vinyl vs. cd

[Skywarp! 0]

Well, it does seem like more of an effort when it's on a cassette--after all, they had to create the tape in real time it takes to listen to it (or in sped up dub, if you have it), so it feels like the maker is more connected to the final product. For a CD, you can just drag and drop tracks so quickly and haphazardly that making the CD could take 1/20th of the time spent actually listening to it, and hence, have less forethought and sentiment poured into it. But other than that, mix CDs are just better to have.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I dunno. I put thought into it when I do it on CD.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

I can see respecting a mix tape more than respecting a mix CD, since if your tracklisting for the mix CD is on your computer and you can just listen to the songs from the comfort of your favorite desk chair and see if the order is right, but on a mix tape you need to put it on the tape and then see if it flows as good as it can, or listen to all of the songs off of the different records/albums individually in different orders to get the best feel.

 

That said, I'm with a few others here in saying fuck tape. I've made mix tapes, and I've made mix CDs, and the lack of time it takes to make a mix CD has allowed me to make it flow better than a mix tape could. Plus, I enjoy knowing exactly how much time I have left on a disc than just guessing how much time I have left on one side of the tape.

[Art Sandusky 0]

I like CDs better for all the reasons people here have stated they like vinyl better. I don't need or have that kind of depth and dedication. I'm all for more practical musical mediums as they come out. If it's good, it'll sound good no matter what (assuming optimum condition of the medium).

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I don't like cassettes due to the fact that they were never designed to really be a hi-fi medium. They were designed as a convenient, portable, alternative to vinyl. They just don't sound as good as vinyl or CD, simply put. If you like making mix tapes, more power to you. It's just something I've never gotten into.

 

I'm something of an audiophile. I have a decent stereo set up right here in my office, with a pair of Paradigm bookshelf speakers, and a 1970s Pioneer stereo receiver and Pioneer turntable. I think on a bad stereo, vinyl sounds awful. But with at least a decent pair of bookshelf speakers, a decent turntable with a good cartidge, and a good amp/receiver, vinyl can sound really good. That said, I still listen to CDs more, simply because I own a whole heck of a lot more CDs than records, and they are more convenient. Plus I do have a really good CD player (an NAD component one).

 

The reality is, we live in the MP3 age. Music is basically disposable background noise. Sure, we enjoy it. It's nice to take your iPod or whatever and go for a walk, listening to songs on "shuffle." But it's not the same as sitting down and really listening to a record, which is what you have to do to enjoy vinyl.

Edited December 17, 2005 by Invader3k

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

but listening to a modern band on vinyl is the original experience. naturally most of the copies will be on the cd format, the aforementioned anolog aspect demonstrates that any album on vinyl is the original experience - and the closest that the listener will get to what the artist/group is attempting to accomplish.

A great deal of music released these days is recorded digitally—save for the punk/hardcore bands Corey mentioned as well as the occasional indie act—so listening to a vinyl-pressed copy of a new release is actually a step down in terms of sound quality.

 

As for the debate at hand, I've little new to add. I prefer cds; I'd listen to more wax, which I like just fine, except I don't have a good set-up for my turntable. And I have a really good record player, too. I just never got around to dropping the cash on a quality receiver.

[Nighthawk 0]

People who insist on vinyl irritate me like people who won't eat food unless it's organic, but in your cases I'll make an exception.

[Steviekick 0]

Usually I'm all for the CD, but I really do like listening to stuff like original Misfits, Black Flag, Ramones, and Bad Brains on vynil.

[The Czech Republic 0]

People who insist on vinyl irritate me like people who won't eat food unless it's organic, but in your cases I'll make an exception.

in the case of vegans who like hardcore, they are the same

[Matt Young 0]

I much prefer CDs overall, but there is a certain coolness factor to vinyl, and to owning records in their original format.

 

Then again, the only records I own are Black Sabbath's Sabotage along with all 6 of The Doors' studio albums which I won in an eBay auction a few years ago.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Most of my vinyl is jazz stuff that I've picked up at used record stores. By the way for those in greater Chicago, I highly recommend Remember When Records, located on Ogden Ave., in Westmont.

[Annabelle 0]

i bought fleetwood mac's tusk lp for 4 bucks when at a store it would be $15. thats great.