Why do you listen to records?


Do you listen to records for the SQ, or do you just prefer to listen to music through this medium?  
I find myself putting records on occasionally, ( I have a large  collection) but I’m not sure if it’s because of their sound.  I certainly have the availability of millions of songs or compositions to listen to by streaming, and the sound quality is just abut the same, and, of course, the variety is endless.

So why listen to records?

rvpiano

I listen to them insofar as I have to, in order to digitize them and apply digital audio restoration to them so that there are no more infernal clicks and pops from their previous owners' neglect, lessened hiss, ameliorated inner groove distortion et al. even on high end equipment at audio salons I hear these things that everybody else there seems deaf to. 

I quit vinyl in the early 90s in favor of CDs, and got back into it about 10 years ago. I love both formats. Vinyl sounds different. Sometimes better than CDs, sometimes not. I do like the ritual of playing vinyl and the large artwork. 

In my experience if the digital playback system is very good it will match vinyl, high rez recordings usually sound better than the LP version.

I had a v high end vinyl set up for over 10years, then started on the road of building computer/streamers eventually getting to the point where digital was as good as vinyl, with the exception of some 50s, 60s and 70s jazz recordings.

I sold the vinyl rig and bought a  lesser set up which has proved to be excellent.  

Good analogue jazz recordings can still sound better than the digital equivalent, however I have given up on buying newly recorded vinyl as they (nearly) all come from a digital source. I now have a Grimm MU1 streaming Qobuz and local files, only well recorded/mastered analogue vinyl (eg; blue note remasters) can match or better it.

Digital is so much more convenient. 

 

Interesting discussion to PhD [University Emeritus Pofessor] with expertise in physics, acoustics, and biological science. I am victim of over 50 years of audiophlia. We have state of art home theater system built on that obsession, and we LOVE Vinyl as well as SACD music. We find most non-SACD discs harsh in comparison to the vinyl. Yes... also love watching the vinyl playing.  

From that perspective: I think yogiboy answers best.