• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Top Record Players

Find Your Perfect Record Player

  • Home
  • Record Player Reviews
    • DJ Turntables
      • Audio Technica AT-LP60 Review
      • Audio Technica AT-LP120 Review
      • Stanton T62 MKII Review
    • Modern Turntables
      • 1byone Turntable Review
      • Fluance RT80 Review
      • House Of Marley Stir It Up Review
      • ION Audio Max Review
      • Jensen JTA475B Review
      • Jopostar Record Player Review
      • Pro-Ject DC Review
      • Pro-Ject VT-E BT Review
      • Teac LP-R660USB Review
    • Suitcase Style
      • 1byone Suitcase Turntable Review
      • Wockoder Suitcase Review
      • Crosley Cruiser Review
      • Electrohome Archer Review
      • Victrola Suitcase Turntable Review
      • Vinyl Music On Turntable Review
    • Vintage Turntables
      • 1byone Nostalgic Turntable Review
      • Crosley CR6231D-GR Review
      • Crosley CR704C-PA Review
      • D&L Vintage Turntable Review
      • Victrola 50’s Retro Review
      • Victrola Navigator Review
      • Wockoder Record Player Review
      • Wrcibo Vintage Review
  • Buying Guides
    • Best Record Players
    • Best Vintage Record Players
    • Best Record Players With Speakers
    • Affordable Record Players
    • Vertical Record Players
    • Best Portable Record Players
    • Best Turntables For Sampling
    • Best Record Player Stands
    • Best Record Players Under $100
    • Best Turntables Under $200
    • Best Headphones For Vinyl
  • Tips and Advice
You are here: Home / Record Player Advice / The Pros And Cons Of Vinyl Records

The Pros And Cons Of Vinyl Records

Last updated August 29, 2020 By David Richard 11 Comments

vinyl pros and consVinyl has been loved by millions all over the world for decades.

Its unrivaled uniqueness, and indeed its nostalgia, has recently made way for a huge rise in vinyl sales. 4.1 million records were bought in 2017 alone, the highest annual number for 26 years.

However, the problems that led to vinyl being replaced by more modern forms of media still remain.

Below, I’ve put together a list of pros and cons of vinyl records, to help you decide whether its worth your investment!

 

The Top 4 Pros Of Vinyl Records

The Nostalgic Feel

This is something you just can’t get with CDs or digital downloads. Vinyl is way out front in this category, with absolutely no challengers in sight.

The nostalgic feel that comes with a vinyl record is rooted in the experience of owning, unwrapping, and playing them.

All the sleeves you have to unwrap, the old-time smell, the feel of the vinyl material. It’s a whole experience. An experience that isn’t matched in any other format. It has a tangible quality that can’t be replaced in the digital realm.

 

The Unique Vinyl Sound

Sound of Vinyl

Again, it’s all part of the experience of owning vinyls. The sounds that are unique to vinyl are those crackles, the warm tones and even the background noises.

Many music connoisseurs prefer these ‘comforting’ sounds over cleaner and more modern recordings. Vinyl holds a lot more character than other formats, which is what has made it such a popular format in the past, and again in recent times.

Nikki Sixx—co-founder, bassist, and primary songwriter of the band Mötley Crüe—talks below about his love for the unique vinyl sound.

“I remember opening up my first vinyl and seeing the incredible artwork it had. There’s nothing like it. You also get that true gritty sound on vinyl that really makes a rock record sound great, which CDs can never achieve.”

 

Vinyl Demands Attention

Walk into a room in which a vinyl record is playing and you will be drawn instantly to it. It will light up the room, no doubt about it. You’ll unconsciously listen to that vinyl track much more intently than if a Spotify track was playing.

Music is so readily available these days that we often listen to it passively in the background while we get on with our daily tasks. We don’t often sit down and listen.

Put on one of your vinyls and you’ll find yourself glued to your armchair for the next hour, simply listening and doing nothing else. This is a rare pleasure in today’s fast-paced world.

 

Your Taste In Music Will Improve

Good Vinyl Music

Are you reading this article to help you decide whether to buy a vinyl player or not? This point should convince you. Your taste in music is only going to improve when you invest in a turntable record player!

Go to any record store, and you won’t find any top 40 tracks from at least the last 10 years. You won’t find any albums that were at number 1 for 2 months and then disappeared off the radar.

What you will find is albums that were people’s favorites for years. Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Nirvana, etc. All legends of music. Artists who were on top of their game. They were artists that produced not just good music, but the best music, with the best production, the best lyrics, and the best riffs.

 

Top 4 Cons Of Vinyl

Maintenance And Storage

Vinyl Storage

Looking after your vinyl is very time consuming. If you’re looking for an easy, straight-forward music experience, then vinyl probably isn’t for you.

You’ll need to think about inner sleeves, outer sleeves, vinyl bags, shelf storage, archive storage, storage temperatures, cleaning brushes…phew. There’s a lot to think about! Every step of storage is just as essential as the previous step. And if you’re thinking you can just store your vinyl collection in the garage, that’s rarely a good idea.

So if you’re still convinced you want to invest in vinyl, make sure you research exactly how to clean and store your type of vinyl! Stick to the process, and they will survive for years.

Here are some great tips on how to store your vinyl.

 

They Do 1 Job, And 1 Job Only

Unlike CDs and digital downloads, you can’t take vinyl with you everywhere you go. You can’t have the records in your pocket like an iPhone. You can’t plug headphones into your vinyl. You can’t send copies of your vinyl records to your friends.

