CD's vs. Vinyl vs. Other formats

[Rocker440]

Of the various different music formats what are the pros/cons, advantages/disadvantages, likes/dislikes between them for you?

I'll get started with two of the obvious differences.

CD's are very convenient to listen to, and don't require much cleaning. Also, compared with the size of albums, CD's aren't as big, nor take up quite as much space (unless you have a large collection ) and also have a long "shelf" life.

Vinyl is unique with the warm sounds with each groove of the record, imo. Although vinyl was mass produced for many years, to me, there was something quite exceptional with each record, and with the feeling that listening to it was both a unique, and perhaps at times a very moving experience, and not just with the crackles and pops, but also with the feeling that every record was perhaps more personal in many ways, more so than with the digitized sounds of a CD.

 

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

I know this sounds odd.. But I actually like playing my cassettes.. I record all the tunes I like on a 90 minute cassette and it makes it nice since it can play continuously till I'm ready to switch it out. And if you buy a good brand then the sound can be just as good as a CD..
I don't mind albums, but they only have around a few songs on each side, so I have to monitor them so the needle dosn't go to the end of the record and get damaged..
But I love how some albums were recorded in separate channels and you get the pan effects or guitars and vocals separated..
The synth on ELP's Lucky Man is cool how it goes back and forth towards the end of the solo..

 

[Džedaj]

I think only advantage of CD is that it can store much more media on one side without flipping or anything like that. Those plastic boxes for CDs are unpractical, can easly broke and made instant mess.

For me, vinyl's are best way to listen music. As Rocker440 said, there's something personal with the vinyls, and yeah, there's that quality warm sound. Not just that, there's big sleeve picture of cool artwork that makes whole thing more personal. And plus there that hunt for forgotten treasures in vinyl shops that lifts whole vinyl thing on antoher level.

 

[LG]

Thumper I do the same thing, I love my cassette deck and the HQ tape is almost as good as a CD.

Vinyl...loved the gatefold covers, like having a piece of artwork along with the music. Most of the music from the 60's and 70's does sound better on vinyl than the CD transfers. I don't miss the clicks and pops though, the durability of vinyl was never a strong suit, unless you bought the "Special" editions by MFSL, and Superdisc etc., who used much better quality vinyl in their stamping process.

CD's, love the convenience, most of the music from the 80's till now is good in the digital format. Hate the damn jewel cases though, DZ is right I have broken a few over the years, and the design is pathetic. I have a Digital/Analog encoder in my preamp that really narrows the gap between the "Digital" sound and the "Warmth" of the old analog records and tapes. Classical music is way better on CD than vinyl though, the dynamic range and the quality of the recording process make it way more enjoyable to listen to than records, there are so many quiet passages that can get lost in the background noise of a vinyl copy.

I still play my vinyl and love it, and I love CD's too, but I draw the line at i-pods etc., I don't like i-tunes at all and feel we are losing some of our heritage for the sake of portability which is too bad.

 

[Hepcat]

CDs are absolutely more convenient, no question.But the sound of CDs is sterile compared with the lush richness of vinyl.

When I sit back in my listening chair and I'm playing a CD, the music doesn't distract me from whatever magazine or book I'm reading. It's just background. But when I put on an LP, I just sit there and listen. The sound captivates me and completely distracts me from what I'm trying to read.

***:

 

[LG]

Have you ever played a Living Presence or DG 4 D recording Hep?

Also do you have an D/A converter in your system?

If you don't then get one then make a comparison.

 

[Hepcat]

No. That's something to try I guess.

 

[LG]

Considering you are an audiophile, try and pick up an Audio Alchemy converter, Denon made one years ago as well that a friend of mine owned.

When you set it up, get a Living Presence recording and play it. I think you would be amazed at the sound quality.

 

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

CD's, love the convenience, most of the music from the 80's till now is good in the digital format. Hate the damn jewel cases though, DZ is right I have broken a few over the years, and the design is pathetic.

The one thing I cannot stand about CD's is what you have to store them in.. I have like six different racks I use to store them and none of them match.. By the time you have bought another few dozen CD's they have quit making the rack you bought before.. so your out looking at yard sales for a replica of your racks..
And those friggin racks take up so much room and some of them are so cheaply made that they will fall over and bust up some of the jewel cases..:mad

 

[LG]

I had one of those crappy racks, and one day my friends kids were running around in the living room and the damn thing fell over.

It was a terrible design, I use Ikea bookshelves now, but they take up a lot of room as well. That is the one downside of collecting thousands of CD's, they need a room of their own.