Digital sounds better. All technical measurements for CD are better than vinyl and, as I stated, doesn't suffer from surface noise, distortion, pitch instability and hiss etc. A digital file, at high quality, preserving all the studio recording information, will always sound better, than a non-digital version, after it's gone through analog circuitry, to be passed onto the amp etc. Vinyl cannot and does not, contain as much infomation, as a CD. You will always lose information, when playing vinyl. At the end of the day, the air molecules, vibrating in your listening room, are analog. The imformation that starts this process, should be as close to the original studio recording as possible. Vinyl won't give you that. CD and newer formats get closer. A digital file, containing hiss and crackles, would make the hiss and crackles sound better than the hiss and crackles on vinyl, but why would you want hiss and crackles anyway, when you can avoid them? Vinyl will always introduce things, which are not part of the recording. CD won't. CD does sound better than vinyl. I would say most modern recordings, with very high levels of production, are not available on vinyl, for comparison. A 1970 recording on CD, will sound better than vinyl, for the reasons mentioned above. I'd bet, if a modern track recorded at 24/192 was pressed onto vinyl, the shortcomings of the format, would immediately be apparent. Stick the file on a USB drive and play it through a NAD M33 and all the latest studio quality microphone, mixing desk and production techniques, would shine through. Vinyl would never reveal the information, captured by the latest recording studio technology. I know it upsets people, but vinyl belongs in the past. I had a copy of Dire Straits 'Brothers in Arms' on CD, cassette and vinyl, many years ago and, although my hearing was better then, the CD version was by far the best copy. Hearing acuity does diminish with age and I often wonder if people say they prefer vinyl to CD, because their hearing is not as good as it used to be and don't realise. Many people might find admitting this, very uncomfortable, but I think it's something to consider. I remember being a kid and getting earache from all the squeaking capacitors, in all the old 1970s CRT TVs in Wigfalls. Thankfully, most of these components have gone, but I bet I wouldn't be able to hear them now, anyway. I don't have a problem admitting that I probably can't hear things, which I could at 18 and many people get on the offensive, on many forums, without considering this. CDs used to come with a warning: 'The resolution of this format, may reveal the limitations of the source tape'. Or something very similar. This might be a good thing for some, bad for others. CDs can and do give you everything in the recording, warts and all. A cassette or LP record, will not reveal the limitations, but at least CD will give you everything, if the recording is of good quality. Older formats mask the information and flatter the recording, where newer ones, like CD, give you a clear window. I prefer a clear window, even if the recording, is of poor quality.
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