Is vinyl better than cd,or is it just misplaced nostalga.

paulr

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Was in HMV today and one of the store bods was telling me they are building a new pressing plant for vinyl.You can still get the top 40 for around £12.99 and they are selling more today than they were 5 years ago.

I remember when i got rid of my old record deck,always though it sounded better,its just cd is more practical.

Is there any scientific reason why vinyl should sound better than cd,or is it just a case of the older you get,the better it used to be.

:cool:
 
i think cd sounds better as long as it's mastered properly, but you get that 'earthy' sound from vinyl, and its much better for dj'ing, it made me cringe seeing the dj's at a local club popping on winamp with an mp3 playlist, and even showing the visualisations on a big pj screen..:rolleyes: i mean i could do that! why do they pay these guys?
 
They say a top vinyl player is better than ANY cd player. sa frien of mine has a Michel gyrodec/ Shure cartrdge and that sound very beguiling compared to his cd player but then the latter is a very ordinary one so comparisons arent reasonable. some people maintain that Valvbe amps sound better than transistor ones . I have both and i wopulkd say they sound different. Currently I am using a transistor one which I am quite happy with. I suppoae my advice would be if you like vinyl then buy the very best player you can afford otherwise stick with cds- they are much more convenient and you dont get any clicks and pops.The Gyrodec is topnotch but costs more than a grand plus cartridge. Ohter good ones are made by Clearaudio and Nottingham Analogue.At hte lower end you could consider Rega or Project.As always the chief advice is go and listen from a reputable dealer before buying.
 
In principle, a well mastered and pressed record on good quality equipment may well sound better due to its analogue nature rather than processing in the digital domain, naturally this brings other problems such as noise levels. Of course vinyl also has a more tactile element to it which some people appreciate.

Personally, I'd be lost without skip, shuffle and a more convenient media size with negligible degradation over time. :)
 
Oh god, I have just remembered using my old cassette player!

The sound was er...somewhat muffled!
 
Depends how neurotic and obsessive onbe wants to be about it. I use to be but no longer.Just enjoy the music now.
 
This thread is interesting as I bought four new pieces of vinyl last weekend and I've got an MF XLP stage sat in my bag for a test this evening- which since writing that has transpired to be dead :(. I personally feel that it is entirely dependent on the album- the more analogue its origins, the more likely it will sound better in the analogue domain (I will point out at this point that given that my CD player has a valve in it so I don't really do true "digital"!). Thus I bought Bloc Party's Silent Alarm on vinyl and Daft Punk's Human After All on CD.

I suppose the clincher for me is that I can't listen to older music like Little Feat, ZZ Top, Marvyn Gaye and Jimi Hendrix on CD if I have the option of listening to it on vinyl. Therefore the black stuff will be in my collection for a while yet!
 
I have some seventies pressings which are simply aweful. Its finding the good ones thats the key ?????
 
Vinyl can sound better but you have to spend a lot more cash and time setting things up properly. Also much more care and careful handling and cleaning of the records was needed. CD however, managable, convenient and portable, it was no contest in the format war.
 
Vinyl can sound better but you have to spend a lot more cash and time setting things up properly. Also much more care and careful handling and cleaning of the records was needed. CD however, managable, convenient and portable, it was no contest in the format war.
Exactly. However, its not just about ergonomics. A senior Pioneer exec was caught (on record!), admitting a few years back, that despite the release of high res formats and multi format machines (one of which he was at the launch for), that Vinyl is the superior source. If you want the best reproduction, then Vinyl is the way. If you want (as 95% of music buyers do) an easy to use format, that produces pretty good sound with good recordings, than CD is still the majority choice.

I wouldn't agree though you have to spend more to get better results with vinyl. Check out a few threads in the hifi section here, and they give price band checks for both Vinyl and CD. It's often cheaper to buy a quality vinyl
alternative.......... On the cleaning side though, well, CD any day!! :D

more convenient media size with negligible degradation over time
Fraid' not. Damaged vinyl is playable, I have CD's that are not. The trick? Don't lend them out! :mad: I also have a couple with the dreaded discolouration which savagely reduces their lifespan.

Just enjoy the music now.
That, my friend, is good advice. ;)
 
Some of the vnayl was real crap in the 70's but about 10 years back I got picked up a lot of records brand new a stall holder was able to get hold of just before they stoped producing and they was some of the best I have.
 
