Vinyl or CD?

Some time in the near future I'll be upgrading my source but I don't know what to go for I find the idea of vinyl very appealing even the whole physical side of it leads me to think I would get more enjoyment out of it

Then again CD is what I know and love, the simplicity of it and next to zero maintenance is good if you just wanna listen to music without any fuss and placement in my tiny room might not work for vinyl

My experience with vinyl is very limited or next to none I've heard some cheap crap that hasn't been cleaned or looked after and I wouldn't really count that as an experience

I want to know how do the two different sounds compare and what's your opinion on the matter

How much are you prepared to invest in either time or money, or probably both?
Do you have any records? Re-releases are expensive and often not very good quality, old second hand albums are a crap shoot there days (excuse the Americanism).
If answers above are none or not much then I'd move cautiously if at all into vinyl. If however you have interest in material only available on record, be it 33 or 45 or 78, or enjoy the tactility, or prioritise the organic qualities of reproduction that analogue can bring then have a play. It's loads of fun!

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

It is very easy to always say "Stick with what you know" but had human kind always done that we would still be flying biplanes. I like many have both and for me CD just edges forward of vinyl. Most of our electronic music is only on CD so this narrows things down a bit but Sue and I have always agreed that CD is way more forceful and in your face than vinyl in our system. Yes, this may be down to using an Audiolab M-DAC with it's transient filtering but it certainly suits our main choice of music. Also, Sue is a huge fan of Metallica and it suits this just as much. So, in answer to your query, I think it is best to have both. You can never have too many options can you...?

Oh yes of course, multi disc albums, getting up to change sides every three tracks. Constantly cleaning and using anti static devices. Ticks and pops albeit very infrequently. Yeah...? Sounding good...?

:eyebrows:

I, like many, junked vinyl in the early 90s.
To be honest the "ritual" regarding LP playback was, I think overestimated and the poor, warped, recycled vinyl releases put out by mainstream labels in the last year's of the golden age made me glad to switch to CD.

Being a typically fickle erm...hifi lover, I have often gazed with jealous eyes at the beautiful modern and vintage TTs around these days but I jolt myself back to ground when I consider the price of new plastic compared to new and used COs, to say nothing of the tedious cleaning and dusting.

Imho CD replay can be a nice experience with carefully matched kit.....My top tip....get you self a tube pre or buffer.
By buying CDs instead of vinyl you'll soon have enough cash to finance the purchase.

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Originally Posted by James the Albarry lover

Some time in the near future I'll be upgrading my source but I don't know what to go for I find the idea of vinyl very appealing even the whole physical side of it leads me to think I would get more enjoyment out of it

Then again CD is what I know and love, the simplicity of it and next to zero maintenance is good if you just wanna listen to music without any fuss and placement in my tiny room might not work for vinyl

My experience with vinyl is very limited or next to none I've heard some cheap crap that hasn't been cleaned or looked after and I wouldn't really count that as an experience

I want to know how do the two different sounds compare and what's your opinion on the matter

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How many CDs do you have?

How many records do you have?

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Originally Posted by WAD62

How many CDs do you have?

How many records do you have?

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About 50 CDs
0 records

Playing records does not have to cost a fortune. I have several turntables, but recently just for a bit of fun and for nostaglia's sake, I picked up a seventies Pioneer PL-12D for forty quid, including a decent Shure M75ED cartridge. You know what? It makes music and sounds really nice, it's certainly Hi-Fi. All I did was give it a clean, drop of oil or two, new belt and a heavier platter mat. And, they're dead reliable!

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Originally Posted by James the Albarry lover

About 50 CDs
0 records

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I've about 3k cds (ripped to flac) and 1k albums, so I need both replay means, however if I were you I'd focus on a good subscription/streaming solution, as you've no current large investment in any physical medium...you could always buy CDs for local ripping/streaming too

Vinyl for tactile, emotive enjoyment.
Streaming for convenience, access to a massive library & discovering music.
CD........no. Unless you already have a cd collection, I wouldn’t bother.

cd for stress free listening and vinyl for lots of aggro and stress and expense :lol:

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Originally Posted by Manicatel

CD........no. Unless you already have a cd collection, I wouldn’t bother.

