Find Your Groove

Vinyl records are back in a big way. In fact, in 2020 the sale of vinyl records outpaced all other physical music media for the first time since 1983! And it’s no wonder why. There’s this intimacy and drama that comes with the ritual of pulling a record out of its sleeve, placing it on the turntable and fitting the needle to the groove that you just don’t find anywhere else. 

In case you can’t tell, we here at Rody’s Audio Warehouse are big fans of vinyl. That’s probably why we have the largest collection of vinyl records in the Low Country. New or used, we are happy to buy, sell, and trade vinyl to grow your collection (and ours!).

But to the uninitiated vinyl collection might seem like an oddity, an anachronism. Well, you’re not wrong, but Rody’s Audio Warehouse is here to peel back some of the mystery and help you understand why this medium is the preferred choice for audiophiles, collectors, and music junkies of all kinds.

So Why Should I Collect Vinyl?

It’s Aesthetically Pleasing

The jackets of vinyl records are wide and tall (~12.25” x ~12.25”). They prominently feature the artwork for the world to see. It’s a bold, unapologetic statement of the art that the record contains. We’d be lying if we said that much of the appeal of vinyl is simply the visual appeal of the medium itself. And it goes beyond the intangibles we’ve already listed here. A healthy vinyl collection makes an amazing centerpiece for your living room or study. There’s something at once sophisticated and down-to-earth about having a prominently displayed collection of music in your home. They fit neatly into bookshelves or mounted displays and are just plain fun to look at while you soak in the melodies.

Vinyl Sounds Amazing

Have you ever sat down and really listened to a vinyl record coming through a solid speaker system? If not, we can help you with both of those issues! But anyone who has can tell you the difference that vinyl makes in your listening experience. It’s not just folks being pompous either! Vinyl actually does sound better. This will get a little technical, but it’s interesting, we promise. When an artist records in a studio, a huge amount of audio information gets recorded along with the music. Ambient noise, the rustling of clothes, and the general acoustics of the studio all contribute to the quality of the sound. The problem is that with MP3s and streaming audio it’s simply too much information to convey efficiently; the files are just too big. What the streaming platforms and big music companies do to account for this is that they compress the music data to make it smaller. They remove the background noise and frequencies that give music rich texture. This is known as data compression. More egregious is dynamic range compression which levels out all audio output so that all pieces of a particular song are roughly the same volume. While convenient for folks while they are driving or in a noisy place, this is what gives so much digital music that tinny or flat affect.

Vinyl, however, has none of these issues. The large amount of data is stored physically, so all of the ambient textures that occurred at the time of recording are present, providing you with a lush, expansive sound that gets into your bones and stays there.

It’s Good For You

Having a hobby is good for your health! Research has shown that people with hobbies experience better mental health outcomes, have better social connections, and lower stress levels, all of which contribute to a happy and healthy life. If you’ve been in a rut or have been feeling unfulfilled, come on into Rody’s Audio Warehouse and let us set you up with the essentials to start your new hobby.

We hope that we’ve pleaded a solid case to you for why vinyl just can’t be beat. If you have any questions about how to get started, please feel free to give us a call. Better yet, come on down to the store so that we can talk about music face-to-face and get you started on your new vinyl record collection. Whether you are brand new to the hobby or a seasoned expert at digging in the crates, Rody’s Audio Warehouse is the place to be for vinyl!