CD

Where did you get that idea?

For some it is the expense, for others the inconvenience.

I never get into these debates but here I go…

Records can really sound excellent. The problem is that it’s a far more technical and expensive medium to get it to sound excellent. There is just such a wide gulf of a difference in quality between a $1k turntable and a kilo buck turntable. It’s just not the same experience.

For the first 25 years of CDs, I never heard digital that sounded as good as a really good turntable. That’s not true anymore. So times are changing. Still, a good turntable is better than a cheap DAC but a cheap DAC is probably as good or better than the cheap turntables that are selling like hotcakes these days. You guys basing your whole opinion of vinyl sound on your Rega, or Technics really have not really experienced how good records can be, even 60 or 70 year old used records.

Your statement is based on a false assumption.

I frequently make this same comment when ever the discussion of Vinyl vs other formats comes up.

We must make a distinction between the Contents and the Container. Vinyl, CD, Streaming, … are the container. The Contents of that Container can either be good, bad, or in-between.

Modern CD’s tend to be more compressed stealing the massive dynamic range capabilities of the CD itself. Vinyl, though there is new vinyl, tends to be Mastered differently. And only the Container, not the Contents, limits the Dynamic range.

CD’s could sound very good … if they only would.

My position is that there is no one right format. They all have a place in a Music Collection. A wise person would have them all - CD, Vinyl, and Streaming, and enjoy each for what it brings to the table.

Why do I still listen to Vinyl - well - because I have a significant collection of vinyl which I bought back when vinyl was the only option. Should I throw all that away simply because someone believes some other format is better? I don’t think so.

And, just so we are clear, I also have a collection of CDs. They are fine, but I actually find some Vinyl sounding better than CDs.

Examples -

Supper Session - I have an old beat up vinyl that, if you can listen past the surface noise, sounds good; excellent dynamics. I have a modern CD of the same album that sounds lifeless …due to… it having been re-mastered.

Michael Jackson - One of Michael Jackson’s most popular albums has been remixed, remastered, and re-released several times over the years. The stunning dynamics of the Original Album have been compressed more and more with each release, making the latest release almost unlistenable when compare to the Original.

Clear examples of how the quality of the Contents far outweighs the Container.

There is no need to choose one format over the another. Choose the formats that please you and serve you, and life will be good.

… i dont prefer vinyl i guess im no longer an audiophile :(. In all seriousness my favourite format is CD, but i think certain albums sound “right” on certain formats. Some albums to me sound correct on casette, some vinyl etc etc. In all fairness i dont hear the “warmth” of vinyl so theres that too

It’s all about mastering. A poorly mastered record won’t sound better than a well mastered digital stream. However, a well mastered record tends to sound better than its digital equivalent. I think vinyl just has a fuller and more lively playback. People talk about the warmth, but for me it is about the instrument separation.

That’s not even remotely true, although most audiophiles own or want to own a turntable.

Sometimes people want to listen to vinyl in order to bask in glow of analog and actively listen to music off a vinyl record.

But many audiophiles focus on CDs, streaming, or music files for the majority or vast majority of the time.

Still, playing a vinyl record evokes a certain nostalgia: the act of putting on a record, listening to it, then having to flip the record all to soon. One has to physically get up to change the record, another bit of nostalgia that harkins back to a simpler time of a bygone era. A romantic idea for sure, but one that many audiophiles subscribe to on occasion.

But that’s a far cry from vinyl being “preferred”.

I think it’s more about the ritual of it all and the feeling of music as a deliberate experience instead of just something to have on in the background. The audio quality is usually great, to me, but I like the idea of actually owning my favorite albums, even though I also stream tons.

I prefer vinyl because it is the closest you can get to what the artist intended you to experience no equalization ( except for tape / reel to reel )

I listen to vinyl because I listen to music that was period correct for vinyl. So basically 1982 and back. I do have CDs, but prefer the records. Listening to The Doors, Led Zeppelin, etc. I like the music to come from the source that was available: LP, cassette, 8 track (ugh), and reel to reel (very tough to buy, and tapes are brittle from that time). I’ll record vinyl to reel…

Call me strange, but I prefer it to digital.

The expense and the inconvenience are the primary appeal for me.

Around 1% 2nd order harmonic distortion and some compression.

It’s about the experience of playing an album, and truly listening to it. I absolutely love it, plus record shops are a blast. Adventure every time