4 ms·

So, I totally see why uncompressed music sounds better than compressed music ( MP3, Spotify, Pandora, etc. ) But, I don't understand the point of vinyl vs CDs.

So, I totally see why uncompressed music sounds better than compressed music ( MP3, Spotify, Pandora, etc. ) But, I don't understand the point of vinyl vs CDs. Nyquist theorem says you can fully recover an analog signal with digital sampling, if you sample frequently enough. So, there is no reason to have analog music. Am I missing something ?

publicfig 11y ago
I'm someone that buys quite a few vinyl records, and almost all of my reasons are psychological. I like supporting artists, and buying records give me a way to do that and get something physical in return. I like having the big album art and putting on a record makes me much more likely to listen to entire albums instead of just random songs. Plus, putting on a record is an intentional act which puts me in a good mental state for listening to music. With digital download codes, I have no real reason to buy CDs as a good percentage of bands offer their music digitally in any format I'd want. CDs would just be something I'd burn to an mp3 player and throw in a closet somewhere. Plus, they're fun to collect. A lot of releases will have different colored vinyl or special added features to the album.
- teh_klev 11y ago
  > putting on a record makes me much more likely to listen to entire albums instead of just random songs Precisely this. "That difficult third track on the B side"...which turns out to be a total gem, yet might go unlistened and never appreciated.
  - vasilipupkin 11y ago
    agreed. But why Vinyl vs CDs ? I mean, listening to the whole album is just as good with CDs or better ?
- vasilipupkin 11y ago
  right. But why is that not the case with CDs? why not buy CDs instead of vinyl ? CDs have cover art, special features, etc.
teh_klev 11y ago
Where's the mention of digital sampling? If the pathway from the pickup on my tonearm through the pre-amp to amp to speakers is totally analogue, such my own setup, I don't care about or involve digital sampling. I can sort of see your point if you're running a turntable with USB output to rip your vinyl. But for most cases that's for folks who have some old vinyl they want to convert without shelling out for a digital copy, we're happy to put up with a small loss of fidelity (which is barely noticeable). There's also times where there is no official digital copy available, or ever will be, I have a few gems in my collection like that.
- vasilipupkin 11y ago
  I am comparing vinyl records to CDs. CDs are recorded using digital sampling of an analog continuous time signal.
  - 7Z7 11y ago
    Or they're fully digital.
    - vasilipupkin 11y ago
      "digital" is equivalent to discrete sampling of a continuous time signal
coldpie 11y ago
In terms of audio quality, you are 100% correct. But for some there's more to listening to music than just listening to music. Going to the shelf and looking over the albums, remembering when you bought each album, who you've played them for, things that were happening while you listened to them. Looking at the cover art or the silly liner art or notes[1]. Noticing markings (or smells...) from previous owners and wondering about them, what they were doing when they bought or listened to the album. Physically placing the album on the turntable and aligning the needle. Listening to the lead-in scratches as you adjust the volume before the music kicks in. Sometimes you get silly lead-out loops[2]. It's just a fun, physical way to listen to music. [1] The liner notes in Andrew Gold's "What's wrong with this picture?" was a recent highlight for me http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=1838376 http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=1838376 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unusual_types_of_gramophone_records#Sound_recorded_in_locked_grooves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unusual_types_of_gramophone_re...
- vasilipupkin 11y ago
  fascinating. But you could look at cover art and remember when you bought each album with CDs.

publicfig 11y ago

I'm someone that buys quite a few vinyl records, and almost all of my reasons are psychological. I like supporting artists, and buying records give me a way to do that and get something physical in return. I like having the big album art and putting on a record makes me much more likely to listen to entire albums instead of just random songs. Plus, putting on a record is an intentional act which puts me in a good mental state for listening to music. With digital download codes, I have no real reason to buy CDs as a good percentage of bands offer their music digitally in any format I'd want. CDs would just be something I'd burn to an mp3 player and throw in a closet somewhere. Plus, they're fun to collect. A lot of releases will have different colored vinyl or special added features to the album.

teh_klev 11y ago
> putting on a record makes me much more likely to listen to entire albums instead of just random songs Precisely this. "That difficult third track on the B side"...which turns out to be a total gem, yet might go unlistened and never appreciated.
- vasilipupkin 11y ago
  agreed. But why Vinyl vs CDs ? I mean, listening to the whole album is just as good with CDs or better ?
vasilipupkin 11y ago
right. But why is that not the case with CDs? why not buy CDs instead of vinyl ? CDs have cover art, special features, etc.

teh_klev 11y ago

Where's the mention of digital sampling? If the pathway from the pickup on my tonearm through the pre-amp to amp to speakers is totally analogue, such my own setup, I don't care about or involve digital sampling. I can sort of see your point if you're running a turntable with USB output to rip your vinyl. But for most cases that's for folks who have some old vinyl they want to convert without shelling out for a digital copy, we're happy to put up with a small loss of fidelity (which is barely noticeable). There's also times where there is no official digital copy available, or ever will be, I have a few gems in my collection like that.

vasilipupkin 11y ago
I am comparing vinyl records to CDs. CDs are recorded using digital sampling of an analog continuous time signal.
- 7Z7 11y ago
  Or they're fully digital.
  - vasilipupkin 11y ago
    "digital" is equivalent to discrete sampling of a continuous time signal

coldpie 11y ago

In terms of audio quality, you are 100% correct. But for some there's more to listening to music than just listening to music. Going to the shelf and looking over the albums, remembering when you bought each album, who you've played them for, things that were happening while you listened to them. Looking at the cover art or the silly liner art or notes[1]. Noticing markings (or smells...) from previous owners and wondering about them, what they were doing when they bought or listened to the album. Physically placing the album on the turntable and aligning the needle. Listening to the lead-in scratches as you adjust the volume before the music kicks in. Sometimes you get silly lead-out loops[2]. It's just a fun, physical way to listen to music. [1] The liner notes in Andrew Gold's "What's wrong with this picture?" was a recent highlight for me http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=1838376 http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=1838376 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unusual_types_of_gramophone_records#Sound_recorded_in_locked_grooves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unusual_types_of_gramophone_re...

vasilipupkin 11y ago
fascinating. But you could look at cover art and remember when you bought each album with CDs.