vinyl with mp3 is THE solution.
check it out at posterdisc.com
itsthe best of both worlds, and it doesnt cost much as add on- not much more than another sleeve insert.

Vinyl does sound great. And it was a magical experience when I was young, holding the nice large 12″ square jacket in my hands, admiring the artwork, reading the credits and deciphering the lyrics while the vinyl spun.
But as I sit here staring at the wall of vinyl across the room from me, I know it will all fit on one iPod, then I’ll have direct access to any particular song at my fingertips, in seconds. The songs will never deteriorate and I can carry them all in my pocket.
I’ve bought several turntables from eBay in the last few years. I love them and have resurrected my vinyl in the basement. But it’s an mp3 that I have on right now. You simply cannot beat the convenience. Playing vinyl is now reserved for special occasions. A ritualistic thing reserved for when I want to sit there and hold the jacket and listen to this collection the way the artist intended, not as a 200 song playlist covering their entire career.
I miss making cassettes too. I miss sitting there with a pad and pencil and a stack of LPs, getting the recording levels just right.
I’m not going back though. Digital is an advancement and hear to stay, as it should be. It does have much to offer.
The main problem with CDs is that they are completely, embarrassingly obsolete. It’s a 30 year old technology. What the CD did when it was released was fantastic, but why the hell are they selling them today? The successor, the DVD disc was released over ten years ago. Do you think they sold many 78s ten years after the LP and 45 were introduced?
I’m not sitting here typing this on a Commodore64, I’m not watching VHS or standard definition TV, why should I be listening to a CD?
The specs of CD, 16bit / 44khz were the best they could do at the time. So was a Commodore64 and VHS. Nowadays, any $300 PC can play and record audio files at 24bit / 192khz. There’s all your missing information right there.
I tried to adopt DVD-A and SACD, but the industry, mainly Sony, fucked it all up so bad that it never had a chance. I have both discs, sitting back listening to either could bring tears to your eyes. I went out and bought a new set of speakers and hooked them all up. But the formats sputtered and died. 5.1 music and / or high-definition music was the next step. It was a viable reason to buy music again, even music you already owned. But they fucked it all up. The few stores around me that had DVD-A wanted $35 or $40 a disc.
Along the way we had useless things like DualDisc and the CD/DVD dual pack. Now I all see for sale is remastered CDs. I’ve even seen CDs say on the package, “remastered at 24/192″. Great, then you want me to buy the 16/44 downsample? Why would I do that? I won’t buy them.
Cd’s should have had an expiry date, 6 or 7 years ago. Once DVDs were entrenched, there was no reason at all to keep making another 5″ disc that was by all accounts obsolete. Now in 2008, it’s pathetic to see CD’s on the shelves. People walk into Wal-Mart and see CD’s sitting next to DVD’s, video game discs and now even HD discs all costing almost the same price.
Make a bold move, end the CD immediately. Announce the end of CD production this year. Say music is moving to DVD, like it should have 10 years ago. Put high-resolution files on every disc, 24 bit / 92 khz, include 5.1 mixes and for god’s sake put a folder on every disc with low-res mp3’s to load on your iPod or car. Include the cover art, lyrics and such so we have something to look at and your format is complete. Oh yeah, charge $10 bucks for it, not $30.
There is nothing wrong with having a digital file, but the CD is a dead format and should go away now. We can have every convenience of digital with sound that surpasses vinyl.
The music can kill the CD, or watch it kill them.

I actually hauled my record deck back from my parent’s attic recently and was in for a shock. I’m now scouting for a good TT and preamp system as the good old kenwood isn’t really up there with my five box CD transport/DAC, though it still hinted at what vinyl is capable of. There’s no denying how great CD(and AIFF/FLAC/etc - anything lossless) can be, but incredibly vinyl still rules. Now it’ll be intresting when Wadia’s iTransport hits the shelves…

I think all LP’s from Merge Records (Arcade Fire’s label) come with the download.

music is one thing, records is another. this is very clear now.
I love music, but i love to have records.
so I grow with vinyl, on 90’s pass to CD and today get new in CD, not available in CD get vinyl. Mp3 bought, is out of question.
about differences; Mp3 is shit, no doubt. between CD and vinyl, vinyl can have a better sound, but… a few times after the sound deteriorate, gain a lot of noises, and this affect the music. to don’t say also, the pressings. american pressings were quite good, uk some, german some, but spanish, brazilian, portuguese, spanish pressings are awful.
so CD is my choice. will be the same like it was when i bought it new, no big difference between pressings…
and why making back up CD-Rs when can I have a original with all the pack (cover, inlay, print disc, etc..)=?

