Does Vinyl really sound better?

[Cs342]

I was thinking of getting into audiophile equipment for better sound quality, but am not sure if all this expensive gear is actually worth it. Have any of you tried Vinyl in direct comparison to CD quality? How does it sound?

[ShearMe]

There's no direct comparison simply because of the medium, but Vinyl recordings often have better mastering because of the expertise required to craft vinyl in the first place.

[Andrew0472]

apparently they sound better but im pretty sure they wear out after a while, that would probably take a long long time. But after getting all the equipment and that i doubt the difference in quality is worth the costs. I think vinyls are cool however to get signed at band signings or just to hang up on the wall 

[mr moose]

The SQ is noticeably worse, however depending on the producer/engineer the music is usually way better.

 

 

Think of it like this:

 

Vinyl is Micheal Angelo painting with crayons,  CD is a 2 year old painting with precision brushes and fine paints.

[Kharem]

I had a friend who worked in a crap recording studio briefly try explain the difference to me once and I think he said it was to do with frequency range but I really can't remember. I've got an old Pioneer PL-514A that I use for a bunch of hardcore/punk records and I really like it, although I've never bothered to try and compare them. I like having it anyway.

[t0wer]

it all depends on who masters it.

 

1 of my albums the vinyl is clearly better than the cd, on another there's no difference.

 

with all the mess of cleaning,  making sure everything is set up correctly every time, the hiss and pops, and without the convenience of just pushing play, I'd stick with digitial.

[Cs342]

do you think I should invest in high-end audio equipment then? This kinda convinced me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JxxJb0yZ9U

[mr moose]

I had a friend who worked in a crap recording studio briefly try explain the difference to me once and I think he said it was to do with frequency range but I really can't remember. I've got an old Pioneer PL-514A that I use for a bunch of hardcore/punk records and I really like it, although I've never bothered to try and compare them. I like having it anyway.

 

It is due to the way the recording volume effects the total size of the groove.  The larger the volume the larger the groove so effectively you have less space for recording on.  Therefore if you have a recording with a larger dynamic range you must reduce the play time.  This results in the engineer actually having to think about total run time and make compromises against volume and dynamic range.

[GamerDude]

Well, I've had friends tell me that vinyls have a more full bodied sound, and is warmer. That's why some CD player/transport use vacuum tubes to create a warmer sound vis-a-vis pure digital non-tube CD players which tend to sound a tad harsh. I recall listening to Amanda McBroom's album entitled Dreaming on my friend pretty high-end setup (which includes a vacuum tube CD transport), and man, that album sure as heck sounds different from my average audio setup (and I have the very same album as well).

[Spannerhands]

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_analog_and_digital_recording

[ShearMe]

[picture]

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_analog_and_digital_recording

 

Stair steps don't happen during playback: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIQ9IXSUzuM

[h264]

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_analog_and_digital_recording

 

you are confusing the quantization step with the sampling step in the DAC's conversion algorithm:

 

http://xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html

 

http://www.xiph.org/video/vid2.shtml

[ShearMe]

you are confusing the quantization step with the sampling step in the DAC's conversion algorithm:

 

http://xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html

 

http://www.xiph.org/video/vid2.shtml

 

jinx

[h264]

jinx

 

like that matters, I hardly post anymore anyways

[mr moose]

like that matters, I hardly post anymore anyways

Which make the jinx even rarer.

[Cs342]

So is investing in high-end audio equipment really worth it, or a waste of money?

[MayflowerElectronics]

So is investing in high-end audio equipment really worth it, or a waste of money?

That's highly subjective and totally up to you. You don't necessarily have to spend a lot of money to get hi fidelity.

[Kevinkt]

What about SACD?.

I'm pretty sure that how HDtracks.com get some of  their "high-res" music and if you can find some SACD not from hdtracks.... Not sure how you can "Cough", you can try it for yourself.

[Cs342]

That's highly subjective and totally up to you. You don't necessarily have to spend a lot of money to get hi fidelity.

How bout mp3 vs flac?

[MayflowerElectronics]

How bout mp3 vs flac?

 

Honestly there's not really a big difference.

[fishymamba]

Honestly there's not really a big difference.

 

I agree. I used to download and/or rip all my music in FLAC quality, but now I just use 192/320kbps mp3. Way smaller file sizes and I doubt you will be able to hear a diffrence unless you have some very high end equipment and a "golden" ear. 

[Cs342]

I agree. I used to download and/or rip all my music in FLAC quality, but now I just use 192/320kbps mp3. Way smaller file sizes and I doubt you will be able to hear a diffrence unless you have some very high end equipment and a "golden" ear. 

Why are audiophiles obsessed with FLAC then? Also, how about those people who say that anything played on a CD player or iPod as opposed to Vinyl is "ruining the music that the artist wanted you to experience"?

[MayflowerElectronics]

Why are audiophiles obsessed with FLAC then? Also, how about those people who say that anything played on a CD player or iPod as opposed to Vinyl is "ruining the music that the artist wanted you to experience"?

Because people think they hear things that aren't really there. Vinyl is kind of stupid and has way to many problems associated with it. If it was that good everyone would use it.

[ShearMe]

There's only two things you should worry about, and only one of which you can really control:

1. Your headphones/speakers.

2. The mastering quality of your music.

[mr moose]

Why are audiophiles obsessed with FLAC then? Also, how about those people who say that anything played on a CD player or iPod as opposed to Vinyl is "ruining the music that the artist wanted you to experience"?

Now days all music is recorded, mastered and compressed for cd, so any argument about vinyl being better is moot as anyone who says otherwise is an uneducated try hard wanna be audio git.  The only real difference is the way its mastered, the dynamic range and overall levels.  Outside of that the SNR of vinyl is 50dB compared to 93dB for cd and 100dB+ on most motherboards so it is the worst medium for background noise.  Once people understand the "real" differences between vinyl and cd and the "real" differences between mp3, flac and varying bit rates they realise just how silly some of the arguments are.

 

I have two turntables, one connected to my pc and the other connect to a hifi unit,  regardless of which preamp or speaker/headphone I use the cd's always have a higher quality to them.  Only sometimes does the music on vinyl sound better.  It's personal preference and there is no need to spend an arse ton to get awesome results.