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

Nostalgia, enjoying the process, historic significance… all great reasons to enjoy vinyl.. But if they sound better, more musical, more natural, it is because of your components (your digital end) not because of the format. Vinyl used to be the only option, then superior until digital was improved, now at nearly all price points digital can sound as good or better. 

@ghdprentice 

Yes, digital has come a long way, but then so has vinyl. 

I am not convinced it’s possible to make a definitive judgement on which is better. There are just too many confounding issues, not least of which is mastering.  

In theory, streaming/CD may well potentially be the superior format. For what it’s worth, my opinion is that choosing between them is matter of taste and what type of music you listen to as much as anything.

One could just as easily say that the components may be holding back vinyl.

If you haven’t heard it yet, I think you’ll be surprised how much the LP12 has come on with Urika II, the KDSM/3 , Organik, Bedrok, the new Radikal, etc. 

I am not going to get hung up too much on which is the better format as I need both. I did try living without vinyl for nearly five years to invest in the digital side. Yet when I came back to it, I discovered it had come on in leaps and bounds.

I compared a few tracks last night vinyl to digital, knowing that I had  good versions of both. Nothing scientific, no blind testing, just my own curiosity. I could be very happy with either, both sounded great.

To my ears, however, vinyl still has a slight edge. Whether it’s enough to make up for the additional inconvenience is another matter, but an edge nonetheless. that’s just to my ears, which is all I can speak to with any authority. It’s impossible for any of us to reasonably make a definitive statement about something like this applicable to all listeners. It’s like saying I like strawberry ice cream the best so that means it’s the best for everybody. I just don’t think this stuff works that way. The good news is that there is something great for everybody. And digital keeps getting better

@rvpiano ”+1@ghdprentice”

Should an OP be impartial posting such a discussion as this can be criticised if not.

Any OP wanting a valid and fair discussion should not take sides. It defeats the objectivity of a question if it appears that sides are being taken. Perhaps even a rebuttal for all those who have posted and offered an opposing view within your discussion.
Just a questionable observation.