Flipper Seattle June 27, 2008 Photo: Gillain GaarI have been collecting records for over 25 years and have accumulated nearly two thousand. Many of these I bought used. It’s fun to rummage through stacks of old records. Even after all these years there’s still surprises and curiosities to be found. Vinyl isn’t just about ears, the big covers and sleeves have much for the eye also.Long Play vinyl discs seem to be making a comeback in the music world. It has been reported the one-stop retailer Fred Meyer is selling LP’s. Apparently some discs were ordered by accident and they actually sold so the retail chain decided to keep them in stock. I buy new LP’s. I own the new Raconteurs and REM records on vinyl. There are reasons why I hold onto records and it’s not only about nostalgia.Ever since computers and music started to merge, there’s been a debate between the virtues of analog and digital music reproduction. Sound processed through vacuum tubes and magnets does gain certain characteristics. Analog music will tend to be warmer to the ear. On the other hand, digital reproduction, through its inherent perfection can come across as cold.Even though there might not be a scratch on that old record you found at the second hand store, it still can be worn out. There’s an easy test to gauge the quality of a used record: just ask the seller if you can hear the disc. The trick is to listen to the last track. If it sounds fuzzy, the record is worn. This is due to the mechanics of the reproduction.We hear music through speakers. A speaker is a coil, magnet and diaphragm that moves air. A microphone has the same components as a speaker but it receives the movement of air. Think of holding a microphone to your mouth. A little diaphragm is vibrating a magnetic coil. That electronic field is amplified and the speaker reproduces the sound louder through a bigger coil and diaphragm.Vinyl reproduction is the same. A needle connected to a coil moves across the grooves of the record. As the needle makes its way to the end of the record, it travels faster because the disc radius gets smaller. As a result the little bumps cut into the grooves get bunched up. The tighter grooves at the end will reveal the accumulated wear in the old disc.As a result of the inevitable wear of a record, I have been transferring some to a digital format. I don’t have a problem with digital, my issue is with the Compact Disc format. The standard CD was developed around 1980. Computers can show you what the sound waves look like. Vinyl will always have a range of taller peaks and lower valleys than a CD. The CD usually looks flat on the screen of the audio recording program.The reason vinyl has hung on over these years is because it’s quality audio in a consumer format. I make high definition recordings of my old records. This takes up a lot of memory. Imagine having a portable media player with only fifteen or so songs on it? It doesn’t make sense. Streaming media promises to bring high definition music into our homes. That’s when my wall of records will go. Until then, I will still listen to the rich sound of vinyl – unless the record is worn out!!