I haven't really heard enough vinyl to say.

CD has overall the best clarity. Vinyl is a close 2nd, while audio tapes have the worst quality.

CD has overall the best clarity. Vinyl is a close 2nd, while audio tapes have the worst quality.

Does vinyl have a "warmness" or authenticity that CD lacks?

Does vinyl have a "warmness" or authenticity that CD lacks?


I think vinyl does feel more authentic and that is hard to replicate, but if you want total quality sound, CD beats them all.

CD's have the sound. . . .  but nothing beats a good ol' vinyl record.  They have a sound to them that can't be duplicated. 

The authentic sound of vinyl is just the static and pops, it may just be because my phonograph is connected to bad speakers, but my CD's sound MUCH better.

Both have their own qualities, course the clarity of cd's is great but I still love the crackles and pops on vinyl.

Harks back to the ancients days of ye olde worlde

CD offers best sound. Though vinyl, for simple fondness for what I grew up on, remains in my heart.

Does vinyl have a "warmness" or authenticity that CD lacks?

Only if you've got $10000 to spend on a turntable/optical pickup system (and have taken good enough care of your vinyl over the past 20-30 years) that the noise introduced by 20 years of playback on conventional needles/turntables hasn't overwhelmed the signal. 

And after you've spent that $10000, only if you're unwilling to do a blind A/B test.  of your $10000 system against a properly mastered CD of the same system.

I like vinyl.  You could sample it, loop it, fsck it, and eat it in a way that you couldn't do with digital audio until very recently.  But for sound quality, and especially for the sort of sound quality involved in pop/dance, you're not missing anything.  Most of us (myself included) can't tell the difference between 320kbps/stereo encoded MP3 and CD-DA.  Until you can reliably tell the difference between those two technologies, and until the perceived loss of quality is so great that you're willing to spend $10000 to fix it, keep your vinyl -- in your closet, after having recorded it to a lossless digital format.

CD has overall the best clarity. Vinyl is a close 2nd, while audio tapes have the worst quality.


Ya know I've heard that tons too. As someone who grew up with tapes (I still listen to them alot and probably own enough of them to build a house! ;D ), I actually think they've got pretty good quality. Although they can deteriorate quickest probably.

I've done tests before (with multiple boomboxes), and a tape recorded from another tape is just about the same quality as a tape recording from a CD copy of the same album.

I've also noticed the "clear cased" ones seem to hold up better. I know I'm a geek for remembering this, but I'm almost positive they started making them that way when 1990 started. The white/enclosed looking ones from the '80s or earlier appear to be a little fuzzier/more prone to deteriorating.

Soundwise, CD is better.

Vinyl does have a rustic feel to it which I like. The record player also tended to speed up some songs a notch which made them much more danceable and the vocals were always a key higher.

My sister wanted this old record player (well I wanted it as well) so we went out and bought it, along with a few old records. What we didn't realise, was that you needed some kind of 'pre-amp'. Hence with our normal speakers all we could hear was a faint squeak. But I'd imagine it would sound similar.

SACD/DVD
CD (WAV)
Vinyl
MP3/WAV/AAC
Audio casette
Gramophone

Definitely CD

Ya know I've heard that tons too. As someone who grew up with tapes (I still listen to them alot and probably own enough of them to build a house! ;D ), I actually think they've got pretty good quality. Although they can deteriorate quickest probably.

I've done tests before (with multiple boomboxes), and a tape recorded from another tape is just about the same quality as a tape recording from a CD copy of the same album.

I've also noticed the "clear cased" ones seem to hold up better. I know I'm a geek for remembering this, but I'm almost positive they started making them that way when 1990 started. The white/enclosed looking ones from the '80s or earlier appear to be a little fuzzier/more prone to deteriorating.


You have some good ppints there  ;) 

Don't feel like a total geek yet, because I noticed those small details, too, as a kid - like when they'd change menues at restaurants and so on.

Actually, before I heard a CD recorded song, I thought tapes were still good. It may have to do with the stereo I got which also improved the way I listened to music. Prior to that, music either came out of a small boombox or our home stereo which had some speaker problems. Once I heard what a CD sounded like, it was just such a reawakening. Yet, I still recorded stuff off the radio and things like that because we didn't have CD burners, so CD's were just a new novelty up until some years back with MP3's and burners became popular.

I like MP3s ripped from vinyls.

CD offers best sound. Though vinyl, for simple fondness for what I grew up on, remains in my heart.


A girl after my own heart  :)  Yeah I'll always buy vinyl singles as long as they're available.

A girl after my own heart   :)  Yeah I'll always buy vinyl singles as long as they're available.


