Lately, I've started buying up all sorts of classic vinyl. And really, I think it sounds a lot better than CDs in lot of cases. Right now, I'm listening to Pink Floyd's The Wall and "Another Brick" is totally awesome. "Empty Spaces" was pretty cool too. Can't wait for "Don't Leave Me Now" and "Hey You."

I also picked up Zeppelin IV today, too. THAT is gonna rock on the turntable.

Records sound great, unitl they wear out.

They rock. Even when scratched and worn out, haha.

I still prefer my old 'Empire Strikes Back' record to the CD. The Imperial March just doesn't sound the same without all the pops and ticks!

I love how you can get some material only on vinyl. I have an awesome Shellac 7" that never got released on CD. And it's their best record, i.m.o.

They sound better because:

1. The quality of the mastering was better on vinyl and they messed it up on CD (quite common in the early 80s).
2. Your turntable is hooked up to better equipment.
3. You're imagining it.

CD is a better medium, period. That said, vinyl is still cool. But I just don't like the myth the vinyl is better to perpetuate.

Any CD by MFSL is basically like, the pinnacle of audio engineering and mastering. The Pink Floyd MSFL recordings are amazing, they're made from the original master tapes. Far less data loss than vinyl alternatives.

I've got a few LPs lying around...I bought up a few Bruce Springsteen ones a few years back because they were dirt cheap and in absolute prestine condition. The treble rolloff sucks, but then a lot of Springsteen's early work which was converted to CD has too MUCH treble. Ugh.

I hum. It sounds awesome.

-Much better than Vinyl.

Old "Beatles" vinyls are great.

All my old vinyls are gone!
I used to have the original Star Wars (on two records no less!), Queen's Flash Gordon soundtrack (hehehehe), Michael Jackson's Thriller, Sgt. Peppers, ahhhhhhh all gone!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I've got like two or three copies of Star Wars. I've got Flash Gordon too--dang that's a sweet soundtrack. I know Highlander's prolly a better movie, but I think Flash has more of the Queen-sound.

I just listened to the Zeppelin IV I bought today. IV for $4. It's nearly perfect. I'm listening to Raiders of the Lost Ark now that I just bought a week or two ago and I like it better than the expanded CD too.

Hah! I love the Flash Gordan soundtrack. I have the vinyl for it and some really great christian bands like the Resurrection Band. I recorded that one on the computer, and listen to it quite frequently. But, alas, CD has better quality.

I have thriller on Vinyl.

And the A-ha album with Take On Me.

Taaaaaake Onnnn Meeee...

Yep. The audio on CDs tends to be compressed to all hell, especially on anything to come out mid-90s and later. I have just a handful of CDs which are well mastered (old Bob Marley, ELO), the rest have absolutely zero dynamic range.

Vinyl isn't 'better' from an audio geek standpoint, but I'd wager that most people would prefer the sound of a brand new well mixed vinyl to a CD of similar mixing quality. I don't know that people could neccesarily tell you which is which, but I think theres something that D/A converters can't get. Nothing that really makes vinyl better, but it's more fun to listen to on my end. Also, because vinyl has a limited dynamic range before the needle pops out of the cut, I seems to me that theres a bit of natural comrpession that introduces pleasing distortion, even on top of studio compression. Better than those records that are compressed into a solid block of sound with no dynamic range.

I suppose if your hardware is of lower quality. But you can get MUCH better sound from modern, cheap digital equipment than from modern, cheap vinyl equipment. Also, why would you want more compression on top of the already flat range of modern CDs? Most modern CDs are horribly mastered...American music especially.

I have Bill Cosby on vinyl thank you very much.

Yeah, taking into account the hardware the pressing was done on I guess. And I wouldn't want more compression on top of the badly mastered CDs. I like a bit of warmth on my well mastered ones.

Kind of like how I don't mind most solid state amps or "modeled tube distortion", but for some kinds of playing, I seriously prefer hot tube distortion. Not a totally quanitfiable difference, but music itself isn't exactly quantifiable in all areas, and most of the stuff used to make it isn't either.

Yep. I did a thread over this very topic some time ago in the music forum.

The problem with most American mainstream artists is that they want their songs to sound like they do on the radio because of marketers who try to sell product. CDs end up being recorded "hot" because the public has been hammered into believing radio is the epitomy of sound.

Here's a great article on the topic: http://www.cdmasteringservices.com/dynamicrange.htm

There are, of course, a few exceptions. Atomic Opera being one of those. Alpha and Oranges is one of my favorite albums, mostly because I really like the music, but also partly because I think it sounds good.

[edit]This was in response to Emon's post.

I had a really cool article on how CDs being mixed at a "constant" level results in listening fatigue, and can turn people off to music.

But yeah, I think people forget that Radio stations run everything through their own compressors, and tell the mixing/mastering engineer to "Make it louder than everyone else". Never got that. Maybe on like, singles, that might get to radio stations, but it ruins an album for me.

I listen to vinyl a lot, but only because my parents have a ****-ton of them, and most of it is really good music.

My turntable broke a few weeks back.

Stupid early 80s craftsmanship.

How much is a new cheap turntable?

What Spook said. My stance exactly.

Tube Amps ftw. It just sounds better to me. Same for a lot of vinyl.

About $100, I think. Maybe a little less.

$75-$100 shipped, on eBay. I'm looking through them right now.

I think a big appeal of vinyl is that it takes a little more EFFORT to enjoy your music, and it's easier to see the relation between the medium of recording and the sound you're getting.

I've been buying a lot of cassette tapes for my car.

i can understand wanting tubes for a stingy blues distortion on the neck single coil.

but for a personal audio system, please. that's pushing it.

Yeah, tubes are great for tone and instruments, but for reproduction, nothing beats solid state.

Definitely. Tubes in consumer audio gear is for novelty only. Faithful reproduction comes from solid-state only.

It's not even that tubes are bad. They just get you a lot less performance for the money...also they need to be replaced occasionally, and you have other crap like thermal drift to worry about. It's a total pain.

Whatever the sound quality, you have to admit that vinyl's more fun.