Whatever kind of music you do, play, or listen to, using Emule or other similar programs, I can download it for free. I decided to make an active protest against this.

I loved your blog. I would like to post a comment about the Future of mp3.

As you know, using Emule or other similar programs, you can virtually download everything you want from the web. If you´re not paying for it, and it´s not been offered to you by the owner, it´s called piracy. At the short-term this is good for the consumer.

At the long term, it will no longer be profitable for the Music Industry to sell and promote records, and it will bankrupt. Also this means the end of great bands and musicians as we understand them (Rolling Stones, U2, Shania Twain, Elton John, the big ones, just to name a few.). It won´t pay off to be a musician, so most of us, even the most gifted ones, will find something else to do, in order to pay our bills.

I wrote an album called “Fritz Kahn and The Miracles”. It´s a good album: It was awarded finalist at the International Songwriting Competition 2006. Juris like Tom Waits, Robert Smith, Frank Black, Jerry Lee Lewis, liked it. But this album, which everyone seems to love, has proved to be very hard if not impossible, to sell because of the illegal downloads.

Music is my product. Don´t ask me to give away the only thing I got to sell! But I am reaching out for the last frontier. One Cent for a whole year´s of work, composition, production, arrangements, design, promotion, recording and distribution.

Above one cent, I believe it will be impossible in the Future to sell anything music related. Below this, it´s just plain and ridiculous. I am not greedy tough.

Because the concept of my album is about a little orphan in a quest for his mother, and because I believe in the next generation of composers and listeners, 50% of the profits of the “World´s cheapest Album” will be used to buy musical instruments for needed children.

Thank you for your interest. Buy the music you hear. Some of the money actually gets to the musicians.

Oliver Paine
(Composer)
PS. To confirm the details of this story:
myspace.com/oliverpaine (Buy now Button)
e-junkie.com (look under music/folk, or make a search)
EMAIL: DOUTORFAX@GMAIL.COM
P.SS. An attempt was made to set a new Guiness World Record “The
Cheapest Musical Album in the World”, and the results will be known in about 4-6 weeks.

cwesleyg, I hope you would be happy watching your movies with the color turned off, if that made the compression artifacts and minor film blemishes less apparent.

I was a CD fanatic for twenty years, and upgraded most of my old albums during that time. For some reason, it was only recently that I started closely comparing vinyl and CD sound and I was shocked to find that vinyl beat CDs nearly every time (and recent CDs aren’t even in the contest).

But is it actually the digital technology? If I record a decent-condition LP on my Marantz CDR 510, repair the scratches with interpolation software, and burn a CDR, THAT sounds a lot better than the commercial CD. What’s up with that?

The current loss of interest in music is just so depressing. I’m reading Jac Holzman’s account of his life at Elektra Records, “Follow The Music”, and remembering when music was religion, politics, art, and sex all rolled into one. God, what’s been lost…

Yeah, vinyl was good at the peak of technology and what-not. I still listen to my vinyl and CD’s; but you are right, listening to John Lennon’s Imagine or any other song without as much significance as it is on itunes or your iPOD is a whole new experience in itself.

good thing dMb allows flac as a digital download, you can hear the difference between those and mp3

Digital [audio, video, photography], as well as the engineering techniques that spawned from it, are all about convenience and profit. Very unfortunate. The population accepts anything thrown at them.
And about ‘new’ vinyl- most of it is from digital masters and cannot hold a candle to older pressings.
Quality turntables are still being made, but don’t expect to find anything but junk at the local chain store.
Re-discover your ears, and what they are capable of.

Pfffft. The “best format” argument goes round and round and audiophiles everywhere will argue digital vs. analogue until the cows come home.

