Which format do I get it in?

[Bogester]

Hi all

This will be a familiar scenario to many of you, I’m sure: the latest album by your favourite group hits the shops and you’re keen to get your mitts on it. But which format do you buy it in? The CD version? The LP?? A download??? Of course, most of the time it’s potluck because you don’t have the luxury of being able to evaluate each version before you buy. After a fairly lengthy period of buying vinyl almost exclusively, with a number great purchases and a few too many clunkers, I came to my senses and decided that a more rational and methodical approach to music buying was needed if I’m to get the best out my system and music collection. So, when I’m thinking about buying an album I tend to use the following criteria:

• Cost: how much are the different versions? Are they charging an arm and a leg for the vinyl? For example, recently I wanted to buy LCD Soundsystem’s farewell live album “The Long Goodbye”, but at $130 I felt it was just a little too expense for me at that time, so instead I plumped for the hi-res download at $33. If the price differential is hard to justify then I’ll tend to go for the cheaper version (CD or, rarely, MP3/M4A).
• Mastering: I usually try and found out who was responsible for mastering the album in its various formats. If the mastering engineer has a good reputation for, say, vinyl, then this might persuade me to buy the vinyl version. For example, the past two Mogwai albums I bought (“Les Revenants” and “Rave Tapes”) were mastered by Frank Arkwright, who has a very solid reputation with vinyl, so I bought them both on vinyl and wasn’t disappointed. If ,however, the mastering was done by someone I’m not familiar with or can’t find much info on, then I’m inclined to buy the CD if it’s significantly cheaper than the vinyl.
• Dynamic range: this is not the be-all and end-all of decent sound quality (I have some rather dynamically compressed CDs that sound somewhat better than their more dynamic vinyl counterparts), but it’s certainly a consideration. Like some here, I consult http://dr.loudness-war.info to see if there’s any DR info for the album I want to buy. If the DR of the vinyl version is significantly greater (more than a couple of dB) than other versions’, this might sway me to buy the vinyl version, but not necessarily, it will depend on the other factors.
• Genre: if it’s classical I’m after then it’s digital all the way! For other genres, the other factors are likely to be more important to me.
• Extras: does one version come with a load of extras not available with other versions? Do I even care about those extras? (Often the answer to that is a resounding “no!”. Demo versions of songs, anyone? I rarely find that I want to listen to those more than once.). And does the vinyl come with a free download? If not then that’s a definite black mark against it, especially if the vinyl is fairly pricey to begin with and has no particular pedigree.
• Customer/peer reviews: this is arguably the most important and useful criterion of all to me. I attach a lot of credence to what other listeners say about the quality of releases. I tend to do internet searches of the sort “<insert album name> sound quality vinyl/CD”, or peruse the forum pages of various websites, including WHF’s very own, Steve Hoffman, and so on. I’ve bought a number of albums in one format or other based upon opinions expressed in these very pages, for which I’m very grateful.
• Gut feeling: sometimes, despite all the research I’m none the wiser, so I’ll just go with my instinct! Sometimes I’m right, and sometimes…

That’s it. Sorry for the long post! I’d be very interested to hear your comments and suggestions!

Cheers

Bogester

 

[Neptune_Twilight]

I have to say my system is somewhat more simple - As I no longer have a record deck & as CD's are usually the cheapest way of buying music if I can I buy used if not available then new, they then get ripped often within minutes of receipt - I have bought a few downloads usually because I either just want a few tracks or it's cheaper than buying an import CD.

There is very little music from the past I can't find on CD - My main criteria for buying music is do I like it? The mastering or anything else comes secondary.

I spend many (secret) hours when I was young listening to radio Luxembourg though a cheap tack earphone & still enjoyed the music, maybe more than I do now.

 

[MaxD]

My method is prety simple too: If I buy on a physical store, if there are both the vinyl of the title I'm interested in, I try to read the sleeves notes and if the recordings are digital I will buy the CD, if it is analog I will buy the LP, then the LP shouldn't be a lot more expensive.

In second hand record stores (the place I do prefer to hang out when I'm searching for music,) I pretty much just bought vinyls. And contrary to what I read here from people that probably speak just in theory and never ever experienced this, I look to the phisical vinyl and even if sometimes I buy something with some lil scratch it will sound ok. In many cases it is just a matter of how you setup your turntable.

Related with the digital downloads, I just bought sometimes some high resolution album from artists I know, and I will say, I often disappointed: my beloved LP of the same title, pretty much always sound better, even if 30 years old, even if played hundreds time.

Related with emotions I live when I'm looking for music, it is the same now I'm near my 50s than how it was when 13yo I started buy records: especially when I'm in a proper vinyl record store, it is a lot of fun, those covers with those pictures, all the notes to read, the feel of the vinyl have no counterparts. I remember, in the beloved 70s, american pressings records had that special flavour I liked to sniff when I opened the disc.

Vinyl, you always offered us great, great memories, and you still do, thank you!

