LPs are Back

Quote of the day:
“When we got into office, the thing that surprised me the most was that things were as bad as we'd been saying they were.”
--John F. Kennedy

I am an audiophile. I don’t have the singular focus bordering on obsession of most audiophiles, but I am sensitive to acoustics and sound, and I love music.

Merrie and I listen a lot to LPs. Our collection is not huge, but it goes back to my days in radio and before. We also listen a lot to CDs, and we have a fair number of them, too.

Among audiophiles, there’s an ongoing conversation about whether LPs sound better than CDs or vice versa. Most non-audiophiles dismiss this, saying CDs obviously sound better and they don’t have scratches. And they’re smaller and easier.

Most audiophiles get a little snooty when told this, and will think to themselves, “Well, your records wouldn’t be scratched if you took better care of them.” Some invest lots of cash (we’re talking $10,000+) in elaborate turntable setups and heavy-vinyl deep pressings. It can be a serious business.

The truth is that most record albums released since the 1950s can sound pretty darn good on a reasonably-priced, properly set up turntable. It’s amazing, in fact, to put on a record made fifty years ago and hear it come alive. Even if it’s slightly scratched.

I am fascinated that LPs have become fashionable again. Over the last several years, more and more musicians are releasing their music on LP as well as CD.

LPs were kept alive by live DJs and musicians, who used them for scratching and sampling. But it’s gone way beyond that now.

Look at the success of record sellers on the web, and at stores like Amoeba in L.A. and the Bay Area. Here in San Diego, there are several small record stores that seem to be thriving.

Listening to an LP can be more well-rounded than listening to a CD. You have to go to the shelf, peruse, pull the album out, look at the front and back, pull the inner sleeve out, put the record on the turntable and put the arm on the record. Then, 20 minutes later, you have to get up and turn the record over.

The 20-minute thing can be annoying if I’m trying to do something else while listening. Yet because it’s a more-involving process, I often find I’m paying closer attention to the music. It’s usually not just background.

Also, since so many of our records are from the 50s, 60s and 70s, there is a sense of connection to history. Maybe it’s just nostalgia. I remember first getting the record, or where I was when I first heard it, or listening to it with friends.

And the music is still so good. In fact, most of the time, it’s better.