increasing sample rates, this has been somewhat mitigated, but it clearly muddied the digital advantage. Thanks for your thoughtful take on albums. I hope you enjoy listening to music for many years to come!

Excellent presentation. Here in the US, used records can be found at a very reasonable price. The trick is to widen one's curiosity and consequently one's taste. Read about music and buy records that present the better players in each genre. Repetition lets your mind become accustomed to the sound of each type of music. When I was 17, I bought John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme". The first time I played it, I thought, "What a waste of money." One month later I was a Coltrane fanatic.

What a great video! Loved it! Thanks for sharing. I completely agree with your views and have exactly the same approach. Vinyl makes you really listen to an album... no skiping tracks or changing from album to album constantly. And that's what I love most about the format. My collection is mainly CD's (around 4000, and I'm still buying them) and a few hundred LP's (some from my youth and some recent purchases following the vinyl revival), and I believe I prefer to drop the stylus than press play, as an whole experience. I still prefer CD's (more convenient in every way), but one has to acknowledge the coolness of the vinyl "ritual". Funny enough I tend to listen to vinyl more for some types of music: mostly jazz and 50's to 70's pop/rock. For electronica, classical or even punk/metal/etc (and anything from the 90's...). I always prefer to listen to it on CD or streaming.

I have a lot of cd's that are mostly used in my vehicle and sometimes at home. But vinyl is my main choice at home. I am a hands on type of person...to me there is something about the process of spinning an album. I also enjoy the process of setting up and adjusting the tonearm and cartridge to get the best performance out of them.

Buying vinyl right now, and it's been kind of fun to see what albums are good as a whole, instead of individual tracks, as I've been accustomed to for over a decade now. Actually surprised at how many good albums are still being made. One of my GOATs is Nine Inch Nail's The Fragile, because it's fairly huge AND good.

I have been collecting and listening to records for nearly 50 years now, I never gave up on the format when the CD arrived, most of my collection are first pressings from 1960s artists, recently my son bought me a new copy of Sgt Pepper and I played it back to back with my first pressing copy, there was no comparison, the new LP did not have the same tone or warmth, I was very disappointed with it, and will probably never play it again, yet my first pressing that has been played hundreds of times still plays and sounds perfect, if a record is cleaned regularly, handled, stored correctly and the most important piece of advice I can give to anyone starting out collecting records, change the stylus as recommended, your records will last a lifetime.

Kinda off topic, but one thing I discovered is that many tapes sound A LOT better than we remember. Kind of like you said we played tapes in their prime on a Walkman or boom box. Not exactly hi-fi right lol? ....but if you get a really nice tape deck like a Nakamichi or something and play them on many of the systems we use today you will find cassettes can sound truly FANTASTIC!! Just subbed :)

Great discussion. Your opinions on vinyl closely match mine - nice to have, nice to hold, but too fragile and inconsistent in audio quality to be my main music source. Like you, I still buy used CDs and downloads in preference to streaming.

Loved!! Your presentation! You really laid it out beautifully and I totally agreed with everything you said. However, you left out the two things that really keep me from enjoying vinyl. You didn’t mention keeping those vinyl recordings clean. This has been my biggest impediment to playing them. Recently, I had some audio equipment that needed a repair, and I’ve known my audio repair fellow for about 40 years so I brought along a couple of LPs I’m particularly fond of to listen on his ultra high end system while waiting for my repair. The first thing he said was that it needed cleaning. He had an Audio Desk unit which cleaned my LP quickly and when we put it back in the turntable my mouth literally fell open because the difference in audio quality was stunningly obvious. Then I found out how much the Audio Desk cost! Right now in the US it is priced at $3999. That’s more than twice what I paid for my Rega RP4 turntable! I really can’t afford the Audio Desk, nor do I have a place to store something so big, but to really listen to vinyl one does need to spend quite a lot to get them ppthose recoddings clean and keep them clean. Instead of buying an Audio Disk I bought a label clamp/protector and some other equipment so I could hand wash my vinyl and now, guess what, I just don’t clean them because it’s so much work. And that means I just don’t play my vinyl as I’m too fearful of grinding the dust and microparticles into the grooves and ruining the recording and the audio. My other pet peeve is having to be there when the recording finishes playing. I started collecting LPs as a teenager in the 50s and turntables then typically had automatic shutoff. I really miss that. I still have about 300 or more LPs which take up a lot of space to store, way more space than CDs. And my audio repair fellow, knowing I’m into opera, gave me around 1000 opera LPs. Which I’m not playing, darn it, because I can’t afford a $4000 cleaner. Instead, I’m really into streaming with Roon and Qobuz. It’s an embarrassment of riches! The convenience is just so much easier. And I can add to my music collection with CDs for pennies compared to buying vinyl. So I do feel badly about not playing my vinyl, but not bad enough that I make the necessary effort to play them.q

