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Topic: Getting into Records (Read 18557 times) previous topic - next topic
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Getting into Records

Reply #25 –
How did I miss this thread? Tuberocity and Overpaid1963, you are both in contravention of our Terms of Service, point 8.

CD-quality audio is sufficient to capture all of vinyl's audible sound. Vinyl is capable of reproducing ultrasonics, but as these are not audible, that fact is irrelevant.

Vinyl's noise floor is usually on the order of 80dB or less. CD's is 96, without doing any kind of noise-shaping trickery, which can push it to 120. Vinyl playback varies depending on playback equipment, while CD playback is defined enough to be able to actually measure the characteristics of the system reproducing it.

Vinyl is low fidelity. CD is high fidelity. The science is quite unambiguous on this point.

Getting into Records

Reply #26 –
Axon:
Luckily, I have no idea what "tracking/tracing/groove wear distortion" sound like and do not notice them! A good argument for never becoming trained at listening for defects.

Hopefully the clip serves as an example of the sound you can expect from a cheap turntable and an old record.

Getting into Records

Reply #27 –
I have many LPs that have a noise floor that is rarely audible (except some very random pops in the silent grooves). You just need a good quality TT and cartridge. Based on my research, ultra high end tables are not really doing anything special besides emptying your pockets. Now, unlike CD players, you do need to invest much more in a player for vinyl because it's a purely mechanical process and low cost units are not going to have very high pitch accuracy, low noise levels or low resonance arm/chassis systems. But, for right under $2,000 USD or so, you can start to find tables that have all of what seems necessary to have as transparent a playback process that vinyl can possibly offer. There are some good tables for $500 as well - though not up to perhaps the most transparent record reading ability possible - but you can pick and choose the shortcomings you can tolerate best at this price range.

As for the two people that think vinyl is higher fidelity than CD; there are credible double blinded tests that show that CD format is transparent to vinyl and hi-rez digital, using a wide variety of listening subjects. There are also blind tests that show it is not; but these tests are not nearly as well designed/executed based on what I have read of them. Sloppy/non-thorough tests don't hole much weight. Commonly, tests producing positive results have over looked critical technical details. These tests are usually designed/executed by people with little actual knowledge in terms of human perception vs. measured behavior(s) and do not bother to test their comparison systems/formats to validate performance. Also, they rarely collect statistically significant results, in terms of how the trials were conducted, or they even have huge flaws in the supposed 'blind' testing method they used by doing single blind tests or accidentally providing small identifiable cues as to the switched mode(s) being tested.

-Chris

Getting into Records

Reply #28 –
Quote from: TheSneakerDude on
I don't want to invest a grand in equipment and the records will sound identical to the cds on my ipod... I already own Bose Quiet Comfort 3 to be able hear a better range of frequencies.


How can I make my LPs sound better than CDs to play on my BOSE with my IPOD?  That's just funny!