Does vinyl sound better than compact disc?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

Poll question: Does vinyl sound better than compact disc?

[DarkPhenyx]

1. Vinyl has a nice quality to it.

Nostalgic if you will. Analog recordings may not always be as "clear" as digital, but the fidelity is better in my opinion.

[arwalden]

2. Vinyl FITS Better...

if THAT's what you mean.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. For some stuff not all

I prefer CD versions of MOST rock music...for instance I prefer Pink Floyd's stuff on disc ...I prefer PET SOUNDS on disc and I prefer all Steeley Dan stuff on disc over the vinyl sound...BUT..I prefer my vinyl ALL THNGS MUST PASS over the remastered stuff and I prefer all my old Ella vinyl to my Ella CD's,....it's just hard to play vinyl in a car and I prefer vinyl and CD's to tape.

[david_vincent]

4. Hmm, this isn't really pollable

except in the sense that what each person hears is mediated by their sense of hearing.
The compression of data necessary to fit music onto CDs entails ripping out huge chunks of frequencies. Supposedly they're too high and too low for us to hear, but the fact of the matter is that overtones and sub-bass are present in vinyl reproduction but missing in CDs.
My two cents' worth is that CDs are awfully convenient just by virtue of their small size, but in every other way they're inferior to records and, overall, the technology constitutes one of the biggest frauds every perpetrated on the public. Remember all of those promises that CDs were going to sell for less than ten bucks? Whatever happened to those promises...?
It's like a friend of mine says, "when Bear Family is charging 18 bucks for an 8 track CD, damn right I'm gonna just get it by filesharing!"

[chenGOD]

13. Vinyl does not have the frequency range that CDs do in practice

for example sub-bass that is too loud should not be reproduced on vinyl, as it causes the resulting records to skip (one of my favorite records could not be put out on vinyl for this very reason). Vinyl's high frequency range is limited to about 18kHZ on an audiophile quality system. For an average listening set-up, that drops down to betweem 10-16kHz.

CD data is not compressed, rather it is sampled. The biggest problem with the digital format is not the frequency spectrum (although 96kHz is nice), but rather with the sample size. 16-bit is not a big enough sample size to provide the greatest fidelity. 24-bit 192kHz is what we should be after right now (it's available on many DVD players).

My take: I use CDs for everyday listening, and vinyl is for the DJ in me.

[DancingBear]

19. Depends

Newer 180 gram vinyl ("heavy vinyl') speaks to the frequency range issue with some success, as do the mastering/cutting heads currently being utilized.
On an audiophile quality system (which mine is) this range extends (effectively) to 21-22kHz (per the most recent tests).

You're correct on sample size - the more the merrier. However, unless the sample size becomes (literally) infinite a series of 0's and 1's operating in an on/off cadence will never be able to successfully reproduce an analog audio signal.

That said, the CD format is still viable for things such as rock music, where the
"sharpness" of digital works as a plus in many cases.

I am like you in that the CD is for the most part my everyday listening choice, but I have vinyl (lots of it!) put away for those "man, listen to THAT!" moments.

Can you tell I run tube amps in my system? :)

[Wickerman]

5. Some vinyl is warmer

a lot of CD's of older stuff weren't pressed with care and the warmth of the LP was left on the shelf. I loved the ritual of blocking record, cleaning hte cartridge, etc. Some of the fun went away with the more passive playing of slapping on a CD and forgetting it for 60 minutes.

[mitchum]

6. Yes, but not as good as my Edison foil cylinders

God, "Mary Had A Lttle Lamb" fucking rawks!

[Colin Ex]

7. I didn't think so until I started acquiring seven inches.

Now I'd take vinyl over CD in a heartbeat, but to prevent myself from re-purchasing a good part of my collection, I told myself I would only buy vinyl if it were coloured, electronica, or classical. Or at a thrift store.

I didn't think vinyl sounded better until I got a copy of the Inside Five Minutes / Tight Bros from Way Back When split 7" and listened to it. It's got a real je ne sais quoi and I love it to death.

-C

[Fenris]

8. I'm a vinyl junkie

I bought two Tom Waits records (sealed) not four hours ago.

[NightTrain]

9. Vinyl *can* sound better than CDs, but only...

...if you have about $10,000 to blow on a high-end turntable. If, on the other hand, you're more mortally endowed with cash, or would rather spend it on music instead of machinery, CDs are a vast improvement over LPs and 45s.

Sorry, vinylsaurs.... :shrug:

[patriotvoice]

14. Or if you're a DJ...

... and have access to said equipment and more watts than you know what to do with.

(actually, I do know what to do with them: vibrate the kiddies until they bleed.)

Vinyl is the way to go in the booth, otherwise CDs' convenience outweighs their lack of sample depth.