I completely agree with all of your comments. I love the way vinyl sounds and never truly appreciated some artists until I heard them on vinyl. Snow Patrol for example, I never truly appreciated their music outside of their hits until I listened to them on vinyl. The complexity of their music is lost to streaming. I for one still have my entry level Sony player. I am still to be convinced that I should upgrade my system to one with less functions for more money. It's 2022 and as I see it there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to purchase a multifunctional fully automatic high quality record player that fits into the 21st century lifestyle.

Original pressing vinyl is one thing.. Just about any record before the CD age.. but any repressing is just a copy of what the CD would be

I listen to vinyl, love the whole physical act. I also listen to CDs and Tidal Happy listening to you all. 🎶

I love my records mostly bought new & 2nd hand in the 80s & 90s & covers all eras of modern music but since mp3 ripping I don't use them much any more except to look at & appreciate for their art.

Been collecting records since the 70s here. What can turn many off is the needed maintenance to the vinyl itself. Many don’t realize that you need to clean a record even before you play it for the first time, as material can be left behind from the manufacturing process. After that just periodic cleaning should do you fine. I have records that are 70 years old that still sound new. What is more interesting to me is that a large number of new collectors don’t ever even play their records or even own a record player. Also cassettes that are recorded well and played on a good component player can sound every bit as good as a cd. The problem is most people only ever heard them on cheap walkmans (and there are fantastic sounding but pricey walkmans), a boom box or a car cassette deck. Not on a good home deck through a good amplifier and quality speakers.

Interesting video. Me personally, I love my CD's and will continue to buy them. I can never understand this attitude of 'if it's on CD, one can't listen to it from start to finish on a good set up. I do that that with all my discs. My only negative with the cd is as you mentioned regarding the artwork on that size of format. Maybe the CD should be relaunched but in bigger covers. 😊

I listen mostly to LPs however I have over 2000 records and could never afford to replace them with anything else. If you are using good equipment and clean the records noise should not be a problem. I have some that I have had for over 30 years that sound great but I have some that other people owned that are not too good. Cleaning helped most of them.

In the 70's when I got into HiFi, music records were the easiest accessibility quality format, only surpassed by live broadcasts via FM radio. But, as you mentioned, they were fragile and the devices used to play them were delicate too. I remember waking up one morning after a skinful, to a bent stylus on my Shure M75ED type 2 after a late night listening session. Or another time whilst turning over my new Stranglers album, having a sneezing fit and covering side 2 in snot. Later I bought a Transcriptors Skeleton turntable and the arm got bent in storage when I had to serve overseas and could not take it with me. So once cassette technology improved, as I bought an LP (singles were "Strewth Spit") I used to record it on to CrO2 tape and the LP went away. Now I use digital only in the form of Flac's, CD's and a small collection of SACD and DVDA. I can't spill beer on them, get them dusty, scratch them or mar them by any other, cruel form of destiny. They sound great every time and by choosing carefully the right components my system produces a nice warm sounding repeatable performance. I can even doze off and not wake up to shhhhh click shhhhh click shhhh click as the record goes round and round on the exit groove.

