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During EE undergrad I learned about DSP, math and other theory involved in digital audio reproduction and it's clear to me that it's technically superior. There

During EE undergrad I learned about DSP, math and other theory involved in digital audio reproduction and it's clear to me that it's technically superior. There's some truly marvelous engineering behind digital audio. And the best part is that it enhances life: now playing an album isn't "a ritual", I can do it anytime without needing physical, wasteful storage for a degrading format. I'm absolutely baffled how people (the same trendy hipsters who in my experience are disgusted by capitalism and luxury consumerism) shell out for vinyl when they'd be better off spending more money on something that's usually much more important and will make a significant, audible difference: nice speakers.

stjohnswarts 7y ago
I agree to you mostly, but I do have some vinyls if my favorite all time albums. Maybe 50 or so. However the analog priests are wrong about superiority of vinyl both technically and philosophically. However, I do love me some 70s and 80s punk music on vinyl which makes it even a little bit dirtier and less refined
- gnusty_gnurc 7y ago
  It usually goes over peoples' heads that "hearing the difference" in vinyl is probably distortion, if truly audible and not just a delusion. In terms of reconstructing a signal, it's simply inferior. But distortion can be good, just like food has variability and nuance and we sometimes love it for that!
taylodl 7y ago
Digital formats (FLAC) are not only technically superior, but digital distribution is also greener.
- gnusty_gnurc 7y ago
  As a storage format sure. Streaming at 192kbps or 320 if you really care, is more than adequate for the listening habits and ear health of most people.
jdsully 7y ago
Its nice to have the choice, but sometimes following a "ritual" is nice. We're trained to appreciate things that we have to work hard to get.
mulmen 7y ago
I'm not a hipster but I have a vinyl record collection. So do my friends, we trade records and each have very different collections. I enjoy "the ritual", it allows me to recollect who gave me an album or the night I went to the show. None of my friends organize our records the same way. Some are chronological by release. Some simply alphabetical. Some chronological by acquisition date. Some combine an element of genre, whatever that means to them. It's a deeply personal thing but we can still share parts of it. In life we get to have different tastes, having a record collection is one of the ways to celebrate that. I don't appreciate being talked down to about my personal choices or how I derive enjoyment in my own time. I'm also not impressed by your straw man argument against these "hipsters", why are they so bad anyway? Is it because you perceive hypocrisy in how some hypothetical person lives their life?
- gnusty_gnurc 7y ago
  It's cause I know how little time I have to do stuff in my life already, and the idea that I'd spend my already scant time cataloguing bulky records and having to worry about them whenever I move is pretty stressful.
  - mulmen 7y ago
    That's your choice and nobody is criticizing you for that. Nobody is telling you to go buy records. Other people are allowed to spend their time and money how they see fit. That does not make them "hipsters" or wrong.

stjohnswarts 7y ago

I agree to you mostly, but I do have some vinyls if my favorite all time albums. Maybe 50 or so. However the analog priests are wrong about superiority of vinyl both technically and philosophically. However, I do love me some 70s and 80s punk music on vinyl which makes it even a little bit dirtier and less refined

gnusty_gnurc 7y ago
It usually goes over peoples' heads that "hearing the difference" in vinyl is probably distortion, if truly audible and not just a delusion. In terms of reconstructing a signal, it's simply inferior. But distortion can be good, just like food has variability and nuance and we sometimes love it for that!

taylodl 7y ago

Digital formats (FLAC) are not only technically superior, but digital distribution is also greener.

gnusty_gnurc 7y ago
As a storage format sure. Streaming at 192kbps or 320 if you really care, is more than adequate for the listening habits and ear health of most people.

jdsully 7y ago

Its nice to have the choice, but sometimes following a "ritual" is nice. We're trained to appreciate things that we have to work hard to get.

mulmen 7y ago

I'm not a hipster but I have a vinyl record collection. So do my friends, we trade records and each have very different collections. I enjoy "the ritual", it allows me to recollect who gave me an album or the night I went to the show. None of my friends organize our records the same way. Some are chronological by release. Some simply alphabetical. Some chronological by acquisition date. Some combine an element of genre, whatever that means to them. It's a deeply personal thing but we can still share parts of it. In life we get to have different tastes, having a record collection is one of the ways to celebrate that. I don't appreciate being talked down to about my personal choices or how I derive enjoyment in my own time. I'm also not impressed by your straw man argument against these "hipsters", why are they so bad anyway? Is it because you perceive hypocrisy in how some hypothetical person lives their life?

gnusty_gnurc 7y ago
It's cause I know how little time I have to do stuff in my life already, and the idea that I'd spend my already scant time cataloguing bulky records and having to worry about them whenever I move is pretty stressful.
- mulmen 7y ago
  That's your choice and nobody is criticizing you for that. Nobody is telling you to go buy records. Other people are allowed to spend their time and money how they see fit. That does not make them "hipsters" or wrong.