Vinyl record better than CD?

Song is by Paco De Lucia, Album: Almoraima, i bought it in Japan. Song is Plaza Alta

I have read alot of the endless threads comparing vinyl to CD. However, there is one angle I have not seen argued. That is the viewpoint of vinyl as an art form, just like music is. It is the same reason why real drums always sounds much better than technically superior programmed electronic drum machine. Or why a crude painting of a vase evokes much more in the beholder than a digital camera photo of the vase.

Vinyl is more appealing because it is art, in other words it has expressivness. One can completely influence how the vinyl will sound, from caring for the records to the playback equipment. The more effort and thought you put into the vinyl, the better they will sound. And the best of equipment can sound almost indistinguishable from dgital.

But even if we say they sound 20% less accurate than digital, there is still that expressivness that generates their appeal. And that is what art is about, expressing yourself through a challenging skill. Because if there was no challenge in it, it would convey no dedication and love.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• rega
• pro-ject
• linn
• vpi
• turntable
• analog
• audio
• hi-end
• planar
• vinyl
• grado

[bilsp1337]

vinyl has soul

[MGlBlaze]

@DIGITALSCREAMS Vinyl has a smaller dynamic range; CDs have a better inherent quality. BUT; record companies, producers, sound technicians and the bands themselves (the all too common bad ones, at least) dynamic-range-compress the fuck out of the music and push everything into the upper limits of the available range, so not only does it end up having less after it's run through production but it can end up a clipped, distorted, muddy mess. Try and pull that shit on vinyl and it's unplayable.

[morrismagic08]

CDs are only good for portabillity and fair play they do sound good but nothing compares to vinyl records. Not a single vid on youtube can do records justice because youtube is digital and probably the camera you use is also digital so it's already been converted before it sees the light of day on youtube! People have to actually be there to appreciate the sound of vinyl and theres nothing like sitting in your favorite chair and listening to it and thats how records should be listend to.

[techno1972]

By the way, I like the sound of Vinyl and some earlier stuff definitely 'sounds better' to my ears. Sadly this is a subjective test and the laboratory tests will shoot me down. I have to say that I do have issues with CD performance, for me it's the 'glare' that many of them exhibit (to my ears).

[techno1972]

This debate fascinates me. We have the Vinyl lovers claiming that the medium sounds better, without any technical data to back it up beyond "CD misses the stuff between the dots". Do any of the vinyl crew know how many limitations the format is subject to? Has anyone ever heard a 20kHz signal from a TT? Do you know that after a couple of plays, it will be worn away? What about tracking error, which can only be corrected with a linear tracking system. The mono bass channel, the RIAA curve issues.

[willdav713]

@Corrupt5358 No Cassette Recording on a 1987 TDK SD audiotape hookup up from a IT cheapo USB Turntable sounds way better and has a lot more BASS.

[willdav713]

@cursedswordsman With vinyl you can correct a scratch, try that with a CD. I ought to upload the skipping sounds of the old Rick James and Friends CD, or the skipping track 11 of my C&C Music Factory gonna make you sweat CD I bought at Best Buy back in 1991. Not scratched once, but track 11 would skip. If vinyl has a scratch you can press down on the scratch with the record needle, sure it will make surface noise but you can play the whole track.

[PrankZabba]

Metallica's Master Of Puppets vinyl won over the cd when it knocked over the shampoo bottles on the side of the tub and into it. and that was 2 floors below. the song The Thing That Should Not Be (i used the 45 rpm version of the album pressing)

[nibiru48]

An audio CD is based on the practical limits of 1970's technology. Although technically, digital recording has evolved way beyond the capabilities of the typical CD player, recorded music has to (unfortunately) be downgraded to 16-bit/44.1khz CD specifications in order to become accessible to most consumers. However, it is very much a compromise. Now, while (good) vinyl does not suffer these same limitations, it's still hampered by other factors. Never mind, I'll just get on with the music.

[sheltiemanva]

If you have good gear, the CD will NEVER be a true analog of the original. Almost the same as great film cannot be equaled by digi-cams

[vash1053]

@BiIk0n11 No matter what you do, a digital recording will always be an approximation of an analog waveform. Does it always make a difference? No. But you can bet it does sometimes.

[vash1053]

@cursedswordsman Clearly you haven't compared their respective waveforms. "Solid state" guitar amplifiers "should be" scientifically better, but the vast majority of high end guitar amplification equipment runs entirely on vacuum tube-based technology.