great video, and very thorough commentary. i have been buying records since the late 70s and concentrated in the 80s. mostly 12 inch singles, but now filling up the gaps with albums. i have about 3000+ lps and growing (and just as many cds too). nowadays, i rarely buy new vinyl unless a limited edition, colored, or special version. i already have filled out about 90% of everything i'm going to listen on with cds, and digital, so the vinyl is mostly for collecting unless its exclusive. i am in the US, but most of what i like is from UK, or Europe. i get about 100+ used records a month via discogs and ebay, and currently have about another 1000+ coming in later this year. if there are rare and holy grail records, i just record them to digital via USB turntable, so then i get the best of both worlds. i can listen to the record, and record it to digital files to clean up, or play as is. i don't care about the condition or quality for most other records because i can get hundreds of them for very cheap prices. (less than 2 UKP or so). we also get cheap records here in america. to me, its about the music, not the format, and the price is never a factor. if its a rare expensive record from a band i like, i'll just schedule when to buy it if i can locate it. if not, i get another pressing or version, and move on. that said. about 50% of the newest records or boxsets i get stay sealed, because i can get them on digital and cd also. there are plenty of options nowadays for collectors. vinyl is just one of them. later -1

Once you said you were on the Picard side I knew I was in for some good stuff, I myself collect tapes, cd's, vinyl, and downloads. However I can get my hands on it really, but if I can get it on a big beautiful gatefold I'm in

I was just getting into collecting records in the mid eighties,I had been buying records since I was a kid but at this time I was getting into buying 60s and70s second hand vinyl, I was fairly sceptical about CDs , gee records were cheap then lol, but I still find good stuff fairly reasonably priced. They are like mini time capsules, I just love them more and more as time goes by

Great video. I love vinyl, been collecting for years… have got to a point where I feel my collection is large enough to have “scratched the itch”… Very happy and proud of my collection and I continue to play vinyl a lot…. but recently I find myself buying cds again… not so obsessed about either format… regrettably… I sold my original vinyl collection in Notting Hill to buy a CD player in the late eighties… then I made the same mistake ten years ago selling my cd collection (or a large part of it) in favour of vinyl… if only I kept both! Now just about the music….. the only collection I never regretted moving on is cassettes… tatty physical format and sounded awful after a few plays… although I hear their now coming back into fashion: I won’t be going down that “rabbit hole”…..

The 12" single / EP will always be king over the LP for me.

Nice video man. I have the project carbon as well and am very happy with it. There's a blue ontoforon cartridge that snaps right in without any adjustments. It wasn't cheap, but was worth every penny IMO-at least on my setup. I also was having issues with static that more or less disappeared when I got the acrylic platter. Just passing on as I was concerned I was wasting money before purchasing, but was very pleased.

It’s the nostalgia. I love going into record stores. Looking at old records. Not the new stuff thats being made now. I listen to my Apple Music, but sometimes I will fire up the old turntable and go back in time. Taking ne back to the 80s

Totally agree. I understand the romantics of putting on a vinyl record. That’s why I hold on to my collection bought in the eighties. But CD is the best next thing, also physical but very much more sound wise perfect. Still buy cds.

Good introduction to vinyl....had to clear my eyes many times because I thought it was the modern day GREAT Dr. J doing this video🤔🤔🤔🤔

I had a 4500 LP collection and I still own a quite expensive handmade turntable with a special arm and cartridge; and with that a good if not ridiculously expensive pre-pre amp, and I loved it; I had a Nitty-Gritty LP washer and washed all my LP's and bought new, expensive inner-sleeves for all of them. But a trans-atlantic move made me leave it all behind, on extended loan to my family, and honestly; I don't miss it one bit. Well, perhaps one bit: nothing's as beautiful in HiFi as an LP spinning at 33 1/3, with a cartridge tracking .. But I realised that the sound from CD's is often better, and above all, they are play and forget; open the tray place the CD in it, hit start and listen to music, without worrying about dust, or static electricity, or the needle, or anti-skating, or any other of the myriad things to constantly tweak with LP's. And you can get great diital sound for much less than what LP's cost, in total, especially now I see them going for ridiculous money in hipster-boutiques. No, I'm sticking to digital from now on.

