Vinyl - new vs old recordings

[Son of Wobble]

Actually, that question was asked by the OP, @littlebooner.

For myself, I'm fairly relaxed about it. If it sounds good, it is good, regardless of medium, which by the way is why I jokingly called audiophilia a debilitating condition. It's easy to lose the music in the eternal quest for perfect sound quality.

That said, in recent years I've discovered that I really like the process of playing records, so vinyl gets the nod most often at my house.

Yes I accidentally tagged you as the op apologies.

The best the early Beatles ever sounded to me was on a Japanese pressing made about 1978 of hard days night that was sourced from the original tapes. It was Head and shoulders above the American pressings I had been familiar with. Unfortunately I sold it in a box full of beatle records because I needed cash to buy drinks for an extremely pretty young woman I was seeing. Priorities.

 

[sonojono]

I need to start selling off my collection. I also have thousands of CDs.

When you find the time to gather your collection, shoot me a direct message!

 

[JakobT]

Yes I accidentally tagged you as the op apologies.

The best the early Beatles ever sounded to me was on a Japanese pressing made about 1978 of hard days night that was sourced from the original tapes. It was Head and shoulders above the American pressings I had been familiar with. Unfortunately I sold it in a box full of beatle records because I needed cash to buy drinks for an extremely pretty young woman I was seeing. Priorities.

I will say, though, that even my old records sound better than they used to. I switched to CD's early on for the sound quality, but a few years ago, when I finally came full circle and got a turntable again, I was surprised that records I got in the early 70's sounded better than ever, probably due to having a better equipment.

On the other hand, there is more to the vinyl experience than sound quality. I'm reminded of the words of DJ John Peel: "Someone was trying to tell me that CDs are better than vinyl because they don't have any surface noise. I said: "Listen, mate - life has surface noise!"

 

[fishdreams]

Lps (analogue studios) CAN sound better than cds. The souljazz label pressings of classic reggae being examples.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

I've started collecting vinyl as of late. With the resurgence of artists releasing limited edition vinyl albums, I'm curious if it really makes a difference in audio playback when so much music is recorded and mastered digitally today. I've done back to back comparisons of digital source vs vinyl on albums that were recorded analog or released on vinyl originally and heard a noticeable difference.

Have any of you noticed a difference with new albums on vinyl vs digital? I'm wondering if its worth it for audio or if its more marketing collectibles/nostalgia.

A lot of my vinyl I bought in the 70s and 80s and if you take Led Zeppelin as an example their remasters are noticeably different to the originals, but that is as much down to JP remixing as the different formats. I listen to In This Moment on vinyl and through Spotify (sorry!) and the vinyl sounds far superior but that could be down to whatever download quality I chose, maybe I should compare the ITM vinyl to their own digital downloads which I have. Of course those of us who grew up with vinyl are likely to prefer the less clinical analog sound to this new-fangled digital stuff

 

[equill]

I love the physicality of using a turntable, and there's a lot of nostalgia in it for me.
In practice, I listen to more music via Youtube than any other source, despite having hundreds of CDs, because I'm in an extended phase of discovering new music. Also because it's not so feasible to set up the turntable and record collection in my current workspace.
I also got into buying music just as CDs hit the market, so I grew up with both. In the same way, there's something about the whisper of a Discman spinning up to speed that connects me back to being an excited teenager.

Is it better? In pure technical terms, no. But that's not really the point for me. The ultimate point of this stuff is how it makes you feel; it's not civil engineering or finance, where technical accuracy is crucially important above all.
I think the more useful question is: which medium do you personally prefer, in general and for a given mix/master of a given album?

 

[equill]

I have a massive vinyl collection in the many thousands with lots of hard to find and collector pieces. I stopped buying albums years ago but I used to buy quite a few every week for years. I also went to record conventions and I was a vendor at them too. I need to start selling off my collection. I also have thousands of CDs.

