Why vinyl?

That's an interesting point about "why not tape?". Another question I've asked myself a few times about vinyl is whether the more limited selection of new releases is another form of audiophile I-only-listen-to-certain-recordings. This, of course, is a non-issue for somebody who listens to largely older music, but I like to listen to a lot of new releases.

I not only really like the convenience in terms of playback of CD, I also like the more limited storage space req's as well as the ability to have a complete system with fewer components / space. I also agree that while CD's are not perfect sound, now or forever, that digital is where the focus is going to be going forward, and there's some really neat stuff happening there. With storage becoming cheaper by the second, there will be more cool stuff.

None of this is said to suggest that vinyl isn't what those who have vinyl setups say it is, and certainly not to say they're wrong. I like convenience and efficiency, and to be honest, I never sit here and think, "man that CD playback is full of glare and harshness." In fact, I'm usually sitting here with a big smile on my face. I accept that I quite possibly don't realize what I'm missing, and someday I might explore that, but I learned a long time ago that sometimes you just ride happiness without asking a lot of questions.

To answer your question from the viewpoint of someone who still uses open reel tape as a source in his system, the problems are as follows:

1)Commercial open reel tapes are copies, not original masters. In this sense they are removed several generations from the original just as an LP or CD copies are.

2)As volitile as LPs are, tapes are often more so. Oxide shedding, stretching of the backing material and magnetic print through are common problems. Many compositions are particularly sensitive to temperature, heat and light.

3)The range of music available on open reel tape was quite small compared to the LP and the Compact Casette.

4)Most commercially sold open reel tapes are recorded at 7.5 ips. This is a very compromised speed from a sonic standpoint; archival quality machines found in studios generally run at 30ips.

I still believe that the more sources the better and even have a modified 8-track in my system as well as the tweaked Revox A-77 open reel machine. Most of my listening is still done with LP, as much to do with the depth of my collection as anything, with CD and FM tied for second followed by open reel and 8-track.

Viridian, Good Post.

I have just begun a rexamination of my life (which of course means a return to vinyl!) and I am finding that while I still love my CD's, I now am able to over look the surface noise on LP's and just enjoy the music.

Most of the time (recording dependent), they sound fantastic even through the ticks and pops. However,I am not in love with all the work involved, or the (at times)bad distortion from LP's that were mistracked many moons ago.

I'm never going to quit CD and I will likely purchase most new music on that format for the forseeable future. That said, I can go down to my local vinyl store and buy lots of great old music for $2 to $5 bucks a piece! My spousal unit hates seeing them again, but that is a whole different problem... :?)

gb

I also miss album covers. I was talking to a friend the other day after getting an email about the "Best Concerts" thread. I had been going through my LPs and album covers evoke a feeling that I have never felt looking through my CDs. A lot like the feeling I got thinking about favorite concerts.
I hate jewel cases, they are too small for the wonderful art of the LP cover, they break all the time and its a big pain to remove the tape on the edge. CDs should come in album covers! Somehow I find room for my albums. And they do sound better.

By the way, has anyone experienced LP quality sound from reel to reel? Never sounded that good to me, what ever the cause.