2. music
  3. 139330-119772

What albums, in your opinion, sound unquestionably better on Vinyl rather than Digital?

So this is not an effort to start a medium-war thread, rather in my view some records just seem to be mastered better on the vinyl record version than the digital version. Three that spring to mind from my record collection:

  • Henri Texier - Varech
  • Tom Misch - Geography
  • JLin - Black Origami (this very surprisingly to me)


I know everyone’s system is different, everyone’s ears are different and everyone’s tastes are different, but for the purposes of this discussion let us assume that YOU are the final arbiter of objective reality!
corvaldt
kefas
100 posts
 
I have this on Vinyl and as a DXD flac file.
TETTERO Plays Eddie Harris & Les McCann
Vinyl
https://tettero.bandcamp.com/album/tettero-plays-eddie-harris-les-mccannhttp://
DXD
https://www.soundliaison.com/index.php/studio-showcase-series/371-tettero-plays-eddie-harris-les-mccann
Both sounds great. the Vinyl is warm but also a bit more dry.
The DXD is more spacious.
I bought the vinyl because I have a feeling it might be a collectors item in a few years....anyhow great album. Highly recommended.
tooblue
1,924 posts
 
@inna , +1, you are absolutely right.
amg56's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
amg56
887 posts
 

It is interesting that if a vinyl and a CD (or higher) are made from the original source, the analogue vinyl wins in sound.

Vinyl, is mechanical, there is an underlying hiss and the pops as the needle tortures its way through the grooves.

Digital is the same representation of the original source but is just the pure music. Unadulterated, non mechanical.

Yet so many people like analogue vinyl. I have a Pioneer BDP-52 and a Nakamichi CD player and both sound mellow and warm. Could it be that todays CD (and up) players just don't have the electronics to made them sound good?

(I also have 5 TT's inc a Nak, MS, Kuzma etc.) All sound beautiful with the right setup. But so do my CDs.

corvaldt OP
9 posts
 
Some more great things to check out! I confess I have always been slightly wary when people say ‘vinyl is always better’ because 1) I have not always found that to be the case and 2) there are restrictions to the medium that don’t apply in the digital sphere: for example back in the day the equivalent of mastering for apple earbuds was mastering for scratched-to-all-hades records played on a record player worth tuppence ha’penny. Generally (so I read) this meant not getting too excited about the bass so the needle did not have too hard a job tracking properly - with this becoming a greater concern towards the end of each side.


However there are some well articulated views to the contrary put forward here by people obviously more knowledgeable than I, do perhaps I must change my view!
inna
7,296 posts
 
Forgot to mention El Camaron/Paco de Lucia analog recordings. They are not good, some pretty bad. Original Spanish cds were very well done.
More to discover