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CD v.s LP - When comming from the same MASTER

This has probably been discussed to death but after reading a few posts its a little unclear to me still.

Some artists today are releasing albums on LP format as well as CD format. If a C.D and an LP (LP's made today)came from the same MASTER DIGITAL SOURCE at the same release time. Would the LP format always sound better? or because it came from digital, might as well get the C.D?

Whatcha think
agent193f7c5
pabelson
344 posts
 
The LP version would suffer all the degradations and distortions that are inherent in that medium--no stereo bass, limited dynamic range, surface noise, etc. But some of those distortions actually sound good to people, so it's quite possible that the LP will sound better.
zenieth
381 posts
 
There is no comparison in sound quality from an MFSL lp and an MFSL cd. I'm sure the quality of the source being used would make a difference. Vinyl beats digital hands down in my system. Maybe I'm one of those who thinks that the degradations and distortions sound good. Then again I believe vinyl has no equal in sound quality...........
pabelson
344 posts
 
Just to clarify, I was talking about starting from a digital master. A CD should sound exactly identical to that digital master. An LP won't, and the difference is, quite literally, distortion. (And I like the sound of some of those distortions myself.)
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
"A CD should sound exactly identical to that digital master". Incorrect, because nobody masters at redbook level anymore. It's all done with higher sampling rates and greater number of bits, and then it's downsampled (decimated more correctly) for redbook. So the digital master contains much information that is not on the CD.

But for the record (no pun !) I think on similarly priced turntable / CD player the differences would be very subtle unless you had a very expensive system.
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