If you have a catalogue, do please DM me with it when you're ready to start selling

 

[equill]

Did we already do the "best turntable for metal" schtick in a previous one of these threads?
I'd say I'm asking for a friend, but we all know I don't have any of those

 

[SirMjac28]

I love vinyl because it forces me to listen to the entire album front to back the same with my reel to reel. If I'm streaming music l just pick certain songs.

 

[Mo cowbell]

I have a first run of UFO Phenomenon as well as a brand new one. Not sure this will answer the question, but I'd rather listen to the brand new one. Way cleaner sound with almost zero snaps or other noises older used vinyl produce. Maybe more to your point, I have a first run of Physical Graffiti as well.... I'm sure a fresh copy would sound better just in terms of the what I mention above.

 

[JMarkD]

If you handle your recordings like a museum curator, spend thousands on a turntable etc., you will hear all those pops and scratches clear as a bell.
Yes, the good old days. Remember the frat guy with the huge expensive stereo? Then came that first homecoming party.....
Oh well, my old ears are so shot it all sounds like crap to me now.
Do miss those album covers though. And looking at all the cool turntables pictured is fun.

 

[Big Heavy Bass]

Many vinyl reissues are from a digital source. Sometimes they are not and will sometimes be noted so on the hype sticker "From the original analog recording" My advice is to visit the Steve Hoffman forum where most albums are discussed and you can get a feel for what the sound quality is like.

Often the difference in sound your hearing is the colorization of the medium your using...your turntable.

My general rule is...if it was recorded and pressed to vinyl originally before CDs I try to buy a used original vinyl version. If it was not, I do my research and make sure it sounds ok before buying.

Some quick thoughts...vinyl pressing and quality control is an issue sadly, do your research so you don't get stuck with a noisy, warped brand new record.

Familiarize yourself with the loudness wars as this can effect modern vinyl reissues.

 

[Pirate Captain]

anybody complaining about "pop and hiss" needs to invest in a good record cleaning machine and anti-static sleeves

 

[JungleXray]

I've started collecting vinyl as of late. With the resurgence of artists releasing limited edition vinyl albums, I'm curious if it really makes a difference in audio playback when so much music is recorded and mastered digitally today. I've done back to back comparisons of digital source vs vinyl on albums that were recorded analog or released on vinyl originally and heard a noticeable difference.

Have any of you noticed a difference with new albums on vinyl vs digital? I'm wondering if its worth it for audio or if its more marketing collectibles/nostalgia.

In my experience most are the same mix. But! I think with the sheer difference in playback (1s and 0s vs. a vibrating needle in a groove) it's going to sound different. Whether that sounds better or not I believe is up to the listener only.

When listening to something like Billy Eilish I find the vinyl noise distracting. And the lack of dynamic range is noticeable. Now something like the Beatles sounds great. Almost adds an authenticity to it.

That is my experience. I love vinyl. Something else I'll add is new pressed vinyl sounds so much better then old stuff it's worth it to buy new.

 

[equill]

anybody complaining about "pop and hiss" needs to invest in a good record cleaning machine and anti-static sleeves

Can confirm, have made heavy use of a cleaning machine. Just a cheap, hand-cranked one, and it still does a great job.

 

[brianrost]

I've done back to back comparisons of digital source vs vinyl on albums that were recorded analog or released on vinyl originally and heard a noticeable difference.

At least part of what you are hearing is the mastering.

The masters for LPS, CD, tapes and now streams are all different because of the limitations of the formats. As far as older albums, when the CD or vinyl is labeled "Remastered" or worse "Remixed and remastered" it's really going to sound different. I have a number of recordings made back in the 60s on vinyl and CD both. Guess what, I prefer the 60s vinyl because it's punchier and has more bottom end. The digital remasters are cleaner and have more "air" and detail. In a few cases beautifully gnarly guitar tones now sound cleaner...who wants that? Forget about remixes, they are going to sound a lot different. Any Zappa fans who have heard both the original vinyl and Zappa's CD remixes knows what I mean.

