re: Vinyl records expected to outsell CDs in 2019 for the first time since 1980s

Best of both worlds imho for some rarer recordings. You own the vinyl, yet listen to it bit perfect without degrading your source.

It’s the whole process: removing one of my garage sale bought vinyls from the sleeve, gently dusting it off, settling it onto the platter, positioning the needle, and then secretly switching the speaker to Bluetooth to play the the album from my iTunes while enjoying the tards bloviate on the depth and crispness of the sound

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I am no audiophile, but the reason why digital has such a bad name is that the file compression in modern CD's, MP3's, and other audio formats is that it takes out some of the warmth and fullness of the sound. Think of a sound wave as a bouncing curve that is going up and down on a sheet of graph paper. In analog, this soundwave is constant to the speed of the record or tape. In digital, the soundwave replaced by dots or data points and the number of dots is dependent on the number of samples the audio was digitized with. In digital the dots are then reconnected when played back using algorithms. Sometimes that method doesn't always capture the true sound of the music. Obvious the more samples the better the recreation of the sound.

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Out of all of this, I forgot got to mention that records do some incredibly amazing things when it comes to the grove and stereo sound.

If you go back to my example of the wave on a piece of paper, You cut that in half, and that is one side of the grove, the other side of the grove is the other channel of audio.

The needle while perpendicular to the playing surface wobbles to the grove and 2 pickups at 45 degree angles create the right and left audio signals.

If memory serves me well enough, quadraphonic records, had their 3rd and 4th channels discretely embedded in the other 2 audio channels and you needed a decoder to rebuild the 4 channel sound.

Now, discrete encoding is used for things like FM radio RDS, Which we learned on the OT is now being used as another lawyer advertising billboard in my car.

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I am no audiophile, but the reason why digital has such a bad name is that the file compression in modern CD's, MP3's, and other audio formats is that it takes out some of the warmth and fullness of the sound.

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Clearly, as CDs do not have file compression. Digital doesn't mean there is file compression. A digital format CAN be compressed, MP3s are by rule compressed, but digital in and of itself is not a "compression" format.

Your example of how digital audio works is not incorrect but leaves out a massive amount of information.

Think about this. People love film. Film is nothing more than 24 snapshots per second. Do you perceive it as discrete pictures or as one continuous stream of movement? Digital audio is audio snapshots of 44.1k, 48k, 88.2k, 96k or 192k. The detail to which it is "recorded" is affected by the number of bits used to represent each snapshot. More bits equals greater dynamic response and, in turn, detail. CDs use 44.1kHz and 16 bits, which is really the lowest most anyone goes in an uncompressed format (unless they are trying to do some lo-fi thing for effect).

The only way to ever really see if there is a difference imbued on the signal by the piece of plastic that is vinyl, is to do a test that eliminates all other variables (and the variables between recordings, even between the same recording mastered for vinyl and/or digital is a LOT). Very very few people will ever be in a place to do that. For most, any perceived value of vinyl is a placebo effect.

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For most, any perceived value of vinyl is a placebo effect.

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As this thread clearly proves.

You've actually got people arguing vinyl provided more depth than CDs and many digital mediums. It's patently absurd.

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The value of vinyl to me is it gives me a better connection to the album. There's no skipping over songs, or playing just one song off the album and moving onto the next album.

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There are understandable reasons to prefer vinyl, no doubt. I find the whole experience pretty cool myself.

I just laugh when people say it provides more depth when it objectively cannot provide more depth than a CD due to the format. It's akin to saying 720p looks more detailed than 1080p - you can say it, but it simply cannot be true.

(no message)

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I’m gonna sit this one out...

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I was wondering when you would appear in this thread. You are the ONLY one here who has the knowledge to speak on this subject.

Of course anyone who follows you on TD knows where you stand on this.

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Zero fricks given

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You apparently a fractional frick since you replied.