Reasons why I prefer CD (especially SACD) to vinyl:
1.) Classic LP records were mastered to fit the RIAA curve, i.e., the bass was de-emphasized so the needle wouldn’t jump out of the grooves and the record could be played on teenyboppers’ cheap record players. Paul McCartney said that the most recent remastering of Abbey Road (on CD) brought back the sound that the Beatles heard in the studio, replacing the less powerful (and less authentic) version used to produce LP records. IIRC, his comments are in the liner notes.
2.) The order of songs of an LP record was dictated by the increasing difficulty of playing the track accurately as the needle approached the center of the record, discussed above. Apparently this overlaps with the problem of keeping the needle in the grooves, i.e., bassy tracks had to be put on the outer portions of the record. This is an artificial limitation on artistic intent. And the music in the middle suffers.
3.) Degradation as LP records are played over time and needles wear out.
4.) Surface noise.
5.) Off-center and not-flat records.
IMO, these considerations outrank jitter and flaws in ADC’s.
Digital technology made the loudness wars possible but the abuse of compression should not be confused with CD technology itself. How the technology is used is a choice that recording artists, engineers, and the record companies make, not always wisely.
1.) Classic LP records were mastered to fit the RIAA curve, i.e., the bass was de-emphasized so the needle wouldn’t jump out of the grooves and the record could be played on teenyboppers’ cheap record players. Paul McCartney said that the most recent remastering of Abbey Road (on CD) brought back the sound that the Beatles heard in the studio, replacing the less powerful (and less authentic) version used to produce LP records. IIRC, his comments are in the liner notes.
2.) The order of songs of an LP record was dictated by the increasing difficulty of playing the track accurately as the needle approached the center of the record, discussed above. Apparently this overlaps with the problem of keeping the needle in the grooves, i.e., bassy tracks had to be put on the outer portions of the record. This is an artificial limitation on artistic intent. And the music in the middle suffers.
3.) Degradation as LP records are played over time and needles wear out.
4.) Surface noise.
5.) Off-center and not-flat records.
IMO, these considerations outrank jitter and flaws in ADC’s.
Digital technology made the loudness wars possible but the abuse of compression should not be confused with CD technology itself. How the technology is used is a choice that recording artists, engineers, and the record companies make, not always wisely.