Does Vinyl really make that much of a difference?

BinauralJam

I really assumed digital had to be the best, but being on this site so much recently, everybody just raves about vinyl. i grew up listening to tapes and records, then CD's came along, seemed an improvment at the time.
opinions please.

youngster

Vinyl has a richer, warmer sound because it's not compressed on a CD or an MP3. Having a good turntable and setup definately helps as well. I have noticed on a lot of vinyl I have that I also have on CD, I hear a lot more of the background instruments clearer on vinyl.

veddertown

I personally don't think vinyl sounds better, digital music on the correct format and with quality headphones is how I like to hear my music but you can't deny the sound of vinyl on a good system has something completely different altogether. Some things I hear on vinyl I don't hear digitally and vice-versa. I love the ritual of putting on an LP and studying the artwork almost as much as listening to the music. Vinyl looks better on the shelf too

mini_tb

youngster wrote:

Vinyl has a richer, warmer sound because it's not compressed on a CD or an MP3. Having a good turntable and setup definately helps as well. I have noticed on a lot of vinyl I have that I also have on CD, I hear a lot more of the background instruments clearer on vinyl.

Agree 100%.

demetrios

If your an art lover, like myself, vinyl is your drug. Bigger artwork, bigger everything. The smell, feel & touch of vinyl is sweet. I'm shocked & in awe how people pay for digital album downloads, rather then buy the original copy which is as close to or cheaper then the vinyl/cd sold in stores. Many, many vinyl releases include free downloadable mp3 codes to download the complete album from their official labels website. Plus, if you have internet connection, you know it & the whole world know's it that you can download music for free online. If you were to pay with your hard earned money for music, make it vinyl, if not original official cd's.

DewieCox

youngster wrote:

Vinyl has a richer, warmer sound because it's not compressed on a CD or an MP3. Having a good turntable and setup definately helps as well. I have noticed on a lot of vinyl I have that I also have on CD, I hear a lot more of the background instruments clearer on vinyl.

cds and mp3s aren't really the problem, imo it's the way they are mastered.

Somethin I've noticed....The louder you wanna play it, the bigger your files need to be....320kb mp3 sound fine on a those little ear buds, but put it in your home stereo and crank it you start to notice the lack of depth.

Definitely more separation in the instruments on good record.

You wanna hear the difference.....Listen to Them Crooked Vultures' album in digital, then listen to the record or a good vinyl rip even.

norm

youngster wrote:

Vinyl has a richer, warmer sound because it's not compressed on a CD or an MP3. Having a good turntable and setup definately helps as well. I have noticed on a lot of vinyl I have that I also have on CD, I hear a lot more of the background instruments clearer on vinyl.

this


also, for me, when i had vinyl back in the 70's and 80's i listened to it on a crappy turntable and speakers/headphones...technology today has improved the listening of vinyl...also, for me, it's the ritual of it...choosing one album, putting it on the turntable etc...a cd, you put it in and that's it...vinyl listening is 'active' listening whereas digital listening is 'passive'

Hitch-Hiker

They got nothin on Wax Records.

BinauralJam

Hitch-Hiker wrote:

They got nothin on Wax Records.

What is a wax record?

Hitch-Hiker

Oh I was just joking. Wax records came before vinyl.

camaros

yes

mfc2006

in a word: yes. 8-)

CJMST3K

I took music business/music production courses in college. Albeit in the early 90's, I think this still is accurate. The reason vinyl (or analog, including recording tape) is preferred by some is because the sound is slightly distorted. Not in a fuzzy-sound way, but in a melding of the sound way. The bass in particular supposedly gets heftier sounding, and everything just sounds less like separate instruments, and more like a "stew" of sound.

Again, this if from the early 90's, but I recall from my classes that some bands who recorded in digital put their final mix on 2 track tape, to help warm up the sound.

Also, digital is perfect snapshots of sound consecutively arranged, whereas analog is one continuous sound. With higher bitrates, I'd bet it would be hard to tell which is which, but the warmness is a whole other issue.

Newch91

youngster wrote:

Vinyl has a richer, warmer sound because it's not compressed on a CD or an MP3. Having a good turntable and setup definately helps as well. I have noticed on a lot of vinyl I have that I also have on CD, I hear a lot more of the background instruments clearer on vinyl.

Definitely agree with that. I bought U2's "The Unforgettable Fire" reissue on Monday on vinyl and when I played it, I heard stuff that I never heard on the CD. That's why I love vinyl! Before I was 10, I've been listening to vinyl.

Ok

demetrios wrote:

If your an art lover, like myself, vinyl is your drug. Bigger artwork, bigger everything. The smell, feel & touch of vinyl is sweet. I'm shocked & in awe how people pay for digital album downloads, rather then buy the original copy which is as close to or cheaper then the vinyl/cd sold in stores. Many, many vinyl releases include free downloadable mp3 codes to download the complete album from their official labels website. Plus, if you have internet connection, you know it & the whole world know's it that you can download music for free online. If you were to pay with your hard earned money for music, make it vinyl, if not original official cd's.

