"Kids are tired of buying air." - Alice Cooper

[AboutAGirl]

^^ Vinyl from master is better than almost any digital file except the high res. In may cases Vinyl is being used to master those same high res files.

So from a music/sound perspective vinyl is not an inferior product. and you can convert from Vinyl or CD to digital file. it's just fact.

and there is not replacement for the portability and convenience of digit for which it superior. more fact

Jim

Try as I have many times, I can't even tell the difference between supposedly high quality sound and supposedly poor quality. Maybe years of blasting all my music at 100% volume has damaged my hearing, but to me it's identical either way. If you have better ears, kudos.

As for portability, that's the alpha & omega for me. 99% of my music listening is done on long walks, at the gym, or at work. Never found a portable record player so vinyl is out of the question.

 

[mrJim]

^^ AboutAGirl there is a lot of truth about the loudness factor flushing out the sound quality. One of the tactics used on the digital files is to turn the volume up with gain. when that combines with the lack of surface imperfection on media it basically tricks the ear into thinking its better when in fact it is not. And as they say perception is reality.

Then add in that all of hearing is a little diminished after years of concerts and head banging

Back to Alice Coopers comments, when he says "buying air" I would guess he means not walking away with anything to touch feel and look at as part of the band. I think some of that is true for me at least, a part of buying an album was the cover, art and packaging.

I can remember when I purchased Kiss Alive II with the gatefold and promotional items, I was pretty young but it was cool. And it made a lasting impression on me that's still there today, many times I have purchased Vinyl not knowing anything about the band and for the sole reason being the cover art. When transition to CD occurred that severely limited that happening and digital files killed it al together.

Jim

 

[AboutAGirl]

I definitely know that feeling too. It was what made me a CD collector for so many years. But when push comes to shove digital is just a much bigger value for my needs.

As for turning the volume up, that certainly doesn't perturb me. I actually have to go into my itunes and manually edit the songs to make them louder sometimes. Far as I'm concerned a little gain is good. Back when I used to make music I would max out the gain twice (once when recording and again when mixing/transferring to digital). I want that music to punch me in the face. I could be 99% deaf and I'll still be trying to blast this stuff.

 

[KingHeadache]

Well we old folks are also tired of buying air.

 

[That 70s Guy]

MP3s were great...when they were free.

 

[coltrane2]

The truth is this:

Vinyl: Although it's inaccurate to express vinyl in term of bit rate, it is the equivalent of lossless. That is because Edison's original invention captured sound waves i.e. actual vibrations. However, vinyl adds it's own distortion - the warmth many speak of is not fidelity but artificial warmth added by the traction between needle and platter.

CD: In order to function, CD was manufactured at 16-bit, removing frequencies that are inaudible to the human ear. Sadly, the filtering process that removed the higher frequencies added its own distortion, often manifesting itself in harsh 's' diction on vocals and splashy cymbals.

Mp3: Compresses the sound even more than CD. For comparison a CD's KBPS is approx 1411 as opposed to typical 128KBPS to 320KBPS Mp3s. However, it is very difficult even on great equipment to tell the difference between a 320 KBPS Mp3 and a CD recording. I know as I have good equipment and have tried.

So, every format has it's pros and cons and there is no outright accepted 'best format'.

Some are turning to 24 bit "from the master tape" hi res files. I've heard mixed reviews of those also with folks complaining that they're so high fidelity they show up the quality of the original LP mix! So we're chasing the end of the rainbow with this stuff.

Overall, the quality of your hifi system and using any file in any format at 192KBPS + will get you good sound.

As to the aesthetic, convenience and ownership argument - you may not own Mp3s but they're a damn sight easier to hang onto than stolen or water/ fire damaged CDs or LPs that aren't backed up.

Cover art is another story and vinyl wins that hands down, no argument. Unless you really do think staring at a two inch screen pic or a snappy, uncool CD plastic hinge is the thing!

 

[KingHeadache]

MP3s were great...when they were free.

 

[KingHeadache]

Oh That 70s Guy

 

[Sweaty]

Well we old folks are also tired of buying air.

I agree, I still have some vinyl nut have no record player as no space but I love buying CD's as if you look after them they will be there to play in years. I don't like buying air, there is nothing there and you do not own it in the end.