All you can do is simply listen. To be totally fair, many of you will have purchased a vinyl record for this reason. You will have wanted something unique and different to what’s on offer today, and that’s exactly what vinyl gives you. For that reason, this point this isn’t a con at all, for most people reading this.

 

The Cost

Vinyl Record Store

Michael Jackson’s Thriller album is free on Spotify, and $7.99 on iTunes.

What about the vinyl? $18.99.

When investing in vinyl, you have to be prepared to pay over twice the price of a CD or digital download. Prices have soared in the last 5 years as vinyl makes a sensational comeback.

Following the decline in CDs and the rise in digital downloads, some still craved a physical form of music but weren’t interested in CDs anymore. And so they turned to vinyl.

4.1 million vinyl records were bought in 2017 alone, the highest numbers since 1991. It’s going to be very expensive to build up a vinyl collection that’s for sure, but if you have the money to do it then why not? And while the albums are pricey, good record players are actually quite affordable.

 

Crackling and Surface Noises

Unique vinyl noises can either be a pro or a con, depending on how you look at it. While many of these noises can be swept away with proper maintenance and care, some still remain.

Pops, clicks, and minor hiss noises will always be present on an analogue medium like vinyl. It’s up to you to decide whether the excessive sounds annoy you or whether they add to your listening experience.

 

4 pros and 4 cons. The debate roars on!

Let us know your thoughts on this fiery debate in the comments below. And if you’re thinking about taking the plunge, this article reviews the best vinyl record players.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

You Might Also Like...

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David Norriss says

    January 24, 2020 at 1:31 pm

    I think it’s great how you said that vinyl has a lot of character to it because it crackles and gives off a warm feeling as you listen to it. My friend loves music and antiques. I bet he would love to get some vinyl records and a player for his birthday so that he can get that old warm music feel.

    Reply
  2. Varden says

    February 2, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    I own 9 different turntables on three different analog systems.I will stream the INTERNET and use a dac to convert digital to analog .I can research music if i like it and bvvuy the vinyle when affordable.

    Reply
    • David Richard says

      February 3, 2020 at 1:23 am

      That’s what I do too: I only get my absolute favorite records on vinyl. Otherwise, I could never afford it.

      Reply
  3. Emac says

    February 14, 2020 at 2:46 pm

    I have owned vinyl for over 50 years. Still search stores for gems and reproductions. The sound is the best other factory reel tapes.

    Reply
    • Andy says

      August 23, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      Rekindling my vinyl affections,
      Over the past few months I’ve bought about 100 albums from used record stores, discogs, Amazon, eBay
      The cost is all over the board.
      Some used stores charge 6-10 dollars per album, while of course new are 25 plus.
      Prolly sunk a good grand so far.
      And of course friends and family “donating” to me
      Yes, some donations are…. Different
      Lots of big band, old 50’s and 60’s easy listening.
      However, I take them, clean them and actually ENJOY them
      That’s the thing about vinyl,
      It’s an experience, there’s no “skipping” a song, you listen all the way through.
      With the memories of albums I grew up with, to stuff I never thought I’d listen to,
      It’s worth every penny to me to hold that album in my hands, gazing at the sleeve while it’s playing
      Just be careful when buying online.
      Some people will charge outrageous amounts for an album just because of who it is, look around
      That’s most of the fun anyhow
      Hours in record shops, never know what you’ll find
      Happy collecting!!

      Reply
  4. Jack Kimmerling says

    February 20, 2020 at 5:48 am

    I have found viny record collecting to be an incredible way of expanding my music taste. Where my first album was Led Zeppelin I keep going back to my Dean Martin Dream with Dean album as my favorite vinyl listening experience. Its completely intimate and can not be reproduced digitally.
    I also find the different sounds of differently pressed and mastered albums very interesting.

    Reply
    • David Richard says

      February 20, 2020 at 8:58 am

      All true. I like the point about the intimacy of music on vinyl. That is something I didn’t even think about, but is so true. Maybe not for all albums, but definitely for some of them.

      Reply
    • Jack Kimmerling says

      February 20, 2020 at 9:26 am

      David,
      If you have not listened to Dean Martin (Dream with Dean). Put some headphones on listen to Deans voice. Dean lover or not,,,,,,,, sounds like he is singing into a microphone two inches away. I grew up with rock and roll as my primary love for music but sure have matured since I began collecting.

      Reply
      • Andy says

        August 23, 2020 at 4:40 pm

        I’m sold lol
        A head banger from the 80’s, but dang, I do love Dean and Sammy.
        On the lookout for that album

        Reply
  5. GENO says

    February 21, 2020 at 3:36 pm

    VINYL Rules …I grew,up with vinyl but I kept my albums in good condition. That’s the most important. Clean them with a brush like the dishwasher one.

    Reply
    • David Richard says

      February 22, 2020 at 12:33 am

      Very true, you definitely want to take good care of your records.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search This Site

Recent Posts

House Of Marley Stir It Up Turntable Review (Great Value For Money)

How To Tell If A Turntable Needle Is Bad

How To Tell If A Turntable Needle Is Bad

Fluance RT80 Review (Incredible Value, But Not For Everyone)

Pro-Ject VT-E BT Vertical Turntable Review

Footer

Important Info

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search

Disclaimer

Some recommended products may use affiliate links. TopRecordPlayers.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

*Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates

Copyright © 2021 · Top Record Players · All rights reserved.