Why CDs May Actually Sound Better Than Vinyl
- Thread starter Jota180
- Start date
I once made the analogy between going to a restaurant and enjoying the experience from beginning to end, without skipping or rushing things as opposed to going into a McDonalds or such like for a quick fill-up.
This can be similar to enjoying an LP or just jumping through tracks stored or on a cd.
So, the article is right about the enjoyment of handling the medium (LP), the fiddling etc. - So what?
As to SQ, some CD's are certainly better than their LP counterparts but the same holds true vice versa.
This can be similar to enjoying an LP or just jumping through tracks stored or on a cd.
So, the article is right about the enjoyment of handling the medium (LP), the fiddling etc. - So what?
As to SQ, some CD's are certainly better than their LP counterparts but the same holds true vice versa.
MeanandGreen
Well-known member
Technically the CD format is superior to vinyl in every way. It is capable of higher S/N, greater dynamic range, incredibly low distortion levels, no speed and pitch errors.
If a recording is made to take advantage of the CD format and what it is capeable of vinyl hasn't got a look in.
Vinyls only sound better if the vinyl version was mastered better than the CD version, that's all.
I can record vinyl onto CD with my CD Recorder and there is no difference in the sound between the vinyl and the copied vinyl onto CD. The CD is accurate and will reproduce whatever is put onto it. Vinyl is limited in so many ways. These CD vs Vinyl debates should be dead and buried.
Vinyl is good from a collecting point of view. It looks nice, it feels nice, it has a smell. It's a whole process of looking at it and faffing with it. Once you put a record on you have to sit and pay attention, no skipping tracks, no wondering off to do the housework etc... That's the appeal.
If a recording is made to take advantage of the CD format and what it is capeable of vinyl hasn't got a look in.
Vinyls only sound better if the vinyl version was mastered better than the CD version, that's all.
I can record vinyl onto CD with my CD Recorder and there is no difference in the sound between the vinyl and the copied vinyl onto CD. The CD is accurate and will reproduce whatever is put onto it. Vinyl is limited in so many ways. These CD vs Vinyl debates should be dead and buried.
Vinyl is good from a collecting point of view. It looks nice, it feels nice, it has a smell. It's a whole process of looking at it and faffing with it. Once you put a record on you have to sit and pay attention, no skipping tracks, no wondering off to do the housework etc... That's the appeal.
drummerman said:
Any reason why you can't sit and listen to a CD without skipping tracks? I manage to do it easily enough. Your analogy falls flat.
MeanandGreen
Well-known member
drummerman said:
I get your point, but it is possible to play a CD from start to finish. You are eating in a resteraunt with perfectly presented food. You are hearing what was recorded.
The vinyl version is like eating in a resteraunt and getting a fly in your soup or a hair on your plate (the surface notice).
I am currently enjoying both formats, I do like many aspects of vinyl. As an object to behold it's lovely! But it is the underdog compared to CD with it's sonic capability.
Vinyl is a pain to take care of, to play, uncomfortable to skip a track etc. For 3 years i was a happy user of cd and digital files using my Audiolab 8200CDQ. Until i got my Rega RP6. Everything seems to favour the CD but i can tell you that my music sounds just better, fuller on vinyl. Even my wife stopped for a minute and said "wow". And she is the type who's happy with Kiss FM radio only and has not much consideration for proper quality recorded music or any of the music i like. She's more into catchy silly tunes. Same for friends of mine, audiophiles or not. At least on my system it sounds better. Nothing against cd. I still listen to my collection on a daily basis. Dont wanna argue just want to highlight that it's not just snobbery. Ok, maybe a bit as i like to tell people that i own a turntable
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
But then it is down to whether the mastering for CD is actually taking advantage of the format. It seems many albums I've searched for on the dynamic range database website linked to in another thread are actually less compressed on vinyl.MeanandGreen said:
I have more Records than CDs, but I can appreciate both formats. For Electronic music, I think CD sounds better, I don't know why, it just does. I prefer CD for anything ambient too, because I hate even the slightest pop ruining the atmosphere, and I'm starting to think CDs are best for Classical music too. Any guitar based music sounds better on vinyl for me. I'm currently playing My Bloody Valentine 'Loveless' on CD, because I don't want to risk damaging my vinyl copy, and I have to say the CD doesn't even come close to the vinyl for sound quality, it sounds totally gutless, and truly awful.
I'm a vinyl lover, but I'm so annoyed at the ridiculous price of vinyl these days, that I am buying more and more CDs.
I'm a vinyl lover, but I'm so annoyed at the ridiculous price of vinyl these days, that I am buying more and more CDs.
Pedro2
Well-known member
Didn't Linn stop making turntables a few years back as their digital streamers produced a better sound?
David@FrankHarvey said:
And that's the unfortunate truth.
It still doesn't change the fact that 16/44.1 is better in every respect "potentially" than a piece of black plastic with grooves cut into it could ever aspire to be.
