> the record player went on a shelf that day and is still there.

When I moved I never plugged in my amplifier and speakers for my record player because I couldn't figure out where to put them. Eventually I realized that they didn't need to be on the floor "waiting" for me to set them up -now they're in the garage while the records/player are out on display. I just listen to music via a smart speaker and streaming most days.

I still buy the occasional vinyl though. I like them as gifts because they're physical and also personal. I tell everyone to give me a record of an album that means a lot to them so I can think of them when I play it (because gifts are about emotions, even if I don't play them directly).

I've tried to have a good sound system. I've been to friends' houses that have nice ones.

I got an array of Sonos speakers and ask an Echo to play things on them. It's a wonderful, maintenance-free experience and, combined with Spotify's access to most things I'd want, makes intentional listening a zero-friction experience.

Yea… I just use my Sonos system because it’s so much easier.

Whether you can hear a difference is going to depend partly on the equipment and mostly on the particular album you’re playing. I don’t think tron legacy got a vinyl specific master/mix so it’s basically just a recreation of the digital mix - if anything you might lose a little detail because it takes a pretty high end turntable to be 100% as transparent as a decent digital setup. On the other hand, if you look at a catalog like Blue Note’s for example, all of their vinyl releases are remasters made specifically for the format. Especially compared to the Rudy Van Gelder 90s digital remasters on streaming, there’s a pretty immediately obvious difference in sound. Not really a “if know what to look for” thing either, on some recordings it is very obvious.

This goes beyond vinyl vs digital too. What mix/master was used can make a difference in any context with different formats. Giorgio Moroder’s From Here to Eternity hasn’t gotten a transfer from the master tapes in decades, and the version on streaming is actually a rip from a vinyl record or another poor quality or worn transfer. If you seek out a CD mastered directly from the tape, there’s an incredible difference in the dynamic range.

Maybe. Maybe my ears just aren't good enough to hear the difference (I don't have particularly good hearing).

Anyway, I'm not unhappy about it. I love the soundtrack (and the music on every Vinyl I own) and I love that I own the Vinyl copy. Some have really cool artwork/books included which just don't exist anywhere else.

I think, perhaps, the point you're making is that the master matters more than the medium, which I would strongly agree with.

Yeah, that’s my point - I have a small vinyl collection but it’s mostly jazz albums with vinyl specific masters. I haven’t noticed any special vinyl specific sound myself beyond whatever the engineers intentionally created but for whatever reason some albums get significantly different treatments for vinyl. I’m not sure if the better margins for the format pay for the remaster work or what - I’ve noticed some labels do SACD releases too. So I guess the format has charmed me after all, because I haven’t bought any SACDs :)

Funny enough there’s definitely some vinyl releases where the opposite occurred and they get a sloppy transfer or the label literally just presses an mp3 that already exists, especially now that they’re booming among people who won’t actually play them (or won’t play them on decent equipment.) So you can go out and potentially buy a vinyl record that just replays a digital master with poorer compression than what’s on streaming.

Definitely agree regarding everything else that comes with the package. I have the Myst box set because that game had such an impact on my life and it’s so well done with extra books, maps, etc.