As long as you don't mind me holding on to it I'll be happy to have it!  ;)

Obviously CD without a shadow of a doubt.

However, I think a lot of nostalgic people love vinyl purely because it reminds them of the days they were buying it first-hand and enjoying that time of their lives.

It's like the difference between an X-Box and a ZX Spectrum. The X-Box has excellent graphics and sound but you don't play a ZX Spectrum for the graphics or the sound, you play it because of the hours of enjoyment it gave you as a child/teen back in the day.

i know it has nothing to do with sound quality, but I loved the vinyl sleeves and all their variations... gatefold especially!

Actually...

I hate to be the one to say this but most of you are wrong.

Perfect condition vinyl provides a better sound than CD. However, one must use excellent equipment.

The whole 'Vinyl has a warmer sound' deal is true.
You're basic record uses a far wider range of frequencies than a CD. You can't hear them, but you can feel them.
CD's also have a limited amount of information that the laser can read whereas with vinyl, the styles picks up everything.

The problem with vinyl is that if not kept PERFECTLY clean the sound quality goes downhill fast.

I suggest purchasing 180gram and buying a carbon fibre brush, also, use a top quality stylus and a fully manual deck.

Actually...

I hate to be the one to say this but most of you are wrong.

Perfect condition vinyl provides a better sound than CD. However, one must use excellent equipment.

The whole 'Vinyl has a warmer sound' deal is true.
You're basic record uses a far wider range of frequencies than a CD. You can't hear them, but you can feel them.
CD's also have a limited amount of information that the laser can read whereas with vinyl, the styles picks up everything.

The problem with vinyl is that if not kept PERFECTLY clean the sound quality goes downhill fast.

I suggest purchasing 180gram and buying a carbon fibre brush, also, use a top quality stylus and a fully manual deck.



Ha ha. That's exactly what I was going to say, but I read through to make sure no one else had.

The same is true of film, which has a higher resolution and deeper color space (speaking of 35mm) than even the best video technology (that I know of), but film degrades fast, becomes scratched and damaged easily and is effected by the quality and condition of the projector, etc. DVD is highly compressed, but can consistently play the same quality with little degradation and is probably less dependent on the quality of the playback equipment as film is to projectors.

What I love the most about CDs, is the same thing I liked about LPs: the ability to jump around to play whatever you want on an album. Rewinding and fast-forwarding a cassette tape all the time was a pain.

Ha ha. That's exactly what I was going to say, but I read through to make sure no one else had.

The same is true of film, which has a higher resolution and deeper color space (speaking of 35mm) than even the best video technology (that I know of), but film degrades fast, becomes scratched and damaged easily and is effected by the quality and condition of the projector, etc. DVD is highly compressed, but can consistently play the same quality with little degradation and is probably less dependent on the quality of the playback equipment as film is to projectors.

What I love the most about CDs, is the same thing I liked about LPs: the ability to jump around to play whatever you want on an album. Rewinding and fast-forwarding a cassette tape all the time was a pain.


Exactly.

I buy more CD's than I do records, but I still buy some Vinyl just because of the sound quality.

The "warmer sound" claim has merit when it comes to rock, pop, soul, and some jazz. However, I never found the "warm sound" a worthwhile trade for the better fidelity and lower distortion of CD.
Now, when it comes to classical music from all eras and modern jazz, CD is without question far superior. Classical has a much wider dynamic range than pop. When you hit that pianissimo indication on vinyl, forget about it, you'd hear crackle and surface noise, even when the record was brand new. It ws just the limitation of the medium.
CD also has the added advantage of the 80 minute time span. A symphony used to require two or three records, which meant you had to interrupt your listening several times. This was a buzzkill.
For modern composers such as Cage, Stockhausen, Feldman, Scelsi, etc. etc., who used unconventional instrumentation, muted passages, or periods of silence, the clarity of CD is indespensible for instilling the artist's intenions.
Then there is the fact that CD has become very cheap to press. CD-R is even quicker and cheaper, but it's not as reliable a process. Therefore it is much more feasible to self-produce, to make short runs, or to press copies on an as-needed basis. Labels such as New World Records, Mode Records, O.O. Discs, and Innova Recordings who deal with composers/artists who are unlikely to sell more than 500, 1000, or 2500 units able to manage their businesses much more effectively.

I actually think CD audio sounds better, cleaner and clearer. However, many people have fond memories of listening to vinyl during their younger years, and this colors a lot of perception. I know people who like 8-track tapes way better than CD's, precisely because of their limitations and flaws.