Photographers bicker in exactly the same way when it comes to digital vs. analogue images.

At the end of the day - regardless of the format - a good master and professional mix can make dud music sound brilliant, while a dodgey master/shoddy mix make brilliant music sound shite.

My pet gripe is clipping due to some (obviously deaf) producers love affair with loud recording volumes. I own just about every Rush CD available (and most of them on vinyl). When I compare the wave-forms on my computer, there’s a huge difference in today’s recordings compared to 30 years ago. The recent recordings are clipped to the shithouse due to over-volume, with high and low peaks totally obliterated.

Ear-splittingly loud does not equal good fidelity. Lazy record producers: do us all a favour, wind back the volume knob and let us actually HEAR some of those peaks that you’ve crucified !

Then again, producers might be doing the right thing and some record company flunky is messing with the mix prior to cutting to CD. In which case, thumbs-down to the record company. Any wonder you guys are in a downwards spiral and losing altitude rapidly …

It’s not surprising that since most people like crappy music, most people don’t care how poor the fidelity of said crap is.

Just to defend my statement that most people like crappy music I give you Exhibit A:
Pop Music (the genre not the song)

It all comes down to economics: most people aren’t willing to pay the premium to buy a turntable system that sounds better than cd. Similarly, most people wont pay to get a system where you can tell the difference between cd and AAC/MP3. And the differences we are talking about (as audiophiles readily admit) are subtle.

I have not bought a new CD in a few years now. It’s all about VINYL. If your area doesn’t have a good shop for new LPs check out sites like musicdirect.com or insound.com. Get a turntable with a good cartridge. Get into the music. ENJOY the process. Vinyl provides that so much more than digital formats.

Does anyone here listen to classical on vinyl? Yea, I just love Glenn Gould’s performance of the Goldberg Variations constantly bombarded by “pops” during those hushed moments or when Maria Callas pauses for drama on Norma only to be disrupted by “clicks.” Is that her taking a breath? Oh no no it’s just the hiss of the vinyl. Oh shit! did I forget to drag the dust cleaner on my record again!?? I thought the Berliner Philharmoniker sounded a bit flat. I’m so immersed in the psycho-sexual motif of a Wagner opera, oh but wait, let me flip the vinyl on side 8 to continue that feeling. Whatever!
Sure most of these recordings are vintage analogue, some so old you can hear the limits of the original equipment used to record the material. But I’ll take a CD transcription of these performances over the vinyl ones just so I’m not disturbed by another annoying “nostalgic” pop or hiss. Yea the strings are warmer on vinyl, but the strings are clear and bright on CD. Ripped at 256 AAC and I can’t tell the difference.
I compared the sound of vinyl to a digital file ripped at 256 AAC of a 1990 recording of von Karajan conducting Bruckner’s 7th. The stylus’ contact on the surface of the vinyl is the one inherent flaw that becomes achingly obvious during the quiet passages of the performance. If the digital file sounded bright, I adjusted the equalizer to my preference and strings sounds just as warm as it does on vinyl. I can’t even begin to describe the clarity of Kathleen Battle’s voice on digital.
I love vinyl but I don’t miss it.

Turntables, tonearms, and cartridges are electro-mechanical devices, where precision and quality manufacturing matter. Good ones are pretty expensive, and although I haven’t heard one, I would expect mediocre sound quality from the cheap USB turntables. If you have a decent turntable already (I picked up a used Denon table for $200 on Ebay a few years ago), get a Xitel Inport, an analog to USB converter. I have been ripping LP’s to WAV’s for about a year (and compressing to AAC as well for IPod and Phatbox). It works very well.

I have a 160gb ipod and rip at 320 AAC, listening on Shure SE530 and occasionaly Ety 4P’s and to my 60 year old ears most things sound as good as red book cd, but well below really good vinyl (Sheffield Labs Direct to Disc recordings for example!). However SACD and DVD Audio are as good and more convenient just a shame they are not commercialy viable because as Don Henley says “Crap is King”. BTW the BBC here in the UK is producing some great live music in 5.1 and HD including classical concerts and contemporary music. Springsteens Pete Seeger sessions band recorded live in London is absolutely stunning! So great sound can be found but you just have to look further and harder.

btw you have to watch out with these, some of them come with ceramic cartridges (the thingie that the needle sticks out of). Ceramic cartridges are pretty wretched, kind of died out on anything except those little “portable record players” years ago, but are now used on a really horrifying percentage of these gadgets. If you want evidence that MP3s can’t deliver quality sound, the fact that people are recording them with ceramic cartridges will do it.