LP and tape masters wear out. For LPs, a stamper is made from the original master and when the stampers wear out in the pressing plant, new stampers are made. Eventually this wears out the master and a new master must be cut. Guess what...the original mastering engineer doesn't do it so the new master sounds different. I have a pressing of Led Zeppelin II where at the end of side 1 during "Thank You" there is a high pitched whine throughout that was not on earlier pressings I owned. My first copy skipped (first pressing was cut too hot) and the second just got all scratched up when I loaned it to some "friends" to play at a party. My third copy was bought 6 years later and is from a different master.

For tapes, a duplication master is made from the original master tape, it wears out, a new one is made, etc. Eventually the same thing, the original master tape wears out and a new master has to be made. Changes over the years in the tape formulations used also changes the sound.

Digital doesn't wear out...ever. So as long as backup copies of the master exist to protect against data loss, the original master can be used forever.

 

[31HZ]

I have a really nice system acquired thoughtfully over decades, a somewhat-treated listening room, and a fair number of both vinyl and CD albums.

To my ear, the *most accurate* sound is on 96KHz and up (BluRay audio etc.) [EDIT: with a really good DAC]. If you seek accuracy and depth in your reverb tails, it will be found here.

But I can listen to either vinyl or CD without ever feeling disappointed or wishing I were listening to the other (except perhaps out of curiosity). I've done a couple of back-to-back listening sessions of the same album on both CD and vinyl, and they've been pretty close to each other, although I suspect that some albums have the potential to sound better on CD and some sound better on vinyl.

In my experience, though, if the system is good enough then a good recording played back on either of these mediums stands a strong chance of sounding utterly compelling. Last night I had a record on (re-press of Aimee Mann's "Bachelor No. 2" on green vinyl, yum) and my wife abruptly stopped what she was doing to sit down and listen because, as she put it, "it sounds like she's right here in the room." In the end, that kind of involvement is what all the fuss is about.

 

[Laurent]

I love vinyl as well. I have a collection of several thousands of LPs. The oldest ones I bought as a teen 45 years ago or so.
I own albums that I hunted down for as long as two decades, rare recordings.
There's magic in the sound and in the object.

 

[Killing Floor]

Actually, that question was asked by the OP, @littlebooner.

For myself, I'm fairly relaxed about it. If it sounds good, it is good, regardless of medium, which by the way is why I jokingly called audiophilia a debilitating condition. It's easy to lose the music in the eternal quest for perfect sound quality.

That said, in recent years I've discovered that I really like the process of playing records, so vinyl gets the nod most often at my house.

That's where I live regarding vinyl and listening in general. I used to spend money and time on gear for my own private use and was pretty obsessive about maintenance. Now I just relax and let the music play. I find stepping into the role of "listener" or fan also helps my own motivation to practice and write.
And to anyone who has ever had back pain...Standing up to flip a record every 15 minutes is good for you!

 

[Joebone]

I have about 3000 vinyl albums, 1500 CDs, and am just now dipping into the streaming thing. Vinyl demands time and attention, and can soak up dollars as you pursue better quality reproduction...and high-priced re-issues of classic recordings. And can frustrate when those pops and ticks show up. But it still generally sounds better, to my ears. Will be curious to see if hi-res streaming is better. The digital advantages are clear - lower noise floor, wider dynamic range, no degradation over time...but analog recordings, on vinyl, just seem more realistic, in terms of timbre and presence. For the record, I have an old Technics SP-10II turntable with a 10" arm, and a Dynavector cartridge - I love the pitch stability of direct-drive turntables. It's a good-sounding rig that was not crazy expensive, and these days there are many decent turntables in the $400-$800 range. My very old CD player was an early example of upsampling 16-bit Redbook standard to 24 bit, and has sounded somewhat vinyl-like over the years - it's presently in the shop as the drawer gets some maintenance and love...