[AzraelDarkangel]

With photography being one of my other hobbies, I would explain it like this:
 
Vinyl is the equivalent of film photography and developing it yourself. It's more complicated, needs to be done just right, and more equipment parts and pieces that need to work just right together for best results. However, just like film, you can achieve a kind of organic/realistic results that's almost impossible to achieve otherwise. However these days convenience and "good enough" works for most people. If Vinyl = film photography then high end digital = digital SLRs and Mp3 players = point and shoot cameras. You can apply the same idea to cooking. My theory is that generally the longer it takes to cook the better it tastes but many people would rather heat up a frozen dinner or go to McDonalds. 
 
When I have a bigger place and more money I intend to buy a vinyl/tube setup with custom speakers. However, for most people CD comes very close for much less effort and fiddling. I appreciate that last iota of results that come with the extra effort and find it very rewarding.
 
Joshua 

 

[9pintube]

Quote:

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this! Just an observation...but I find it really funny how people are getting back into LPs and buying tons of the newly produced vinyl which is pressed from the digital master. I completely understand why people are just about religious for vinyl, but for some reason I guess I just prefer the clean sound of CD and only having to sell my non-essential organs instead of everything. 

Xozz,  You say you find it really funny about people getting back into LPs, and go onto say that newly produced vinyl "which is pressed from the Digital master" Just isn't totally true... That's when the Buyer, really needs to READ how, where and by whom the New or remastered LP was sourced from....I agree the better/best reissues of let's say the Blue Note LP of Grant Green, can not be remastered from a digital source because Digital wasn't even out yet.(unless the original tape was in to bad of shape to use as the source,as I state below)........ They, many times are using the master or dubbed tapes from the original master recordings, if avaliable... Now don't get me wrong many new/used LPs are ones recorded during the digital age,(80's &even now) that's a different story.  But remember, music recorded on even analog tape that suffer from either being lost or in to bad of shape to record "it" again on vinyl, happens! That's just a fact.  So one must read, as they say the fine print..... Please, by all means I'm not arguing with you or your statement, but facts are facts.... Would you or anyone else (including myself) by a CD that says recorded from a MP-3 source, not me.....Here's a great example Sara Mclachlan's new LP was mastered at Gateway studios, one of the best around, well after they did their magic on her recording, GUESS WHAT, Sara takes "it" home and runs it through "Pro Tools" at her studio, duh! Can I hear a difference from her other vinyl releases, you bet! I've seen and heard from Engineers who use only Analog machines, mixing boards and even tube mikes hand over the tapes to their clients only to hear the group/ musicians say "I'll take this home and run it through my "Pro Tool" set -up??? to their chagrin, but they tell me, hey it's their money and their music......So in todays recorded music world we all must help each other with info on, what's great and what sucks on any medium....JMO.....

 

 

[vert]

Quote:

I was soooo glad when CD's appeared, for a multitude of reasons But it was mostly the snap, crackle, and pop of LP's that annoyed me the most, making CD's an attractive alternative.

It took only 30 years for the CD format to mature. Most of the sound quality promises made back then are only being realized now with the new players and DACs.

 

[Hi-Five]

I would have to argue that an LP pressed from a digital master still has a great likelihood of sounding better than a CD, because I don't know of any modern recording studios that would produce a master at 44/16, more likely 96/24 or better.  Also, the master is probably cut at half or quarter speed using this high resolution master.  Of course there will be some losses in duplication, a press is never perfect, but I still would argue the resolution can be miles ahead of Redbook.
 
I understand there is a large spectrum in quality in terms of master to pressing, but wouldn't vinyl inherently have more resolution if cut from a high quality digital source?

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

Well, I hate to nitpick, but you state the pros and they all have to do with an enjoyable type of sound that you likely won't get with other sources, but only one of your cons has to do with SQ (crackle and pops).  Gripes seem to be with offerings and operation.  I'd agree, it takes some work to find those great LPs, and yes, I was a DJ for awhile, so I understand what you are saying about multiple mixes, but those are singles you are buying, not full-length LPs.
 
