Tell me about yr music collection: digital, CD, vinyl, etc.

[Jorge]

But they sound better.

Not necessarily

[epilogue]

But they sound better.

Not necessarily

Right, I know. But in general. I'm saying the extra space they take up is usually well worth it because of the sound quality, typically. Also, less plastic.

[epilogue]

I was wondering which one a yous was gonna be the first to post "not necessarily."

[Strat]

I was wondering which one a yous was gonna be the first to post "not necessarily."

My bet was on chud.

CD's just feel weird to me after starting up a vinyl collection. The artwork is tiny and hilarious. I dont know. Maybe its irrational.

[epilogue]

I was wondering which one a yous was gonna be the first to post "not necessarily."

My bet was on chud.

CD's just feel weird to me after starting up a vinyl collection. The artwork is tiny and hilarious. I dont know. Maybe its irrational.

Yeah, there's maybe some irrationality to it. I agree. But whatever. Fuck the haters. I'm on your team, buddy.

[Birds in Hell]

But they sound better.

Not necessarily

From a technical standpoint, CDs are pretty much inarguably superior to vinyl (more accurate representation of the source material, significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio, etc.)

I didn't mean this to turn into a CD vs vinyl debate, nor do I want to rain on the parade of those who are passionate about the latter, but I don't like vinyl as a format at all. It feels like a lot of work for little reward.

I have a whole list of gripes about the "vinyl resurgence" but I'll spare you all.

[BigRedLedbetter]

I dig music!

[zeb]

I have a whole list of gripes about the "vinyl resurgence" but I'll spare you all.

I would love to hear this.

[BurtReynolds]

i found a CD in my car yesterday. threw it away.

[Jorge]

I have a whole list of gripes about the "vinyl resurgence" but I'll spare you all.

I would love to hear this.

If I had to guess I'd imagine it has to do with the ensuing posturing + absurd markups + false sense of scarcity to entice collectors + Phish enthusiasts

[Birds in Hell]

I have a whole list of gripes about the "vinyl resurgence" but I'll spare you all.

I would love to hear this.

If I had to guess I'd imagine it has to do with the ensuing posturing + absurd markups + false sense of scarcity to entice collectors + Phish enthusiasts

Yes, that's a pretty good summary.

What gets under my skin primarily is how vinyl is regularly portrayed as: sounding better than CDs or digital files; sounding closer to how the artist intended the album to be heard; the choice of "audiophiles"; the choice of "real" music fans, etc.

This recent LA Weekly piece ('Why CDs May Actually Sound Better Than Vinyl') gives a very readable overview including the perspective of some very experienced mastering engineers.

Further, this blog by music journalist Nick Southall squarely hits the mark on a number of my gripes.

[Birds in Hell]

On a related note, I'm thinking I should probably begin deleting everything from my hard drive that I either didn't purchase in FLAC or don't own a physical copy of - both because it might prompt me to think about what albums I'll really miss (and in turn search them out on CD) and also because I don't think I can move forward without resolving the ethical dilemma owning those files creates for me.

It bothers me a lot, certainly more than it once did.

[ABNorman]

Since we left South Africa, our house has been robbed 4 times, so we basically boarded up our belongings in one half of the garage.

Yesterday I broke down the wall and got inside to dig around and rescue unrecoverable sentimental items. Found my collection of CDs pretty much intact, including all my Pearl Jam. Didn't even bother to go through them, just tossed the box back into the garage.

Somehow the thieves missed my Gibson SG, though, which was farking amazing.

[darth_vedder]

I'm not an audiophile, so forgive me for my ignorance...

Is there much difference between AAC and MP3?

I have a large CD collection, and pretty much have burned most things either AAC 320kbps, or ALAC. I don't run things through good speakers, just slightly better speakers than what came on my MacBook Pro.

Maybe it's in my head, but before I knew about bit rates, I just burned them at 128kbps. I swear I can tell a difference between that and 320. It's not obvious stuff, rather the 320 bit rate sounds denser, not as hollow as the 128. I've pretty much converted my entire library to 320 or, if I really like the album (like No Code), ALAC. However, I'm not sure this is really worth it b/c I don't think I can hear the difference between 320 and ALAC. Granted, I'm not listening on good speakers, so that may be it.

At this point, I'm torn. Do I convert more to ALAC, or just leave as AAC 320? Also, what do you guys think are the best computer speakers under $100? The Bose Companion II seem to get pretty solid reviews from Amazon, and I'm sure they are better than what I have now. Just not sure if there is a better alternative in that price range.

[Jorge]

I have a whole list of gripes about the "vinyl resurgence" but I'll spare you all.

