Vinyl or CD?

[Haselsh1]

The track titles on this album are a nonsense so I wont mention them but there are sections where it is possible to hear the most delicate whisper on the drum skin and then a second or so later Phil Collins is bashing ten bells out it.
The most dramatic track is I think Hate Zone. Bloody stunning.

[Marco]

With the Brand X album my guess is that it has a far wider dynamic range on CD than vinyl, but this will actually lead to you listening to it at a lower volume since the peaks will go very loud compared to the quiet bits.

...which is why level-matching is crucial, in order to arrive at any meaningful conclusions in this matter.

Marco.

[Haselsh1]

But, as Martin says, bass dynamics are automatically limited *at source* on all vinyl recordings, so how can any method or device, employed later in the chain, retrieve that missing bass?

Bass however, which I've already said, to my ears, isn't audibly missing...

Marco.

LOL, it sounds like those 70's Linn ads all over again.

[Manicatel]

Might be worth noting that none of the streaming services have ever made a profit. That makes me wonder if they will be around long-term. Might not be wise to put all the eggs in one basket.

Music streaming revenue increased by 60% last year. Thats pretty massive. Even if Spotify or Tidal folded, there would be others to fill the void. I really can't see streaming being anything other than the main source of music for years to come. It suits the younger generation who expect instant on-demand access to music & video, on multiple devices. Really can't see that changing.

[Haselsh1]

But, as Martin says, bass dynamics are automatically limited *at source* on all vinyl recordings, so how can any method or device, employed later in the chain, retrieve that missing bass?

Bass however, which I've already said, to my ears, isn't audibly missing...

Marco.

I think bass dynamics are limited on all media formats but on vinyl they cannot be in stereo as the old rock could not track it.

[Haselsh1]

...which is why level-matching is crucial, in order to arrive at any meaningful conclusion in this matter.

Marco.

Yes Marco but turning up the volume will not put back dynamics that are just not there it will only make it louder.

[Macca]

Music streaming revenue increased by 60% last year. Thats pretty massive. Even if Spotify or Tidal folded, there would be others to fill the void. I really can't see streaming being anything other than the main source of music for years to come. It suits the younger generation who expect instant on-demand access to music & video, on multiple devices. Really can't see that changing.

I agree, the problem is they don't want to pay for it. And those that will pay for it don't want to pay as much as is required for a profit to be made. if your streaming service cost £50/month, which is probably about where it would need to be for them to start showing a profit, how many people would still be keen to pay it? Revenue increases mean nothing on their own. Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity.

[Macca]

That fact always intrigues me...

Whilst what you're saying is technically correct, I can't think off-hand of any identical recordings of music I own both on vinyl and CD, where the bass on the CD version is audibly superior to that on the vinyl version - in fact, it's often the other way round!

For example, the bass on some of my 12" dance music singles is positively seismic, and in a way that I've never heard from any CD... Therefore, I can only assume it's one of these strange phenomena that, whilst true, don't translate into real-world listening

Marco.

Bass is compressed so sounds 'louder', low bass is in mono so sounds more solid. Vinyl's weaknesses on paper are, ironically, its strengths when actually listening.

Of course you could do this with digital too. If you copy your 12 inch vinyl single to digital and level match it should sound pretty much identical to the vinyl.

[Marco]

I think bass dynamics are limited on all media formats but on vinyl they cannot be in stereo as the old rock could not track it.

Sure, but the point is, when it's gone (in that way), it's GONE for GOOD, and so can't be 'magically retrieved' later

However, whilst it cannot be disputed that bass dynamics are limited on vinyl recordings, in the way Martin has described, I can't say that I've ever felt that any well-recorded, high-resolution recordings I own on vinyl sound bass-light compared with their CD counterparts.

Marco.

[Haselsh1]

Sure, but the point is, when it's gone (in that way), it's GONE for GOOD, and so can't be 'magically retrieved' later

However, whilst it cannot be disputed that bass dynamics are limited on vinyl recordings, in the way Martin has described, I can't say that I've ever felt that any well-recorded, high-resolution recordings I own on vinyl sound bass-light compared with their CD counterparts.

Marco.

Of course, once a sound is engineered out it is no longer retrievable. I also agree because none of my vinyl sounds bass light when compared to the CD however some vinyl is a lot more dynamic.