The public, especially in America, always chooses/ends up with the crap format, when there’s a choice.
VHS vs. Beta
NTSC color TV
18 khz subcarrier FM stereo
CDs vs SACDs
cassettes
you can toss in PC vs Mac and make political jokes too, but I don’t want to obscure the point.

Some people here are claiming that CD’s are superior to vinyl…that may have been the case up until about 5 or 6 years ago. Now what’s happening with CD’s is that they are basically viewed as the ripping source for your flipping iPod, not as the final destination. So you are still getting the same compressed, flattened, overdriven sound that you would get from a digital download.

Vinyl is mastered differently; in fact it has to be. If vinyl LP’s were mastered at the same levels as CD”s, the stylus would literally jump out of the groove.

As far as clicks and pops, its just like a CD…take care of it and put it away when you’re done and you’ll have no problems. I have a pretty large vinyl collection and I’m pretty picky about sound as i am an audio engineer, and I rarely hear any offensive noise on my vinyl.

Dont get me wrong, I love digital sound; when used PROPERLY. An album on DVD audio mastered at 24 bit / 192Khz would absolutely blow vinyl out of the water. I don’t even have a problem with lossy compression for use on portables only; but why anyone would buy a lossy format as their only copy of an album is absurd.

What has happened these days is that an album is no longer seen as an art or as an audio medium; it’s treated as a f’n DATA file downloaded from iTunes and fidelity is tossed to the side.

I will be so bold as to say that Steve Jobs is responsible for the death of fidelity. That’s why I refuse to buy an iPod, use a Mac, or pay 10.99 for a crappy 128k download from their crappy iTunes music store.

We’ve used technology to create better and better recordings of both audio (SACD, DVD-Audio) and video (HDTV, Blu-Ray). Is it something about 21st century culture that the former died and the latter is booming? Is it just about money? The Haliburtonization of everything?

It’s bizarre to me that with terabyte hard drives cheap and commonplace, broadband internet connections on everyone’s desk, and digital recording technology that combines the fidelity of analogue without the inconvenience, we’ve chosen highly compressed recordings and the MP3 format as the standard.

Is there no market, at least, for downloadable CD-quality audio files?

Thanks God for the small labels and independent artists that take fidelity seriously.

But then I’ve invested as much in my audio system as most people do in their automobile, so I’m clearly not driving any markets….

All hail the Age of the Superficial!

For the people who do not think vinyl sounds better i suggest you buy an old turn table, buy some quality vinyl that you have on your ipod and compare them. Their is a richness that you can not get in any other format . I think people have lost sight of the art just like the record companies.

LPs don’t “always sound better”. I have a kick-ass ‘audiophile’ system, kitted-out to the tits (Magneplanar / Systemdek IIx / PSAudio / Roksan), and can honestly inform you that many LPs are ‘mastered’ like crap – just like so many CDs. If you are curious to hear a CD that kicks acoustic ass, check out Clapton’s ‘Unplugged’. The whole ‘get up every 20 minutes to flip the LP’ thing isn’t exactly a hoot either… as I sit here listening to Side II of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars…

With regards to MP3s; those who state that high bitrates are the answer are right on the money. I recently posted two high-resolution samples on my hobby site (Cdnav.com), comparing 320Kb/s CBR MP3 to uncompressed .WAV and only one individual was able to discern one from the other; a software developer involved in the production of MP3 compression and the WinAmp media player. He had outstanding equipment and an intimate knowledge of where to listen. The difference is subtle – very subtle in fact. If you want to hear for yourself, check out this link:

cdnav.com (scroll down to the Dec. 11th post)

I’ll soon post the same kind of evaluation, but will employ OOG as the compressed file format (codec) of choice. It’s completely open source and is (said to) be more ‘acoustically transparent’ then the MP3 codec.

