Listening to vinyl on the Rega P5 has been a major improvement over my old (and inherited) ADC Accutrac 5000. Whatever I gave up in convenience with this new deck, I appreciably improved in sonic quality. Granted a new turntable required some new vinyl purchases, but old records simply sound better and new records sound great; in fact they occasionally border on stunning. Sound comes from places in the room that I have never noticed before. True audiophiles call that imaging or an expanded sound field. I am not sure of the term, but I have experienced the pleasure on more than a few albums. If there is a break-in period with a new turntable, as some people claim, the experience should only get better.
Why listen to vinyl when CD’s sound just fine? I have had more than a few of my friends and family question me on the desire to spend a small fortune on what they consider “outdated” technology.
First of all, I am a pack rat; and unlike many of my contemporaries, I saved and protected my record collection from the 70’s and 80’s, so I have a good collection of music that I don’t own on CD. Second, new vinyl records sound really, really good. It is undoubtedly personal preference and a bit of nostalgia, but vinyl is more warm and natural sounding. CD’s are admittedly clean and precise, but not as musically inviting like a true analogue recording.  Finally, I like to listen to music. Selecting, handling, and preening vinyl records is part of the listening experience that I really enjoy. I can put on a CD and be asleep on the couch before it is done. Records keep you on your toes thinking about the next side that you are going to play.
This post started with a discussion of the Rega P5 and really turned into a justification for listening to vinyl records.  Whatever else……. you might think, I never stopped listening to records, but I am not sure that I fully appreciated how good they could sound until the Rega came into my living room.
