5 ms·

I for one think CDs will be the new vinyl! (in a few years, when everyone who's been collecting vinyl realises it sounds like rubbish [1][2] and they don't use

I for one think CDs will be the new vinyl! (in a few years, when everyone who's been collecting vinyl realises it sounds like rubbish [1][2] and they don't use it anymore - but still want the physical medium experience) [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0bMI2JB-vY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0bMI2JB-vY [2]: https://www.discogs.com/forum/thread/761231 https://www.discogs.com/forum/thread/761231

taeric 5y ago
Hard to agree that vinyl sounds like rubbish. Though, easy to agree it is no better than cd. I suspect it is a bit of "buy in" with vinyl. Also, the art sleeves are nice.
- jakecopp 5y ago
  > Hard to agree that vinyl sounds like rubbish. Maybe I was too harsh - the warm, compressed sound isn't for me :) > Also, the art sleeves are nice. I do absolutely love the size of vinyl art sleeves - I've noticed some friends effectively buying vinyl to display rather than to listen to.
  - mcormier 5y ago
    Vinyl is going to sound as good as the money you put into it. The needle is important, but so is your phono preamp.
    - NikolaeVarius 5y ago
      Ill take my MP3 and FLAC thank you very much
- mattowen_uk 5y ago
  > Hard to agree that vinyl sounds like rubbish. Well, the recent resurgence of vinyl has had a lot people buying substandard all-in-one-decks from online stores. For vinyl to sound good you need to invest a significant amount of money in equipment.
  - te_chris 5y ago
    Yes for some, but also brands like Rega, Pro-ject et al are selling loads of tables. Hell, Panasonic has revived an entire Technics product line! It's definitely not just Crossley shit.
louhike 5y ago
I wonder if old CD will be looked after. CD are subject to rot (especially the ones before the nineties), so it will be a big risk for people buying them (people often talk about it in the video games community).
- petercooper 5y ago
  I'm not sure how it'll be in decades to come, but so far I've had a lot of luck even with "soiled" CDs from the 90s and error correction seems to make up for a lot. They are far more robust than DVDs, at least, which can generally go in the garbage beyond a certain state.
petercooper 5y ago
During lockdown I "got into" vinyl and then this year back into CDs and.. I'm really enjoying the experience and think you might be right. I managed to get used audiophile gear for pennies on the dollar and through the same gear, CDs sound streets ahead of Spotify on the same tracks (vinyl less so, it's more about the "ceremony"). The thing about CDs is so many were poorly mastered, and while you can pick up CDs super cheap, finding ones that genuinely sound amazing is quite tricky. Rare ones can still go for a lot of money. I have started to collect things that simply aren't on streaming services (common with older original albums of less mainstream artists) and it's harder but more rewarding than I expected (for example, try to get https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazemachi_Roman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazemachi_Roman for less than $30..)
- filmgirlcw 5y ago
  >The thing about CDs is so many were poorly mastered, and while you can pick up CDs super cheap, finding ones that genuinely sound amazing is quite tricky. That's the thing. The mastering (and this can definitely affect more recent vinyl releases too) and the compression and loudness wars really ruined a lot of CDs. I for one, wish SACD had taken off. I never really got that into it (too young to afford stuff but old enough to lust after it at Tower Records and the Virgin Megastore), but the few SACD discs I have are just awesome. The competitor, DVD-A was supposed to be good too, but it didn't really take (I have a few DVD-A discs and I think one way to play them at this point). That said, while I have bee predicting a CD comeback for several years (b/c nostalgia), I think that CDs lack the thing that makes vinyl (and to a much lesser degree, the cassette resurgence (which is often a pure retro/nostalgia play, which as an aging hipster I respect, but as a wannabe-audiophile, I cringe at)) and vinyl collecting special. A record takes work to get to play right. You need to care for the vinyl. You need to store it correctly. Configuring and setting up your turntable is a process -- especially if you want to do it well. And then there is the rarity factor. Because only so many plants exist, there are are both artificial and genuine limits on how many copies of an album exist. And then you get the custom colorways (the number of albums I've purchased multiple times on vinyl for the various colorways is too long to mention), the fact that liner notes and album colors are huge. It's just special. Obviously, they could do this with CDs -- and in the late 90s, we did see some record labels/bands play around with different colors and designs for CD labels, but it still isn't quite the same. There's also something to be said about the statement piece you have by having a really beautiful record player in your house, that you don't get with a CD player. I was a really big MiniDisc person (mostly used it as a pre-iPod MP3 player) and I wish that would have a comeback. That format was so dope and so underrated. And the collectibility factor there would be off the charts, similar to cassette tapes, but with good sound quality and a durable product. Having said all this, I fully expect to see Gen Z carrying around DiscMan players within 18 months.
te_chris 5y ago
I bought a SACD player for classical - the dynamic range on Vinyl is just not enough to really do justice to a good orchestral recording, and I say this as a Vinyl DJ. It's great! I got a Sony SACD player for about €140 off ebay. New classic SACD's are about £13 off Presto, secondhand cds can be dirt cheap - £2 or £3 for good labels (Philips, Decca, DG etc). Wonderful way to build a small library. Vinyl still great for anything modern though. The compression is a feature. That video you linked is wrong about how RIAA equalization works...
tokai 5y ago
Its already here. Check the aesthetics, with CDs & CD mixers, in this music video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo_lPnBlfto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo_lPnBlfto Also see a lot of new releases of 'trendy' music on CD and digitally, but no tape or vinyl.
- jakecopp 5y ago
  > Also see a lot of new releases of 'trendy' music on CD and digitally, but no tape or vinyl. Interesting - which releases are these? I'm having the opposite problem - recordings like Flight Facilities releasing on vinyl but not CD [1]. [1]: https://www.discogs.com/master/1105473-Flight-Facilities-With-The-Melbourne-Symphony-Orchestra-Live-With-The-Melbourne-Symphony-Orchestra https://www.discogs.com/master/1105473-Flight-Facilities-Wit...
  - tokai 5y ago
    This collection of albums for example. https://dismissyourself.bandcamp.com/ https://dismissyourself.bandcamp.com/ Don't think a single on of these are sold as vinyl. They all come as cassette (so much for what I wrote lol), and a bunch on CDs. Narrow electronic music with an 'internet' vibe I guess you could call it.
rubyist5eva 5y ago
Vinyl does not sound like rubbish - when the pressing was down correctly. There are some absolutely horrendous pressings being sold and it sucks, but a lot of the time it also has to do with terrible mixing and mastering and that carries over to the CD version as well. Everything is "optimized" for "decent" sound out of medium quality streaming services on terrible speakers where dynamic range is nearly non-existent and everything is compressed to matchbox quality. The music streaming industry has ruined the experience of listening to and discovery new music. Nothing like going to the record store and getting something out of the vintage bin for a few bucks and bringing that home, sitting there and actually taking the time to listen to the music. Instant streaming optimizes for popcorn listening and not listening to the intricacies of the soundscapes of some music.
laurex 5y ago
As someone who had a collecting habit at one point and has hundreds of records and cds, I can’t see this happening at all. Vinyl records last indefinitely with proper care, whereas my carefully kept cds develop glitches after a while that makes the cd unplayable.

