Do Vinyl Records Sound Better ?

[Ziggy]

Yeah, my mom's old Led Zep, Halen, Queen, etc albums are pretty worn but it adds to the experience.

believing that something will sound better makes it sound better to you.

I agree with this 100%, and the "it's in your head" scenario applies to lots of things. But I noticed my brand new vinyls sounding better than my CD counterparts, on the same sound system, before I ever read or heard about vinyls supposedly sounding better. Mind you, these are CDs that I've listened to MANY times on my stereo, I know what they sound like, and I noticed a difference when I first played the vinyls.

[Octopod]

I dont think it matters what format you choose unless you have a really high end system. Records do not sound good on a $99 stereo from Target.


Edit: Not that I know what you have I just felt that should be pointed out.

[hiphophead34]

Vinyl will always be king. But it has alot of variables like needles, turntable, amp and speakers. Besides digital will always only be a "sample" of the true analog wave form. And don't get me started on mp3's. They cut out so much richness and low level sounds they are just ridiculous, although they have been getting better. Digital as a format has its obstacles as well such as wordclocks and the A/D converters used. Both have their pros and cons but at the end of the day nothing sounds as rich as vinyl.

[Ziggy]

Does any one know a good turntable to get? I've been wanting to get one for years now, ever since my last one broke. I know Sony still makes models...



And I see Audio Technica on there as well.

This thread makes me want to buy it impulsively, I have to control myself.

[grittykitty]

do records sound better? short answer: yes.

i'll try to explain and avoid using terms i myself don't even understand - a great deal of music up until probably the mid 90's was recorded on analog equipment. and even before the late 80's, most of it was mastered on analog equipment with the intention of releasing it ON VINYL. when it was released on cd, the volume was generally left very low to avoid compressing what was sometimes a single high wavelength on the whole album, which results in the overall volume of the whole album being very low. if you're into punk music, SST records is a prime example that's easy to see since most of their back catalog has never been remastered for release on CD - if you buy black flag's "damaged" album on CD today, it's the same sound as when it was first released on CD - never remastered to take advantage of the format. i believe on that whole album, only one drum beat reaches the peak point, which offsets the overall volume of the whole album, if that makes any sense.

sometimes, CD versions are remixed - certain parts of songs are changed or even re-recorded. most of frank zappa's music is subject to this. in most instances, the records have the original mix that was released publicly. compare CD and vinyl rips of zappa's "hot rats" album, or even iggy and the stooges "raw power". the latter was horribly remastered for CD by iggy pop himself, but it was ridiculously distorted and compressed and lost any dynamics the songs had.

also, because of the limitations of vinyl, more care has to be taken when the record is mastered. not doing this can cause the record to skip! a good, but obscure example of better mastering is the japanese band ging nang boyz - all of their releases were recorded digitally with CD release in mind, but was later remastered for vinyl release - the vinyl is much more listenable.

what set up should you get to listen to records? - old stuff

since vinyl got popular again in the last 2 years, manufacturers are starting to jump on the bandwagon and produce worthless and cheap turntables. most of these are belt drive turntables, which basically have a rubber band connected to a motor to spin the platter of the turntable. i recommend you get a direct drive turntable, and a model from the late 70's up until the early 90's. my pioneer model has worked great for the last 3 years i've had it. technics seems to be the general consensus for someone starting out.

i would also recommend a slightly older receiver from the same era. most of these have a phono input, so you don't need to buy a separate preamp. without a phono input on the receiver or a preamp, you won't be able to hear the record player. you shouldn't have a problem finding a decent one on craigslist or possibly a pawn shop.

record collection can be fun, but remember to enjoy the music first of all! if you get too caught up in amassing a collection, you may wind up with buyer's remorse and way too much stuff to carry if you move a lot.


hope my rambling was helpful!

[Ziggy]

I really wanna get Incubus' A Crow Left of the Murder or the Pepper's Blood Sugar Sex Magik, but I can never find them for a reasonable price.

edit: Wow, this is new...



a greatest hits on two records? Pretty cool. I love that vinyls are popping up again.

[Octopod]

One of these days I'm going to actively seek out one of these set ups. RCA Dimensia...

[grittykitty]

One of these I'm going to actively seek out one of these set ups. RCA Dimensia...

then all the women with big, feathered hair will suddenly flock to you. yes.

[UBERTRON777]

Thank you for all of the information. I'll see about getting a good set up.

[UBERTRON777]

Good news! I was looking through my brother's old room and I was able to find a technics turntable with sound system. I'm not sure if the turntable works since I can't test it right now but I am trying to test out the sound system. I hope this works because I am very excited to start my collection.
Awesome, the system works. I'll see about getting a needle soon.