D, you are spot on with this. I can't recall a recent LP purchase that didn't also come with a download code for around $15-17 for a single LP - this is a great deal considering you really get two formats, including like you said bigger art, plus the smell of vinyl! I have completely switched to this approach in all of my purchases when LP are available.

elvistheking44

Ok wrote:

demetrios wrote:

If your an art lover, like myself, vinyl is your drug. Bigger artwork, bigger everything. The smell, feel & touch of vinyl is sweet. I'm shocked & in awe how people pay for digital album downloads, rather then buy the original copy which is as close to or cheaper then the vinyl/cd sold in stores. Many, many vinyl releases include free downloadable mp3 codes to download the complete album from their official labels website. Plus, if you have internet connection, you know it & the whole world know's it that you can download music for free online. If you were to pay with your hard earned money for music, make it vinyl, if not original official cd's.

D, you are spot on with this. I can't recall a recent LP purchase that didn't also come with a download code for around $15-17 for a single LP - this is a great deal considering you really get two formats, including like you said bigger art, plus the smell of vinyl! I have completely switched to this approach in all of my purchases when LP are available.

I can think of an LP that didn't come with a download. It was called BACKSPACER from the band Pearl Jam.

DewieCox

ofthegirl99 wrote:

Ok wrote:

demetrios wrote:

If your an art lover, like myself, vinyl is your drug. Bigger artwork, bigger everything. The smell, feel & touch of vinyl is sweet. I'm shocked & in awe how people pay for digital album downloads, rather then buy the original copy which is as close to or cheaper then the vinyl/cd sold in stores. Many, many vinyl releases include free downloadable mp3 codes to download the complete album from their official labels website. Plus, if you have internet connection, you know it & the whole world know's it that you can download music for free online. If you were to pay with your hard earned money for music, make it vinyl, if not original official cd's.

D, you are spot on with this. I can't recall a recent LP purchase that didn't also come with a download code for around $15-17 for a single LP - this is a great deal considering you really get two formats, including like you said bigger art, plus the smell of vinyl! I have completely switched to this approach in all of my purchases when LP are available.

I can think of an LP that didn't come with a download. It was called BACKSPACER from the band Pearl Jam.

Nice......I hardly ever get vinyl w/mp3 code or cd....Probably 1 out of every 10 new records I buy have one or the other. I'd rather have an actual vinyl rip compared to the mp3 code or cd, and if a band can't master some version/format of their commercially available music well enough, then me be lootin and plundering the www.

I'm sold on vinyl, but I'd like to see them at least start mastering shit properly in all formats.

OceanStone

norm wrote:

youngster wrote:

Vinyl has a richer, warmer sound because it's not compressed on a CD or an MP3. Having a good turntable and setup definately helps as well. I have noticed on a lot of vinyl I have that I also have on CD, I hear a lot more of the background instruments clearer on vinyl.

this


also, for me, when i had vinyl back in the 70's and 80's i listened to it on a crappy turntable and speakers/headphones...technology today has improved the listening of vinyl...also, for me, it's the ritual of it...choosing one album, putting it on the turntable etc...a cd, you put it in and that's it...vinyl listening is 'active' listening whereas digital listening is 'passive'

It's my ritual every night, for listening to vinyl at dinner time, depends on the mood of that day.

DewieCox

OceanStone wrote:

norm wrote:

youngster wrote:

Vinyl has a richer, warmer sound because it's not compressed on a CD or an MP3. Having a good turntable and setup definately helps as well. I have noticed on a lot of vinyl I have that I also have on CD, I hear a lot more of the background instruments clearer on vinyl.

this


also, for me, when i had vinyl back in the 70's and 80's i listened to it on a crappy turntable and speakers/headphones...technology today has improved the listening of vinyl...also, for me, it's the ritual of it...choosing one album, putting it on the turntable etc...a cd, you put it in and that's it...vinyl listening is 'active' listening whereas digital listening is 'passive'

It's my ritual every night, for listening to vinyl at dinner time, depends on the mood of that day.

I have few too, as I'm sure everybody else does.

When I shop for records there's always one that I'm shopping for and that one gets set back for me and the wife to after the girls go to bed, along with anything that's among our favorite bands. There's been a few times I've had to really be patient, but it's probably the fave ritual I have.

Any time I'm watching "the game" a record goes on. Good thing I have dvr so I can rewind, b/c inevitably I focus on the music.

Sunday morning record playin goes on about every week. Ahhhhh, the smell of bacon, eggs, and vinyl.

NYCPJ

demetrios wrote:

If your an art lover, like myself, vinyl is your drug. Bigger artwork, bigger everything. The smell, feel & touch of vinyl is sweet. .

I couldnt agree more - i grew up with vinyl and started going to concerts in the 70s. And the artwork was always a big part of it. Nearly every Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin album had fantastic artwork, inside and out, and often albums came with extras, like posters and stickers (everyone had the same Pink Floyd poster on the wall, which came with Dark Side of the Moon). In fact, Peter Grant had negotiated a provision in Led Zeppelin's contract that gave them freedom to do lots of wild things with their artwork at the record company's expense (e.g., Led Zeppelin III had a working wheel that you spun and changed the images and even their single albums usually opened up like a double, with great artwork inside). Im so happy that vinyl is making a strong comeback, along with great artwork (though, for some bands, like PJ, its like it never left).

Evacuation Rules

It's a scam. Vinyl only sounds better when it's mastered better. This is not the case with a lot of recent vinyl, including Backspacer. They basically took the CD version and made vinyl out of it, and people have deluded themselves into thinking it sounds better.