 

[Neptune_Twilight]

Please, oh please! - Not another digital versus analogue thread - Have mercy! *stop* (I never sniff my CD's or the DAC either) *crazy*

 

[MaxD]

Please, oh please! - Not another digital versus analogue thread - Have mercy! *stop* (I never sniff my CD's or the DAC either) *crazy*

And you probably never ever bought USA LP versions in the 70s and 80s becouse this flavour is so evident anyone noticed it. For my tastes it was soooo good.

 

[Neptune_Twilight]

I appreciate sniffing LP's is an important & even a vital part of analogue music listening & sadly the latest fad of music downloading will in time make this yet another forgotten art in this modern world, Spotify for example is all but impossible to sniff - I still have some 7" reel-to-reel tapes I can sniff, I always felt the old acetate smelled far better than polyester, & never stretched but acetate broke far more easily.

Those across the pond having far better smelling LP's just adds to the argument that the so called 'Special Relationship' between the UK & USA has always been one sided.

 

[MaxD]

Those across the pond having far better smelling LP's just adds to the argument that the so called 'Special Relationship' between the UK & USA has always been one sided.

Well, for this related with the packaging, there is no comparison: USA pressing ALWAYS been better, better paper, better artwork, better vinyl, beter smell. They were made with high quality material and maybe this is the reason becouse UK pressings cover paper attract so much dust and USA pressings doesn't. Generaly speaking packaging and manufacturing of LP format was always better in USA than in any other part of Europe, then I knows for UK this is much more disappointing

Often, sadly to say, especialy from the 70s, also better mastering, it means USA vinyl pressing sound often better and it is less prone to jump or so becouse of the vinyl groove, much more definited, you can often see this just looking at the disc.

 

[Neptune_Twilight]

My sarcasm is wasted on some people *scratch_one-s_head*

 

[MaxD]

My sarcasm is wasted on some people *scratch_one-s_head*

Sarcasm is not included in this thread.

 

[BigH]

Those across the pond having far better smelling LP's just adds to the argument that the so called 'Special Relationship' between the UK & USA has always been one sided.

Well, for this related with the packaging, there is no comparison: USA pressing ALWAYS been better, better paper, better artwork, better vinyl, beter smell. They were made with high quality material and maybe this is the reason becouse UK pressings cover paper attract so much dust and USA pressings doesn't. Generaly speaking packaging and manufacturing of LP format was always better in USA than in any other part of Europe, then I knows for UK this is much more disappointing

Often, sadly to say, especialy from the 70s, also better mastering, it means USA vinyl pressing sound often better and it is less prone to jump or so becouse of the vinyl groove, much more definited, you can often see this just looking at the disc.

well many vinyl fans recon uk is better than uk but japan is even better. There are theories that if album is recorded in USA then the us vinyl will be better but if in uk then the uk vinyl is better. Apparently Germany uk and japan used a cold press method but USA mold which is considered inferior but probably explains the smell.

 

[relocated]

My method is prety simple too: If I buy on a physical store, if there are both the vinyl of the title I'm interested in, I try to read the sleeves notes and if the recordings are digital I will buy the CD, if it is analog I will buy the LP, then the LP shouldn't be a lot more expensive.

In second hand record stores (the place I do prefer to hang out when I'm searching for music,) I pretty much just bought vinyls. And contrary to what I read here from people that probably speak just in theory and never ever experienced this, I look to the phisical vinyl and even if sometimes I buy something with some lil scratch it will sound ok. In many cases it is just a matter of how you setup your turntable.

Related with the digital downloads, I just bought sometimes some high resolution album from artists I know, and I will say, I often disappointed: my beloved LP of the same title, pretty much always sound better, even if 30 years old, even if played hundreds time.

Related with emotions I live when I'm looking for music, it is the same now I'm near my 50s than how it was when 13yo I started buy records: especially when I'm in a proper vinyl record store, it is a lot of fun, those covers with those pictures, all the notes to read, the feel of the vinyl have no counterparts. I remember, in the beloved 70s, american pressings records had that special flavour I liked to sniff when I opened the disc.

Vinyl, you always offered us great, great memories, and you still do, thank you!

What you lick as well as sniff vinyl???????

And I thought nothing could surprise me any more. :0

 

[Bogester]

Please, oh please! - Not another digital versus analogue thread - Have mercy! *stop* (I never sniff my CD's or the DAC either) *crazy*

I was hoping that this wouldn't turn into an A vs D debate, too. The main point of my post was that, if you have both analogue and digital front ends, exclusively buying one format in the belief that it's the "best" one isn't necessarily the best way to get the most out of your music collection, particularly if sound quality is the main concern. There are good CDs and bad CDs, and good vinyl records and bad ones, and figuring out which version of that coveted album is "the one to get" is something I think is worth doing if possible. Of course, which version sounds best is highly subjective and will very much depend on the individuals' listening tastes and the equipment they've got, but doing a bit of research beforehand can still pay dividends and avoid the really dodgy versions ending up in your collection.