Vinyl vs CD: Which One Sounds Better?

I'm listening to Chopin on cassette this very minute. I enjoy the distinctive cassette sound. Call me crazy, but for me, it isn't all about just the sound. To take a quality cassette out of its case, putting it in the beautiful vintage tape deck, pressing play, and hearing, in my opinion, the warm sound that is the envy of most mp3 music. I enjoy all formats, really. They all have something that seperates them from the rest. I find them all pleasurable in there own way. I love the complete experience of playing music.
 
I actually have one LP that sounds better than the same CD.

It was Vangelis Chariots of Fire soundtrack. I bought a Japanese pressing on super thick vinyl, with Japanese writing all over the sleeve cover card, back in the day and it was so amazingly quiet, perfect and unbelievable, I think I have only played it about 5 times-so I didn't wreck it. The CD at the time was good, but the LP was better. It was so quiet, I could hear the tape hiss from the master in between tracks- the same hiss was also on the CD (clearly an analogue master).
I still have it and it serves as an example of how good vinyl can be. Sadly the music is not in the same class as the pressing...

Not one other record has ever come close to that one in my collection.
 
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Another question to ask: When you throw money at a vinyl rig, what parameters of performance are you looking to improve?

Amongst the list that immediately comes to mind:
Channel separation.
Noise floor.
Frequency response accuracy.
Surface noise.
Tracking accuracy.
Soundstage.

Compare all of those specs between a vinyl rig and a digital rig.

Yet another question:
Which medium provides a closer approximation of the signal that's on that original master tape (or digital waveform as is more often the case these days)?

Although the phrase "throw money at a vinyl rig" is pejorative, these are certainly valid questions. But comparing specs falls short of comparing sound quality, and some of the most important considerations are extremely difficult to measure. One of these is the mixing of physical vibrations caused by initial stylus movement as it follows the groove, with vibrations from reflections of earlier stylus movement coming back to the stylus from the record or the tonearm.

Records and record players are extremely complex and sensitive systems, and I think it's miraculous that they can sound so good, considering the obstacles. I found the limitations of digital to be in a similarly unquantifiable area, that of listening fatigue, largely solved now for me on good recordings, at least.

Comparing specifications will never tell the whole story. But you are certainly correct about closer approximations to the original. Digital copies are perfect by definition, analogue will be different with every play...
 
Lou Ferrigno hasn't aged a bit. Since when did he start working for Audioholics?

lou-ferrigno-hulk.jpg

That was hillarious!!!! I too ran into Lou ferigno a while back.......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG-3KyURXqk
 
You can't expect a Crosley to sound as good as an Arcam CD player, and you can't expect a $10 DVD player to sound as good with CD's as a Rega turntable.
 
I can't believe there are 184 posts in this thread and no one has given the definitive answer. I know the answer, but I'm not telling.:D
 
Digital -- Ball of phase distortion with Yankee doodle bass...

Analog -- Music with real harmonics and overtones...
 
To all the folks claiming CD sounds better, your probably right ! You don't want that horrible vinyl. You just go ahead and Mail it off to your old pal Funky54. Because were friends and all I'm gonna take it off your hands free of charge. Now you go back to your 1's and 0's. Keep it sterile, keep it lifeless and keep it. Harsh!
 
I really like pb & jelly sandwiches. They are far more rich than roast beef sandwiches.
PB and J has that warm analog taste. Roast Beef is just congealed strands of amino acids that have no life.
 
Digital -- Ball of phase distortion with Yankee doodle bass...

Analog -- Music with real harmonics and overtones...

You forgot a few of analog vinyl's other "attributes" -- harmonic distortion, intermodulation distortion, tracing distortion, limited channel separation, deep bass mixed to mono to keep the stylus in the groove, and a noise floor only 70 dB or so below peak levels. Cheap playback gear can also add non-flat frequency response, speed instability (wow and flutter), speed inaccuracy, and poor control of mechanical resonances to that catalog of woes.
 
:yes:
I really like pb & jelly sandwiches. They are far more rich than roast beef sandwiches.
PB and J has that warm analog taste. Roast Beef is just congealed strands of amino acids that have no life.

I would like to take a moment and point out you have a picture of Micheal Boltin below. It's quit disturbing. It could possibly invalidate everything you say.
 
"Red -- No! blue! AHHHHGGGHHHHH!" - Brave Sir Robin, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Bridge of Death scene
 
I've enjoyed this thread , like searching for the meaning of life:scratch2:

No sense trying to be a purist , better is the artist .
 
CD. Vinyl. Both sources are okay, but only if I have them in FLAC. Don't spin nuttin' @ present.
 
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