Do Vinyl Records Sound Better ?

[UBERTRON777]

Do vinyl records sound better than their digital counterparts? I want to know because I'm considering investing in a turntable and beginning a vinyl collection. I know that it has more benefits from a collector's standpoint as records are easier to show off than say an external hard drive full of music. I'm not too worried about the security of the records either because then actually owning the record would make downloading it for free legal right? I'm not sure about that but who is gonna take me to court for that anyway?

[racketboy]

They are said to have a richer sound.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question487.htm

[J T]

A lot of people say there is a certain "warmth" to the sound of vinyl, and some feel nostalgic having a little pop and hiss from needle on vinyl.

I like records, but I still prefer digital music. I like the crisp and clean sound, but it's too clinical for others.

It's kind of a matter of opinion as to how it hits your ears. If you go to any clubs you can often tell when a DJ is using vinyl, CD, or MP3s. See if you can tell the difference and if you have a preference.

[Luke]

Do vinyl records sound better than their digital counterparts? I want to know because I'm considering investing in a turntable and beginning a vinyl collection. I know that it has more benefits from a collector's standpoint as records are easier to show off than say an external hard drive full of music. I'm not too worried about the security of the records either because then actually owning the record would make downloading it for free legal right? I'm not sure about that but who is gonna take me to court for that anyway?

This is all a matter of preference. I don't play NES roms because the games loses all of its authenticity and nostalgia. Similar with records, I wouldn't want to hear a digital copy of Led Zepplin's Moby Dick if I had my druthers.

It also depends on the record player you get. If you aren't going for a cabinet model, I'd suggest a Technics.

[Ziggy]

YES! They do! Unless they're worn out, of course.

If you have the sound system to notice, than you will.

[UBERTRON777]

The thing that bothers me most is the cost. I have no real knowledge about turntables or sound systems. What would be a good set up that's at a low price?

[Original_Name]

I can really only tell you that Veni Vidi Vicious by The Hives sounds about eight times better on vinyl than it does on any digital medium. That's really all I know from personal experience.

[Hatta]

Digital audio is most accurate. The physical characteristics of the vinyl and record player will color the audio some. Some think that sounds better, I prefer accuracy. It's a matter of opinion.

The only way to really know what you like best is to do a blind listening test. The trick with audio is that it's extremely subjective, believing that something will sound better makes it sound better to you.

[FreshChurros]

Unless it is hella worn out, I actually do like the sound better.

[Hatta]

Oh heh, I just read Racketboy's link, and I have to correct some misconceptions there.

This means that, by definition, a digital recording is not capturing the complete sound wave. It is approximating it with a series of steps. Some sounds that have very quick transitions, such as a drum beat or a trumpet's tone, will be distorted because they change too quickly for the sample rate.

Nyquist's theorem states that the minimum sampling rate needed to reproduce a waveform is twice the frequency that you are trying to reproduce. Since CDs are sampled at 44.1kHz, they are sufficient to reproduce anything up to 22.05 kHz. The human ear can only hear up to 16kHz, so the sampling rate of CD audio is sufficient to reproduce any frequencies you can hear.

One place where digital audio does lack, is in the dynamic range. If you listen to classical music you know that some pieces will be very quiet in some spots, and very loud in others. That's the dynamic range, and 16 bits is a little tight for classical. If you listen to classical on CD it's typically been compressed, so that the quiet bits are a little louder, and the loud bits are a little quieter, so the whole piece can fit into the 16 bits available. Vinyl is actually better in this respect.

Pop music doesn't typically use so much of the dynamic range, and if it does the studio probably compressed it to shit anyway. This is part of the loudness war. Often it doesn't matter what media you get a recording on, but how good the mastering is.