Records vs. CDs
Over and over again people tell me how much they prefer the sound of a record to the sound of a compact disc. Some people like the popping of a worn out record. Others claim that the “dynamic sound” of a record is infinitely superior to a CD. Yesterday I bought a CD that had 2 albums on it. One of these albums I didn’t have, the other I had on record and was very familiar with what it sounded like on record. This morning I played the CD version of this album and it sounded really wrong to me. I was very curious to find out what it was that made it sound so wrong so I started playing bits and pieces of the record version back-to-back with the CD version. There were three major differences between them. First, the record was slightly faster, but if you had a good record player you could adjust this. Second, the record had the usual popping noises of a record that is not in mint condition. Third, the bass on the record was so reduced compared to the CD that it actually seemed like a good portion of the music was missing from the record. I’m really not much of a bass person, but it was amazing to hear what was missing due to the record’s inability to reproduce those lower notes.
So, if you are one of those people out there that prefer the sound of a record to a CD, it seems you like a tinny sound devoid of the warmth of the original recording and/or you like the sound of something worn out that won’t play properly. To prefer a record over a CD is similar to preferring an old video cassette with fuzzy lines and flickering throughout the movie to a nice clear DVD version. Why would you want that? I guess there is always the nostalgia value of outdated technology, but I’d rather hear how it was meant to sound. I expect in ten years people will start telling me how they love the sound of an old beat up CD that skips a couple times on each song.
January 21st, 2008 at 1:06 am
I’m with you! Iguess people just get hung up on the whole nostalgia and “change is bad” mentality. I will go even further and say that I prefer the digital sound of my daughters (can’t afford one of my own) ipod to skipping and sticking CD’s.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Nah, the guys who really push analog (records) over CDs tend to have incredibly expensive turntables (and needle assemblies), amplifiers, and speakers that tend to reduce the problems with records that you mention. (And I have a feeling they spend a lot of time cleaning their records too.) Theoretically, analog has an infinite resolution and should be better, but for most people the non-popping, portability, and reproducibility of CDs wins by a lot.
January 26th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Records can’t reproduce bass in the same way that CDs can — the grooves start moving too wide and the needles skip. So they came up with a compromise: they actually take some of the bass out in a certain way that’s mostly reverseable. Your phono pre-amp should have a circuit that puts all of that missing bass back in. If it’s just a regular old pre-amp, then it’s not going to have that circuitry and you’re going to wind up with a tinny mess.
It’s called the RIAA equalization curve. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA_equalization for more information.
January 27th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Mine went through a phono pre-amp and it still has no where near the bass of a CD.
March 25th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
you guys need schooling, the reason records are supierior to cds is because records are etched to exactly the sounds recorded in the studio. Cds are transfered from sound to binary code and then tranfered back to sound. This transfering looses clarity of the frequencies. and as for an old record, well thats like being mad that a scratched up cd doesent work. you cant base the argument of vinyl vs. cd with old worn out records, that is the exeption not the rule.
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Umm no bass. Okay i’m listing to journey and damn my sub is going crazy. Records>>>>>>>>>cds :D
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:14 am
Oh I agree Justin, some of the best bass I’ve ever heard came from my grandpa’s sound system when he played some of his old records.
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
CDs are an approximation of the original recording. Imagine a sound wave as Bell Curve. Replace that curve with dots close together. That is a CD.
I think many recording engineers know this and they do a good job compensating for it. Some CDs I feel the warm and full sound. Most feel like there are run through a filter.
Many times I have both a record and a CD. Both are in great shape. I listened to Superman The Movie soundtrack and LP. LP is better. Another example. I bought my wife a Vinyl Metallica black album. It felt like I was at a concert.
Buy a record for your absolute favorite albums. Listen to CDs anytime else.
March 24th, 2009 at 2:10 am
I agree with Nick.^_^
I like both CDs and Records!! Both play fine for me..
I pods are horrible Sharon! Every I pod I “borrowed”, and listened to didn’t have the same sound as CD or Records. Wasn’t the headphones either (listened to it on the radio contraption, and radio hook up to car -_-). It sounded the same (like I was having a headache that will never end).
CASE IN FACT=
RECORDS- ^_^
CD-^_^
i pod- >:/
March 30th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Records are way better sound quality. CDs are like frozen orange juice–all the same stuff is there, it’s just been condensed into digital samples so the sound waves aren’t that great. I have three record players ranging from $30 – a turntable that costs a lot and all of them produce amazing bass that the neighbors can hear.