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What sounds better? Vinyl or CD
Interesting article on sound.
http://www.laweekly.com/music/why-cds-may-actually-sound-better-than-vinyl-5352162
I believe this topic came up awhile back, but nice to have it pop up again now that vinyl is indeed making a comeback.
Of course cds will always have that more cleaner sound without the hissing, popping or crackling like some vinyls may have and are meant to give the listener that sound they want to hear, but a digital recording (cds + dvds) does not capture or replicate the complete sound wave of an original raw analog signal that a vinyl (analog recording) has. However, I do like some of my older vinyls which even if they do have a skip or crackle, it has that retro feel to it, if you know what I mean. Also, on some lps, some songs have alternate versions than the cd release such as Shake Your Foundations which on WMW vinyl is the remix, but on cd releases has the original version as heard on FOTW.
I guess it it is up to the individual listener, I prefer cds and only deal with cds solely because I can take them anywhere I go, although am recently acquiring vinyls since I like to have some in my collection and with some alternate tracks available sometimes only on vinyl releases makes it another reason to do so.
There is a lot of information and testing out there regarding cds/dvds vs. vinyl, and I am sure we will see this topic become more debated in the future, but in most cases the results are vinyl will always have the better richness and sound that a cd cannot duplicate. This is in part mainly because grooves cut in vinyls are what mirrors the original sound's waveform and the ouput of a record player is analog which can be fed to your amplifier with no conversion.
I think the general attitude is that vinyl has a feel CD can't replicate. I say that is somewhat true, but requires high, high dollar equipment to be able to obtain that noticeable difference and even then you aren't guaranteed anything.
I would guess most "audiophiles", if given a scientific double blind test of a new, freshly pressed and clean vinyl, and a FLAC/CD copy of the same song (same mix and mastering), would probably only be able to guess correctly just over 50% of the time. Barry Diament, the mastering engineer on albums such as Guns N Roses' Appetite For Destruction as well as the late 80s (first issue on CD) copy of Back In Black, said on Back In Black he actually just fed the master that was used for the vinyl (of course, the version before they applied the EQ curve that a preamp inverts) without any alterations. Just two tracks of tape fed straight into a digital console with no EQ changes. I have that CD, and ripped to FLAC, with ReplayGain added, compared to the 2003 Marino master, sounds a bit more open and bit more natural. Played off the CD itself, it's a bit quiter, but sounds better the louder you turn it, unlike the 2003 version which has a lower volume limit before it starts to sound distorted.
Now one thing I think vinyl usually has over CD is that people typically play the stuff on nicer equipment. They spend money on getting good cartridges, good preamps, taking care of the vinyl itself, good sound equipment to connect the turntable and preamp into and good listening environments. Most people who are listening to CDs just grab a cheapy unit from Walmart and use crappy earplugs or a poorly tuned car stereo.
Now, this doesn't even begin to discuss the loundess war and the fact that vinyl can't be mastered as loud as a CD. If you were to take albums like Metallica's Death Magnetic (an album said to have been ruined because of a heavy handed mastering compressor, I haven't heard it personally) and transfer it straight to a vinyl without lowering the volume, you'd probably have a jumping bean for a needle.
stupid article!
how a digital sound can be sounded better than close-to-natural sound- that vinyl offer ?????????????????
ears [as long as they're parts of NATURAL human body] are born to 'work' with/on natural sound!
cd is digital SHIT!
I think we could all agree the quality of equipment plays the most significant role in our listening experience. I used to have an 8-track player, and I remember how great I thought it sounded. Sadly, I didn't enjoy it with a nicer system as I currently have. I still listen to cassette, vinyl, and cd. I think each have their own charm.
I was heavyly on audiophiles a couple of years ago(8+), i've heard stuff and stuff on CD and LP from devices like Wadia and Clearaudio and Speakers like Tannoy(which i have but not the big monsters on studios that i have listened to) and Martin Logan electrostatic (btw without a good subwoofer like REL you have issues) and usually a Big Marantz amp to go with.
So yeah, you cannot cmpare LP to CD if you go to 1000$ + systems, there is no low bands on CD's period. Of course some poor fellows that have 200$ systems may go out and say, it depends and hiss and noices and stuff. Bottom line CD was 44.1kHz and still is 44.1kHz. There is no compare to LP period. Everything else is high aims and dump low and gaze.
And this comes from a guy that does not even own an LP player and has a huge collection of CD's (mostly AC/DC, that thinking of selling them in the future, after the Sony -DC sold out) and 6-7 LP's in general. So despite the fact that i do not have an LP player, nor i ever wanted one, I can acknowledge that anyone that is trying to compare CD's to LP's does not have a clue what he is talking about (should proly shut the F up as he is exposing himself and the LP sonic boy is flying out there and will get him!).
Ah, there is an issue here. Some recordings, like the last 2 DC cd's are so poor in quality and sound that the boys may actually made the impossible and made their CD's sound better than their LP's!! Sony injunuity!! OK OK no hate mail again i was (not) joking.
P.S. I remember my first CD's vs LP listen was a Def Leppard album (think pyromania?) and i was like: What the fuck is going on here?! There is a low band on the recording?!
I may be 10 days late to the conversation, but I recently compared the Fly On the Wall remaster to the original 1985 record. The guitars sound slightly different. I don't know if it's the remastering process or the fact that I was listening to the vinyl. While CDs sound great (I own quite a few and love them), there is a certain 'feel' the format just can't reproduce. I just don't have a name for the 'feel.' Nostalgia? I don't know.
To me, some CDs sound forced while their vinyl counter-part sounds 'natural' so-to-speak. Other CDs sound awful compard to the vinyl. Like they were amplified with Audacity's clipping or something. (Metallica's Death Magnetic for example). Even though both formats for that album were awful. It can be harder to listen to.
When I buy a CD, I generally go for the early versions. I may occasionally (spelled right?), buy new remasters (Pink Floyd for example.)