So I think you've nailed it, some of us prefer the vinyl sound, but will "work" a little harder to get it, i.e. flipping records, keeping things clean, adjusting your rig, etc.  I love the convenience and clarity of CDs, but some albums are poorly produced or just too harsh to listen to on CD.  When I buy the same album on vinyl however, it often solves those issues.
 
Record noise can also be addressed with an alternate cartridge.  I have not hear the m97xe, but for used or worn records I use a Denon DL-160 that has a very sharp stylus that is very easy on the grooves and almost makes record noise disappear.
 
So, probably not "hype" but a matter of taste.
 

 
Gah (inception) I almost wish you hadn't said that.
 
I've got some great music, some of my favorites really, that happen to be sub-par (almost lazy) productions.  Since I can roll op-amps, I find that picking a smoother, more forgiving op-amp can really help with said music, but I do lament the loss in resolution when I go from my best op-amp to the smoother, more forgiving one.  Now you're saying that if I buy the same album on vinyl (w/ proper rig) the effects of the sub-par production would disappear?  I would be even closer to the actual performance?  The butchering that happens post-recording is tragic.
 
That idea complicates my future set-up so much more.

 

[Permagrin]

I grew up listening to purely vinyl as CDs weren't that mainstream and my parents hadn't switched over to them yet (am 32). There's just something special about that analog sound that just draws you in. And now we have high-end gear that is practically digital yet engineered to emphasize a more analog sound. Progress? ;P

 

[Xozz]

 
Quote:

Quote:
Xozz,  You say you find it really funny about people getting back into LPs, and go onto say that newly produced vinyl "which is pressed from the Digital master" Just isn't totally true... That's when the Buyer, really needs to READ how, where and by whom the New or remastered LP was sourced from....I agree the better/best reissues of let's say the Blue Note LP of Grant Green, can not be remastered from a digital source because Digital wasn't even out yet.(unless the original tape was in to bad of shape to use as the source,as I state below)........ They, many times are using the master or dubbed tapes from the original master recordings, if avaliable... Now don't get me wrong many new/used LPs are ones recorded during the digital age,(80's &even now) that's a different story.  But remember, music recorded on even analog tape that suffer from either being lost or in to bad of shape to record "it" again on vinyl, happens! That's just a fact.  So one must read, as they say the fine print..... Please, by all means I'm not arguing with you or your statement, but facts are facts.... Would you or anyone else (including myself) by a CD that says recorded from a MP-3 source, not me.....Here's a great example Sara Mclachlan's new LP was mastered at Gateway studios, one of the best around, well after they did their magic on her recording, GUESS WHAT, Sara takes "it" home and runs it through "Pro Tools" at her studio, duh! Can I hear a difference from her other vinyl releases, you bet! I've seen and heard from Engineers who use only Analog machines, mixing boards and even tube mikes hand over the tapes to their clients only to hear the group/ musicians say "I'll take this home and run it through my "Pro Tool" set -up??? to their chagrin, but they tell me, hey it's their money and their music......So in todays recorded music world we all must help each other with info on, what's great and what sucks on any medium....JMO.....

 

 
 Yeah, I completely agree with everything you said. Guess I shouldn't blanket a medium as a whole, I've just been getting annoyed by little timmy hipster who doesn't read the label telling me that his vinyl he just bought sounds better than my cd version which came from the exact same master solely because it's on vinyl (yes, I realize that in some cases the vinyl could actually sound better because it's not limited to 44.1/16 and whatnot). I agree, it really is a shame what happens to some music after being recorded...it's just scary. 

 

[atothex]

16/44.1 isn't a limiting factor, though. =) The only thing that can make a record sound better, assuming it's the same master as the CD, would be the playback equipment.

 

[9pintube]

Quote:

 Yeah, I completely agree with everything you said. Guess I shouldn't blanket a medium as a whole, I've just been getting annoyed by little timmy hipster who doesn't read the label telling me that his vinyl he just bought sounds better than my cd version which came from the exact same master solely because it's on vinyl (yes, I realize that in some cases the vinyl could actually sound better because it's not limited to 44.1/16 and whatnot). I agree, it really is a shame what happens to some music after being recorded...it's just scary. 

