This next post will in no way settle the argument (debate ) vinyl or Cd and its not meant to, Ive stated in posts elsewhere on fb, myspace, Google+ etc I do in fact prefer vinyl! but its my fu#kin vinyl and I will not Dj with it. (It wears ) this is just information. Analog (Vinyl) vs Digital Audio (CD, FLAC) Sound Quality Comparison By every measure, digital audio is superior to analog. Even the standard redbook CD (44kHz, 16 bit resolution) has about a 26dB advantage to vinyl with respect to dynamic range, and at least a 40-50 dB advantage in stereo separation as well as unmeasurable wow and flutter. A digital recording doesnt degrade overtime like a record does when played too many times. I can go on, but you get the point. On paper, digital audio is superior. However, if Ive learned anything over the years of running this website is there is often quite a difference between theory and reality. Most technical people, especially electrical engineers, can suffer from what I call CMS (Closed Minded Syndrome), relying solely on hard data and facts to draw a conclusion before testing the reality of the situation to determine correlation. Admittedly I am often guilty of the CMS effect myself, but my engineering mind has opened up quite a bit over the years. While I used to measure first and listen after, I now do the opposite. I dont want my objective data to bias my sonic perceptions of a product. Ive found this approach much more useful to gauge my true enjoyment of a product I have under review. I use measurements as a tool to troubleshoot potential design flaws, not necessarily to declare product superiority. Ive even written an article on Why We Measure Audio Component Performance that discusses this very topic in greater detail. This comparison will likely not satisfy the few forum trolls that insist on using a strict Double Blind Test (DBT) protocol that most people, let alone manufacturers NEVER adhered to What was Learned from this Experience? That more testing is needed! More food, more drink, more listening, more friends. Everyone really enjoyed the experience. Isnt that what its all about ? It was very clear to me that Vinyl is still a very viable format and I understand why so many audiophiles flock to it. It appears that more care is often taken when mastering music on Vinyl to avoid excessive compression and damage to the stylus. The Achilles heel of the format in this case is actually an advantage. Its truly sad how much abuse has been done in the digital era of music. Here we are with virtually limitless dynamic range for digital media, but recordings are being squashed down to oblivion, often making their technically inferior analog counterparts sonically superior. Ive written about the Dumbing Down of Audio in the past that discusses these points in finer detail for anyone interested in reading. * 410 albums compared * 59 albums were better on vinyl, which is equivalent to 14.39 %. * 128 albums were a matter of taste; or each media had its strengths and weaknesses; or they were practically identical (and then it would be arbitrary which media you would choose). This is equivalent to 31.21 %. * 223 albums were better on CD, which is equivalent to 54.39 %. In the meantime, dont limit yourself to just one playback medium. Open your horizons and your mind to multiple media (ie. Vinyl, CD, streaming from a HDD, SACD, DVD-A, Blu-ray, and mp3s mp4. Search out the best sounding transfer of your favourite recordings across multiple platforms and above all else enjoy your music.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 09:47:34 +0000
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