Vinyl vs digital sources: Do records make you listen to music differently?

[twelvebears]

So what do I mean by that? That when you listen to CDs it's with your eyebrows?

No, what I mean is, that as someone who has recently returned to listening to records after years of being swept up in the 'digital revolution', I'm finding that the very act of using records has radically changed the way I listen to music.

For starters, and quite apart from the nostalgia of digging out music from my youth, I find that I'm FAR more likely to listen to a WHOLE album all the way through.

Obviously this is down to the physical fact that records don't facilitate 'track hopping' in the way that digital sources do, but the practical upshot is, and this is the important discovery for me, it means I listen to the whole album including all the lesser known songs. Furthermore, I hear them in the order they were intended to be heard, assuming the artist had a preferred order of course.

I'm known amongst my friends for having an astonishing memory for song lyrics (if not the astonishing voice to match) but I have noticed that while I know every track on albums from my vinyl days, anything from the more recent 'Digital Years' is generally limited to the well known tracks apart from those exceptional albums.

It means that if I now get a new album because it's from an artist I'd like to get to know, or because it's got a particular track I like, I'm going to listen to the whole thing.

For me, coming back to the simple physical pleasure of using these big bits of plastic has added a whole new level of enjoyment. So much so, that if music is on at home, it's 90% sure to be the turntable. The lossless media on my iMac has hardly got a look in for months.

I'd be interested in other people's views if they have any.

Cheers

Steve

[Beechwoods]

Interesting post Steve!

The big difference for me between digital and analogue sources is that analogue is linear experience and digital non-linear. I pick and choose what to listen to with digital sources, because I can, but like you I tend to listen to analogue sources from start to finish. For me, apart from vinyl, this is very much the case with tape and reel to reel. Like you, I find I know my albums better where I've had them on tape or LP, rather than CD.

I know that there is something that I find beguiling about the tactile nature of analogue sources. Vinyl and reel to reel in particular. The ritual of taking the vinyl out of it's sleeve, cleaning the album, cueing it up and seeing it spinning round on a nice turntable, or threading a tape and watching it play, add to the pleasure of the listening experience.

I also find that the warm glow of VU meters help improve the sound

These days I find listening to music in the car a good excuse to listen to something end to end. It's worth doing every so often with albums you normally pick and choose from, because every so often there's a slow-burn track in there that takes you by surprise months or years after you'd written it off.

Welcome to AOS by the way!

[DSJR]

I find this difficult to answer, because although the system I currently use is old, I can load a CD OR LP, kick back and sing away to the songs being played (I was always a tunes and songs person, rather than a "rhythm king").

Nowadays, I regret selling the wonderful turntable I had, but once warmed up, the Dual ain't that bad (better than a Planar 3) and I've been digging various LP's out to listen to.

On the other hand, I'm getting more pleasure from music regardless of source than I've had in ages, now the system is in a reasonable room. The legendary BC1/2 soundstage leaves me spellbound on many discs - no obvious "detail" over the ATC's (probably less), but hearing things panning across the soundstage with pinpoint accuracy side to side and front to back, even on discs I thought I'd known for thirty years and hearing on many Tangerine Dream discs how a "sequencer part" is often made up of two or three individual ones, rather than one, pleases this little mind immensely.

Unlike some of you, I've appreciated a good remastered CD over the LP original (they do exist). CD's from ELP, Camel and Steve Hillage to name but three artists sound far better than the original LP's IMO and discs like Voyage Of The Acolyte by Steve Hackett are in a different league and draw you in to listen to the whole thing I've found.

Perhaps I've slightly missed the meaning of the OP here. I do chery pick tracks, but I also play music when on this contraption and keep breaking off to listen to something else I don't remember hearing before.

[Beechwoods]

I must admit to being spellbound at times - wanting to listen just because it sounds so good, regardless of what is playing. I don;t consider my system to be particularly good even, but vinyl especially has been a bit of an adventure for me of late, and having a nice turntable (as opposed to a shite 5 star What Hi-Fi one previously) has really got me into enjoying the sound my TT makes...

[John]

For me if I heard my TT first was really hard to listen to Digital afterwards I just could hear the notes clearer everything made more sense Yet I still enjoy digital and most of my collection is via the digital medium
I just love music music first

[twelvebears]

I've heard a variety of decent turntables and always loved the sound they produce I've also experienced and owned some reasonably serious CD players including the MF Nuvista 3D, but to my ears, I significantly prefer the sound from my SL-1210 which is stock apart from a Goldring 1022GX cartridge.

Anyway the point is that regardless whether the differences are real or imagined, getting back to the black stuff has got me listening to more music and that's the really important bit. :-)

[popol_vuh]

Great topic, I'll reply a detailed answer a bit later

[The Grand Wazoo]

From The Grave


I guess we can assume that, despite what he said in the post above, Mr Popol Vuh isn't going to get back to us on this one!
Carry on then, folks - the discussion is open to the floor.

[Thing Fish]

I have access to both mediums but vinyl still sounds much better to me and as the op stated due to the nature of the medium I find I listen to much more on vinyl than I do its digital counterpart.

Its just more of an experience reading the lyrics and studying the artwork. Also as vinyl is sometimes harder to obtain I appreciate it more.

That will never change. Thank Dawkins.

[MartinT]

When I joined AoS digital formats were winning in my system, largely because of my Ayre SACD player which is a great disc player. As has been commented elsewhere, I tended to pick and choose which tracks to play because it was convenient and I started to lose the continuity and homogeneity of albums.

Since then, the record playing part of my system has soared (not actually costing much more than the Ayre in total, to be honest) and now I find, like others, that I play at least whole sides if not whole albums. My level of pleasure has increased and I totally immerse myself in the music. For me, vinyl has been a GOOD THING.