taeric 5y ago

Hard to agree that vinyl sounds like rubbish. Though, easy to agree it is no better than cd. I suspect it is a bit of "buy in" with vinyl. Also, the art sleeves are nice.

jakecopp 5y ago
> Hard to agree that vinyl sounds like rubbish. Maybe I was too harsh - the warm, compressed sound isn't for me :) > Also, the art sleeves are nice. I do absolutely love the size of vinyl art sleeves - I've noticed some friends effectively buying vinyl to display rather than to listen to.
- mcormier 5y ago
  Vinyl is going to sound as good as the money you put into it. The needle is important, but so is your phono preamp.
  - NikolaeVarius 5y ago
    Ill take my MP3 and FLAC thank you very much
mattowen_uk 5y ago
> Hard to agree that vinyl sounds like rubbish. Well, the recent resurgence of vinyl has had a lot people buying substandard all-in-one-decks from online stores. For vinyl to sound good you need to invest a significant amount of money in equipment.
- te_chris 5y ago
  Yes for some, but also brands like Rega, Pro-ject et al are selling loads of tables. Hell, Panasonic has revived an entire Technics product line! It's definitely not just Crossley shit.

louhike 5y ago

I wonder if old CD will be looked after. CD are subject to rot (especially the ones before the nineties), so it will be a big risk for people buying them (people often talk about it in the video games community).

petercooper 5y ago
I'm not sure how it'll be in decades to come, but so far I've had a lot of luck even with "soiled" CDs from the 90s and error correction seems to make up for a lot. They are far more robust than DVDs, at least, which can generally go in the garbage beyond a certain state.

petercooper 5y ago

During lockdown I "got into" vinyl and then this year back into CDs and.. I'm really enjoying the experience and think you might be right. I managed to get used audiophile gear for pennies on the dollar and through the same gear, CDs sound streets ahead of Spotify on the same tracks (vinyl less so, it's more about the "ceremony"). The thing about CDs is so many were poorly mastered, and while you can pick up CDs super cheap, finding ones that genuinely sound amazing is quite tricky. Rare ones can still go for a lot of money. I have started to collect things that simply aren't on streaming services (common with older original albums of less mainstream artists) and it's harder but more rewarding than I expected (for example, try to get https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazemachi_Roman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazemachi_Roman for less than $30..)

