AudioSalon - scotlands first and foremost hi-fi dealer since 1979

Vinyl is alive

Physicality is exactly why records still endear themselves to audiophiles and DJs alike — because they possess an immediacy and involvement missing from compact discs. Compare putting a needle into the groove of a record to inserting a CD into a player, and don’t forget to factor in the warmth of analog versus digital sound.

Is vinyl convenient? No. But that’s the whole point. Each step in this almost lost art has a narrow margin of error, and necessitates a delicate and attentive eye. Each record takes 45 seconds to get pressed (as compared to the one second in which a CD is born) and a wealth of skills to get done properly.

High Fidelity, the recent John Cusack comedy film, showed the general public a slice of life from a clandestine world often shrouded in solitude and flea markets: the world of the record collector.

If you look closely, you can see them scouring second-hand stores, looking for buried treasure, scurrying from one specialty store to another, or muttering amongst themselves about imports and white labels. For these people, there's something about listening to vinyl that borders on the ceremonial, the mystic. All one has to do is note the extreme, almost reverent care with which the black disc is drawn from its sleeve, lowered onto the turntable - cleaned perhaps - before the needle is dropped. A blip of noise signals contact, then a low, droning hiss fills the speakers before the music begins. It's almost religious.

There are early or obscure releases by artists available only on vinyl as a reason for the medium's continued popularity with collectors. "There's a lot of stuff which never made it to CD, so if you want it, you've got to seek it out."

These days, vinyl's become something of a habit for me. Although my CDs still outnumber my records the ratio is getting closer every month, I'm slowly but surely becoming a vinyl fetishist. I love the big and glorious sleeve art that CD covers will never be able to replicate. I love the satisfaction that comes with carrying a heavy stack of records home after scouring the shops. I love the jolt that runs down the spine when a rare import album in pristine condition is found amidst dozens of copies of "Johnny Cash " and Barbara Streisand records at the Salvation Army. Scratched, cumbersome and ancient: I love vinyl.

Look at us now...

We have gone from a lesser quality product (Cd's are ok, but they really don't sound as good a vinyl) to a much lesser quality source (MP3 sounds terrible.)

We've moved from our living rooms, bedrooms, and record shops to our laptops and ipods... online. pretty lame if you ask me.