Vinyl is the answer…
Lately I have been listening to a lot of records!
I am not anti-digital. I listen to streaming content all day long. But, at the end of the day, I really just want to put a record on and relax. I have considered this before and wondered why vinyl is more relaxing for me than digital.
Is it the tactile experience of pulling out the album, setting the record on the turntable and cueing the needle? Is it the fact that I have to get up every twenty minutes and move the dogs to flip the record over?
For me, honestly, I feel like analog just relaxes my brain. I can truly mentally unwind at the end of the day when I put a record on the VPI HW 40 direct drive table with Audio Technica cartridge, feeding my PH 150 tube phono stage, LS 300 tube preamp and KWA 300 amp.
Being an engineer, I theorize that it has to do with the fact that our ears, feeding our brain/computer, are far more sensitive than any test equipment we have in the world. While we accept that 20Hz – 20Khz is the range of audible hearing, there is a lot more going on.
No matter how good the digital is, it is still slicing the analog signal into a billion little pieces and reassembling it again. Modern digital has greatly expanded the bit rate and sampling frequency and it is indeed really good these days.
But, at the end of the day, with my dogs in my lap, no phones and no noise from the world, it is music from spinning a vinyl record that truly brings me joy. I have been working my way through my old record collection, enjoying a range of music from Mazzy Star, The Cure, Revel, Bach, Led Zeppelin, Simon and Garfunkle and Cowboy Junkies. I suppose it is a tactile experience. It is also a journey through the past. Many of my records are out of print, and many are not ‘audiophile’ recordings. Believe it or not, it’s OK to play old records that are not in pristine condition.
I am glad that we still have vinyl and I’m excited to see young people buying and collecting records. A visit to Barnes and Noble recently made me smile, and open my wallet when I got to their record collection. Some things shouldn’t change. For me, I will always have vinyl!
However you listen, don’t forget to enjoy the music!