safulop
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2008
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OK now, since I'm actually interested in knowing people's preferences and why they turn out that way, I've decided to turn from the theoretical arguments about why vinyl might sound superior to digital, and start up a little contest and see if it actually does sound better. Some folks around here have posted that CDs were a gift from the Gods and they sold all their records shortly after. I beg to differ. Eventually I'd like to publish a study on this, although audio listener preferences is not really my usual area of research.
To kick us off, I am posting links to two sound files of Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 1st movement. I figure it's public domain music and I am not even posting the complete work so I probably won't get sued. Luckily I happen to have both a CD and a vinyl record of the famed 1962(?) recording by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. The CD was released in the 1990s as a digitally remastered reissue, part of a box set of Beethoven's symphonies. The vinyl was released very recently, it is some kind of direct metal master cut from the original master tapes. I won't tell you which is which, I assume people could figure out which is the vinyl. I did my best to level match the files, but it was not that easy because the two masters are not equivalent so they have different dynamic ranges.
Anyway here are the links, happy listening and I am eager to hear everyone's opinion on this. For the real study I plan to put a survey on QuestionPro but since this isn't my usual research I don't really know what ought to be asked.
http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~sfulop/Vinyl_vs_digital/Beethoven5th_A.wav
http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~sfulop/Vinyl_vs_digital/Beethoven5th_B.wav
To kick us off, I am posting links to two sound files of Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 1st movement. I figure it's public domain music and I am not even posting the complete work so I probably won't get sued. Luckily I happen to have both a CD and a vinyl record of the famed 1962(?) recording by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. The CD was released in the 1990s as a digitally remastered reissue, part of a box set of Beethoven's symphonies. The vinyl was released very recently, it is some kind of direct metal master cut from the original master tapes. I won't tell you which is which, I assume people could figure out which is the vinyl. I did my best to level match the files, but it was not that easy because the two masters are not equivalent so they have different dynamic ranges.
Anyway here are the links, happy listening and I am eager to hear everyone's opinion on this. For the real study I plan to put a survey on QuestionPro but since this isn't my usual research I don't really know what ought to be asked.
http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~sfulop/Vinyl_vs_digital/Beethoven5th_A.wav
http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~sfulop/Vinyl_vs_digital/Beethoven5th_B.wav