Question about the sound quality of vinyl

Uncle Snuffy
Uncle Snuffy Posts: 959
edited December 2013 in The Porch
I've read many posts about people's love of vinyl and the quality of its sound. There are mentions of being able to hear things on vinyl that you can't hear on digital formats, that vinyl provides a "warmer" sound, etc....

If all other things are equal (sound system/etc.)...can anyone explain to me how/why the sound quality of vinyl is superior to that of digital platforms? Is there any scientific or technical proof/documentation of such?

Please understand that I know ZERO about this topic but it has always intrigued me. If there is a format that provides superior sound quality than all others then that is the way I want to listen to my Pearl Jam.

Thanks in advance for any responses!

- Uncle Snuffy
Soldier Field - Jul 11, 1995, Savage Hall - Sep 22, 1996,
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Stadium - Nov 14, 1997,
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Stadium - Nov 15, 1997, Alpine Valley Music Theatre - Jun 26, 1998, Alpine Valley Music Theatre - Jun 27, 1998, United Center - Jun 29, 1998, Riverport Amphitheatre - Jul 02, 1998, Allstate Arena - Oct 09, 2000, Assembly Hall - Apr 23, 2003
United Center - Jun 18, 2003, Fox Theatre - Oct 05, 2004, United Center - May 16, 2006, United Center - May 17, 2006, United Center - Aug 23, 2009, United Center - Aug 24, 2009, Sprint Center - May 03, 2010, Scottrade Center - May 04, 2010, Alpine Valley Music Theatre - Sep 03, 2011, Alpine Valley Music Theatre - Sep 04, 2011
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • F5AgainstOne
    F5AgainstOne New Hampshire, USA Posts: 1,462
    Trust me, you are better off not knowing... its a hobby that my wallet wishes I never started.
    EV Solo Boston 6/16/11
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  • RoleModelsinBlood31
    RoleModelsinBlood31 Austin TX Posts: 6,258
    It's an analog vs digital question really.... But there's a LOT of variables with sound systems, speakers, cartridges, needles, pressing qualities, etc...

    Check out this short article:

    http://www.howstuffworks.com/question487.htm

    If everything is indeed equal and you're simply comparing analog to digital, then yes, analog is considered better.

    I agree with F5 though... It's a bad addiction. I need help. And an intervention would only serve to make me hide my problem more.
    I'm like an opening band for your mom.
  • Off He Goes... In Chicago
    Off He Goes... In Chicago Posts: 264
    Well are you asking about CD vs Vinyl, or Digital vs Vinyl? The latter being MP3 vs Vinyl.

    Whether or not Uncle Neil is telling the truth, he claims that when music companies initially programmed the equation to convert mastered recordings to cd, there was an error and so some frequencies are lost or combined, in essence losing some depth. Watch the documentary, Sound City.That being said, it could some ploy since he's planning his own audio service, PONO.
    http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/neil-young-plans-pono-launch-for-2014-20130904
    (If you can avoid the dumb ones, there are a few good points brought up in the comments)

    I personally feel like if you have a good system with good speakers you should be able to turn a few knobs and get a very good sound from CD (not the case with MP3). However, I find that most vinyl sounds good right out of the sleeve without any fussing over levels.

    Then of course you have the new blu-ray editions and SACD which use uncompressed digital files from the masters. I think Tom Petty and Neil Young have offered those on box sets.

    If you're looking for a glaring difference like regular tv compared to HD, I don't think it's that clear cut. I'm sure my rambling hasn't helped :lol::lol::lol:
  • Zod
    Zod Posts: 11,072
    edited December 2013
    Analog is wibbly wobbly and digital is finite.

    Analog is a very close reproduction to what you see or hear (if done right). Digital is computer generated and as such has a precise level of detail in the recording.

    Formats like Vinyl or 35mm Film have no precise amount of information or detail. A digital recording is a precise recording of information by a computer.. things get left out.... it's a computer recreation of a sound. Thus the computer only records the precise amount of information the program tells it to records. Precise range of frequencies etc.... Analog captures everything. Most of it on the cusp of what the human ear can actually here, but it does seem to sound better.
    Post edited by Zod on
  • pjradio
    pjradio Posts: 6,704
    Zod wrote:
    ...it does seem to sound better.

    Age old question but, I have to agree.
    aqo2t.jpg
  • matttaylor78
    matttaylor78 Posts: 21
    I would recommend finding a local high end audio dealer and asking him the same question. They should sit you down in a nice listening room and play a few records for you. I'm no scientist but records absolutely sound better.

    Be careful...your ears will love...your bank account will not.
  • luismota123
    luismota123 Posts: 161
    Think of analog as a gradual slope and ever point of elevation can be stepped on. Now think of digital being a finite number of steps to the top of the hill along that slope, in digital recordings each step representing the point at where the analog frequency is sampled. There is missing information from one step to the next in digital compared to analog.
  • JB128716
    JB128716 Posts: 2,064
    It's very similar to DVD vs. Blu-Ray. Less compression, more close to the original source.

