Just the headline above might confuse you. Record players, in their nature, are old and seemingly outdated at this point in time. However, the fact that they are still selling and being produced to the point that the vinyl industry has broken a billion dollars again is a big deal.
Record players might seem like they have gone and the past with the times, but the reality is very different. Here are 5 reasons as to why this is and why you should grab yourself one as soon as possible:
1. Superior Audio Quality
The fact is that a record player still produces an intrinsic quality of sound that cannot be matched by modern digital versions of music. If you build a nice rig, including a top-notch record player, phono preamp, and speakers, you will be stunned by what you’ve been missing out on.
The sound quality is divine and it really changes the dynamic of the way you’ve been listening to music in the 21st century.
2. Entertains Guests
A record player is a great piece of the home that serves a dual purpose; it can both compliment your furniture well and entertain guests as a conversation piece. This also loosely ties in with the first reason because when your guests hear that sound quality, they will be impressed and interested into how you went about owning a record player.
3. Vinyl Are Highly Collectible
Vinyl records have been collectible pieces for quite a while now, and if you are interested you can still find old records of your favorite artists still around in the market. This is a genuine way to listen to their albums, the way they wanted you to.
Digitally, you will not get the same experience as you would by putting that stylus on top of your record and hearing it the spin. Furthermore, most new artists still produce and sell vinyl records so you can even have all the latest and greatest music to enjoy. There are no limitations.
4. Forces You To Listen To The Album As Intended
What do we mean by this? Obviously, the digitization of music has made it so that you can skip and cycle through songs as you please, which his great in its own regard, but you are essentially missing out on one important factor.
An album is meant to be listened to straight from start to finish. Most artists tell a story through their albums, and to follow along and truly experience what the music is about, you need to listen from the 1st song to the last.
So what does this have to do with record players?
Vinyl records have 2 sides. You are forced to listen to songs in order, and unless you manually move the needle to skip through a song, you can actually experience an album the way it is intended!
5. You Will Appreciate Music More
This fifth and final reason is a psychological one that you should know about. When things become too convenient, as audio files have become these days, you do not appreciate it as much as if it took more work to do.
Since listening to a vinyl record with a player is more work, and you cannot just skip through songs so easily, you actually psychologically appreciate it more. You ultimately enjoy the music you are listening to and appreciate the artists for creating that subjective form of art that we all love.
If those five reasons aren’t enough to convince you, then record players just aren’t for you. If you have a few hundred dollars to spend, a record player will be a wonderful investment if you love your music. This is why they call vinyl enthusiasts ‘audiophiles’ after all.