Pedro2
Well-known member
bigfish786
Moderator
Are that vinyl and cd can both survive together, I have multiple copies of the same album on both cd and vinyl and play either. I usually listen to music for long periods of time, 3 hours plus, and longer at the weekends. Both formats have strengths and weaknesses, but I always find the music enjoyable.
I enjoy the look and feel of vinyl, and watching the turntable is all part of the experience.
And thanks to the rega CD player being a top loader, I get a feeling of satisfaction from using that too.
I enjoy the look and feel of vinyl, and watching the turntable is all part of the experience.
And thanks to the rega CD player being a top loader, I get a feeling of satisfaction from using that too.
BigH
Well-known member
BigH
Well-known member
The problem with vinyl is the imperfect quality, even vinyl cutting engineers say there is no perfect vinyl. I bought vinyl in the 70s in the early 70s vinyl was fairly good, solid but even then only about 50% was fairly scratch free, I gave up buying vinyl at end of 70s because quality was so poor. The problem with cds is the mastering esp. this century, depends what genre of music you buy, some jazz cds are excellent like ECM and so are many classical no doubt but pop and rock is generally mastered for loudness.
SteveR750
Well-known member
I loved my vinyl before it got destroyed, but in truth my laptop produces a better sound, it's way more detailed than my Linn was, plus, living in a house with a suspended wooden floor, vinyl would be a disaster! I miss the fiddling and tweaking though, but that's where a PC based media player is such a great alternative, as there's even more stuff to fiddle about with!
iMark
Well-known member
This is always interesting because so many factors are important. But the biggest problem with modern popular music CDs is the limited dynamic range. The great potential of the humble CD is not fully realized because of the mastering for poor quality sound systems.
The interesting thing is that classical music lovers are not queuing up to go back to vinyl. They know that well recorded and mastered CDs give a much better reproduction than LPs. Which doesn't mean that classical vinyl can't sound quite appealing. But there is always a bit of surface noice and a bit of hiss and hum and that really distracts from the music. I like to play my parents' classical records for sentimental reasons and because some have never been issued on CD. But I also remember how annoyed my dad could be if he had paid quite a bit of money for a brand new record and that there would be loud pops the first time he played the record.
I don't think we need hires stuff but it would be great if consumers could choose between a master with great dynamic range and a master for poor quality sound systems. You could even market them as audiophile masters. Just like you could choose between mono and stereo records in the 1960s.
The interesting thing is that classical music lovers are not queuing up to go back to vinyl. They know that well recorded and mastered CDs give a much better reproduction than LPs. Which doesn't mean that classical vinyl can't sound quite appealing. But there is always a bit of surface noice and a bit of hiss and hum and that really distracts from the music. I like to play my parents' classical records for sentimental reasons and because some have never been issued on CD. But I also remember how annoyed my dad could be if he had paid quite a bit of money for a brand new record and that there would be loud pops the first time he played the record.
I don't think we need hires stuff but it would be great if consumers could choose between a master with great dynamic range and a master for poor quality sound systems. You could even market them as audiophile masters. Just like you could choose between mono and stereo records in the 1960s.
steve_1979
Well-known member
SteveR750
Well-known member
It's a pity that the music industry doesn't use the same approach as photography, given the adjectives used to describe both senses is unsurprisingly similar; I'm thinking about the rise of popularity of HDR despite it's limitations in print form and smartphone enabled devices.
jacobmorrison
Well-known member
iMark said:
Nine Inch Nails took this approach with their latest album Hesitation Marks. Purchasers of the download could choose which master they wanted, a wide dynamic range and overall quiter audiophile mix, or a louder flatter mix described as the CD/iTunes version.
http://nineinchnails.tumblr.com/post/59587808317/hesitation-marks-was-mastered-in-two-different
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
iMark said:
Mastering to sound good on poor quality systems, in my opinion, is just wrong. This is giving people no incentive to buy a better system. If people have no interest in sound quality, they aren't going to care how an album is mastered, let alone mastered to sound better on their Alba.
BigH
Well-known member
SteveR750 said:
Yes but hifi is a very small part of music listening, so why should the music industry spend money on it unless they will get more money? As for photography thats not a good comparison. Hifi = camera. Most HDR is awful IMHO.
BigH
Well-known member
David@FrankHarvey said:
Do you think that record companies think about hifi systems when they produce albums, if so why are so many compressed more now than before, its because most people don't use a hifi system and dont care, in fact if you ask a load of people which they prefer loud cd or quiet you would probably find over 90% go for the loud version.
SteveR750
Well-known member
BigH said:
similarly then, why are they compressing it? Does it sell more records by making it sound crap?
BigH
Well-known member
SteveR750 said:
Yes apparently it does. Hifi is probably less than 1% of listeners, even they play music in car or headphones outside.
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