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Why not?

Because if I was essentially “starting out”now, I would concentrate on streaming as my primary source & vinyl as my luxury/ special occasion source.
Fewer manufacturers are making stand-alone CDP’s now. Even some of the bigger companies don’t hold spares for some of their older players.
Streaming has usurped the convenience/ease of use trump cards that cd used to hold over vinyl.
With the big caveat that you have to have a reasonable, reliable internet. Admittedly without that, streaming is useless.
If you already have a good collection of discs, then continue along that road.
To me, cd’s are stuck between the convenience of streaming & the emotional attachment of vinyl as a physical source.
Only my opinion though!

I have to agree with the ideas Matt has put forward, I was an early giver upper of vinyl, I bought the Philips CD101 and haven't looked back, I have no interest in going back to vinyl, but having just ripped my CD collection to FLAC format, and although I personally intend buying more CD's, I will instantly rip them and put them away. I will then fill in the gaps of albums I can't find with purchased downloads in FLAC format (So not really streaming).

So although I am not off to the shops to buy a record deck and vinyl, in some ways it makes sense to either go streaming (At CD quality) or go vinyl for the tactile experience.

As I said I have no intention of going that way, but I can see the appeal.

I will be on my guard of creeping into the easy trap of skipping tracks or jumping from one artist to another.

I am still an album fan and believe in putting an album on and listening to the whole thing (OK I admit "When I am 64" gets skipped, but I used to do that on vinyl as well).

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Originally Posted by James the Albarry lover

Some time in the near future I'll be upgrading my source but I don't know what to go for I find the idea of vinyl very appealing even the whole physical side of it leads me to think I would get more enjoyment out of it

Then again CD is what I know and love, the simplicity of it and next to zero maintenance is good if you just wanna listen to music without any fuss and placement in my tiny room might not work for vinyl

My experience with vinyl is very limited or next to none I've heard some cheap crap that hasn't been cleaned or looked after and I wouldn't really count that as an experience

I want to know how do the two different sounds compare and what's your opinion on the matter

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If you don't own any records and are going to A) listen to current production new releases B) buy new records from store you have to be aware when making decision to go down this road that with vinyl you are nowadays entering a highly priced "luxury market". In the end it is your own decision whether your are willing to join this boutique price game or not.

Without a shadow of a doubt you should get a DAC or CDP first. Not all digital is flat and hard sounding, just a lot of it. IME multibit DACs sound more natural, providing the circuit around it is good of course, critical in fact.

My favourite music is from the 70s and 80s, to be honest I don't like the idea of streaming but I do see the benefits of it, to me the physical side of music is a fun part that I would miss it's nice having something solid for your money wether it be CDs or LPs, I never knew that some modern re releases on vinyl where so bad which is making me edge more towards CD

Sounds to me like you’ve made your mind up already.
Hey, it’s all music, it can all sound great.
Enjoy, whatever your decision.

You already have a decent cdp. If you're not keen on streaming then work your up the food chain with vinyl, but buy older vinyl rather than new, but some new vinyl is ok. I have a DVD that plays sacd but I rarely play cd, usually when the internet isn't playing ball. So mostly Spotify and vinyl. I don't understand having thousands of CDs or vinyl lp's as there isn't enough time to listen to them all, hence streaming. The rest of my listening is vinyl, probably about 30 albums in good enough condition to play,the rest from my drunken teenage years are toast. Only buying half speed mastered and 45rpm lp's when I can find them.

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Originally Posted by Yomanze

Without a shadow of a doubt you should get a DAC or CDP first. Not all digital is flat and hard sounding, just a lot of it. IME multibit DACs sound more natural, providing the circuit around it is good of course, critical in fact.

