For most people, I think it has less to do with audio quality and more to do with re-connecting with your music in a physical way.
There's something about listening to an LP--choosing one from the shelf, taking it out from the sleeve, putting it on the turntable, looking at large-format artwork--that will never be duplicated by an iPod. It's also more of a time investment; when I listen to a record I at least listen to a whole side. It's a very different experience from shuffling between various tracks and artists. Then there's the whole matter of rare and out-of-print recordings that that haven't yet been digitized.
I love books. I love reading what's written good, and immersing in a stream of the author's ideas, as they flow in a fluid way, slowly unfurling and settling in with me; not necessarily to stay, but to be weighted, fondled and tinkered with -- definitely.
It is extremely unlikely that I would grow to appreciate books as I do now if I haven't been exposed to printed paper books in my being a small child.
Hate, unmoderated hate is what I have for those people. "Smell of books". Sheesh… A word is a word, and you can read it from a screen. It don't smell, it's indexable, searchable and resizable. It's translatable (mechanically), and you can store tons of them in your pocket.
You just need to recognize that it matters how you read it -- don't just skim, immersion is something you yourself do.
Back to the vinil topic -- CDs are mastered with a resolution (in time) and depth (in percision) that is nowhere anywhere near vinil. Some people are gifted in a way (I am, to some extent) to hear, feel and "see" a sound-scape emerging from a recording, and enjoy the music on many more levels then you'd think. If you can't -- don't generalize from your own experience, people and minds come in all shapes and forms.
I'm willing to not be fussy about them "smell of books" people, let them have their books, printing, bookcases, dust, more dust and the fabulously smelling rot. I won't like it, but hey, they might have something there, would any of them please explain how that works for them though? I'd love to know.
And you can master a digital recording (going beyond 44.1/16) to match what vinil does to audiophile's senses. It's just not something the "free market" will generally do.
Some records will never be digitized, and were mastered in an all-analog process to begin with.
But the whole time-space "handling" and "smelling" issue I don't get. I used to have a turntable, it was always a hassle to load it up, etc.
You own the immersion. Use it. You want to listen to the whole album? Listen to the whole album.
There is no one there to stop you. Unless you own a cellphone, hate them dreaded time-leaches.
What is music if not an experience? Music enjoyment has almost nothing to do with audio quality... it is an emotional response to noise.
Judging from your post, you would probably also say that we should stop having sex (way too much of a hassle) and instead just masturbate alone and use in-vitro fertilization for making babies... I mean whats the difference anyways right? "Smell of books" people probably also like having sex.
Not everyone does, mate. I know a good-looking guy, tall, gray-blue eyes, blond, nice build and great social skills, that just happens to think exactly the way you described. I myself am a moderately sexful person. And I happen to enjoy music far more then the average person seems to (if that wasn't clear enough). And hassling with the record/LP is nothing like foreplay, in my experience, it's like assembling the bed.
Don't extrapolate from your experience. Folks come in all shapes and sizes.
There's something about listening to an LP--choosing one from the shelf, taking it out from the sleeve, putting it on the turntable, looking at large-format artwork--that will never be duplicated by an iPod. It's also more of a time investment; when I listen to a record I at least listen to a whole side. It's a very different experience from shuffling between various tracks and artists. Then there's the whole matter of rare and out-of-print recordings that that haven't yet been digitized.