I would love to hear this.

If I had to guess I'd imagine it has to do with the ensuing posturing + absurd markups + false sense of scarcity to entice collectors + Phish enthusiasts

Yes, that's a pretty good summary.

What gets under my skin primarily is how vinyl is regularly portrayed as: sounding better than CDs or digital files; sounding closer to how the artist intended the album to be heard; the choice of "audiophiles"; the choice of "real" music fans, etc.

Yes, that's annoying. There's this weird Cult of the Object around the vinyl fad, and I can't help but see the labels' exploitation of it as the last desperate gasps of a dying beast. Moreover, the format has acquired a brag status in of itself-- most of the vinyl enthusiasts I know don't ever say things like "I'm listening to Pet Sounds", it's always "I'm listening to Pet Sounds on vinyl". It's like... great. Good for you, man.

That said, I do find the format nifty, and if I can find an album on vinyl I will almost always buy it over CD. It's also true that despite the fact that CDs technically have the potential to sound better than vinyl, they often don't, just by virtue of how the recordings are mastered.

Edited because I used the word "often" too much.

[epilogue]

That said, I do find the format nifty, and if I can find an album on vinyl I will almost always buy it over CD. It's also true that despite the fact that CDs technically have the potential to sound better than vinyl, they often don't, just by virtue of how the recordings are often mastered.

[Norah]

I'm not an audiophile, so forgive me for my ignorance...

Is there much difference between AAC and MP3?

I have a large CD collection, and pretty much have burned most things either AAC 320kbps, or ALAC. I don't run things through good speakers, just slightly better speakers than what came on my MacBook Pro.

Maybe it's in my head, but before I knew about bit rates, I just burned them at 128kbps. I swear I can tell a difference between that and 320. It's not obvious stuff, rather the 320 bit rate sounds denser, not as hollow as the 128. I've pretty much converted my entire library to 320 or, if I really like the album (like No Code), ALAC. However, I'm not sure this is really worth it b/c I don't think I can hear the difference between 320 and ALAC. Granted, I'm not listening on good speakers, so that may be it.

At this point, I'm torn. Do I convert more to ALAC, or just leave as AAC 320? Also, what do you guys think are the best computer speakers under $100? The Bose Companion II seem to get pretty solid reviews from Amazon, and I'm sure they are better than what I have now. Just not sure if there is a better alternative in that price range.

Wait, are you taking AAC and converting them up to ALAC? Because it doesn't work that way.

[surfndestroy]

My purchasing now is FLAC and vinyl. I will get the vinyl in addition to the digital version if I really love the album and/or the artwork is worth the investment. Not that you can't listen to a cd or digital music in the same way you do vinyl, I find I don't. Vinyl is a much more interactive process between me and the music. It takes more care and attention. I find it far easier to set aside the 25 minutes and lose myself in a side of vinyl with album cover in hand than it is with a cd or digital. Music and art matter to me, so making myself interact with it a little more is a big upside to vinyl.

[epilogue]

My purchasing now is FLAC and vinyl. I will get the vinyl in addition to the digital version if I really love the album and/or the artwork is worth the investment. Not that you can't listen to a cd or digital music in the same way you do vinyl, I find I don't. Vinyl is a much more interactive process between me and the music. It takes more care and attention. I find it far easier to set aside the 25 minutes and lose myself in a side of vinyl with album cover in hand than it is with a cd or digital. Music and art matter to me, so making myself interact with it a little more is a big upside to vinyl.

[zoe1271]

100% of my listening is done with digital files. It's either ALAC in the car or FLAC on the computer (with a nice DAC and speakers). However I try to purchase a physical copy of every album in my collection. I do prefer CDs over vinyl. I can not stand the snap, crackle, pop that comes with vinyl - especially when you can have an unpolluted listening experience via CD or digital files. Also, it's usually cheaper to buy the CD and rip it to lossless files myself than it is to buy vinyl or purchase lossy files from iTunes.

That being said, I do pick up vinyl when there are exclusives tracks. But I do not have a decent set up, so I have begun sending my vinyl out to have it transferred to 96/24 lossless files. The results so far have been great. I have also found that vinyl versions seem to be mastered better than CD (i.e., not brickwalled). Artists and online retailers (HDTracks, Pono, etc.) are slowly releasing HD files that are more consistent with vinyl releases than CD. Check out the new HD releases from Tom Petty, Rush and Van Halen (192/24 version, not 96/24. The VH stuff is mastered differently at 96/24 for some reason). If these great HD releases continue then I may stop buying physical releases altogether.