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Flat and hard sounding....really? Not in my experience

I'm constantly caught in this dilemma. I have vinyl and have invested a lot in the deck, arm, phonostage and cart not to mention SUT. I'm very very happy with it. But there is so much more music available on cd it pisses me off. Getting hold of mint copies costs a lot, and up to press most new music is on cd or streamed. There aren't charity shops in Spain and if there were most vinyl was Spanish pressed and inferior. eBay has proved a minefield. Discogs much better.

I like vinyl, I love my gear..But sometimes I toy with going digital.

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Originally Posted by paulf-2007

Flat and hard sounding....really? Not in my experience

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I agree.

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Originally Posted by paulf-2007

Flat and hard sounding....really? Not in my experience

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I said “not all digital”...

A relatively low-risk way to go would be to buy a used, decent quality turntable (be guided by the clever folk on here). Avoid those abominations sold by HMV and the like, they are total pants. Buy half a dozen records, favouring ones which have interesting artwork.

If you later decide it isn't for you, then you can sell on the turntable with little or no financial loss, and get some Ikea frames to put the albums up on the wall

Forget physical media.
Internet streaming for an unbeatably vast catalogue of music to enjoy and explore in good sound.
Sorted. :)

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Originally Posted by jandl100

Forget physical media.
Internet streaming for an unbeatably vast catalogue of music to enjoy and explore in good sound.
Sorted. :)

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If you only have 50 CDs and 0 records this is a sensible suggestion. But you are asking an impossible question to answer from a bunch of people who will never agree on anything, so your task is a daunting one if you try and consider all the advice. Do what your heart tells you and don't listen to too much advice, it'll tear you every which way and possibly frustrate you even more ;)

But from me (yup more advice), honestly, if you haven't really experienced records then stick with what you know. Buy CDs if you still want something physical, masses on Amazon for pence if you buy second-hand, rip them and as Jerry says sign up for a good streaming service. That's the solution IMO if you just want to enjoy music. If you really want to try the vinyl experience, Geoff's solution is a solid one and I'm speaking as a past PL12D owner of many years (first TT I ever owned in the 70s). They are cheap to buy, they work and they will let you experience the theatre of vinyl without breaking the bank. If you like it, then explore investing in something more high-end, but you are going to spend a lot of money and time going this route. Nothing wrong with that if it gives you pleasure, but enjoying vinyl isn't a cheap pass-time compared to what else is on offer, especially as you don't have any records!

One drawback with LPs I think - they are a bit susceptible to damage - mistakes, mishandling etc.

I like CDs because you can make your own and they are portable - take em to the car etc. They are ubiquitous, and reasonably-priced and you can download files from vendors and burn them. If you do decide to "go streamer" then just rip em.

Most flexible in my opinion. As for quality, get a good transport and dac and Bob's your uncle, imho. Spend what you'd spend on a turntable/arm/phono stage and you will have a nice set up. If they haven't got rid of vinyl yet then I think it'll be a while before they get rid of the CD. They are still making the players, so they don't see it dying too shortly.

You are in for a real treat when you dive into vinyl , you will be shocked at the quality of a well sorted TT setup :)

I honestly don't know what I would do if I were starting out with putting a system together now. I have always loved having records & remember where & when I bought many of my LP's & singles, the excitement of new releases, reading the "secret " codes etched into the runout grooves, devouring all the information on the album sleeves. When cd's came along they did nothing for me sound wise & thought the little brittle plastic things they came in were pathetic, I wanted nothing to do with the usurper!
I have owned a CDP now & then, but I only ever bought cd's for the car, genuinely, I just cannot sit down & listen to one in the same way I can the magic vinyl discs. Saying that, buying into vinyl takes a big investment, not only in the cost of the equipment & the records themselves, but in time, & emotion. I wouldn't like to calculate how much this hobby has cost me in the 50 years I have been buying records, let alone the effort put into keeping them safe, just in the last 10 years I have moved house 11 times, & the first thing I do is sort out the safety of transporting my records & kit. But I wouldn't have it any other way of course.