As a man of 74 years, I started my life listening to vinyl whilst sitting on my father's knee. That was in 1951. The record was Smetana's 'Ma Vlast' and I was three years old. I still have most of my late father's record collection, many of them on Decca FFRR recordings - all Mono recordings. There are also quite a few Decca FFSS Stereo records. Despite their age, they were always well looked after and thoroughly cleaned with a soft cotton handkerchief and Distilled Water. The Stylus was also cleaned thoroughly before and after use and replaced at the recommended intervals, so the quality is still there and surface noise is barely noticeable. Lets face it, you'd hear a lot more noise in a Concert Hall, with people coughing and sneezing, with the added 'attraction' of the occasional bum note; something you rarely get on a vinyl record. I started buying my own LP's when I was still a schoolboy - Joe Brown; Cliff Richard and Shadows; Rolling Stones and several other '60's and '70's bands, such as Byrds; Steeleye Span and Moody Blues. At the same time, my musical interests started to change, and I got into Folk, especially British musicians. As with my father, I always looked after my records and played them on quality equipment, so most of them are in near-mint condition. As for CD's, I've never appreciated them, as they never sound 'right' to my ears; a sensation much like having my ears stuffed with cotton wool. As I was recently explaining to a teenager who had recently discovered his Grandfather's record collection, Sound ( Music ) is an Analogue wave, but Digital is not and the way they record and Master CD's, destroys the original notes. A Musical Note is a Sound-wave. Digitising it chops each note into bits, which then need to be reconstituted by your CD player, via a Digital to Analogue Converter. The original Claim by Phillips and Sony, was the promise of Perfect Sound Forever... to which I can only say, 'Balderdash and Hogwash'. As I was never a fan of noisy Discos, my ears haven't been ruined by excessive Bass and neither have I ever worked in a noisy environment, so I trust my ears to tell me the truth about what I'm hearing. You will never convince me - nor millions like me - that CD's are superior to Vinyl LP's. CD's always sound 'flat' to my ears. My speakers are driven by a Valve Amplifier and the Bass from LP's is something my friends and neighbours comment on. I don't get the same effect from CD's, which always sound 'Hard' to me ears. I can listen to Vinyl all day, but an hour of CD, is all I can tolerate.

I still buy records, mostly from bandcamp artists, I like supporting new talent and maybe, just maybe, I'll end up collecting a future classic. However, I rarely listen to records, 99% of the time I'm streaming and even though my vinyl rig is quite good, my digital end (that's roughly half the cost) still beats it sound quality wise most of the time. The thing is, with certain pressings/recordings the vinyl magic comes through and it's unlike any other medium. I've gone through the mental gymnastics of whether I should sell it and put more into digital but I'm certain now that it'll be part of the system for the foreseeable future.

Vinyl is a nice memory involving waiting for months even years for a new album, smelling, observing the album cover for hours and of course listening!

I built a pretty nice vinyl collection in the 70's. Life happened and the quality of the music I was into dropped in the 80s. Cds came out and I grew a sizable collection of those but never was thrilled with the sound. When the Best Buy version of Pettys Live Anthology came out and included a vinyl record I patched up my Technics record player. Now I have over 1000 records far surpassing my cd collection. You know what's cool about records? Any player can play records from the 50's and 60's. Also record players are like a musical instrument themselves and with enough cash spent on platters and cartridges can change the sound of your collection

In my youth, the music format was on 8 tracks, cassette and vinyl record. I build up my collection of vinyl record from early 70's to mid 80's which I have today 512 vinyl albums, and some are double or triple set. Then I switch to CD from mid 80's to today, which I got 832 CDs, and 105 music DVDs. My small collection of albums. However even today I still enjoy playing one or two vinyl record a day on my old very good turntable bought in 1978. He is right, vinyl record does wear out in time, and if you are not careful, they will warp as well if you expose them to heat, leave them sitting flat down instead up right. This goes as well for CD and DVD, they can be damage too. Conclusion, I enjoyed listening to entire album from the 1st track to the last regardless the format. I got an old habit, when I buy record, I have to listen in full for a minimum of 3 time in a month to start enjoying the entire album concept. Enjoy your music.