Nothing to do with nostalgia really. Vinyl is the format I need for my vintage jukebox. I have to buy stinking CD's because that's the standard format available now, but it pss me off having to pay extortionate prices for a miniscule piece of plastic with a much much shorter lifespan than acrylic. We are being ripped off in fine style. 

I've also noticed the "clear cased" ones seem to hold up better. I know I'm a geek for remembering this, but I'm almost positive they started making them that way when 1990 started. The white/enclosed looking ones from the '80s or earlier appear to be a little fuzzier/more prone to deteriorating.


Could it be when they changed to Chrome Dioxide tapes?

Ya know I've heard that tons too. As someone who grew up with tapes (I still listen to them alot and probably own enough of them to build a house! ;D ), I actually think they've got pretty good quality. Although they can deteriorate quickest probably.

I've done tests before (with multiple boomboxes), and a tape recorded from another tape is just about the same quality as a tape recording from a CD copy of the same album.

I've also noticed the "clear cased" ones seem to hold up better. I know I'm a geek for remembering this, but I'm almost positive they started making them that way when 1990 started. The white/enclosed looking ones from the '80s or earlier appear to be a little fuzzier/more prone to deteriorating.


I still listen to tapes too.  I have enough to probably add a second story to your house.  :)    I just bought a new stereo for my car and had to make sure that it had a tape player as well as a CD player.  Still like those old tapes.  However, I am slowly trying to find all the songs and download them onto a CD.

A girl after my own heart  :)  Yeah I'll always buy vinyl singles as long as they're available.


I love the extended versions of songs that came out on vinyl.  I have a few of those in my collections. At one time I knew of a store that only sold vinyl, I will have to see if it is still in business. 

Ya know I've heard that tons too. As someone who grew up with tapes (I still listen to them alot and probably own enough of them to build a house! ;D ), I actually think they've got pretty good quality. Although they can deteriorate quickest probably.

I've done tests before (with multiple boomboxes), and a tape recorded from another tape is just about the same quality as a tape recording from a CD copy of the same album.

I've also noticed the "clear cased" ones seem to hold up better. I know I'm a geek for remembering this, but I'm almost positive they started making them that way when 1990 started. The white/enclosed looking ones from the '80s or earlier appear to be a little fuzzier/more prone to deteriorating.


I've lost great hard-to-replace music on tape to magnet proximity -- they are everywhere.  Also, the narrower the tape the more likely it is to twist or stretch and degrade the sound -- before CDs I used to tape to VHS for improved stability.  But even wide tape degrades with time; eventually enough of the particles that are organized on the tape to store the signal fall out of position.  Which brings up the film to tape transfers many families have made -- hope you saved the film because the tape has a much shorter shelf life.  Now the film (best case) or the tape copy (worst case) can be digitized and multiple copies stored in various locations is pretty good insurance.  I work at a TV station and we're in the process of digitizing all our historic master tapes.

I love the extended versions of songs that came out on vinyl.  I have a few of those in my collections. At one time I knew of a store that only sold vinyl, I will have to see if it is still in business. 


It's amazing how many dealers sell vinyl, and are starting to restock it, plus lots of DJ's buy the 12"s too. I managed to get that GNARLS BARKLEY - Crazy single on 7" recently which is fantastic when you can get up to date stuff in a plastic format.

I been slowly transferring my vinyl to WAV to CD and with cleanup CD still sounds better but more due to the fact that it's not as likely to have the pops and crakle due to wear and dust.

LPs are still the best beause of the large format for the sleeves and artwork.  I hate the small format of CD.

LPs are still the best beause of the large format for the sleeves and artwork.  I hate the small format of CD.


That's a separate issue and there you are absolutely right.  I'm one of those who keeps the discs (CD & DVD) in the original cases because I don't want to give up that last shred of artwork.  I miss my album covers much more than my albums.

That's a separate issue and there you are absolutely right.  I'm one of those who keeps the discs (CD & DVD) in the original cases because I don't want to give up that last shred of artwork.  I miss my album covers much more than my albums.


I miss the artwork of the album covers too.  I was trying to explain to my 8th grade students today about the Eagles Hotel California album cover and how some people believed that it had something to do with a Satanic church and all these other things. I had to explain to them what an album cover was and what one looked like.  Kids today. . . . .  :D

LPs are still the best beause of the large format for the sleeves and artwork.  I hate the small format of CD.
...but you can get more CDs and DVD on the shelf as compared to the size to the LP.

...but you can get more CDs and DVD on the shelf as compared to the size to the LP.


And if you keep them in the original cases they are better protected on the shelf than the albums were. I have a big magnifying glass on a gooseneck attached to the media shelving unit to help with the small print and tiny pictures.