Analog VS Digital... Again!

[@VinylTV33]

In this video, I mention wwestlife. I was in error. His KZbin name is vwestlife. V, not W. Check out his channel if you like vintage audio and video equipment.

[@solarrobot]

I just love your channel. Your honesty and down to earth tact is outstanding! Your look at audio equipment as a means to an end is so “right-on”. It’s all about the music, not the audiophile gear! Please make more videos soon! Thank you in advance!

[@malsmith2012]

Absolutely fantastic to see and hear you again Craig. What a brilliant way you put that "argument" together I totally agree with all you had to say.. There's plenty of space for the two formats to coexist harmoniously.. Look forward to hearing from you soon my friend..

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

Hello Craig ... *Thank You* for stepping up with such a clear examination of the Analog vs Digital thing. Way back in the late 1990s to early 2000s I took my vinyl collection and transcoded most of it to MP3 format, using the best quality available at the time (192k, 48ksps, 16 bits). Since this had to be done in real time, it was no small task. The first chore was to get a near perfect RIAA de-emphasis going so that I could be sure the frequency response was as flat as could be. Then getting the levels correct so that I wasn't either saturating or starving my ADC took a while too. But once I sussed that out, the transcoding commenced apace. After about 4 years of doing this in my spare time, as I listened to my collection again, I had close to 4,000 digitally stored copies of the best music from my vinyl collection sitting on a hard disk. As I neared the end of this a friend asked me how "different does it sound" so I built a little A-B switch so we could flip from the turntable to the DAC back and forth at whim and will. So after a few sessions of this, neither of us could reliably tell if it was the vinyl or the mp3 that was playing at the moment. I won't say there was no difference between them... but I will assert there was no discernable difference. They both sounded the same and, as you pointed out, all these years later they _still_ sound the same! No wear and tear on these bad boys. And that's why I did it... to have that music in that state forever. Analog purists will lose that with age and deterioration. Many of the analog masters from the 50s through 70s are now in a condition where just handling the tape reals causes damage and soon that original music will be lost forever. The whole Mofi blow-up was because they were respecting those fast deteriorating masters by copying them to DSD and other digital formats to preserve them. The purists were unwittingly arguing against permanence. The biggest reason CD and digital file formats sound different than Vinyl is that mastering engineers just love to tinker with the knobs. They compress, boost, limit, autotune, quantize and play other tricks trying to improve on the original sound. In the process they've destroyed a lot of perfectly good music. The "loudness wars" was (are?) an active affront to anyone who enjoys natural sounding music. In truth there is no good reason for any of it. As you point out digital formats can and do sound identical to the original sounds. I did and still do love the sound of vinyl records (pops and all). But I see no reason to let prejudice stop me from preserving that sound for my kids and their kids to hear.

[@bmwheeler1atverizon]

❤❤❤ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC ❤❤❤ You logically hit every argument for and against vinyl and digital. BTW: they were making digital masters of vinyl in the late 70s. I’m an audio geek, I love my cassette player, my cd player, my music server, and especially my turntables!!!❤❤❤

[@moonzero3]

I love your discussions!!! I agree with you 100 percent! I have approximately 150 vinyl LP's and 300 CD's! I listen to both formats for different reasons. CD's are great as I can put them on my smart phone and make play lists for when I'm in the car. I listen to vinyl when I'm listening just to listen with a whiskey.

[@tobbelander2037]

Or you can rip your vinyls and listen to them in your car, with awesome sound 👊

[@alternativemusicandbeyond6519]

I love watching your channel. There is a topic you haven't covered, which is mixing Pro Adio with Home Audio. I recently done that by adding a 31 Band Graphic Equalizer by DBX, It's Pro Audio and my system isn't. The Equalizer works fine.

[@lock67ca]

It's all in the mastering. A properly mastered CD can sound just as good as a vinyl LP and, sometimes, more often than some people may care to admit, even better.

[@Zimmy_1981]

Many don't know this

[@hewhohewho]

You, kind sir, are a good man. I thoroughly enjoyed this, it's a pleasure listening to you. Very down to earth approach to this vs. topic, I appreciate it!

[@gregoryrekitt9375]

Craig, I'm so glad to see this new video! I really do like and appreciate you and your truthful conversations on topics like this. Please keep up the great content!