I love idea of vinyl and had previously considered getting the Rega planar 3 with phono stage, I'm just concerned about availability of music and how the sound differs

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Originally Posted by jandl100

Forget physical media.
Internet streaming for an unbeatably vast catalogue of music to enjoy and explore in good sound.
Sorted. :)

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I thought the OP had already said that he prefers 'tangible' media. With that in mind and the ownership of big pieces of artwork it really has to be vinyl. A lot of folk out there simply cannot get their head around paying out money for something that is virtual and not real.

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Originally Posted by Haselsh1

I thought the OP had already said that he prefers 'tangible' media. With that in mind and the ownership of big pieces of artwork it really has to be vinyl. A lot of folk out there simply cannot get their head around paying out money for something that is virtual and not real.

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Exactly to me I look at vinyl as a ritual and the whole idea that music is analog by nature, I've also noticed that a large amount of people on here have a record player I'm not one to follow the crowd but I feel as though I'm missing out on something

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Originally Posted by James the Albarry lover

Exactly to me I look at vinyl as a ritual and the whole idea that music is analog by nature, I've also noticed that a large amount of people on here have a record player I'm not one to follow the crowd but I feel as though I'm missing out on something

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Yes you are

Nearly all my vinyl comes from car boot sales at £1 per LP , some people buy from charity shops but no charity shops sell records where I live , Ebay , Discogs , Preloved , Gumtree etc

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.

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Originally Posted by Macca

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.

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Sure.
If they collapse then start a CD collection. I've kept mine, but almost never use it.
The internet streamers are far more fun to just explore a whole world of new music at the click of an icon.

Vinyl just doesn't work for me with my classical preferences, but other musical genres do fare much better.

its a good point but i am keeping my cds too and still use them and their flac copies on hdd. world is a big place and there are not that many so would expect most to survive long term.

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Originally Posted by Audio Al

...some people buy from charity shops but no charity shops sell records where I live...

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That's what you get then for living in the 'softy south', where folk are obsessed with following trends, all too quickly embracing the latest fads, and abandoning the use of anything that is no longer deemed as 'fashionable'!

Up north, we're not so fickle, lol, so there are plenty of charity shops where I am selling vinyl records, and even a couple of old-fashioned record shops [remember those?], selling both new and used vinyl! :ner:;)

Marco.

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Originally Posted by Manicatel

To me, cd’s are stuck between the convenience of streaming & the emotional attachment of vinyl as a physical source.
Only my opinion though!

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I completely agree. Furthermore, they're almost certainly destined to be obsolete long before vinyl records.... Oh, the irony! ;)

Marco.

I find this article interesting if not abit one sided http://now.tufts.edu/articles/does-m...yl-records-cds

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Originally Posted by jandl100

Forget physical media.
Internet streaming for an unbeatably vast catalogue of music to enjoy and explore in good sound.
Sorted. :)

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...and/or streaming from your own network of music, stored on various hard-drives, which ultimately sounds better. This is something you should eventually get into, Jerry, and joining a good music (FLAC quality) download site, and paying them a monthly subscription fee for the privilege, along with Spotify.

The music you download (and the variety of classical music contributed and shared by members is near-infinitesimal), can then be stored on NAS drives and accessed via your devices, as conveniently as you can with Spotify.

The difference too, is that YOU then have control of the music, and the ability to retain it and use it as you wish, rather than in that respect being at the mercy of Spotify or Deezer, who can simply add or remove what they want from their catalogues at any time.

Trust me, it makes sense! ;)

Marco.

The things I love in music or hifi is those big dynamic changes in the music the type that gives a shiver down your spine and hearing that sweet stereo separation but I also love warm sounding hifi it makes it seem alot more realistic and smooth, can vinyl deliver that same kind of punch you get with CDs or is it more flat and lifeless?

CDs reflect exactly what the artists recorded in the studio. Vinyl distorts it

Is he for real with this statement , He MUST have that round the wrong way :scratch:

CD ( Compromised Disc ) shave off the high frequency and the low frequency then compress the life out of it and squeeze in on a shiny disc :eek:

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Originally Posted by James the Albarry lover

I find this article interesting if not abit one sided http://now.tufts.edu/articles/does-m...yl-records-cds

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it is pretty much spot on apart from where he mentions wear on vinyl from playing it. IIRC someone somewhere did some tests and it was something like 1000 plays before there was any audible degradation - using a properly set up and unworn cartridge of course. So I don't really think that is a factor.