[Fire Bush]

15. Wow. I think it's totally opposite.

It seems to me that it take a really high end cd player to match the quality of vinyl. I listened to a high end $1000 Sony SACD player recently and I think my Rega P3 turntable blows it away in terms of sheer musicality.

[trogdor]

25. Besides...

...records wear out. What I do is copy the LP to WAV format, run some software to get rid of most of the noise, put that on an audio CD, then rip that to MP3 format. 99% of you don't possess either audio equipment or ears that would enable you to tell the difference.

What I do like, though, is that I can put 15 albums on a disk, stick it in my car stereo, and forget it for A WEEK at a time. A huge chunk of my collection, both vinyl and CD, can be kept on a few CD's, they don't clutter up my car, and if I lose one, no problemo - just burn a new one for 30 cents a disk (or less).

[chenGOD]

26. MP3 vs CD or vinyl? Easy to spot the MP3.

Listen to MP3s on headpones. They lack the punch of any uncompressed audio format.
I suffer MP3s from my online musician friends (unles they are kind enough to send me CDs) or for ultra-rare stuff that can't be found for reasonable prices (although I suppose reasonable is whatever a person is prepared to pay fro a record, but I for one am not willing to pay $200 for a piece of music).

[patriotvoice]

27. Ogg Vorbis...

...with relatively high encoding (say 192-256kbps) is indistinguishable to me, even in my Sennheisers.

[chenGOD]

28. OGG is a little better...

but it still lacks the loudness/dynamic range of an uncompressed format.

I always have to turn down the volume on my computer when I pop a CD into the tray.

[woofless]

29. My Dual 1019 is over 30 years old and still sounds great.

'Course my ears are over 50 years old so that might account for some of it.

Woof

[burrowowl]

10. Vinyl is warmer

Especially with tube amps which have a better dynamic range and hence better harmonics and when going from very low to high rapidly. I understand that CDs can sound better with a tube amplifier, but the d**m things are in the Kilo-dollar range.
Tapes and 78 rpm give greater accuracy than the 33 rpm. Heard a specially recorded Bach organ fugues by Marie-Claire Alain on a 78 rpm. You could hear the trucks. The tones and notes were almost like being seated in the best area of the cathedral.

[ashling]

11. I reallly hate the way vinyl sounds

on a hot day when you just have on a pair of old shorts and you get all sweaty sitting on it and youur legs and back stick to it and then when you get up there's like this sucking sound and it feels really disgusting, like your skin has sort of . . . oh, . . . you meant,like records and stuff . . . never mind
:shrug:

[HEyHEY]

12. something about the light scractch - it's like you've been let..

into a little world

[tsakshaug]

16. I like the LPs

only because I could read the stuff inside and see the album cover photo. Between age and CD size I cannot see the lyrics and stuff printed in the CD package.
Otherwise I am reasonably deaf, so CDs are good for me.
I also liked 8-tracks

[Loonman]

17. The first time a vinyl record is played

The first time a vinyl record is played, it's sound is comparable with CDs.

After that it deteriorates as dust inevitably settles on it and gets pressed into the surface for good when the needle passes over it.

Shunning CDs to be an anti-digital Luddite is fatuous because everything, unless it's recorded in somebody's bathroom or basement on a 4 or 8 track, goes through some type of digital compression or processing.

Even then, all recording that are distributed in any way have some digital filtering, at least in the mastering stage.

[NightTrain]

24. All I know is, after 15 years of buying and playing CDs...

...vinyl to me sounds flat and lifeless in comparison.

[bhunt70]

18. Vinyl is warmer.

[Shopaholic]

20. It's not the sound that I miss. . .

it's the albums themselves. I used to study the lyric sheets, the artwork and the credits and all that stuff. I miss the size of the LP packages. Everything is so tiny on the CD's.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

21. DINGDINGDINGDING we have a winnah!

The labels. I miss "The Famous Charisma Label".

[ProfessorGAC]

22. No, Because

Because i like the crisper, more defined sound of CD. I understand that some folks think the lesser high end of vinyl creates a warmer and desirable sound. That makes sense, i just like the tighter, brighter sound.
The Professor

[Whitacre D_WI]

23. Yes, unless your hearing has been damaged....

...or the record is worn, or the stereo equipment is poor.

If you have $5K (or more) to spend on a stereo, vinyl will sound better.

If you have $3K to spend, CD will sound better (SACD).

If you have under $1K, vinyl will sound better (as long as you spend half of that on an adequate turntable -- most DJ tables are fine, like the Technics 1200; hell, I have a Stanton -- and a good stylus/cartridge).


There is one other caveat -- only analog-recorded music will sound better on vinyl. If something heas already been recorded digitally, digital reproduction will not harm the sound; in fact, it will offer the truest sound reproduction of the master. If something is recorded and mixed in analog, though, vinyl will offer the truest reproduction.