[@vwestlife]

Thanks for the mention!

[@CraigTube]

Sorry I didn't get your name correct LOL. I'll mention you again in another vid

[@CraigTube]

In fact I'll post a correction in the comments and pin it to The top

[@janetanderson8831]

Some general comments: I just recently realized that you were back on You Tube. I have been a subscriber for several years and was upset when your Vinyl TV channel got pulled. I watched your last video, the (justified) rant about what You Tube had done to you, and I was pretty sad about that. In fact, I would credit your videos as being instrumental in my renewed passion for vinyl. I grew up listening to records and, even when cassette tapes were taking over, I preferred records. I still have most of my records from my growing-up years. I continued to play them but less and less as my CD collection grew. But after discovering and watching your channel, as well as a few others that focused on vinyl, my interest grew. At the time, your main turntable was an Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB, the one you used in your set-up video. In 2017, my husband bought me one for my birthday. I still use it but have now added an Audio-Technica AT-LP5X. I have the latter in my living room system and the former in my home office system. (I also have my old fully automatic Optimus turntable, which still works, and my parents' AT-LP60, but they are both in the basement in storage for now.) I have added hundreds of records to my collection (mostly used, some new) and have really upped my game on cleaning and storage. I enjoy listening to records now more than ever, and I credit much of that to you. I have now caught up on all your new videos and will continue to watch each new one. Glad you are back!

[@titanismmedia]

Keep it up Craig, it's always a pleasure to hear you talk about audio and music! As a young sound engineering student who loves vinyl I gotta say you are absolutely on point, as always! Analog can sound awesome, no doubt, but it is definitely not a transparent listening format, so if fidelity is what you want digital is better, provided that the mastering has been well done.

[@xMidan]

Good to see you posting here again! Alwaya love the work you do

[@scottbennett3119]

Glad I watched this! Your digital/analog comparisons are brilliant. I agree...

[@rickmiller8197]

Love what you said at 4:45 about the pop and wondering where in the hell did that come from. I can relate. Glad your back!!!

[@jonpatrick66]

Hey Craig glad you're back! I watched you to your last video on Rumble. Been some crap we all have felt and been through for one reason or another over the last few years but it makes me smile to see you back here doing what you do. Common sense is nice to hear in these times. ;⁠)

[@Patriot-American]

One of my favorite YT Channels ... So glad you are doing these again! I'm old school and I'm pretty much analog but I'm not against digital at all. Having grown up in the 60's and 70's, vinyl is what I grew up with and I just like all of the fun stuff you do when handling and playing vinyl on a turntable ....

[@mikeseba7817]

Welcome back Craig! I enjoyed this new video until the end and I agree with you. Yes, the placebo effect still works! 😉

[@interface25]

Great video craig. Myself, as daft as it sounds, I enjoy the nostalgia behind vinyl. I'm nearly 40, my dad had cupboards full of vinyl that we'd listen to, I'll always want to hold on to that memory . My generation grew up in the birth of digital though; digital music, video, communication (the Internet). So I'm smack bang on the line of it. At the end of the day I'm selective with what means something to me. I'm happy to listen to most things digitally, though I'll go out of my way to bring the nostalgia back; I asked my sister to buy me Kid A by Radiohead on vinyl this Xmas, it's an album I wouldn't stop listening to in my younger years. Had it on cd, but wanted to mix my love for the album with my yurn for the feeling I got from hearing vinyl crackle away. Essentially how I listen has nothing to do with the quality, digital will win that one nearly all the time as you alluded to. It's purely about how 'you' want to hear it. Love from England, will always follow you Craig

[@LERobbo]

Hey Craig, welcome back! Still trying to get my hands on one of your records here in Europe, close to impossible, but it remains firmly on my want list. Greetings from across the pond.

[@jimsmith3477]

love your videos. i’m far from a music expert so i learn a lot watching. didn’t know some of those earlier albums were mastered digital. like you i don’t care and still enjoy my record !

[@davidquinn6481]

I can't argue with anything you've said in this video. Well done!

[@AlliSam54]

Good point about the placebo effect. Qualitywise listening to analog or digital it comes down to if it's good enough. Analog has what I call the "gadget factor" - turntables leading the way with reel-to-reels close behind. Digital is convenient.