With regards to folks being upset with the size of high-bitrate file formats; tough! Most modern MP3 players hold between 8 and 80 gigabytes of data, that’s bloody plenty of storage space! Let’s say for the sake of argument that a typical .OOG formatted file takes 15 megabytes of storage space at the highest bitrate; my nephew’s 80 gigabyte iPod will store 2600 tracks or, around 173 hours of music(!). What the hell is wrong with that? The commonality of 80 gigabyte internal drives in 2007 will be eclipsed by much larger drives in late 2008. Who here sees a problem with this from a data (music), storage point of view?

Andrew D.
Cdnav.com

To my ears - and I’m 40 years old and have heard and seen pretty much every format that’s been around - I like CD, LP, and digital files equally. Cassettes were so-so, I hated 8-tracks, and minidiscs were a nice tideover until I got my first iPod.

I just recently obtained a USB turntable and have been ripping some old albums and singles to CD and AAC (to my ears a 128kbps AAC file is just as good as a VBR mp3, only without taking up as much hard drive space). Options are always good, IMO. If I find a record that isn’t out on CD I can plop it on my new USB turntable and do up a CD-R for my car and AAC files for my iPod.

As for sound quality… there are these things called EQ settings and volume controls. One can always adjust these things to their own taste, even track by track and album by album automatically with iPod files (although if you have a shitload of AAC’s and mp3s, that can get a bit time-consuming).

I have been saying this for years, for us musicians, there is a HUGE difference, if digital wants to stay on the edge of convenience, they need to take the sound into account.

I hate the people who say theres no difference, because, like this article states, just listen to the vinyl. There is a difference people.

This is most noticable on the Simon and Garfunkel and Rolling Stones albums, they are not as sonically viable on their remastered CD format. Also, anybody notice how shitty some 80’s bands sound on CD, smiths for example.

i refuse to listen to any music format that doesnt melt inside my car on a hot day.

Matt and mothballs are right! I think vinyl bundled with a free digital download of the album will help out actual physical album sales as well as exposing newer generations to one of the greatest musical mediums……VINYL! (They need to do something QUICK the industry is an obvious business model of the “Titanic” and the hole in the hull is getting bigger!) The industry should care to cater to the ones who still like to go dig, shop, and BUY physical albums without having to be next to a mall!

If you’re going to record ANYTHING in file format (either MP3 or AAC) there are two ways you can go. If it’s MP3, don’t record anything under 192kbps, and if you’re going AAC don’t do anything under 160kbps. And keep the Variable Bit Rate selection ON. If you keep it off all of your levels will sound the same - both the lows and highs (which Joe mentions). The VBR will keep the quiet tones quiet etc. The comment about ripping at 256 or 320 would be nice, but you get HUGE files as a result. If you have an iPod you certainly won’t be able to load thousands of tracks that way. It’s just a matter of what sounds good to your own ear. Personally…I’m thinking vinyl again. It’ll never go back to what it used to be, but you can still get vinyl of newer, independent, and of course there’s the 2nd hand stores too. VINYL WILL NEVER DIE!!!

I wrote my common application essay for college about vinyl records and their superiority! Pretty much explains my stance on the matter

Folks,

Remember not to confuse data compression (MP3, etc) and Dynamic Range compression.

These are very different.

MP3s can be improved with with a higher bitrate.

Dynamic Range compression I.E. Listener Fatigue needs a new master.

i just got a turntable with a USB-output (Brookstone) that plugs in to my computer. it’s fantastic, as I can rip the tracks into high qual. mp3s (320 kbps). does anyone know a good software for messing around with imported vinyl?

its so true the sound is soooooooo different from mp3 to CD to vinyl. but I heard a remastered copy of stevie wonder’s “songs in the key of life” and it was magical. I heard every instrument in a beautiful clarity. Vinyl is warmer but u cant get the sounds I heard on it…(u skipped tapes and 8 trax)

Hey Mike Fremer,
“I like music to sound real: textured, supple and alive”… hissssss… snap crackle… hissssss… pop, pop, pop… and God forbid you get a tiny scratch… skip, pop… hissssss… and don’t dance to hard… skip, skip skip… but any technolgy improved by taping a nickle to the tone arm must be the best… what ever dude.

