Here’s the answer to every question you could possibly have, including some that may be embarrassing. Like, is vinyl actually better than digital?
Via giphy.com
There are two basic answers for this: You are an audiophile, and fetishize the sound of analog recordings, or you simply like the aesthetics of vinyl records, packaging, and turntables. It can absolutely be both! But the aesthetics, the physical aspect of it, is pretty key to its appeal. These records are more beautiful and substantial than CDs, which mostly have the look of office supplies, and they're the best way to make purchasing music feel like something. Vinyl allows you to have a sentimentality about albums — there's a tactile quality, a ritual to pulling a record out of a sleeve and putting it on and focusing your attention on the act of listening for a side at a time. Even if you still mainly listen to music on your computer or iPod, it gives you the option of having a more special experience with your favorite albums, and an object you can display in your home.
Buying vinyl records today is the only way to purchase music that is likely to give you a return on your investment. You can't resell a digital file, and in most cases, CDs have almost no value on the secondary market. Vinyl records — new or old — retain a lot of value, and so long as your copy is in decent condition and there's some demand for the title, you can often make a profit if you choose to sell. You probably shouldn't get into buying vinyl as a way to make money — there are much better and easier ways to do that — but it's definitely nice to know that if you had to, you could sell your collection.
Analog means that there is a continuous signal in which the varying part of the signal is a representation of another time-varying quantity. So, when it comes to sound recordings, the instantaneous voltage of the signal varies continuously with the pressure of the sound waves. Basically, the groove of a vinyl record is like a drawing of the sound wave in a single continuous line through the entire side. Your turntable essentially reads that and decodes it in real time, which results in the sound you hear from the speakers.