[@Jammerk40]

Glad to see you again!

[@michaelb9664]

I just wanted to say I really enjoy your videos. You are a voice of reason and what you say is totally logical. It’s amazing that in 2024 people still argue about these topics. I’m a CD, LP and digital file guy. There is joy and benefits to be had from all formats. Ultimate fidelity is digital as far as I’m concerned, but analog is fun.

[@tobbehurtig7690]

For me vinyl is the complete experience. If I want to listen to music while I'm making dinner I go for some streaming service..😊

[@Zimmy_1981]

IHU Same or phyiscal (making dinner, dping chores etc.) Not a fan of habingbto connect to internet, hoping it doesn't give trouble, boooting up PC, waiting foe app to load, find whatever songs to play and then waiting on them to load and play (sometikes in lossy format) 😢😅

[@psilver03]

I wholeheartedly agree with you. I don’t have anything to add. Just to say that I enjoy and know the benefits of both format. Convenience, tangibility, nostalgia. It all depends on personal taste. The negatives makes me stay away being active on forums but just read or watch the positives.

[@77perudo]

for me when i listen to vinyl its the "Whole Experience" goto the shelf.. look for what i want to listen to.. clean the dust/static etc.. spin it up.. and then look through the lyric sheet.. and the cover.. and any extras that it has.. like order form for merch.etc.. i also listen to music on youtube all the time.. just everyday playlists etc.. also i agree with you i would digitally record my kids performance.. great content as always..

[@Rozco_BKNY]

“Vinyl is Final” 💯💯💯💯% I think the discussion between vinyl vs digital is most prevalent in the DJ world. Both have valid arguments…but to me Vinyl is the way to go when performing.

[@pigeonwaltz]

Great to hear *_vinyl is final_* again!

[@nicola6323]

I love your channel also because you sometimes delve into philosophical topics!

[@TheRollingStoness]

Yes Placebo effect....I love both formats , vinyl ripped to FLAC played through stand alone DAC and cassettes too... I listen to music depending on the mood i am in .. All perfectly 4 different experiences..sometimes i love listening to my stereo equipment, sometimes i love listening to music... ( i cant tell the diff between Vinyl and Vinyl ripped to FLAC played through stand alone DAC, my ears process the same way )Love all

[@creggenen]

I'm in my mid-60's and think I'm finally at peace with audio formats. When I started out in the 1970's buying records they drove me nuts with the surface noise and IGD. Then CD came along and we had "perfect" audio, well not always so perfect but digital is now. However, I still mainly play records for the tactile experience but given I have a "perfect" alternative I can relax about surface noise and find it rarely bothers me at all. Distortion does bother me but with advanced reasonably priced cartridges these days like the AT-VM95ML you don't have to tolerate distortion any more.

[@paulaj2829]

I spend for what my ears can understand & that is as good as it will get...Vinyl is the only way you can sit down & enjoy real music because we have to make sure we play it correctly.. but when you have other jobs to do CDs & streaming is the best way to go .. But please don't let anyone tell you that this is the best because we all love music in whatever form we listen at the specific time of the day.. Rock & Roll .

[@mauricewatton9130]

Hi Craig, Loved this latest video and it made a lot of sense. I enjoy music on vinyl and cd and sometimes SACD. Please keep making videos has been too long since last one. More on good vinyl records and equipment maybe phono pre amps. Love your channel and all the best. 🍺 cheers. Maurice (Worcester UK)

[@sjeii9454]

Perfect video!!! Thank you Craig

[@fernandojacquesbittencourt6792]

Excellent vídeo!!! I live in Curitiba capital of Paraná (state of Brazil), I have almost 6.000 (Vinyl, CD's, DVD's, VHS, Blu-ray and K7 tapes), most part of them are Vinyl of Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Blues from 70s, 80s,90s. I like to listen vinyl since I was teen (nowadays I have 65) and I preserv them in perfect conditions in a room where I have 2 turnetables, 1 BD/CD/DVD Player, 1 VHS Player, 2 K-7 Player, 1 TV 46" and 1 home theater. I agree with you, Vinyl sound is much better then Digital sound. Greetings from Brazil!