Love,

Bitter cwesleyg… LP hater.

I’m with a few of the other commenters here, you have to go with a much higher bit-rate on MP3’s and you’ll see little loss vs. a CD. The fact that studios are messing with the sounds and compressing them a lot more before they go on a CD is frightening and a serious problem for me. These labels need to get their heads on straight.

I rip my CD’s using EAC and a LAME encoder set to the v0 preset switch. There’s plenty of guides online if people want to get the best quality MP3’s they can. I highly recommend it.

I’m with a few of the other commenters here, you have to go with a much higher bit-rate on MP3’s and you’ll see little loss vs. a CD. The fact that studios are messing with the sounds and compressing them a lot more before they go on a CD is frightening and a serious problem for me. These labels need to get their heads on straight.

cwesleyg sounds like a very bitter guy to me. What’s wrong with hearing good sound? Are people who buy HDTVs also “snobs?” For some reason on people who appreciate good sound get called “snobs.” Perhaps he regrets having sold his LPs…otherwise why begrudge anyone their pleasure? I like music to sound real: textured, supple and alive. That’s what vinyl gives you that no digital format can match. Play records back properly and they don’t wear. I have 40 year’s worth and they still sound better than the latest CD re-mastering. With vinyl, the better your turntable, the better the records will sound…you’d be amazed by how great it can get….

Dear B. Anne,

Compact Disc is the most simple, least destructable format thus far, can be easily duplicated, and stores in a lot less space than LPs. It is the 21st century baby! I like albums too much to step into the “buy the single on-line frenzy”, so for now CD is the way to go.

I feel bad for the A.D.D. generation that only goes for the single. I never would have heard my favorite song with that mentality. Funky Monks by Red Hot Chili Peppers…

I Like CD’s But I Love My Vinyl!!

I don’t have an MP3 player yet (and no plans to buy one). With vinyl, you don’t have to worry as much about copyright protection, ESPECIALLY since it doesn’t sound the same as digital formats. And so once you buy the record, you can keep it as long as you want (providing you don’t break it, but there’s not a medium yet that doesn’t have any mechanical failures). You can burn it onto a CD or whatever to take with you in the car (I’ve seen specialized turntables for that), but you can hear that the difference in bootleg copies. I’m not a purist by any means; however, I do want to respect copyright while being able to transfer the music to any medium I damn well please for my own use. I resent having to pay an inflated price for music that I must keep in one place and in one format, that I will have to rebuy when that format is no longer supported, when I can still play records that I bought in 1979 or earlier with all the benefits that come with owning a physical copy! For all its convenience, the so-called “digital revolution” has brought a lot of hassles with it.

You guys sound like a bunch of pompass snobs. What refined ears you all have… we are soooo impressed! I am glad I sold all my vinyl and went to CD’s… no regrets. If I had to move them one more time I would have freaked out! I don’t miss them one bit. I’m obviously no audiophile, but missing the hiss on vinyl is just weird to me… hiss is bad. Maybe the bass was better on vinyl, but my pedestrian ears don’t care. I’ll never break my back hauling vinyl up three flights of stairs again. Soon I’ll be able to get rid of the CD’s and carry a 2 oz storage device instead… that is cool.

Vinyl s all you need.

I have to say that Vinyl for Pre-1985 music sounds much better, but after that the vinyl sounds just like the CD.

I think it has more to do with the mastering (CDs were produced using cassette masters for years before finally being remastered in the 1990’s - remember the MCA releases that sounded like crap or the Rod Steward box set that had tons of hiss?)

128 AAC files are never going to sound “great” but you can get 10,000 songs on your ipod 40gig.

Now with the 160 gig ipod for under $400, I am considering re-ripping my CDs in a higher quality format (192 VBR aac).

I think 99% of the population is happy with mp3s, the other 1% of us know better, but what can you do? copy your music to DVDs in flac? carry a portable LP player in your back seat?

