Does Vinyl Sound Better? CDs and Downloads Compared by an Audio Engineer
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- čas přidán 4. 04. 2024
- The age-old debate between audiophiles: does vinyl sound "better" than CDs or high-resolution downloads? Today, we're exploring why vinyl sounds different, although perhaps not "better" for all.
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Hi. I think the DnR of a vinyl LP is 55db-65db not 50db. What is most often over looked with this is that most music by and far is well accommodated within this range but Im glad that you voiced the compression problem with CD (which to me anyways) is a crime and causes as you also said listener fatigue. What I've never understood about "brick walling?" is why the artists comply. Imagine if fine arts painters had been told to "paint everything red it will sell more", what a f*k-up that woulda been. A red Mona lisa. A red Starry Night. Musicians should take more pride in what they create.
Theoretically, yes, that would be the dynamic range in an ideal environment. However, you’ll find that is impacted by the grounding, motor noise, bearing friction, and cartridge surface noise (which varies by calibration) and a whole host of issues. What I gave here is a measurement from the system I have, and reflects a more real world number for many folks systems.
It’s mostly the labels who demand louder masters; the artists often back off when fans ask for better: even Metallica has learned louder isn’t always an improvement.
it depends on the mastering and your system but on the whole i think vinyl sounds more organic.
It’s mostly a factor of the requirement for less compression, as I mentioned.
You can test this theory by getting access studio tapes from the 60s-80s; those were the source for many vinyl LPs, and still sound great when converted to high resolution digital without remastering. In fact, many recordings that weren’t “remastered” still sound better to my ear, regardless of format, due to the higher dynamic range index.
Thanks for watching!
The quick answer to the question you used in the thumbnail headline "is vinyl better than digital" is NO.... We can now move on with life.
Maybe not technically, but there are merits as you seem to have picked up from the video. Thanks for watching!
If vinyl sounded better, the music industry would use it as a master source for digital files, not vice versa.
Is anyone making the argument tape sounds better than other formats? It was the source for many years…
Not that I suggested it did sound better. Just different.
Nope. Never.
Everyone’s got their preference, but it doesn’t contain more total dynamic range. That’s a fact.