[@Zimmy_1981]

😮

Superbe video. I am an old engineer from the 50's so I have lived decades of different formats. Have 4 turntables and hundreds of records but with cats I can not use them anymore so I use digital. The can not bote bytes. Regards from Patagonia. Gracias

[@samh488]

Best Analog Vs Digital Video I’ve seen! Very thorough and clear explanations, thank you🙏

[@WDeranged]

Two good arguments against the sanctity of analog sound are the SweeVinyl SugarCube de-clicker and the Mofi scandal. Almost none of the golden eared experts even suspected Mofi were cutting from digital. And the SugarCube (which I adore) has been given the seal of approval by several of the most hardcore digital critics.

[@billhicks9056]

I imagine most vinyl masters are digital? There's something extra nice n fuzzy in your heart and your feels about imagining a pure analog recording to pressing process, but it's probably more Hi-Fi going from digital. I've heard mention of 64bit ?...that's actually huge if you think about it.

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

@@billhicks9056 Most vinyl is currently mixed and mastered at 192ksps, 24 bits. Almost all mixing and mastering is now digital so it's going to be next to impossible to get a mic to speaker pure analog path going, anymore.

[@elray4932]

Excellent video! Master of Arms in half-speed 45 rpm is second to none and no CD recording can touch it. On the other hand, Neil Young’s Greatest hits on CD blows away the 180g vinyl record. That said I believe that vinyl does sound better but in most cases only in the very best iterations like half-speed and 45 rpm. The only drawback is good vinyl costs a lot of money.

[@DavidUKesb]

I had been listening to classical music CDs for years and one day spotted a pile of records at a car boot sale for 50p each so bought them and then purchased a budget £100 turntable thinking this would be a bit of fun and why not? The moment I placed Beethoven's 5th symphony on the turntable I was blown away by the sound, in particular the separation of the instruments. It sounded as close to being in the concert hall as you could get without actually being there. Since then I've purchased circa 450 records, a Project Debut Carbon turntable and a 1984 Pioneer PL-400 which I fitted with a mono cartridge. Music critics such as David Hurwitz believes vinyl is considerably inferior to CDs for orchestral music but I couldn't disagree more.

[@denismeury8357]

Thank you Your back to the Channel. I Check often for a new épisode. I like the way you explain Thing in the audio Word. You are not only listen to the equipement but the way the singer want us to hear. You cover both side of the Music. Thank you for the channel And long live for what you do.(by the way i am french from quebec that why i make spelling error.

[@TheVinylLoungeMtl]

Good morning one from Montreal. Your first video 9 years ago popped up and then this, love it and thank you, you got yourself a new friend 🎶😎

[@attilaszabo5456]

Craig good to see you again

[@Zimmy_1981]

So glad u like them both. Thanks. We pronounce it "vin-ill" but call them records. I affectionately call them "plastic"

[@Laura_r53]

Awesome video. I really enjoy your opinion on popular audio topics. Keep the videos comming

[@rlwings]

I really missed you Craig... Please consider ramping up this channel again. Please!

[@wasagageorge2610]

Great video, I agree with you. The loudness wars put me off of newer cds. It's a case by case issue. Take care

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

I agree, @wasagageorge2610. I hardly have any CDs from the 2000s, and I quickly returned such a CD from a library I borrowed from.

[@budsmoker4201120]

Great to see you posting, Bud. 🎉

[@jakeingwersen3980]

Love the videos!!! I have got to find a shirt like that!

[@gregbenefield7658]