I think the last batch of remastered CDs are close enough. The Who, Steely Dan (box set), ZZ Top (Tres Hombres!) The Rolling Stones (Beggars and Let It Bleed!)Born To Run etc. sound damn good on CD and I can live with the MP3 when I need a quick fix or a party mix.

There’s nothing like LPs, CDs, audio cassettes and although I do not possess reel-to-reel tapes, they do sound the best especially with reel-to-reel tapes because you can distinctively separate the tracks to install an echo, etc. can anyone do that with an mp3? Sure you can with a computer probably separate the tracks to enhance the sound, but I am sure you cannot edit or even add tracks on it like a reel-to-reel recorder, and not worry about violating any copyright laws unless you sell them to the public. Its a shame people pay alot of money for an mp3 player for crappy tracks. Computers are not everything people.

Vinyl is best for those who have ears. With vinyl, to hear the whole album you have to sit there and wait to flip to the b-side. With cd’s you can walk away, and not pay attention to the album. I think the rise of mp3s has lead to bands wanting to make one or two good songs rather than a full album worth listening to without skipping the filler songs. I hope vinyl does make a good comeback. You can still buy new turntables at best buy, and in bigger cities there are lots of music shops that do still sell lp’s. Most new LP’s you can buy for the same price as CD’s, with some exceptions.

vinyl is where its at, and if you got some extra cash, the re-master/surround sound/hdcd cd is a good way to go.

It bums me out that attempts to A/B MP3s with CD or vinyl always use crappy bitrate MP3s. 128kbps hardly representative of how good MP3s can sound. Rip at variable bit rate with a peak at 256 or 320 kbps and try again, and you’ll get a lot better sound with all the same convenience as a lower bit rate. (Sure, maybe still not the same as vinyl, but a hell of a lot easier and more portable.)

You’ve got to be careful with the Lennon song for comparison. When they re-released it on CD a few years back, it was “Remixed and Remastered.” They fiddled with the reverb and echo effects and the mix is pretty different overall, so you’re not exactly comparing apples to apples.

MP3 and AAC are like VHS vs. BETA, crappier quality then other lossy and lossless compression codecs but they have been shoved down consumers throats so they don’t know any different.

There are better lossy codecs available and for petes’ sake, MP3’s were created because of large file transfer issues with a still mostly 28.8Kbps internet and to save disk space on hard drives that did not reach into the gigabytes!

Why on earth are people still using MP3’s when everyone has broadband and gigabyte upon gigabyte of storage?

I should also mention that I have an original copy of ‘Pet Sounds’ that just doesn’t sound good in comparison to the 180 gram vinyl (not the new, special one…one that released a few years ago)and CD re-release.

Not only that, but, most used vinyl can be found dirt cheap and the new vinyl is pretty reasonably priced in most cases. I ABSOLUTELY love Wilco’s ‘A Ghost is Born’ on vinyl. There are few songs that sound as good as ‘At Least That’s What You Said’ on vinyl.

I love my vinyl but i rarely get the chance to sit and listen. i usually play them when entertaining guests or when i actually have an hour to sit and listen. can’t beat the convenience of the mp3 players in the home in the car on the run in the gym. i have approx. 16500 songs on one machine and don’t have to flip the record to side 2(B). i do however miss the hiss on a rainy day when the weather calls for some billie holliday.

I agree. Vinyl with mp3 download, for one reasonable price, is the way to go.

I used to buy vinyl records- immediately tape them on my reel-to-reel at the highest speed (7 1/2)- still analog, didn’t have to worry about needle/cartidge/vinyl wear-and-tear. The tapes always sounded great. I bought the Hey Jude album pre-recorded on Capitol, never heard it sound so good since. They were in my apartment with me singing that song.

Also odd, the Smithereens on cassette sounded warmer and fuller than any CD released since. I love CD’s for newer music- old cuts like Ray Charles’ What’d I Say sounds incredibly better on 45 vinyl.

I really want a turntable for Christmas now.

I’m starting to think I might just go with vinyl for home use and mp3 for portable use. I could do away with the CD right there. The Arcade Fire got it right when they offered a free MP3 download with the LP version of Neon Bible.