    Then you get into things like staring at the artwork, reading the liner notes, and the smell of new vinyl.
    92 - Orlando
    03 - Tampa
    08 - Tampa
    12 - DeLuna Fest, EV Orlando 1 & 2, EV Ft Lauderdale 1 & 2
    13 - Wrigley!!! ,Brooklyn 1 & 2, Hartford, OKC, Seattle
    14 - Leeds, Milton Keynes, St Louis
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  • JB128716
    JB128716 Posts: 2,064
    And to make things even more complicated, you have 180 gram records, 200 gram records, colored vinyl, limited edition vinyl.

    Best advice is to stay away. Far away.
    92 - Orlando
    03 - Tampa
    08 - Tampa
    12 - DeLuna Fest, EV Orlando 1 & 2, EV Ft Lauderdale 1 & 2
    13 - Wrigley!!! ,Brooklyn 1 & 2, Hartford, OKC, Seattle
    14 - Leeds, Milton Keynes, St Louis
    16 - Ft Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, Wrigley 1 & 2
  • Zod
    Zod Posts: 11,072
    JB128716 wrote:
    It's very similar to DVD vs. Blu-Ray. Less compression, more close to the original source.

    Then you get into things like staring at the artwork, reading the liner notes, and the smell of new vinyl.

    nah it's more like comparing dvd/bluray to 35mm or 70mm film :) It's like when you get that question about how old movies shouldn't be put on bluray and you have to explain film is analog and other than grain on old recording (or crappy quality film) the 35mm print is better than bluray :)
  • JWPearl
    JWPearl Posts: 19,893
    All I know is nice color looking vinyl must drop the needle and listen :lol:
  • mookeywrench
    mookeywrench Posts: 6,122
    Grab some Legos and try to build a circle.

    If you have to build a circle that's 56 feet in diameter it's relatively easy to construct something that actually looks like a circle. But if you have to build a circle that's .67 inches in diameter it's going to look awkward.

    With digital music you're essentially reconstructing a 2-D sound wave lego-style and you're provided 44,100 Legos every second (44.1 kHz sample rate) and you can place those Legos in 65,536 different heights (16 bit depth) to build your sound wave. This is the capacity of a CD

    Low end, and mid range sound waves are huge and easy to reconstruct using digital samples (The wavelength at the lowest spectrum of sound is about 56 feet). But high-end sound waves are much smaller (.68 inches at the highest spectrum of sound) and recreating them with digital samples gets a lot harder. When recreating these waves becomes difficult, your sound becomes distorted or lost altogether.

    Non-digital transferred records of past years have a pure analog wave recorded from the source tapes and by-pass this issue completely.

    Digitally pressed vinyl records are sourced from high capacity digital transfers. Going back to the Lego example the sample rate gives you 48,000 Legos (48 kHz) every second and you can place those Legos at 16,777,216 different heights (24 bit depth). This is the current industry recording standard.

    brick-artist-lego-sculpture-pics-1.jpg?w=500
  • Dr. Delight
    Dr. Delight Posts: 11,210
    None of it means anything if you're playing records on a garbage system.
    And so you see, I have come to doubt
    All that I once held as true
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  • lastexit
    lastexit 10923 Posts: 259
    Bub-bub-bubble, Gup-gup-guppies!

    Bubble, bubble, bubble!

    Guppy, guppy, guppies!
  • hrd2imgn
    hrd2imgn Southwest Burbs of Chicago Posts: 4,949
    as mentioned- Analog is continuous sound, digital is tiny bits of sound with finite gaps between each bit.

    Think a digital photo versus the film photo.

    Vinyl does sound better, but as mentioned system is everything.

    Avoid it to fucking expensive, talking 1000's of dollars for Pearl Jam on vinyl

    if you don;t know what you are missing, you don;t know what you are missing
  • happyhourhero
    happyhourhero Posts: 204
    Think of it this way. Take an oil painting and a print of the oil painting, same exact image, nothing different. If you look at them both side by side, you can't tell the difference, but once you get close, you are able to see and feel the texture of the oils on the painting that help create the image, while the print remains flat.
  • lastexit
    lastexit 10923 Posts: 259
    happyhourhero wrote:
    Think of it this way. Take an oil painting and a print of the oil painting, same exact image, nothing different. If you look at them both side by side, you can't tell the difference, but once you get close, you are able to see and feel the texture of the oils on the painting that help create the image, while the print remains flat.

    My most favoratist analogy thus far
  • juddboz80
    juddboz80 Posts: 2,141
    Hey op.....u live in Bloomington?? I'm about a half hour away.....swing by sometime and ill show you the difference!!! I haven't bought a CD since I've gotten into vinyl, nor will I!
    Cant buy what i want cause its free....
  • mr_canada
    mr_canada Posts: 555
    juddboz80 wrote:
    Hey op.....u live in Bloomington?? I'm about a half hour away.....swing by sometime and ill show you the difference!!! I haven't bought a CD since I've gotten into vinyl, nor will I!

    It places the lotion in the basket.
  • lastexit
    lastexit 10923 Posts: 259
    mr_canada wrote:
    juddboz80 wrote:
    Hey op.....u live in Bloomington?? I'm about a half hour away.....swing by sometime and ill show you the difference!!! I haven't bought a CD since I've gotten into vinyl, nor will I!

    It places the lotion in the basket.
    lol!

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