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CD Got Absolutely Crushed By Vinyl

No comparison, CD always sounds so cold and gritty. Vinyl is so much warmer, smoother and has better imaging and much greater depth of sound. It’s like watching the world go by through a dirty window pane when listening to a CD. Put the same LP on the turntable and Voila! Everything takes on more vibrancy, fullness and texture. 
128x128sleepwalker65
mikelavigne
2,199 posts
 

not all CD playback is created equal, and not all vinyl is created equal.

use of words like 'always' and inferring universal domination by vinyl is not helpful. but I agree with some of the spirit of what you are saying.

at the top of the food chain for both formats vinyl is better, but CD (or 16/44 files) can sound awesome.....even compared to great vinyl. and surpassing the very best digital will cost you dearly in dollars.

OTOH maybe you need to find yourself better digital playback if you are open minded enough to consider it?

prof
3,473 posts
 

Agreed with the comments so far: words like "always" aren’t helpful and I can’t take anyone’s claim seriously with descriptions like "always looking through a dirty window pane."


Though I do think the OP was jesting somewhat as a flame on the other thread.

Both digital and LP can be awesome. I’m crazy about vinyl these days, but my digital source - just ripped CDs and Tidal streamed to a regular old Benchmark DAC - continues to sound fantastic - pristine, clear, beautiful. Admittedly things do get some help in sounding rounded and organic going through my Conrad Johnson tube gear. But in any case I’ve had many great listening experiences with digital in plenty of systems, not just mine.

And besides, there’s no good argument against digital’s better potential accuracy. A good digital needle-drop copy can accurately capture the sound of vinyl more than the reverse.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,911 posts
 
Both
use each to push the other....
but always, always enjoy the music
agrippa
160 posts
 
CD always sounds so cold and gritty
Only if the CD is bad, the player is bad, or both.


bsmg
296 posts
 
There are bad records and bad CD's, and there are examples of both that are quite good. I have always believed that vinyl is superior just because of the way it's made......it's a real time recording of a musical performance whereas CD is is little "chops" of the performance. If you had digital ears, digital recordings would sound superior but our ears are analog. Having said that, I do have discs that sound good and records that sound bad but it's not the format that makes it so, it's the recording engineer.
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