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CD Better than Records?

I feel that they are different, one is not worse or better than the other at a given price point. Many others will have a different view, thinking one is better than the other and I suppose some will agree with me. The important thing is whether you are enjoying the music on your system. If you are, then carry on enjoying it, as they say, if it works do more of it. If like me, you enjoy having both, then have both if wish to make the investment.
 
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Octavian said:
Quite a few pre 1984 vinyl lps have been cut using digital delay lines. Also it was not an uncommon practice to use digital U-matic tape copies of analog master tapes when cutting the lacquers.
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From the late 70s early 80s I understand. My only experience was working with the analogue video umatic format in the 80s. I think Pelican West , Haircut 100 in 81/2 was digitally recorded.
 
A week ago I listened some LPs then some LP-ripped CDs; I realized that a really good digital frontend (it was a CDP) can copy the 'LP sound' very well here; the difference was so small that I would be confused to find out which is which on a blind test.
Absolutely 'LP feeling'.

LP sound on CD.
A perfect mixed/confused format.:)
 
chord said:
A week ago I listened some LPs then some LP-ripped CDs; I realized that a really good digital frontend (it was a CDP) can copy the 'LP sound' very well here; the difference was so small that I would be confused to find out which is which on a blind test.
Absolutely 'LP feeling'.

LP sound on CD.
A perfect mixed/confused format.:)
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I once ripped a vinyl copy of Tchaik 4/Mavrinsky, Leningrad PO via a Pioneer CD recorder and found that the result on a CD-R sounded better than a retail CD version.
 
Tony L said:
I’m still pro-vinyl. Far more so of late now so many artists are selling beautiful limited edition stuff direct from Bandcamp etc. It provides them with the by far the best profit margin for their art and very often presents an increasing investment for the buyer. I’ve landed many of my rarest and most interesting records in the past two or three years. Some in truly beautiful hand-made sleeves etc, many signed, most in editions of 500 or less. Streaming etc seems so dull to me, one step removed from just asking Alexa or Siri to play something. Just so disconnected, artless and corporate.

PS I enjoy collecting CDs too, but that is more a used-market thing where I hunt nice early Japanese and West German issues.
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I'm sceptical that acts can make very much with 500 or less limited vinyl releases. Set up costs are high and there's no economy of scale. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong, of course.
 
kensalriser said:
I'm sceptical that acts can make very much with 500 or less limited vinyl releases. Set up costs are high and there's no economy of scale. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong, of course.
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It is usually a subset of a larger pressing, e.g. they get the first 250-500 of a given pressing done in a different colour, or number & sign them and then sell direct via Bandcamp, the rest going out via indie record shops etc. Some releases have a simply bewildering array of limited edition options e.g. the recent Yard Act album (mine is the signed red/black vinyl copy).

Other stuff really is astonishingly bespoke/hand made e.g. this Andy Hay album with its hand painted sleeve, the three Utopia Strong live albums (signed & numbered 250 issues with hand screen-printed sleeves), this Korb split lathe-cut 10” edition of 75. I have them all and many similar items. Wonderful music and often superb long-term investments. What’s not to like?
 
Tony L said:
It is usually a subset of a larger pressing, e.g. they get the first 250-500 of a given pressing done in a different colour, or number & sign them and then sell direct via Bandcamp, the rest going out via indie record shops etc. Some releases have a simply bewildering array of limited edition options e.g. the recent Yard Act album (mine is the signed red/black vinyl copy).

Other stuff really is astonishingly bespoke/hand made e.g. this Andy Hay album with its hand painted sleeve, the three Utopia Strong live albums (signed & numbered 250 issues with hand screen-printed sleeves), this Korb split lathe-cut 10” edition of 75. I have them all and many similar items. Wonderful music and often superb long-term investments. What’s not to like?
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Fascinating. I guess we're beyond simple audio format and into collectable art here.
 
kensalriser said:
Fascinating. I guess we're beyond simple audio format and into collectable art here.
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Yes, definitely. I’ve always viewed it like this from when as an early teenager the penny dropped reissues were often totally different to original issues and usually missed key parts of the package (gatefold sleeves, posters, printed inner sleeves etc). From that point I started collecting. I later realised just how much better 1st pressings tended to sound which only focused my mind to buy right. The bespoke art stuff adds a whole new level to it which I love.
 
Tony L said:
It is usually a subset of a larger pressing, e.g. they get the first 250-500 of a given pressing done in a different colour, or number & sign them and then sell direct via Bandcamp, the rest going out via indie record shops etc. Some releases have a simply bewildering array of limited edition options e.g. the recent Yard Act album (mine is the signed red/black vinyl copy).

Other stuff really is astonishingly bespoke/hand made e.g. this Andy Hay album with its hand painted sleeve, the three Utopia Strong live albums (signed & numbered 250 issues with hand screen-printed sleeves), this Korb split lathe-cut 10” edition of 75. I have them all and many similar items. Wonderful music and often superb long-term investments. What’s not to like?
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I also suspect that so long as the vinyl release breaks even it's worth doing to 1) have a permanent physical artefact representing the music and 2) create hype/exposure that helps sell Bandcamp downloads.
 
paulfromcamden said:
I also suspect that so long as the vinyl release breaks even it's worth doing to 1) have a permanent physical artefact representing the music and 2) create hype/exposure that helps sell Bandcamp downloads.
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Another factor is pre-orders often go live massively in advance of the product appearing, with pressing plant queues sometimes 6 months or so, e.g. I ordered a signed limited edition of the upcoming Wet Leg album on the first of December last year and it won’t land until April! These days I’ve always got a load of stuff pre-ordered and the delay is such I’ve often forgotten what it is when it turns up! Must have at least five, maybe ten on order. Depending on how pressing plants work regarding deposits etc I guess this can help a band crowd-fund a release. Offer pre-orders a cool bonus and they can help fund the actual release. Some actually are real crowd-funders, e.g. the second Andy Hay album was just that and the first 50 or so of us got our name in the booklet. I’m not going to gigs at present as I just don’t feel they are a safe environment with covid mutating away in the background so I’m more than happy to fund interesting new music in other ways.
 
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