Does Vinyl really sound better?

[Cs342]

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.

That's a relief But how can millions of vinyl-lovers be wrong?

[MayflowerElectronics]

That's a relief But how can millions of vinyl-lovers be wrong?

Marketing and false information. Just the same way millions of people can be fooled into buying a half baked gaming console.

[Vague]

I mostly use itunes"tehe" but Vinyl seems cool. Is it worth buying from?

[MayflowerElectronics]

I only buy my music from iTunes, and sometimes band camp. Their files are 320kb, so anything higher isn't an improvement.

[Vague]

I only buy my music from iTunes, and sometimes band camp. Their files are 320kb, so anything higher isn't an improvement.

I thought iTunes was 256 kbps.

[MayflowerElectronics]

I thought iTunes was 256 kbps.

Same difference.

[Vague]

Same difference.

Okay   

[Cs342]

So basically people who buy vinyl are wasting their money

[mr moose]

So basically people who buy vinyl are wasting their money

there is a small percentage of us that listen to it because we love music,  we love listening to the bands play music. I know it ain't perfect, the noise floor is huge and it's best played through big arse speakers and nor headphones.  You see all my vinyl is from the 80's or earlier. non of it has been pressed in the last 30 years. 

[Lyons]

Same difference.

 

If you can't tell the difference between 256 and 320 then something is wrong with your set up.

[Cs342]

If you can't tell the difference between 256 and 320 then something is wrong with your set up.

Really?

[Lyons]

Really?

 

In my experience if you have a decent DAC/soundcard and headphones, the difference is palpable.

[mr moose]

Really?

no

 

the only thing wrong with the setup is the display not telling you the bitrate of the file. There have been multiple studies as well as measurements of the output signal and there is no discernible difference.

 

Check this simple test,  more than 80,000 have taken it and more than half thought the 128Kbps file sounded better.  there's more to it than just numbers.

 

http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/mp3-sound-quality-test-128-320/

[Cs342]

no

 

the only thing wrong with the setup is the display not telling you the bitrate of the file. There have been multiple studies as well as measurements of the output signal and there is no discernible difference.

 

Check this simple test,  more than 80,000 have taken it and more than half thought the 128Kbps file sounded better.  there's more to it than just numbers.

 

http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/mp3-sound-quality-test-128-320/

So based on the whole vinyl thing being a waste of money, should I not bother with a dedicated sound card either?

[EmoRarity]

So based on the whole vinyl thing being a waste of money, should I not bother with a dedicated sound card either?

Generally, that would be a smart idea. 

[Cs342]

Generally, that would be a smart idea. 

So onboard is good enough even for high -end speakers?

[EmoRarity]

So onboard is good enough even for high -end speakers?

Correct. 

[mr moose]

So based on the whole vinyl thing being a waste of money, should I not bother with a dedicated sound card either?

Don't chase gear, chase music, go looking for things that sound good to you, IF you listen to some vinyl and you like it, then it isn't a waste of money, if you listen to a cd labelled "the best of the beegee's" and you don't like it, then don't buy it. 

 

My advice is this: think simple, start simple, listen first spend later,  expensive doesn't always mean better but good quality is rarely cheap.  Diversity is the key to enjoying music AND don't believe the hype.

 

The law of diminishing returns kicks in a round $300 and has only a few exceptions. 

[Cs342]

Don't chase gear, chase music, go looking for things that sound good to you, IF you listen to some vinyl and you like it, then it isn't a waste of money, if you listen to a cd labelled "the best of the beegee's" and you don't like it, then don't buy it. 

 

My advice is this: think simple, start simple, listen first spend later,  expensive doesn't always mean better but good quality is rarely cheap.  Diversity is the key to enjoying music AND don't believe the hype.

 

The law of diminishing returns kicks in a round $300 and has only a few exceptions. 

So if I wanted to improve my audio experience right now, what is the first piece of gear you would recommend? Will going from 2.1 to 5.1/7.1 be of any help?

[eshbop]

Check this simple test,  more than 80,000 have taken it and more than half thought the 128Kbps file sounded better.  there's more to it than just numbers.

Well, if you try to determine something like bitrate by picking what you think sounds best (subjective) rather than knowing and understanding what to listen for and being able to distinguish any differences (objective) you're aren't setting out to determine the bitrate, but determine what you think sounds best. Just the same way that some people think exaggerated bass is best so use Beats, which I'm sure you'd agree is objectively not the case. 

 

Of course, this just all goes to further your point.

[ShearMe]

So if I wanted to improve my audio experience right now, what is the first piece of gear you would recommend? Will going from 2.1 to 5.1/7.1 be of any help?

 

Only if you have a big room - don't try to put surround sound into a bedroom or small office.

[mr moose]

So if I wanted to improve my audio experience right now, what is the first piece of gear you would recommend? Will going from 2.1 to 5.1/7.1 be of any help?

nope, forget all that about 2.1 5.1 7.1 or even    3457624672467324.1

 

Go to a shop and spend half an hour listening to headphones, then go and spend half an hour listening to speakers.  Just read the reviews and recommendations on these forums and others, don't ask questions, just read them and compare every bodies opinions,  see what opinions are unanimous, what features everyone agrees on, what opinions are hot contested or deeply subjective.  After that just let the information sink in, contemplate how much good music is worth to you and start looking at gear in that price range.  I built my own speakers because I have the time, tools and was willing to learn how.

 

Once you know how much you want to spend and have started listening to gear, that's when I would start asking questions about specific gear, like Dali Versus warfdale for small rooms,  does the Yamaha receiver have more features then the denon? are headphones better for this application?  how essential is phase reversal on a sub? etc etc.

[mr moose]

 

Of course, this just all goes to further your point.

Indeed good sir, that it does.   The most important thing I take from that is that sound is different for everybody.  People with $10 earbuds and corsair headsets probably don't care too much about bitrates and don't do tests like that, the kind of people interested in taking part in a test like that are the ones who are already interested in SQ and maybe have a better chance of knowing the difference, also they most likely have better than average gear. 

[Cs342]

Indeed good sir, that it does.   The most important thing I take from that is that sound is different for everybody.  People with $10 earbuds and corsair headsets probably don't care too much about bitrates and don't do tests like that, the kind of people interested in taking part in a test like that are the ones who are already interested in SQ and maybe have a better chance of knowing the difference, also they most likely have better than average gear. 

I thought Linus said Corsair headsets are quite good

[mr moose]

I thought Linus said Corsair headsets are quite good

but anyone who also owns a pair of headphones seems to agree they lack clarity.  That and I was really only using it as an example of a type of consumer who would not necessarily be interested in taking a bitrate test.