Xozz,Now we're on the same page......That's why I said we all must read the fine print.......The Lps you speak of that Timmy Hipster (love that name,but oh so true) raves about, is talking out his bodies mono speaker, if you will, if the LP hasn't been augmented....   Now atothex, talks about 16/44.1 isn't a limiting factor, if the Lp is cut from the same digital master as the CD, true to some degree....We all know that so many engineers do some pretty amazing "stuff" at the mixing board to enhance the LP or the CD depending on what his studio/client is wanting to push.......He can very easily soften the digital master to sound more "vinyl like", but usually ends up being a doctored faulty LP........only with the pops and ticks..and then the Red Book CD recorded properly from the same digital master tape sounds better!!!. Case in point, look how many people right here on Head-Fi have talked and are disgusted by the LOUDNESS Crap going on in the record industry today........That's all about sales, Hey if it's played back louder on "Timmy Hipsters" car radio with out him even touching the vol. knob/button, he'll surely run out and buy "IT".......But that's biting, many record companies in the butt now because we are not IDIOTS when it comes to our Passion/hobby and love for great recorded Tunes,be it on Vinyl, CD,SACD or even DVD-A disc..If "It's" recorded as we know from (hearing "it" live) and/or are familiar with the musician's music, then most of us know how their recordings should sound!!!!! Right !JMO....... PS. atothex, I do agree with your statement about "Better" play back equipment but that's only taking baby steps, we all know you can hear crap from a boom box, just as we can hear a great/better recording on that same boom box and can't wait to get those tunes on our main system or for are killer headphone rigs.........

 

[sterling1]

In a few instances, I have a CD, LP, iTunes download, and SACD version  of  albums in my music library, for example Miles Davis, Kind of Blue. So far,  listening experiments have not resolved that LP is better, in any manner it could be construed, than CD.

 

[Marcus_C]

The big lure for vinyl for me is that a lot of music is still only released on vinyl, some of the better vinyl releases also come with a code to enable an mp3 download too to get the best of both worlds. It is a bit tedious ripping an LP to a file.

 

[whatsinaname]

One of the main reasons I got vinyl was for the large album art. (I think I am half seriosu here). I like the convenience of music downloads but I don't get a physical product with iTunes/Amazon tracks. For a few dollars more, I get the LP and a free code to download the MP3s. Another reason to get Vinyl is in cases where the CD and the LP are mastered differently. In Rainbows (Radiohead) is supposedly like that.
 

 
 
 
 

 

[Skylab]

There have been lots of good reasons to get into vinyl said here.  Just to re-cap (and add a little of my own color):
 
1. Some current vinyl releases are actually mastered differently, and better, than their CD counterparts (in that the LP's are not brickwalled, for example)
 
2. There is a lot of great music that can be bought VERY cheap - i regularly buy records in great condition (70's and 80's rock) for $1 or less for the WHOLE ALBUM
 
3. LP's are physically cool - album art, etc
 
4. A good vinyl playback system can sound phenomenal - rather that saying better than digital, let's just say different.
 
 
Some issues or things to consider:
 
1. The more you clean your records the quieter they are (wet-vacuum cleaning is the best, but expensive and a little tedious)
 
2. You are at least "encouraged" to play a whole album side at once (I often consider this more blessing than curse).
 
3. Playing records is not an "instant gratification of one track" kind of medium.
 
 
I could not live my life happily without digital audio.  The ability for me to enjoy my music collection so easily in so many places is huge for me.
 
That said, I prefer to listen to records, when I have the time.  I prefer the sound of LP the majority of the time.  I like my LP's in ways I could never like CD's, as objects of art.  I admire my turntable as a machine in ways I have never felt about a digital disc player. I love going to used record stores and shopping for used LP's - it's an adventure. But vinyl is not for people who are not a little bit dedicated to taking the time to enjoy the process as well as the music.
 
 
 

 

[Spareribs]

Vinyl is love

 

[chadbang]

Vinyl is a PITA.