It's Not Only About the Analog Sound

My dad sent me an interesting article last night from CNBC about the increasing popularity of LP's. Below are excerpts from the article.

The resurgence of vinyl centers on a long-standing debate over analog versus digital sound. Digital recordings capture samples of sound and place them very close together as a complete package that sounds nearly identical to continuous sound to many people.

Analog recordings on most LPs are continuous, which produces a truer sound — though, paradoxically, some new LP releases are being recorded and mixed digitally but delivered analog.

Some purists also argue that the compression required to allow loudness in some digital formats weakens the quality as well.

And here's my favorite part, and the reason why I love vinyl...

But it's not just about the sound. Audiophiles say they also want the format's overall experience — the sensory experience of putting the needle on the record, the feeling of side A and side B and the joy of lingering over the liner notes.

Well put. That pretty much sums up the experience for me. While the sound quality of a record is without a doubt truer, there's much more to it than that. I believe that vinyl is the way that music is supposed to be experienced. Too many people pop on ipods and music becomes nothing but background noise. I think the listening experience should be savored and fully appreciated (as often as possible). And vinyl is the best way to experience music in the way it was meant to be. Have I converted anyone yet?