There’s no denying the economy is in the pits, so what should you do with that last wad of cash stashed in your underwear drawer? Invest in a turntable and a few classic records. Then, even after you’ve pawned the rest of your belongings, you’ll still have some damn good music in the purest of recording formats—the perfect antidote to anyone’s financial doldrums.
For vinyl record virgins, the Numark PT01 turntable, at a relatively economical $85, should fit the bill. Now that you’ve got your turntable, it’s time to stock up on vinyl records. “But wait!” you interject. “Why should I spend all this money on a turntable and records? I can get all the music I want for free on blogs and torrent sites!”
It’s true—music has never been more accessible. With so many free and illegal ways to procure tunes, it may seem impractical to resort to the cumbersome, costly, and easily broken vinyl record.
Except for one small detail: music sounds better on vinyl.
The superiority of vinyl records over their digital counterparts can be traced to the way in which these recordings are made. Analog recording, which produces vinyl records, consists of modulating the original, analog sound signal onto another physical medium—in this case, the grooves of the record. These grooves actually mirror the original sound’s waveform, thus capturing the sound in its unadulterated entirety.
In contrast, digital recordings are produced by converting snapshots of the original sound-wave into a sequence of numbers. However, in performing this conversion, even the best digital recording devices can’t capture the entire sound-wave. In short, if you’ve only ever listened to digital recordings, you’ve never heard a full reproduction of any song. Ever.
From my experience with vinyl, the difference in sound quality is particularly acute when comparing a digital recording and an old, but well-preserved, vinyl record. Listen to “I Want to Hold Your Hand” from an original pressing of Meet the Beatles, and you’ll swear those Brits are jamming right there in front of you.
So, switch to vinyl—and buy untarnished original pressings whenever possible to guarantee top-notch sound quality—because, even when you have to sell the rest of your belongings, you’ll find solace in listening to recordings that retain the aural authenticity of the original performances, rather than settling for a superficial digital imitation.
Penetrate the grooves with Chelsea at cpaige@staff.georgetownvoice.com.
