Unpopular Opinion

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237

CDs are better than vinyl and most people listen to music on systems that sound dreadful (lemmy.fwgx.uk)

submitted 3 months ago by blackstrat@lemmy.fwgx.uk to c/unpopularopinion@lemmy.world

193 comments fedilink hide all child comments

CDs are in every way better than vinyl records. They are smaller, much higher quality audio, lower noise floor and don't wear out by being played. The fact that CD sales are behind vinyl is a sign that the world has gone mad. The fact you can rip and stream your own CD media is fantastic because generally remasters are not good and streaming services typically only have remastered versions, not originals. You have no control on streaming services about what version of an album you're served or whether it'll still be there tomorrow. Not an issue with physical media.

The vast majority of people listen to music using equipment that produces audio of poor quality, especially those that stream using ear buds. It makes me very sad when people don't care that what they're listening to could sound so much better, especially if played through a hifi from a CD player, or using half decent (not beats) headphones.

There's plenty of good sounding and well produced music out there, but it's typically played back through the equivalent of two cans and some string. I'm not sure people remember how good good music can sound when played back through good kit.

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[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space -1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The myth of the superiority of vinyl, and the idea that vinyl is inherently Authentic in a way that digital formats aren’t is one of the most successful scams in corporate history. In one fell swoop, the recording industry persuaded music fans that they need to pay extra for a format that has measurably inferior fidelity, that cannot be copied (well, you can digitise it to a WAV, but then you get a murky, crackly sounding WAV; even if the sound coming out of the speakers is identical to how it would be from the record, the fact that you’re not playing a vinyl record diminishes it), and that wears out slightly each time you play it. Meanwhile, a lot of records never get released on CD, only vinyl and streaming, closing the digital ripping loophole. Well played, RIAA/IFPI.

[–] SteveFromMySpace@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

You think we are all dupes for thinking that vinyl is more authentic or a superior audio format in some capacity. The reality is you don’t actually know why most people buy vinyl. Because that ain’t it.

[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world -2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

So elaborate? Because every wax head I've met tells me one of two things. Either vinyl is the best audio quality you can get bar none, or they have specifically curated a collection of obscure music that can't be heard any other way.

[–] SteveFromMySpace@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Well clearly not every wax head because here’s one in front of you telling you neither of those explanations are applicable to him, and yes I’m a little irritated here because your first comment was pretty damn judgmental, dismissive, and stripped down to the point of being pretty incorrect, so I want to apologize for my tone a bit but also state that I really do not appreciate how you kicked this off. Happy to back off on the hostility a bit.

If someone says “it sounds better” they’re either saying “I personally like the specific qualities of vinyl” or don’t understand what these various formats are comprised of and offer.

Here is the short version.

It’s the same reason many people like to shoot film. Digital is better at everything except being film. There are unique qualities and features that only happen from shooting and developing film. You can emulate and imitate to the best of your ability with digital - which has superior “data” capture, resolution, color info, etc. - but it still isn’t actually film. It’s about the artistic merits and unique qualities of the medium, not maximizing the “data” onboard. If maximizing that is your goal, then film - or vinyl - is not a good choice.

Let me put it another way: are photographs of people better than paintings of them?

One other advantage is that vinyl is actually incredibly durable and the audio on it can be salvaged, albeit in a damaged form, even in pretty extreme scenarios and after very long periods of time. But that’s a very specific need for things like the library of congress and other archival institutions.