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Does vinyl sound better?

#141
I'd chalk the difference up to two different things:

1) Records were mixed differently

2) Speakers and other audio gear were designed differently

I currently own my father's Realistic receiver, turnable, and speakers (2x10s with a high frequency tweeter as well) which was made in the late 70's. Playing albums like Eliminator, Synchronicity, and various greatest hits records show that there is definitely a difference. I notice a LOT more low-mid punch and presence to a bass track on record than on CDs these days. Most of the time speaker manufacturers for computer audio and car audio go for that really scooped sound so that it comes off sounding really clean and open...but your mids are rather absent (Bose tends to do this with their audio products). You get something that does highs with a smidgen of high-mids and then woofy woofy sub lows from your subwoofer, while your mids just get lost in the mix somehow since they are either muffled or not present at all.

Tone and what sounds good can be debated, but I can make out the basslines on all these old records MUCH better than I can on anything else I've used or listened to before...monitoring headphones included.
 
#143
I've never owned a turntable/cartridge/preamp that sounded better than CD. Different, yes. Better, no.

Add in surface noise, wear, bad pressings, etc. I was only too glad when CDs arrived.

Since vinyl, CDs and tapes all come from different masters it's silly to expect any two to really sound the same. You might prefer the way vinyl is mastered but that doesn't mean the medium itself is superior to the CD.
 
#145
A local bar has "Vinyl Night". Bring in your albums and they play them. People love coming in and not only listening to the records, but enjoying the album art. It's something that is more tangible and connects people beyond the music.
 
#147
I got a record player last Christmas. I'm 16 and had never experienced a vinyl record in my life. My parents also got a bunch of records such as Ratt and Blue Oyster Cult to start off my collection.

It is a Crosley system with the speakers built in. I fell as though I can hear things clearer, as they're less compressed. I haven't had the chance to plug it into high-end speakers, but I can hear the bass and every other part of the music fairly well, unlike most CD recordings. Also, I like the very mild distortion I get from it. It reminds me of a tube amp.

I will say some records in worse condition sound noticeably worse than CD. But I collect most of them just because I think they're cool. I have 35 or so and got most of them for $5 or less
 
#148
I recently just got my first record player running through my bass rig and a 1x15 speaker and all I can say is compared to my Bose iPod dock ,everything sounds very clear and u hear all these instruments individually, and because it's running through my rig ,Motown never sounded this good
 
#149
OP Question: Do you think vinyl sounds better than cd?

There are times I could say I`ve noticed that I didn`t care for the way a CD sounded but it in those instances I never went back to do a direct comparison. I assumed it had to do with the way it was re-mastered (or not). My brain was telling me it wasn`t the same as it remembered. That has only happened for a very small number of CDs.

I still own a turntable and some vinyl but mostly just some rare albums that I didn`t want to part with when I sold off my vinyl. I was grateful there is still a market for vinyl because I got way more $ for my records than I thought I would.

Most of the stuff I listen to (heavy rock from the late 60`s early 70`s) sounds just fine on CD. The convience and durability of the CD`s greatly outways anything I can percieve in sound difference.

For me it`s the same with MP3`s. The convience of having most of my music library with me while I`m on a run in the park, wandering through the shopping mall, or in the middle of nowhere has been one of the greatest benefits technology has provided me, regardless of the fidelity of that music. For me fidelity is something I`m willing to sacrifice a bit if there are greater gains to be had in things like portability. Vinyl almost always means you are indoors.

Looks like I`ve been rambling way of topic there. One thing I do miss about vinyl was the size of the artwork you got with an album. There seemed to be a time when a lot of care went into the artwork. If that is still happening I`m just not noticing because of the smaller package.
 
#151
We can debate the audio quality ad infenitum. My personal opinion is that recordings from the vinyl age do sound better on LP than CD assuming you have a quality system and well cared for albums. in the digital recording era, YMMV.

One thing I realized after my 17 year old daughter unearthed my vinyl collection is that the overall music and cultural EXPERIENCE of vinyl is so much richer. We looked at the beautiful liner art and notes, listened to the entire LP from beginning to end and came away with the feeling that we had experienced the music and really felt what the artists intended to relay. And our relationship grew as well. Thoughts were stimulated and dialogue ensued. It remided me that there is sooo much more to music that encoded bits in a digital file. :cool:
 
#152
Although I'm hesitant to wade into what appears to be akin to a religious debate... one point seems worth mentioning:

To make a fair comparison between vinyl and CD, one would have to listen to the exact same mastered version of the recording in question.

Without this variable held constant, it amounts to comparing apples and oranges, because the comparison involves two different versions of the source.
 

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