Of course analog will be the baseline and reference, as it came before digital. Chronological priority does not, however, mean "better." Accidents of history don’t ever determine quality.
What sounds better, more "real," more natural, lifelike, whatever: an audiophile pressing of "A Whisper of Love" by Ayako Hosokawa on vinyl from Impex, or the 24k gold cd of the same? Three Blind Mice recordings are fabulous, and this is one which I own in both formats. A friend and I listened to both formats back to back one evening. Now, I’ve been digital since the late ’80’s, and have only recently come back to vinyl. Lots of nostalgia, and a great love of what someone here rightly called the liturgy of record-playing. I now romanticize vinyl and its rituals, and am willing to pay the absurd amounts that MoFi, Analogue Productions, etc. ask for their pressings. They sound great, of course, and it’s a special occasion to cue up these records.
My friend, he’s not so easily impressed. No romanticism with him, no vested interest in the vinyl revival or any debate on A-gon. While I heard the vinyl as "better," he heard the cd as such. My cd rig (transport and good DAC) is a little pricier than my TT and stage, but there was more going on than only sonics. He’s got a pretty good ear, and calls ’em like he hears ’em. I’ve only been listening through decent equipment for the last year or so, but know that I often hear exactly what I want to hear. In this case, I wanted the vinyl to sound better.
Who knows if it did? Some of the folks here might insist it must have, that, since vinyl has a magical quality that nothing else does, only an inferior TT prevented the record from shining in its greater glory. And they patronize those who like digital as if they’re children who just don’t know better, shuffling around the house listening to their lil’ iPods. Please.
I dig vinyl. I dig cd’s. I dig streaming, sometimes. Because I dig music. Not "audio," but music. What sounds better to anyone else’s ears seems irrelevant when enjoying what’s playing.
What sounds better, more "real," more natural, lifelike, whatever: an audiophile pressing of "A Whisper of Love" by Ayako Hosokawa on vinyl from Impex, or the 24k gold cd of the same? Three Blind Mice recordings are fabulous, and this is one which I own in both formats. A friend and I listened to both formats back to back one evening. Now, I’ve been digital since the late ’80’s, and have only recently come back to vinyl. Lots of nostalgia, and a great love of what someone here rightly called the liturgy of record-playing. I now romanticize vinyl and its rituals, and am willing to pay the absurd amounts that MoFi, Analogue Productions, etc. ask for their pressings. They sound great, of course, and it’s a special occasion to cue up these records.
My friend, he’s not so easily impressed. No romanticism with him, no vested interest in the vinyl revival or any debate on A-gon. While I heard the vinyl as "better," he heard the cd as such. My cd rig (transport and good DAC) is a little pricier than my TT and stage, but there was more going on than only sonics. He’s got a pretty good ear, and calls ’em like he hears ’em. I’ve only been listening through decent equipment for the last year or so, but know that I often hear exactly what I want to hear. In this case, I wanted the vinyl to sound better.
Who knows if it did? Some of the folks here might insist it must have, that, since vinyl has a magical quality that nothing else does, only an inferior TT prevented the record from shining in its greater glory. And they patronize those who like digital as if they’re children who just don’t know better, shuffling around the house listening to their lil’ iPods. Please.
I dig vinyl. I dig cd’s. I dig streaming, sometimes. Because I dig music. Not "audio," but music. What sounds better to anyone else’s ears seems irrelevant when enjoying what’s playing.