Craig nailed it again

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

It's great to see, and hear you back. Since a couple of years ago, you helped me get further into record collecting; and thank you. I communicated with you on this topic concerning the differences, and advantages on Analogue, and Digital playback; and it became more clear to me about this topic. However, here it is again. Actually, vinyl sounds SOFTER to me; I am not exactly sure about this Warm thing; but whatever. For most music before the later 1990s I prefer vinyl records. Furthermore, I believe, and have listening experience as proof. If not the most important, a phono cartridge is one of the most important components in a record playing system; no less than 40% A cartridge counts for a lot; from my true opinion. A true opinion is between an opinion, and a fact. The phrase True Opinion is something Socrates said a very long time ago. I now have up to four turntables whereby three different ones are connected to a Receiver for experimental purpose, and enjoyment of playback. And I also have three different CD Players connected; actually one is a CD Transport, and the other CD Player is actually a SACD/DVD. From an SACD/DVD Player I can play an occasional Super Audio CD; there is where a bit more musical resolution is found! Besides the nineteen seventies, music categories mostly from pop, and rock, the 1980s are my favourite decade! Nineteen eighties is when I graduated from high school, had my first couple of jobs, and went to college. First CD Players in Canada, and USA were in 1983. I remember the CD news item, and topic well; I had just finished high school. Japan, and some of the European countries in 1982 had their CD Players on the market, by the way. No less than 41 years at the time of this post of mine. I listen to both vinyl, and CD. I don't much agree with you about MP3 Format musical listening. A compact cassette in one of my working Cassette Decks, a HK TD212 on a second audio system sounds more preferable to me; but I'm ignorant to a CD if it is recorded from the studio to triple D (DDD), or at least ADD Anyhow, I have not found any High Resolution Audio on Spotify! And I also pay for the musical streaming service. What is going on? Thank you very much for any advice.🔉🎵🎶

[@glasgowjohn7831]

hi craig i started following you on your homebrew channel 20 yrs ago (is that right???) and last year i started collecting records again and who do i see on youtube again my old pal craig, always good to see you

[@hotchihuahua1546]

I dusted off my turntable and set it back up after 40 years to realize why I put it up 40 years ago ! It’s an antique I can show to kids who don’t know what they were ! That’s about it ! Reel to reel , cassette decks are the same ! It’s a bygone era , replaced by massive amounts of streaming libraries ! The blue tooth receivers facilitate a wealth of music to be taken off your iPad or iPhone ! The quality of the sound has never been better ! I guess all my old equipment will be dusted off by someone else one day after I pass away ! Their curiosity will be short lived as they laugh at how electronics and music has changed ! lol I am 73 and I have and continue to enjoyed music ! That is really what it’s all about !

[@MarcusFenixD]

some people like good food, other perfumes and other like to collect baseball cards, if something makes you happy, do it!

[@TheMrMoosy]

Sometimes it's comparing apples to oranges. Listening to Lana Del Rey on vinyl shows that mastering for vinyl opens up the dynamic range. Oh and mom's spaghetti sauce is clearly the best in the world! ✌

[@KRich408]

Some older music will always sound better that's never been touched by digital, I have first presses of albums like the Animals, Black Sabbath where nothing was digital from the Instruments, vocals, master etc. yes Digital can make some things better like Pink Floyd but they were a very complicated band lot's of nuances that analog couldn't transfer to vinyl. I was extremely lucky to find some of these first presses from the 60-70s that were sealed 😊

[@Adventurepil0t]

Reel to reel! A practical way to do it is take a uncompressed hi res stream and put it on a reel via a nice DAC. You get the both the visual and aural awe

[@jamiecantar8727]

Great vid Craig. It's apples and oranges. Both are delicious fruits. One benefit of digital is that surface noise, pops and ticks are eliminated. I especially love this for classical music, were a lot of productions have many quiet passages. In my opinion, there is not a huge difference between the two audio formats like some audiophiles make you believe. They are both good and both different. Some songs sound great on vinyl some better on digital, it all depends how it was recorded, mastered and produced and that's not in our control. In the end, we have to work with what's out there, everyone has access to the same records, cd's and files, It boils down to how passionate one is about extracting the info from these sources after that point, to get the most "highest quality" reproduction they can or "want" to achieve with their knowledge, means and pocket book. The one thing that's constant is the source material, everyone has access to the same source material. There are so many variables to extracting the best audio playback from these two formats, obviously you'll get a better reproduction from better equipment. Is there a cut off point? Yes, I think so. I'm very happy with my set ups, I didn't spend a lot, I get amazing sound, and their all from the used market. You can go nuts trying to chase the dragon.

[@LudovicoPVD]

Hi Craig @VinylTV33, just to say that I miss your videos : ) hoping you are well. And thanks again for sharing with us your vision and learnings. Vinyl is final!! Cheers : )

[@madcrabber1113]

There is no right or wrong answer to this. It is dependent on so many variables. I love it all personally for many reasons. There will always be people who want to tell you which condiments to use on your food or not unfortunately. Who cares? Just enjoy music etc.

