Lastly, our newcomer must ask: “Which vinyl?” and “Which digital?”. However, that does nothing to change digital audio’s objective technical dominance over spinning wax. If vinyl sounds better to him then it is subjectively better. Our newcomer would do well do separate the subjective claims from the objective.
That’s as true for Instagram as it is for tubes or vinyl. My point? Filters add colour and that colour can be enjoyable. Just as it is with tube amplifiers, is it not the colour and distortion inherent in vinyl playback that renders it so enjoyable to many? Instagram filters wildly distort and colour their source photos but in many cases rescue the original from being tonally one-dimensional or lacking in contrast. Could its sometime rolled off treble be why some find vinyl to sound warmer than its digital cousin? Could received wisdom be why many young folk can be heard espousing vinyl’s ‘richer’ sound (when compared to CD)? Is this mindset a mechanism with which vinyl lovers self-justify a purchase whose opportunity cost is month or two of lossless streaming? I have a couple of questions at this juncture. However, sit down and listen to a well dialed in vinyl-fronted hi-fi rig and you’ll inevitably pick up on the subjective superiority of the black stuff. Objectively speaking, digital playback seems to best vinyl. Let’s put the recent upturn in sales into perspective though: Source: ĬDs and their associated hard drive ‘rips’ might present as better on paper. “It’s easier to relax into a vinyl album than its CD equivalent”, says almost every vinyl fan to our incoming entry-leveller.īuying and collecting vinyl is also more of a social experience than downloading digital files. Some will even be heard saying it has no soul. They’ll bemoan digital audio’s lack of warmth. Should he go vinyl or digital? The former’s inherent tactility and collectability seem appealing until he reads of vinyl’s surface noise, a more limited (theoretical) dynamic range and inner-groove distortion.ĭigital heads will be point to their FLAC/ALAC files’ absence of clicks and pops, ~96db dynamic range – compared to vinyl’s ~60db – and their vanishingly small storage requirements as compelling reasons to go digital a hard-drive, a computer and a DAC is all you need to get up and running with digital audio.įans of the black stuff will then point to digital’s ‘harsh’ sonic presentation as reason to stay the hell away. It must be confusing for the newcomer joining the audiophile conversation for the first time.
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