by Randy Duckworth

Created on: June 20, 2009

This is one of those age-old debates that will probably never be settled. It is a question that has sparked many heated discussions among serious audiophiles. There are as many differing opinions on this subject as there are different types of music that folks can listen to in their chosen format. No matter which side of the the argument that one may choose to champion, the reasons for their opinion are often very passionate, and no two are the same.

Although I personally believe that the advantages of the compact disc far surpass those of vinyl, that surely doesn't mean that vinyl is completely without merit. The music heard on CD is most often compressed to trim any frequency that is outside the auditory range of the human ear (typically anything between 20hHz and 20kHz), resulting in a much more sterile sound. Due to the fact that it allows the full spectrum of frequencies, most of which can be felt or sensed rather than actually heard, the vinyl LP does produce a much warmer and more forgiving overall sound. Studies have shown that while these lower frequencies cannot actually be heard, they do produce a wide range of reactions in the human brain that definitely add to the listening experience.

In addition, vinyl also provides the listener with a much better chance to enjoy the visual aspects of the packaging. Colorful artwork, photos, and sometimes even fold-out centers often allowed for a very interesting visual experience while listening. Heck, if you were a rock fan in the seventies and eighties, you even stood a good chance of receiving a neat little surprise when you opened an album; artists often included such things as posters, stickers, iron-on patches, and even buttons inside their records. So this is definitely one aspect in which CD does not compare to vinyl; the smaller format simply does not do justice to the artwork and inserts that accompany the songs. When you stop to consider that the artist has probably put every bit as much time and care into creating these things as they have in creating the music, it is simply not fair for these things to be neglected. Unfortunately, this is pretty much the extent of vinyl's advantages.

Compact discs, on the other hand, do offer much cleaner sound reproduction with far less background noise. CDs are also much more convenient than the vinyl LP for a number of reasons. First off, their smaller size makes them far less cumbersome than records. They are portable, which makes them perfect

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