Some people believe that vinyl records are obsolete, but we don't agree. There are many advantages to LPs over CDs and other, more modern recording processes. The most obvious may be the simple fact that many of the great recordings of the 40's, 50's, 60's, etc. have been lost for one reason or another: Often recording tape was reused to save money or storage space and in that process whatever had been recorded previously was lost forever. Sometimes album tracks were discarded from CD reissues. Occasionally, the CD reissue was poorly remastered and true aficionados of those recordings hate the reissued versions.
Perhaps the most importatnt reason vinyl is preferred by a discriminating minority of listeners is the fact that the sound of an LP is fatter and warmer than digital sound, particularly in the case of acoustic or orchestral instruments. The "bottom line" also is a factor. Record companies determine that they might not make a profit on certain reissues.
As luck would have it, my next-door neighbor owns a state-of-the-art audiophile system which includes a $35,000 turntable, a $12,000 CD player, and 2 speaker column systems @$75,000 each. He tells me that CD sound technology is "almost" as good as vinyl, and sometimes it's impossible to hear the difference (especially with recordings of synthesizers, distortion, etc.)
Meanwhile, my system is considerably more modest and often the difference is, to my ears anyway, profound. And there's no substitute for an RCA shaded dog", pops and all!
