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comment by WanderingEng
WanderingEng  ·  3411 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Have We Reached Peak Vinyl?

I've passed peak vinyl purchasing, and the article hits on why. I got into vinyl around 2004, newly out of college and gainfully employed. I used to go to my local music store, browse around for stuff is heard was good and leave with three records for about $50. I'd do this pretty regularly.

The first thing I noticed was 2xLP albums that had no reason to be on four sides. They were also more expensive. This started the trend from $17 records to $24 records and started my decline. Where I used to get three records for $50, now it was two. I never had an iPod, and around this time I got my first smart phone and found digital music was portable, and as I get older doesn't sound that bad. Instead of two records I could buy five digital albums. That was when I switched to vinyl only for music I already liked, and that trend has only continued.

I still buy vinyl, but it's less common. I got into the format because I liked it, and I still do. But all the gimics turn me off.





cgod  ·  3411 days ago  ·  link  ·  

You can pack the grooves on an album and make a 2 lp set one but the audio quality is better if there is a bit of space between the grooves. In some cases they might be trying to rip you off but if a 2 LP album is on heavier vinyl you can count on the fact the decision not to cram every thing on two platters was to preserve sound quality.

A friend of my step father who was a audio obsessed electrical engineer used to get upset over people cramming too much music on one LP. "All they care about is selling as many records as possible, wish they cared more about sound quality." Personally I'd rather save money and get a one LP record, it's the performance that matters to me not perfect quality audio.