It's a common misconception that vinyl records are just musical antiques, whose only purpose in modern music is to sit on a DJ's turntable. But for stores like City Lights Records, 316 E. College Ave., and Arboria Records, 119 E. Beaver Ave., they are a means for new appreciation.

"True music fans prefer vinyl," said Troy Biega, who works at Arboria Records. "Take a [Rolling] Stones album. Play it on vinyl and it just sounds better."

Biega's reasoning is twofold. First, there is an inherent loss of quality when transferring something recorded in analog to the digital format of a CD. Second, and more important, vinyl records recreate the artists' original vision.

"The Rolling Stones recorded in mono and that's how it was meant to be when it came out," Biega said, arguing against the CD reissues that now feature the Stones in stereo. "It's like seeing them live back in the day and hearing their original sound."

But the CD revolution has affected new music just as greatly. For instance, the method of choosing an album's track listing has changed completely.

"CDs put the best songs at the beginning," said Ken Kubala, manager for City Lights Records. "There are some CDs that are too long for me. On vinyl they used to put the best as the first and last songs on a side."

Kubala saw the change from vinyl to CD take hold in the late '80s and has never been sold on the durability guarantees that many CD supporters offer.

"A lot of people bought into the whole indestructible, lasts forever thing, but that's not true. [When CDs were first being made] the ink ran through the CDs and would ruin them. But they're a necessary evil now."

If it weren't for the ability to play them in the car, CDs would not have become the standard quite so quickly Biega said, citing the convenience factor as irresistible. But for the vinyl collectors, convenience couldn't be less important.

"A lot of people like the bigger photos and enjoy the packaging aspect," Biega said. "And there's just a lot more stuff on vinyl than CD. I think vinyls are on the rise because college kids like older things on vinyl."

For someone like Mark Levin (junior-meteorology), who collects a lot of hard-to-find albums from the '60s and '70s, vinyl is the way to go.

"I look for something that has a different feel on vinyl," Levin said. "I almost expect it to sound grainy. It gives it character."

Levin's favorite record in his collection is Queen's A Night at the Opera.

"I can't even imagine listening to it on CD," he said. "The first time I heard the album was on vinyl."

Comparatively, Levin recently came across one of his favorite Rush albums on vinyl that he had only heard on CD and said, "It was like listening to it for the first time."

But collecting records is more than just a minor hobby for Levin, it's a way to find overlap with his father's taste in music.

"He has a lot of Simon and Garfunkel and that is how I got into music."

As long as there are people with a soft spot for nostalgia, and as long as there are hip-hop DJs, vinyl will still be on the shelves of local music stores.

"The essence is records are still cool," Kubala said.