The other thing missing is overuse of compression on CD versions to make it sound 'louder'. The vinyl version will be compromised in different ways, but a CD with massive amounts of compression is unlistenable on good equipment.

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Originally Posted by Audio Al

CDs reflect exactly what the artists recorded in the studio. Vinyl distorts it

Is he for real with this statement , He MUST have that round the wrong way :scratch:

CD ( Compromised Disc ) shave off the high frequency and the low frequency then compress the life out of it and squeeze in on a shiny disc :eek:

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Yes I agree with you there he's very one sided wasted my time reading but was a laugh non the less

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Originally Posted by Audio Al

CDs reflect exactly what the artists recorded in the studio. Vinyl distorts it

Is he for real with this statement , He MUST have that round the wrong way :scratch:

CD ( Compromised Disc ) shave off the high frequency and the low frequency then compress the life out of it and squeeze in on a shiny disc :eek:

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No he's correct, if you leave the compression aside, and very few cds are compressed to death anyway. No frequencies are removed on a CD.

A few friends of mine are heavily into hi-fi and vinyl replay and they all agree, as do I, vinyl is indeed a ritual and almost a lifestyle choice when it comes to music. It is not a throw away fad and I doubt ever has been so. However,
with most things like classic cars and classic motorcycles, do not ever think it is an easy ride and therefore an easy journey. If that is what you are expecting, by all means get involved but be prepared to be highly disappointed. This media requires a certain dedication and commitment both in terms of extreme patience and cash as I doubt you will ever be satisfied with your phono stage and may never even be satisfied with your turntable. You will though be part of a group of people who do not do things because they are easy or convenient.

OK, regarding CD sound versus vinyl sound I can only draw attention to 'Amused to Death' by Roger Waters. Yeah, yeah, CD a tenner vinyl thirty six quid...! On this album there is an explosion in some supposed North African market.
On CD that explosion is highly compressed and rather like a vegan's fart. On vinyl you really do need to watch your drive units. The vinyl is highly risky compared to the CD. I have both versions of this album and also the orginal 1984 version.
The vinyl is bloody stunning.

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Originally Posted by Haselsh1

A few friends of mine are heavily into hi-fi and vinyl replay and they all agree, as do I, vinyl is indeed a ritual and almost a lifestyle choice when it comes to music. It is not a throw away fad and I doubt ever has been so. However,
with most things like classic cars and classic motorcycles, do not ever think it is an easy ride and therefore an easy journey. If that is what you are expecting, by all means get involved but be prepared to be highly disappointed. This media requires a certain dedication and commitment both in terms of extreme patience and cash as I doubt you will ever be satisfied with your phono stage and may never even be satisfied with your turntable. You will though be part of a group of people who do not do things because they are easy or convenient.

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Nicely put Shaun. You are also spot on regarding Amused to death!:lol:

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Originally Posted by Haselsh1

OK, regarding CD sound versus vinyl sound I can only draw attention to 'Amused to Death' by Roger Waters. Yeah, yeah, CD a tenner vinyl thirty six quid...! On this album there is an explosion in some supposed North African market.
On CD that explosion is highly compressed and rather like a vegan's fart. On vinyl you really do need to watch your drive units. The vinyl is highly risky compared to the CD. I have both versions of this album and also the orginal 1984 version.
The vinyl is bloody stunning.

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I always love comparisons between hifi and farts alot of magazines should go about reviewing hifi in this fashion I think :lol:

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Originally Posted by Haselsh1

On CD that explosion is highly compressed and rather like a vegan's fart. On vinyl you really do need to watch your drive units. The vinyl is highly risky compared to the CD. I have both versions of this album and also the orginal 1984 version.
The vinyl is bloody stunning.

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Interesting... So could the digital fanboys amongst us proffer a credible hypothesis as to what may be occurring there?

Marco.