[@sidesup8286]

Great vid! As far as the sound quality is concerned, of the many thousands on these forums over the years, who argue one way or the other; there probably hasn't been one single person throughout all of that time, who has been qualified to tackle the subject, and make any definitive statement concerning which one is better. Only the person who owns the very best cd & lp playback equipment that there is, is qualified to make any statement concerning which one is better; and even then, only if he is of the utmost excellence in judging sound and is totally "scientific" in his comparisons. Of course no one even knows what IS the very best playback gear. These vinyl people have always wanted to think that they have something really special there. The belief of superior sound quality is one thing that they cling to; even as digital grew up and improved. I think these major vinyl collectors/ hoarders envision some day when their records will be worth a fortune; so in their minds, they're rich. The person handing them all that money just hasn't happened yet. And likely never will. By the time that imagined future day arrives, who knows what we'll be listening to music on; and who knows how superior that format will be, to anything we can envision now.

[@anjovandijk9797]

for now and then I watched your channel until you were gone. iam glad you back enjoy your videos its time to subscribe to your channel. as vinyl lover I prefer the original if possible first pressing and the same I would prefer for cd. But I've never thought about cd's/digital until I watched your video which is a eye-opener for me, afterall digitizing the signal approach which the Technics does with the R1000 aint such a bad idea. Going back to the cd, what do I have to look for by wanting the best pressing for cd's as well.

[@VinylTV33]

The CD itself is never the reason that it doesn't sound good. It's all to do with the mastering.

[@anjovandijk9797]

@@VinylTV33 speaking of mastering, where do I have to look for

[@callumbrowns]

Great content and channel, My request would be what's the best home listening speaker's for a turntable?

[@timpanic]

Exactly :)

[@spinningrooves839]

Too be completely honest Digital and Analog recording are both great. If a album was originally issued cut from tape id prefer to have a all analog cut but the mastering is really important. The bob ludwig cut of Rush's Moving Pictures on vinyl is amazing. The remaster isnt terrible i just find the ludwig mastering too be better in my own opinion 🎵👍

[@cuoresportivo155]

9:03 you only have to look at the comments below videos of vynil rips. Everybody is raving about the vinyl sound, yet they are listening to a digitised and compressed version of that analog sound.

[@fab208athome]

Great vid. The debate is very subjective isn't; because unless we were all issued with the same hi-fi everybody will have a different experience. I have CDs but a lot more vinyl so I have invested more in a decent turntable - therefore Vinyl sounds better to me and that's all I care about. Keep up the great work.

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

Me too, @fab208athome.

[@gregbenefield7658]

MP3 through my system sounds great.

[@megaTherionXX]

Depends on the MP3, it's a lossy format. 🤷‍♀ The compressed MP3s back in the late 90s/early 00s were horrible. But nobody did care... it was new ..

[@AntonKarpuzikov]

There are two perspectives on this question: scientific, based on precise data, and religious, based on personal or others' beliefs, feelings, impressions and fantasies. The entire high-end audio business is based on the faith that, as a listener, you can hear differences and minute changes in sound, believing your hearing is better than any microphone or measuring tool. And audiophiles swallowed this hook very very tightly

[@EA-58]

Hey good to see another vid from you 👍

[@ChrisReise]

3:30 The way I would listen to the music...and this is just ME...would be to listen to it in the format that WOULD have been available at the time of release. If the LP was released before the invention of the CD, then I would listen to the vinyl.

[@buddafingahz9057]

I’ve got over a thousand records, 600 cds, a hundred or so cassettes, and a bluesound node to stream. I have never told anyone that vinyl sounds better. I get a kick out of just how good these antiquated formats can sound compared to a good stream and have fun listening to all formats. I compare listening to a record to something like the tea ceremony. Interesting that you mention 320. That was my personal cut off. Anything lower than that and it did sound bad to me. The absolute best sounding stuff for me is a good file on TIDAL steamed through my blusound node. Let’s not mention MQA.

