Listening to music digitally is very efficient but it also misses quite a bit of the very goal of music – to give us a pause from our everyday life and to make us feel the music rather than just listen to it on our headphones while we do something else. And yet, at the same time, many of us have a bunch of old vinyl records in the attic that we just don’t know what to do with.
Getting a good record player can solve both of these problems – it would give you a use for your old records while also offering a whole new way of listening to music. And, in many ways – record players are actually superior to the various digital ways for enjoying music we are all used to nowadays.
Below, we’ll list the 7 main advantages of vinyl record players over CDs, DVDs, and all other digital and online methods for playing music.
The 7 benefits of record players
Record players are not a “perfect” way for playing music – we all know their disadvantages and the corresponding benefits of digital music. However, few of us realize that vinyl also brings a lot of positives that digital music still hasn’t been able to replicate.
1. Get the best possible sound with vinyl
The quality of the sound you’re getting from your music is very much essential for the overall experience you’re going to get. Being forced to tolerate sub-par audio quality is like watching a movie on a large screen but with a 480p resolution – it’s only enjoyable if you’ve never seen a better quality and you don’t know what you’re missing.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly the case with music as most people today have never listened to a great turntable vinyl record player. We literally don’t know what we’re missing!
The reason why vinyl players offer a much superior sound is simple – the music recorded on them doesn’t get compressed. While in digital formats the sound gets compressed multiple times in order to be more practical, with vinyl the sound is recorded directly and it sounds just like the artists have envisioned it to.
2. LP sleeves are genuine pieces of art
We’ve all seen the large square LP sleeves vinyl records come in but have you looked into the gorgeous cover art on them? Yes, CDs and DVDs come with their small covers too but few are ever comparable to the beauty of an LP sleeve.
3. Make use of what you already have
If you live in your old parents’ or grandparents’ house, you likely have at least a couple of boxes filled with vinyl records in the attic. Most people look to sell those as a way of making a few extra bucks or just to get rid of them.
However, the much more rewarding thing to do is to get a turntable vinyl record player for your living room. This way you’ll not only find the perfect use for something you would have otherwise given away for pennies but you’ll also get a whole new way of listening to music.
4. Listen to some unique tracks that have been lost to time
We often fall for the idea that “everything is digital now” but that’s not actually true. Just like there are countless literary works that never got copied into a digital format, there are also many vinyl records from decades ago that still aren’t available online. If you get a good record player, however, you’ll be one of the few able to enjoy these “lost” songs.
Don’t think that record players are just for “old music”, however – most contemporary performers and bands also release a lot of their music on vinyl too.
5. Vinyl record players turn listening to music into experiencing music
One of the often-cited drawbacks of turntable record players is that they just take too much effort to play – you have to put the record in, adjust the needle, and so on.
At the same time, that’s also one of the best parts of listening to a record player. Instead of just playing something on the same PC you’re working on, you get to make listening to music into much more of an experience – you get the record player going, you pour a glass of your favorite beverage, you relax on the sofa, turn or change the record every several players, and so on.
6. Music on vinyl is a long-term investment
This surprises some people but vinyl records are actually much more long-lasting than CDs, DVDs, and others. The typical laser disk usually gets unusable after ~10 years and hard disks often last even less. Vinyl records, however, have no problem lasting half a century (so far!) and still being in a perfect condition. Even streamed music online isn’t really as reliable.
7. Surface noise is a big part of vinyl’s charm
The surface noise you can sometimes hear with records players that’s caused by the contact of the needle with the record is another commonly cited disadvantage. Lovers of vinyl records defend it as a major part of the experience, however – it’s something that gives even more emotion and nostalgia to the music, it makes it feel more real. Similarly to how the sound quality is technically worse at a concert but we still love it because of the emotions that come with it.
In conclusion
Turntable vinyl record players may not be nearly as popular as they were decades ago but they are still much more than just a relic of a bygone era. The best record players today can bring your old vinyl records back to life and help them sound as divinely as they did 40-50 years ago.
And if you don’t own vinyl records – they are very easy to find both online and in local shops with even many new bands and performers releasing vinyls of their latest albums. All you need is the right record player in your living room and you’ll be able to enjoy the best possible sound you’ve ever heard.