Alright, I've bitten my tongue long enough on this site that I gotta let loose some howls of laughter... not at anyone in particular here, but just at a certain mindset that some people have. It's nothing recent, but as time goes on and technology gets better and better, the though process (to me) become all the more laughable.
Disclaimer1, I haven't read through every single post in this thread, just skimmed over some of it
Disclaimer2, as I said above, I'm not singling out anyone, picking on anyone, etc. I'm simply stating my own opinion of a certain audio mindset that some have. Feel free to throw rocks at your leisure.
What mindset is it that I'm talking about? The mindset that Records, LPs, Wax, Vinyl, etc... whatever name you prefer to use... that these relics sound better than digital recordings and pressings.
I see people that spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on their stereo equipment. When they do this, they aren't typically buying preamps, receivers, etc from the 1970's or 1980s. No, they are spending current earned money for current technology .... and then they go and include a turntable to play their LPs, which there's nothing wrong with that (IMHO), however some refusing to even purchase a CD player or get something cheap and crummy to play CDs on on because "CDs sound like shit".
Huh? How do CDs sound like shit? the only CDs I've seen (heard) that sound like crap are ones that people make themselves from songs they download off of the internet at bit rates ranging from 64k to 320. Different rippers, different software used, etc. Yeah, that makes for a shitty CD. But an official CD, released by the record company compared to an LP? There's no comparison at all.
An example... I grew up with Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon. Knew the album frontwards and backwards. Listened to it a lot. Loved everything about it. Had it on vinyl. Had it on cassette. When I bought my first new stereo with a CD player in it (late 80's), I also bought DSOTM on CD. First time I listened to it I was BLOWN away. I heard little things on that album I had never ever heard before in my life, particularly side one. The sound quality was uncomparable to LPs and cassettes. The more titles I (re)purchased in CD format, the more titles that fell into this same category. Smaller, more compact, more durable, portable, etc. Whats not to love!?
I've been a DJ since the late 80's. I knew other DJs back then as well as other DJs well into the 2000's that had a similar opinion that vinyl was better, but not a single one could ever give me a solid example of why. "It has a warmer feel to it". Um.. ok, if by warmer you mean "crackly, less crisp, and generally lower quality", then yeah I agree it's ~warmer~. I embraced CDs once it became obvious they weren't going away. CD quality NOW compared to 20 years ago? I think it's better. The general recording (or pressing) is basicallly the same, but the techniques have improved over the years.
