Introduction
About a year ago, I bought my first record player. I had been listening to a lot of rock and roll and was told by a friend that it was better to listen to rock on a record player. At first I though it would just be a waste of money but after a while I though I would give it a try. Fortunately, my dad still had some of his old Zeppelin records and so I went out and purchased a decent record player. I bought one for about $150, so I wasn't expecting much but honestly, I have been very pleasantly surprised! The record player has been one of my best purchases to date and now, I'm gonna tell you why you should also get one!
#1: The Looks
Maybe I am just a sucker for the aesthetic of the '60s and '70s but I think that the vinyl record players look so cool! They make any room look a thousand times cooler and honestly, they fit with almost every aesthetic. If you have a '70s aesthetic going on in your room, a record player will fit right in. However, if you have a modern looking room but still want a record player, they have models that are perfect for you! On top of that, having the vinyl records around also looks really cool. With digital recordings of songs, there is obviously nothing physical. With vinyl, you have all the vinyl discs and the record covers and let me tell you, some of these album covers are so cool! So now, let's move onto the next section!
#2: The Feel
Personally, I think that using a vinyl record player adds a whole new feel to listening to the music. If you are listening to music digitally on your phone, you simply go and press the song you want to listen to. However, with the record player. You have to put the record on, set the needle on the song you want, change the tuning to get the sound just right, and then turn the turn table on. Watching the record spin as the music plays is also extremely cool. It gives off a vintage feel but at the same time it also adds to the feel of the music. I think that this is one of the best ways to create the perfect atmosphere in any room while listening to any type of music. It is certainly a lot more interesting and involved then listening on a digital device!
#3: The Records
The records are probably one of the coolest parts about the record player because the each record has its own personality, if you will. They each have a distinct and usually very cool album cover. On top of that, you get to see the inside of the album cover, which is not available with digital versions. Often times, the inside of the album covers also has lyrics, information about the album or the band, or pictures that can't be found elsewhere. To add to this, the design on the actual vinyl disc is usually pretty cool. I personally love the designs on the old swan song albums from Led Zeppelin. They just look so cool!
#4: The Sound
Well, I am going to be honest, I definitely saved the best for last. In my opinion, I think that the sound is the most profound reason to purchase a vinyl record player. Many people will say that it sounds without giving a reason why though. I have though for a long time about this and I am going to do it right. I am going to try to explain why the vinyl records sound so much better! So, in my opinion, the first thing that sounds better is the actual music. It just sound more full. But that is a vague way to describe it, so let me go even deeper.
When you listen to a song on your phone, all you is the sound waves converted into ones and zeros, and then reconverted into sound. I am not a sound engineer, but I can tell you that all that turning into ones and zeros and then converting into a bunch of different forms really flattens the music out. The actual music starts to really lose its character. When you listen to a song on an digital speaker, it sounds like you are just listening to it. This sounds really strange to say but this is one of the big difference. You see, when you listen to a record, you aren't just listening to it but rather you are feeling it.
When the MP3 audio format was made, it was created as a way to take the imperfections out of sound waves, and yet for some reason we thought this would be a good idea to use with music. Some people may disagree, but it is often the little mistakes or squeaks or breathes that give old recordings so much life. once you move this into MP3 though, it all goes away. So, aspect is that the sound has more feel and another is that the sound has more character. However, there is still more.
When the record plays, it adds another level of character and feel to the song because the record player and the vinyl album can create crackles and bumps in the audio. This give in a unpredictable character that cannot be replicated in the perfect world of MP3 and digital audio. This is what make the vinyl record player such a great way to listen to music. In my opinion, listening to a song on your phone sounds just like listening to a song, but listening to it on a record players sounds like you are standing in the studio, right next to the band, listening to them record the album. And that is exactly why you need to buy a vinyl record player!
Pricing
So, if you are thinking about purchasing a record player, let me first give you an idea of the types of prices that you are going to be looking at paying. I got my player, like I said, for about $150. If you want a record player with a decent sound and decent build quality, you are going to be looking in the $100-$200 range. However, you can get some for as low as $50 and, of course, you can also spend thousands if you would like. You also have to buy the vinyl albums which are not too expensive. If you want a brand new album, you can usually get those on amazon for about $15-$30. However, there are also thousands of vinyl shops all around the country that sell second hand records. I actually just got a live Hall and Oats album for only $1.99, and I was able to pick up a super rare bootleg Pink Floyd album for only $80. You can find a lot of cheap albums and a lot of rare gems at these vinyl shops and I would highly recommend searching through the shops near you before purchasing on new albums on amazon or other online services.
I hope that this guide has both persuaded you to consider purchasing a vinyl record player and given you some insight into the costs of buying a record player and vinyl albums. I personally would look at getting a Crosley record player or one from Audio Technica, though the latter tend to be slightly more expensive. If you enjoyed this article, it would be amazing if you could share it with a friend or follow the blog in the right-side pull-out menu!
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