Does Vinyl really make that much of a difference?

BinauralJam · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

They got nothin on Wax Records.

BinauralJam · February 2010

Hitch-Hiker wrote:

They got nothin on Wax Records.

What is a wax record?

Hitch-Hiker · February 2010

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

camaros · February 2010

yes

mfc2006 · February 2010

in a word: yes.

CJMST3K · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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 · February 2010

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.

demetrios · February 2010

DewieCox wrote:

ofthegirl99 wrote:

Ok wrote:

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.

Few record labels include an mp3 download to their website. I know SubPop does cause the last dozen or so lp's I bought from their website, I got mp3 codes in each vinyl sleeve. I doubt EVERY record company does it, but there are many that do. I bought a few LP's from InSound and in the note's online, it say's you'll get an mp3 download of the release. I wished Backspacer went the way of Self Titled '06. Well, the one's who bought a CD from 10club were able to download the album from their site. It would of been sweet if the fan's who bought Backspacer on vinyl were able to download the mp3 version of Backspacer for free. Oh well!

DewieCox · February 2010

Evacuation Rules wrote:

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.

That's true most of the time, but I think mellower or acoustic driven music sounds better on vinyl regardless of the mastering technique.

whgarrett · February 2010

I would have to agree with the guy above. You all are being scammed. Vinyl is just trendy now. Most of the music is recorded digitally. Also vinyl is a huge waste of resources and doesn't recycle well. I think it's questionable that record companies are hurting in sales due to downloads so they decide to bring back a medium that can make them money. Sacd/dvd-audio. I would challenge anyone to make a distinction between those formats and vinyl(minus the static NOISE from Lp's). Scratch that...I challenge anyone to tell the difference between a pcm or wav quality recording and vinyl. No...how about 320khz and vinyl. Don't fool yourselves, embrace the future, don't regress.

demetrios · February 2010

whgarrett wrote:

embrace the future, don't regress.

If it's future ya talking about, it's True HD Bluray Audio baby! Few band's have released some album's on Bluray disc (aka NIN's Ghost). I say we release all the Pearl Jam records on Bluray.

What say's you?

DewieCox · February 2010

whgarrett wrote:

I would have to agree with the guy above. You all are being scammed. Vinyl is just trendy now. Most of the music is recorded digitally. Also vinyl is a huge waste of resources and doesn't recycle well. I think it's questionable that record companies are hurting in sales due to downloads so they decide to bring back a medium that can make them money. Sacd/dvd-audio. I would challenge anyone to make a distinction between those formats and vinyl(minus the static NOISE from Lp's). Scratch that...I challenge anyone to tell the difference between a pcm or wav quality recording and vinyl. No...how about 320khz and vinyl. Don't fool yourselves, embrace the future, don't regress.

The vast majority of my records sound better and more lifelike than any digital format I've heard. Alotta times vinyl is the only format that presents the songs as they're meant to be heard.

lolobugg · February 2010

The only digital format that can replicate an analog master was SACD. It did not catch on. There is now hope with Blu-Ray, but Vinyl is an addiction for me. You can't describe it, you just get it. A lot of people on here have touched on it. It is the complete package, not just the audio side of it.

Mahaloev · February 2010

DewieCox wrote:

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

Yummmy... Long live vinyl!!!!

BinauralJam · February 2010

[

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.[/quote][/quote]

Thats sounds cool, wish my parents had been that cool., well thanks to everybody, dont really have the budget to start a vinyl collection just yet, but sounds worth getting into. Some day well need VINYL BOOTS!!!

musicman · February 2010

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

Hell yeah! :ugeek:

musicman · February 2010

demetrios wrote:

whgarrett wrote:

embrace the future, don't regress.

If it's future ya talking about, it's True HD Bluray Audio baby! Few band's have released some album's on Bluray disc (aka NIN's Ghost). I say we release all the Pearl Jam records on Bluray.

What say's you?

Newer isn't always better.

Does Vinyl really make that much of a difference?

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