The physical properties of owning the actual album with the great artwork, etc.. plus actually playing your music and putting a vinyl record on a turntable to play is so satisfying IMO. Vinyl also sounds different IMO. It is really hard to explain for those not into vinyl but the "sound" is just different, yet amazing sounding! I love it! I got back into vinyl about 5 years ago and I don't see myself going back. I still love the CD's that I own but vinyl just offers such a great overall experience to me personally. If I have the same album on CD and Vinyl I seem to always prefer the Vinyl tone. It might not be superior, it just seems more natural. If that makes sense. lol

I totally agree. I still have quite a few LPs which I bought in the 70s and 80s but haven't played them for decades as I have them all on CD and ripped to FLAC. I don't even have a record player (or whatever they're called these days ;) )

Very very well said my friend

I buy vinyl sometimes but rarely play it I usually get special editions like ziggy on gold vinyl. About a month ago bought the new Fontaines album Skinty Fia on 180 gram 45rpm played it once, stream is more convenient.

Tyvm, Really enjoyed your vid. I would love to do vinyl as I think it would be a fun and enjoyable experience much like comic books but what keeps me from it is the limitations of it. With the vast amount of music artists and genre's I listen to; vinyl would be a big investment for a small niche group of music that I know would get used initially but would eventually become another paper weight much like my PS5 that has no games to play on it, lol. If I could get at least 50% of my music on vinyl I'd be all in but the reality is it would maybe fit about 5-10% and doesn't justify the hardware and time investment for my use case.

Spot on, on all points.

Genesis Duke is another album where the it takes you on a journey there are sections of instrumental, drumming as well as the songs. I fully agree, the album was king and bands put a lot of work into ensuring the listener got a broad experience of their work, not as you say with modern streamed tracks of sound bites of singles.

I've been collecting for 40 years it's all about mastering ,some CDs are better than vinyl and vice versa but also it's about the old school way ,each to their own,I've some vinyl that blows away any other format but again depends on what your playing it on ect , good video 👍

Increased Hiss is built up static charge. Most people thinks ststic noise is pop and clicks, but that is when it has gone too far. Most Surface noise and "hiss" is actually continually discharging static. Most of it can with fairly small means be combatted (antistatic inner sleeves used after a thourough cleaning and a few shots with an Antistatic gun is the most important steps).

I stream for most of the time but I have always loved listening to my vinyl. Records can sound absolutely stunning. The included mp3 download isn't really worth having. Great video 👍🏻

I've been "collecting " vinyl since the late seventies and most of what I bought I still have and it plays just fine. One or two have developed mysterious scratches, but not to the point of rendering the album unplayable. I had compact cassettes, then moved onto minidisc as well as cds. I stupidly started selling off some vinyl after getting the CD version, but just recently I've been re purchasing those albums I sold. All my minidisc were transferred to CDR and sold on. I was fed up getting toc errors etc! Vinyl is now quite expensive and as you say, bargains are not as readily available as they once were, but my collection still grows albeit a little slower! One other thing to bear in mind. Record decks are easy to maintain. A new belt occasionally and a replacement stylus as well as a bearing oil on the odd occasion will last a lifetime and this can be done by the owner as well as upgrades. Cd players, once they go caput just are not a viable repair or cost a lot of money and require sending away unless you know your way around a schematic drawing and are extremely hand with electronics and a soldering iron. Once the laser goes, especially these days, you can't get replacements. Not so environmentally friendly.

I am with you. I can't decide whether I prefer CDs or vinyl. I tend to prefer CDs for price, longevity and sound quality. But I can't help myself from buying vinyl every time I see it in a shop.