[@GuillermoTessi]

With vinyl (and tapes for what's worth), it all depends on the source nowadays. Re-pressing, re-masters, re-releases, vinyl editions of post 2000 albums, all of them will be made from a digital source. So in the end, the vinyl will be digital to some extent, losing all of the "warmth" of a true analog record. Supposing that you are listening to an old vinyl record, one pressed when mastering was still analog, you have to consider another factor in the equation: the sound equipment. None of the current record players and sound systems are pure analog, which transforms the "sound" from a true analog source to digital, defeating the analog experience. I've lived through the full analog experience myself when I was a kid, but never had a Hi-Fi system to feel and listen to each tiny detail of those records and tapes. Entering the New Millenium I've come to appreciate full digital sound, with all its ups and downs as some CDs had scratches, or digital files were bad rips because of some damaged CD drive (or bad CPU). To summarize, this experience will be different for everyone, there is no "true way" to listen to music. Best media, with best player and speakers/headphones, according to the moment.

[@tomdemaline8869]

For me its always been vinyl. The act of taking the record out of the jacket putting it on the table, having to flip the record over to play the other side is the connection between the music and me. If there is a pop or crackle here and there somehow for me adds to the experience. Vinyl sounds natural to me CD's sound like a computer, compressed, almost fake.

[@RussellHarland]

Right now, listening to an original pressing of Van Morrison's Moondance from 1970; a record in perfect sonic condition, no one can tell me there is a CD of the record that sounds as good as this. Analogue pressings of analogue recordings is where vinyl won't be beaten by digital formats. All sound is ultimately analogue, and even newer recordings recover some of the realistic analogue texture when read by a moving needle on vinyl. This might be a colourisation of the original recording, along with vinyl mastering, just sounds better to my ears.

[@HiFiListener]

I see this thing just practical. Mostly, I use my turntable for recordings that don't exist on digital platforms. I've got plenty of 12" remixes and even some LPs has been remixed later on. So there are versions that don't exist no more. Sometimes you'll get some of this stuff here at KZbin (in wich quality ever), but you can't count on this. I started to digitize a lot of that stuff, but kept the original for backup. I improved the sound at my PC (decrackle, denoising, rarely eqalizing) and it sounds fantastic, even after converting it to mp3 (usually LAME at VBR with V2 quality).

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Just finished watching Steve Gutenberg (the Audiophiliac) go to David Cheskys house (founder of Chesky records) to see his audio system. No Turntable.. interesting. CD is a no go. Streaming using a world class DAC is better sounding. No getting up to change CD, so no distraction regarding changing the CD. The WHOLE digital thing rests on the quality of the converter. CD is horrible to me. Just my .02c.... ;-) if i want the ritual and have the time to listen via Analog, I've got reel to reel decks and hundreds of tapes. Thursday I go to compare my $24K DAC to a $150K vinyl setup on a $.5M system... should be interesting!!

[@cmvb69]

The one difference I have noticed between record and cd is it always sounds like I'm in the studio with the record which sounds better to me

[@analoglooney]

How do you know what it sounded like in the studio if you wasn't there?

[@KRich408]

The only time digital changes is if there's error correction because 0-1 are lost for whatever reason.

[@CaptainBailey4007]

Awesomeness Craig!!!🍻

[@zulumax1]

21:00 Is that Police Synchronicity purple colored vinyl when you shine a light through it? They all look black, but some are actually purple! I have many analog tape machines including a Technics RS-1506 reel to reel and a Nakamici Dragon. If I archive something I use 96k 24bit PCM wave file format. I record vinyl at -20db level to digital. I would have a hard time telling the source from the digital copy recording. Tape on the other hand can be very good, but not quite there.

[@VinylTV33]

Yes mine is purple. Why -20db?

[@zulumax1]

@@VinylTV33 Headroom for editing and peaks, Then I normalize the volume in final editing. With 24 bits I have tons of headroom, no need to monitor the levels.

[@pabloficosecco7473]

Thriller is an analogue recording. The SPARS code is AAA. Saludos from Bahía Blanca, Argentina!

[@pabloficosecco7473]

@nicksterj The SPARS code from the original VINYL is AAA

[@billhicks9056]

Valve amps on a nice outdoor system.. you can feel the overtones or harmonics or frequency interaction or whatver is going on in the soundstage, its like a holographic moving image. But theres a time and a place for that.

