Thursday, June 19, 2014

My take on the article "Vinyl's great, but it's not better than CDs"




Thanks Rosmi 'cinie' Yuhasni for this great article explaining in depth (in "light" science and math backed with studies) the difference of the sound between CD and vinyl.

As a trained engineer, I had always thought that live-and-death proponent of vinyl enthusiast saying their vinyl sounded MUCH better are basing it on their bias towards the medium rather than scientific reasons.

Furthermore, experiencing it on my own, comparing side by side CD and vinyl, the difference is clear. So this should stop the argument which one is better in terms of details and accuracy. The warmth? Read the article to find out.

Take note also, in order to experience real satisfaction on vinyl, you need to spend a lot on the stereo system. An entry point turntable, amp and speakers will not do it. You need to spend A LOT. In comparison, an entry level for CD setup is just sufficient. Experience this yourself by going to the AV FEST next month in KL. Listen at the good sounding vinyl setup and then LOOK at the price.

Saying all these, I listen to both format. Still buy vinyls (ordered King Diamond/Mercyful Fate repress on vinyls and DISSECTION vinyl reissues). But now I know WHAT and WHY I buy it. And I buy more CDs than vinyls because CDs sound better on my cheap entry hifi setups.

"Each format has its charms, and their overall differences in quality are often overwhelmed by differences in the quality of initial recording equipment, in mastering approaches, and in playback setup. But if you're a vinyl collector, you also shouldn't go around telling your friends how much purer your audio is. First off, that's generally dickish behavior, but more to the point it's false. Digital recording just is more accurate. That's not the only thing worth considering by any means, but it does make the puritanism of some vinyl true believers look rather ridiculous."


THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE

2 comments:

  1. antara sebab kenapa aku tak termakan rachun vinyl ni...heheh

    yang bestnya vinyl ni pada aku gambar dia besar...puas...tu ajer...

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  2. Nanti aku baca. Mungkin aku nak fikir cari a portable music player yang boleh main flac selain mp3 just because its the lossless medium for bootleggers. Aku tak dengar muzik dalam rumah jadivinyl vs cd sound coming out thru the speakers dah tak relevan.

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