Is vinyl still a "perfect" source?

04-07-07: Elizabeth
LP is just a "nostalgia" medium.
Things were never better than in the 'old days'.

To me, CDs and LPs are analogous to shirts made of no-iron polyester vs. 100% cotton.

The no-iron polyester is more convenient as it doesn't require prep time; you can pull the shirt from the dryer and put it on right away. The cotton shirt requires several minutes of ironing and more meticulous handling to preserve the creases and not re-introduce wrinkles before you put it on.

Polyester wearers are punished for the convenience by having to wear a polyester shirt all day, which can be scratchy, doesn't breathe well with your skin, and seems to soak up and radiate armpit stink more efficiently.

Cotton shirt wearers are rewarded for those few minutes of ironing and handling by getting to wear a soft, comfortable, breathable shirt all day long.

The point of a shirt is to wear it to look and feel good all day. The point of playing recorded media is for enjoyment and to be moved by the performance.

Records take more care, but I am rewarded with an organic, emotionally engaging sound that puts a smile on my face. CDs are more convenient, but the performances engage me only on rare occasions, and many times the digital edginess and bleached sound makes it a relief to turn the stereo down or off.

I listen to music to be moved by it. This is something that LPs do easily and often. It is something that CDs do fitfully and seldom.

many modern issues are put out on vinyl from analog (not digital) mixes

some old analog recordings were digitally remastered and shoul be avoided DMM Blue Note Reissues come to mind (Toshiba Japanese) King Japan are analog

OTOH, the only reason to avoid digitally recorded (not re-mastered) Chesky LP's is to avoid driving up the prices until I can fill out my collection. ;-) The few I have already are superb.

Contrary to what has been posted here, I believe that very, very few of the modern re-issues/recordings are 100% pure analog. The great majority of them, even if all analog until the last nanosecond, are subjected to a digital delay in the final stages of the cutting/mastering process. That is not to say that they are not significantly better than a record which has been subjected to more digital manipulation in the recording chain, but it is certainly why most of the re-issues do not stand up to the originals particularly in terms of dynamics and air (notwithstanding noise and groove damage issues which may be present on the originals and may be another factor in anyone's buying decision).

All that being said, I'd still rather take my chances with vinyl, but I'm not really interested in paying big bucks for new vinyl that has been digitally remastered and/or recorded.

"That is not to say that they are not significantly better than a record which has been subjected to more digital manipulation in the recording chain, but it is certainly why most of the re-issues do not stand up to the originals particularly in terms of dynamics and air (notwithstanding noise and groove damage issues which may be present on the originals and may be another factor in anyone's buying decision).

All that being said, I'd still rather take my chances with vinyl, but I'm not really interested in paying big bucks for new vinyl that has been digitally remastered and/or recorded."

This is absolutely right and I agree wholeheartedly. I will continue to look for original albums over the reissues unless it is impossible to find. Kudos goes to the record companies for at least trying to issue LP's again to those of us who use vinyl as our source, even if their is a slight touch of digititis in the mix.
V/r
Audioquest4life