[@wicketworldwide3114]

My father let me have his vinyl. Too much a connection there for me. Plus I’m a hip hop fan. My favorite music was literally created from records.

[@sador42]

Vinyl is imperfect and Digital (streaming/CD etc) are imperfect. If what you hear is acceptable to your ears then it’s good!

[@mr555harv]

We older guys have found other issues from experience. The storage and moving your residence is the bigger problem. Ona big reliable portable hard drive you can store and MOVE A CLOSET FULL of analogue recording. Storage is expensive.

[@rlwings]

I route my Technics 1200GR through my computer (so I can apply Dirac room correction before sending it to my high-end system) and the sound is so good I bet it rivals any analog setup. (Because the room has been taken out of the equation). - I digitize analog in order to improve the sound!

[@groovingonvintagevinyl7840]

Great video and explanation!

[@chrisflaro5413]

Hello. Do you have a video on turntable repair? Mine was damaged in a move, and I'm trying to pinpoint the problem.

[@analoglooney]

I think that this is the most well argued, intelligent, factual and grown up explanations I've ever heard on this subject, Well done. I think we forget how bad the vinyl got by the 80's. Most pressings were tripe. I remember buying invisible touch on vinyl and CD. I had an early Sony CDP-101 cd player. My turntable was a Manticore Mantra, Rega tonearm and Nagaoka MP11 boron cartridge. The CD absolutely panned the vinyl in every way. The LP was noisy, off centre, cheap recycled vinyl that sounded flat and undynamic.The CD was a revalation, sounding clean, dynamic and far more involving. Modern pressings can sound a lot better but the irony is that most are now cut using digital files. Go figure. I still use my Revox A77 from time to time as it makes recordings of MP3's sound amazing. All distortion I know but it works so I guess there's life in tape yet. Nice to see you back.

[@billhicks9056]

😢

[@analoglooney]

@@billhicks9056???

[@billhicks9056]

@@analoglooney I don't remember making that reply. I may have had my phone in my pocket without locking the screen.

[@analoglooney]

@nicksterj I agree. I bought 'Trick of the Tail' on vinyl re-issue recently and it sounded just as dire as the original. CD version still sounded much better.

[@analoglooney]

@@billhicks9056Your phone is haunted. LOL. No worries.

[@jimhines5145]

Zeros and Ones do change when you are using any type of compression. Especially when you are converting one compressed format into another. If you really want to copy a compressed mp3, first convert to lossless wav . Results may vary, but this is your best bet. I record all my LPs in 2496 flac. I have fantastic results.

[@shazmanbound1496]

That's a cool shirt! Where did you buy it? 😊

[@ILikeStyx]

ooh - is your Synchronicity on KC-600 vinyl??? (hold it up to a light to see if it is purple)

[@VinylTV33]

Yup!

[@baronofgreymatter14]

How much do you use EQ when listening to Vinyl vs digital?

[@VinylTV33]

At the moment, I don't use any, but I do have a multi band equalizer that I've been thinking of putting in my audio chain. This is because as I get older, I'm losing the high frequency response in my hearing, as we all do.

[@redjr16]

You seemed to imply a couple times that digital sounds bright, or harsh. IMO, that's largely due to the DAC you're listening through. This sound of digital is easily identified, because for most people it causes listening fatigue. You simply can't listen to it for very long. With the level of DACs available today, you can dispense with that fatigue for about $200USD. Even the inexpensive DACs from China have cured that problem. Now the dynamics of digital (and a good DAC), is another things altogether. And it may not be for everyone. Personally, for me, I like to hear the breath of the vocalist, and the fingers moving on the guitar - along with the music. After all, you're hearing it all. And, the easiest way to test your system - whether an album or digital track is with acoustic instruments. With a decent DAC, you will hear everything. The trailing reverb of an instrument string, or the well-executed sustained note by a vocalist. My .02 cents. :)

[@zulumax1]

I have Supertramp Even in the Quietest Moments on DBX vinyl record. Not a fan of that format, but I do have some of those DBX encoded disks. Anytime the signal goes through more processing, it is being damaged.

[@ronwilgenbusch1961]

I’m an Analog man stuck with digital styli to clean the crap from my crackly flatulence music maker. 🔊