Vinyl is better if it was properly manufacturered and mastered. Do yourself a favor and build a vacuum tube amp. Best sound ever. :D
 
I can't believe that nobody has mentioned 8 track cartridges! Never see them fitted as standard these days, they must be due for a retro come back.

Seriously though, it must be subjective. A CD is undoubtedly more durable and convenient but you can't beat the feel of a vinyl record. I still have about 8 feet width of vinyl but they are gradually being ripped to mp3
 
Master Rahl said:
Vinyl is better if it was properly manufacturered and mastered. Do yourself a favor and build a vacuum tube amp. Best sound ever. :D
We call them valve ampos and there are several exampoles for eg Tube technology and Croft are two that come to mind. Croft are exported to the uSA/canada and are available at

http://www.bluebirdmusic.com/
 
I remember seeing a PC sound card with tubes on a few years ago. Even then it sounded a little contrived.
 
Dr Diversity said:
I remember seeing a PC sound card with tubes on a few years ago. Even then it sounded a little contrived.

nothing contrived about Croft amps they are all hand made and hardwired.The products are excellent unfortunately the person who markets them is a deceitful
so and so :mad:
 
This thread is interesting as I bought four new pieces of vinyl last weekend and I've got an MF XLP stage sat in my bag for a test this evening- which since writing that has transpired to be dead .

Serves you right for getting to it before I did.......... :rotfl:

As anyone who has ever had the painful experience of listening to me prattle on will know, i am a big vinyl fan. Of course there are scientific arguments both ways (vinyl has an infinite sampling rate and a better frequency range, CD has less distortion and is much easier to use blah blah............).

After much listening to both formats, I have come up with the following theories -

1 - The difference in sound quality between a £200 CD player and a £2000 one is much less than that between a £200 turntable and a £2000 one.

2 - CD is undoubtedly more convenient unless you can find an ADC Accutrac 4000 or similar which is remote controllable, programmable and plays LP tracks in any order (and first appeared in 1976!! :eek: )

3 - It takes more work to make sure a turntable sounds better than a comparable CD player.

4 - It's worth the effort!!
 
No sympathy from you then- git ;). You won't get a go on my Electrocompaniet if you keep being rude :lesson::laugh:.
 
Not sure about being able to get the Top 40 on vinyl but I know that most DJ's use vinyl for a number of reasons, cheap decks, extra remixes, easier manipulation etc and this is one of ther reasons why HMV and Virgin have got huge sections dedicated to vinyl. Modern CD decks are catching up though with platters on the top to scratch with but these are about £700 for one deck whereas you can get 2 top quality vinyl decks for that price.

CD can also give a distinct digital sound about it whereas vinyl has a warmer sound.

Richie.
 
I am off analogue on two counts
a) I bought a TT I thought at the time was high end . They subsequently went out of production and the clown who designed them doesnt even supply parts . Alphason Sonata.
b) I bought a cartridge from Eminent Audio who assured me was a Music Maker of few hours use for £ 250. I learnt later that it was Grado Black- cost £45
 
la gran siete said:
b) I bought a cartridge from Eminent Audio who assured me was a Music Maker of few hours use for £ 250. I learnt later that it was Grado Black- cost £45

Ahhhhh the beauty of demoing rather than buying uninformed and blind.
 
deanym said:
Ahhhhh the beauty of demoing rather than buying uninformed and blind.
one lives and learns! I was stupid in the extreme putting my trust in someone I didnt know.I was so impressed by the sound produced by his gear at Heathrow show( Croift, Loth TT and hornloadeed speakers)I put my trust in him entirely. Even went to the trouble of taking all my gear to his Demo room(private house) near Reditch. Grrr! :mad: .I have blackened his name ever since and am glad to say that some dealers have seen him for the charalatan he really is and no longer stock the goods he markets. What really hacks me off though is that those goods are very very good. Glen Croft cannot seem to see that this jerk is a ( censored)
 
deanym said:
Redditch is a horrid place - I understand your frustration!! :D

It was very naughty to stich you like that - you should start a very visible thread detailing your experience - so others don't use the same guy.

I think I may well do that. to be quirte honest I felt such a fool for letting myself be had like that I was in two minds but I think I'll do it. :thumbsup:
 
a) I bought a TT I thought at the time was high end . They subsequently went out of production and the clown who designed them doesnt even supply parts . Alphason Sonata.

A truly superb turntable IMHO. It was hand built and so a stock of spare parts was always going to be highly unlikely. What's wrong with it?

Caveat Emptor.....................
 

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