Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Who Says Vinyl Is Dead

JohnK, when was the last time you listened to an lp? I was never trying to set out to "prove" that analog was better than digital. Everyone now knows my preference. The problem I have is that many have alluded to how bad vinyl sounds without having heard a current turntable. I pose this question for the pro-digital people. Do you believe SACD and DVDA are a better sounding format than Redbook CD. If so, why listen to an old outdated format. Having heard SACD, DVDA, Redbook CD and Vinyl within the last week, I still prefer vinyl. As I've stated before, I do enjoy SACD and DVDA in 5.1.

Finally, I'd like to add a little story about our last X-mas party. About an hour into the party, I began talking with a friends wife. I excused myself for a second to turn an lp over. She looked at me with a look of disbelief and told me she had no idea it was an lp. She said it sounded just like a cd. So on that note, I say trust your ears. For those of you have not heard a turntable in 15-20 years, you'll be surprised what you hear.

Enought bickering already. Everyone go out and listen to something that you enjoy.

Bren, Bren, Bren... Your understanding of physics in this case is lacking. Sure, a drop of liquid placed on a spinning disc will move away from the axis of rotation due to centripetal force. But that is because the drop of liquid is rotating along with the disc. The stylus does not experience the same force as the drop of liquid because it is attached to the tone arm, which rotates (across a very limited operational arc at very miniscule speeds) on a completely separate axis. The thing that keeps a stylus tracking properly is gravity, which holds the needle in the groove -- a groove that, I repeat, from the POV of the needle is nothing but a line that happens to slowly shift from right to left over time.

Let me put it another way. If you spin a bike tire and place your finger lightly on the tire's sidewall as it spins, do you feel a force perpendicular to the axis of rotation? No, but this is exactly what you're suggesting happens to the stylus.

I was a bio major... I majored in the study of female anatomy. In this case of physics and world forces, I believe I'm mistaken.

Bren R.

Interesting thread.

Although I do not have a turntable I still have some of my old LPs around here somewhere and could see me investing in one for old times sake. At 40 bucks a pop I couldn't see me exchanging all of my CDs for vinyl but just like the guy who keeps his '66 GTO pristine or the fella who flies his '43 Stearman on the weekends, it would be something from an era gone by that I could fire up occasionally and say to myself 'isn't that cool!'

Whether or not one sounds better than the other, IMO it's all subjective and a matter of personal preference. A CD is what it is and a vinyl LP record is what it is, a means to transport music into our diverse ears...and that's a good thing!

Everyday, more and more I'm getting to be like 2x6spds ... and I quote,

' Enjoy the Music. Trust your ears. Laugh at Folks Who Claim to Know it All.'

If you mean you have the L.P..........then you are half way there.
Just buy the cd now,....do the test, and report back here.
A nice, easy AND inexpensive test.

(or, we can all continue to pontificate)

Once you look past those who are more interested in winning a debate, rather than seeking the truth......the real answer is usually there to see.

I think most people would be surprised at how many labels continue to produce vinyl LP's alongside their CD releases. Not to mention the number of artists preferring to stay true to the analog recording and mixing equipment. I know I was very surprised a few months ago, when I decided to do a bit of searching.

I love the vinyl format and if I see "AAD" on a CD I will usually seek out the LP and buy it instead. This is especially true for any albums released originally on vinyl while it was the main medium, like Hendrix, Zeppelin and the like.

Anyone with the means to take a listen to a decent vinyl rig should do so, imo.

OOP'S............after re-reading this thread, I don't think you are one of the one's who need to do the experiment.
My bad.