A really interesting take on vinyl. I've been collecting music since 1971 when I was 10. My collection has always been well cared for- my dad was an audiophile and instilled some good sound practical advice! The record were only ever played on high end equipment- they were never abused and one of dads most important tenets- DON'T LEND OUT YOUR RECORDS TO ANYONE! The very thought of buying a 2nd hand record sets my teeth on edge! One of the quickest ways to ruin your stylus!!! I like almost everyone else made the switch to CD in 1986 and quickly built up my CD collection- they were very expensive when first introduced to the market! Cassette tape was only ever used to copy albums/singles, make mix tapes for the car or for my Walkman- £100 new in 1981 and cutting edge revolutionary technology! I had a very large vinyl collection and CD collection but rarely listened to the vinyl after 86 as it was too much hassle compared to the digital format. I embraced Minidisc when it was launched as a replacement for cassettes and it again was revolutionary- you no longer needed to record music in real time- the process was speeded up and far more convenient. I never sold any of my collection as every disc had a special memory. My vinyl collection was now just gathering dust so I sold the turntable around 1990 and the vinyl was relegated to the attic. I embraced MP3 and the I-pod I-tunes revolution. The digital downloads didn't hold the same emotional connection- having the physical format meant so much more. I embraced SACD/SHMCD/Blu Spec and other audiophile formats and improved manufacturing developments. When the vinyl revival began a few years I ago I thought it was complete madness- a bit like bringing back the dial up modem or leeches in mainstream medicine. Why? I retired last year and decided to make an expensive upgrade to my hi-fi system for my "final' system that would see me through my sunset years. I decided to invest in a turntable once again to reactivate my unloved collection in the loft. I did my research and decided I was only going to play my existing collection- I have no intention of buying new vinyl- that seemed pointless. The turntable would be an added bonus rather than. the most important element of my new system. While carrying out my research I discovered all these vinyl/audiophile channels on YT. I could not believe the amount of absolute nonsense I was listening to. Hearing folks talk of VINYLS was horrendous! Then I was subjected to videos showing me how to melt my vinyl records in a domestic oven- leave them between two panes of heavy glass in full sunlight, clean them with WD40/Washing Up liquid or slather them with PVA glue. Had the world gone mad? Then there were record clamps priced at hundreds of pounds and various record cleaning contraptions at ridiculous prices. How one earth could anyone get a record in such a state in the first place and who in their right mind would spend crazy sums to clean something worth only a few. pounds in the first place? What final result do they expect. Why risk playing such a dirty damaged record on your turntable NUTS! How on earth did the record buying public survive without all this kit in the golden age of vinyl back in the 70s and early 80s? Since buying my new hi fi kit I've used my turntable only a handful of times- it's just too much bloody hassle! Turning over a disc every 20 minutes- cleaning the record yada yada. The one development I resisted was streaming. The idea of renting music- I couldn't reconcile myself to it. Then the penny finally dropped. For the price of just ONE CD every month I could access a music library of 80 million tracks in just a couple of clicks. I could stream in HI RES- All from my I-phone and MacBook Pro!!!! It the the world's biggest ever jukebox. I Realised I could never have the space or finances to buy such a collection. I could listen to every new album released in any week without the risk of making a bad purchase. It has certainly changed the way I listen to music- I can take far more risks and experiment- disappearing down rabbit holes and explores new genres and adjacent genres- WITHOUT LEAVING MY CHAIR. I don't have to spend time searching through my CD collection for that one misplaced disc! Streaming is just one element of my music experience. I stream in the car and on the move. I can stream while at home and of course I can listen to my vast CD and vinyl collection. It's not a binary choice! I'm happy to live in multi format music eco system.

You nailed it great video Thanks i would of added more on 180 gram records but great job vinyl is awesome

You are spot on with your point about the cost of new LPs. I hardly buy them now as they are asking silly money these days, and as you say, there should be at a minimum a free FLAC or WAV download included, or even the CD in plastic sleeve. Luckily, I collected my vinyl since 1985, never really stopped buying them, but right now I think they are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market. I've gone over to buying cheap CDs or even buying downloads, but more and more I'm using Roon to play my ripped CDs and Tidal streams. I never feel happier though as when I'm playing vinyl, as it definitely gives you a greater connection to the music - and often sounds better too. I think the whole "they degrade" and "sound crackly" thing is exaggerated. If you keep your records and stylus clean and play them on a properly set up turntable, they should be easily playable for 300 or more plays without any noticeable degradation. And, let's face it, how many albums are you going to play that many times? Great video. Kind regards, Phil

Absolutely hilarious - nil points for you! Not understanding vinyl is so disappointing.

Agreed! Violator is in my top 10 of all time for sure.

I've been collecting LPs since 1977, however there were times when I'd sell part of my collection in order to exchange them (at the time) for CDs. In addition, over the years I've been pruning my LP collection so albums that may have been a mistake to buy, or no longer get my rocks off, are traded for store credit so that I can afford that expensive Japanese import, or sold on eBay, Discogs, etc. This way my relatively small collection of 650LPs is kept "lean and mean", instead of riddled with stupid crap. Frankly, I'm not aiming to beat anybody's collection in terms of quantity, and in fact in the future I will probably try to wind it down to around 500. I don't know - I doubt that. - those people that own thousands and tens of thousands of LPs have even bothered to play them at least once throughout. And to listen to a record is the whole point of owning it, isn't it? Quality? The CD is more convenient, but "cold". The LP is not as dynamically accurate as a CD but it yields more satisfaction when playing it because it demands your attention.