filmgirlcw 5y ago
>The thing about CDs is so many were poorly mastered, and while you can pick up CDs super cheap, finding ones that genuinely sound amazing is quite tricky. That's the thing. The mastering (and this can definitely affect more recent vinyl releases too) and the compression and loudness wars really ruined a lot of CDs. I for one, wish SACD had taken off. I never really got that into it (too young to afford stuff but old enough to lust after it at Tower Records and the Virgin Megastore), but the few SACD discs I have are just awesome. The competitor, DVD-A was supposed to be good too, but it didn't really take (I have a few DVD-A discs and I think one way to play them at this point). That said, while I have bee predicting a CD comeback for several years (b/c nostalgia), I think that CDs lack the thing that makes vinyl (and to a much lesser degree, the cassette resurgence (which is often a pure retro/nostalgia play, which as an aging hipster I respect, but as a wannabe-audiophile, I cringe at)) and vinyl collecting special. A record takes work to get to play right. You need to care for the vinyl. You need to store it correctly. Configuring and setting up your turntable is a process -- especially if you want to do it well. And then there is the rarity factor. Because only so many plants exist, there are are both artificial and genuine limits on how many copies of an album exist. And then you get the custom colorways (the number of albums I've purchased multiple times on vinyl for the various colorways is too long to mention), the fact that liner notes and album colors are huge. It's just special. Obviously, they could do this with CDs -- and in the late 90s, we did see some record labels/bands play around with different colors and designs for CD labels, but it still isn't quite the same. There's also something to be said about the statement piece you have by having a really beautiful record player in your house, that you don't get with a CD player. I was a really big MiniDisc person (mostly used it as a pre-iPod MP3 player) and I wish that would have a comeback. That format was so dope and so underrated. And the collectibility factor there would be off the charts, similar to cassette tapes, but with good sound quality and a durable product. Having said all this, I fully expect to see Gen Z carrying around DiscMan players within 18 months.

te_chris 5y ago

I bought a SACD player for classical - the dynamic range on Vinyl is just not enough to really do justice to a good orchestral recording, and I say this as a Vinyl DJ. It's great! I got a Sony SACD player for about €140 off ebay. New classic SACD's are about £13 off Presto, secondhand cds can be dirt cheap - £2 or £3 for good labels (Philips, Decca, DG etc). Wonderful way to build a small library. Vinyl still great for anything modern though. The compression is a feature. That video you linked is wrong about how RIAA equalization works...

tokai 5y ago

Its already here. Check the aesthetics, with CDs & CD mixers, in this music video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo_lPnBlfto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo_lPnBlfto Also see a lot of new releases of 'trendy' music on CD and digitally, but no tape or vinyl.

jakecopp 5y ago
> Also see a lot of new releases of 'trendy' music on CD and digitally, but no tape or vinyl. Interesting - which releases are these? I'm having the opposite problem - recordings like Flight Facilities releasing on vinyl but not CD [1]. [1]: https://www.discogs.com/master/1105473-Flight-Facilities-With-The-Melbourne-Symphony-Orchestra-Live-With-The-Melbourne-Symphony-Orchestra https://www.discogs.com/master/1105473-Flight-Facilities-Wit...
- tokai 5y ago
  This collection of albums for example. https://dismissyourself.bandcamp.com/ https://dismissyourself.bandcamp.com/ Don't think a single on of these are sold as vinyl. They all come as cassette (so much for what I wrote lol), and a bunch on CDs. Narrow electronic music with an 'internet' vibe I guess you could call it.

rubyist5eva 5y ago

Vinyl does not sound like rubbish - when the pressing was down correctly. There are some absolutely horrendous pressings being sold and it sucks, but a lot of the time it also has to do with terrible mixing and mastering and that carries over to the CD version as well. Everything is "optimized" for "decent" sound out of medium quality streaming services on terrible speakers where dynamic range is nearly non-existent and everything is compressed to matchbox quality. The music streaming industry has ruined the experience of listening to and discovery new music. Nothing like going to the record store and getting something out of the vintage bin for a few bucks and bringing that home, sitting there and actually taking the time to listen to the music. Instant streaming optimizes for popcorn listening and not listening to the intricacies of the soundscapes of some music.

laurex 5y ago

As someone who had a collecting habit at one point and has hundreds of records and cds, I can’t see this happening at all. Vinyl records last indefinitely with proper care, whereas my carefully kept cds develop glitches after a while that makes the cd unplayable.