Thank you!

I’ve recently reached a similar conclusion, primarily because of purchasing new releases on vinyl and being disappointed with the quality. Then I remembered the first time I heard a CD around 1985. Record companies were already phasing out vinyl back then in favor of cassettes. My first copy of Dark Side of the Moon was on cassette. My copy of Animals on cassette faded out halfway through pigs and continued on side two. To this day, whenever I hear that song, I expect it to fade at a certain point. So in ‘85 when I heard CDs it was amazing. Second hand they’re still amazing. I will still buy vinyl but the price has to be right. I have a DAC and stream high res on a subscription service which is another dream come true for my inner 14 year old. It’s really the best time to be a music fan.

Great video. I have roughly 4000+ records, about 500 CDs and 300 cassettes. I too like the anesthetic of the vinyl record that the LP has. Elijah Wood LOTR fame a avid collector once said, "Record collecting is a dedication. You have to have free money to waste, then spend more money to get to store to pick out a record, spend more money in getting home to enjoy your purchase. Unwrapping the lp and putting the vinyl on turntable, listening to all of one side to fix to the next, all the time inspecting the jacket, notes, etc. There's no selective randomness, as with streaming. Your dedicated in your choice, and you bear your own cross on say a blind buy, or recommendation. " I whole heartily agree. But why I might have three different versions of Eric Claptons 'Slowhand' beats me. I thinks it's the same thing. If I want background audio, I'll put a CD on, if I want to get lost in the same artist, I'll put on a LP on. I'm still into mixtapes, thats for the cassette deal, . One thing that you really haven't touched on is demand. Alot of music that I like is hard to find on LP or CD for that matter. Alot of what I buy are 'Blind Buys' which is sometimes the greatest joy of collecting. I might be somewhere where there playing 'Band of Horses' and I might say, hey if you like that you might like this band, 40 years there senior. I think if your system is good, turntable, good CD dac, same with good tapedeck, everything sounds as it should, good to your ears, not your neighbors. A collection is only valued to owns heart and ear. Be blessed with your choices and rock on.

I cannot think of a better phenomenon to which Karl Marx's Theory of the Commodity Fetish applies than the crazy fetishisation around vinyl records. I grew up in the 80s too and bought plenty of vinyl. But back then we never gave it a second thought as far as the packaging and the equipment and the record itself went. That all had pretty much only use value. All that mattered was the music. We didn't give pay attention to anything else except the lyrics sheet maybe. We didn't take special pleasure in the "ritual" of placing the record and putting down the tone arm and especially not in having to turn the record over. We didn't handle our records with reverence and care. And when CDs came along, we couldn't wait to ditch our dowdy, fiddly, ugly record players and submerge ourselves in the glorious, vastly superior, crystal-clear sound of digital audio. It was just So. Much. Better. Tbh, I like to pull out a record for a spin now and then just for old times sake but I'd never ever exchange it for the superior quality and incredible convenience of digital. (To be clear, I'm not criticizing anyone for enjoying vinyl. If you love vinyl, fantastic! We all need as much happiness as we can get nowadays. I just find the vinyl comeback a fascinating phenomenon.)

Vinyl just sounds soooo good!

I still love records, cassettes and cd's. No streaming for me. I don't care what the naysayers say!! 🎸🎸🎸

You have a great channel

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of vinyl. The only issue I take with your review is your judgment regarding tapes. They do not sound bad - far from it. While not comparable to vinyl, there is a huge group of tape fans out there resurrecting old decks. Still, liked your video and tone a lot! 👍

My ultimate format would be a CD in a record gatefold. I love CD sound but prefer vinyl packaging. Great video

Well presented commentary.

To borrow a phrase from a well-known audiophile on RU-vid "vinyl communicates music to me in a better way"