by Bob Zimmerman

Created on: September 23, 2009   Last Updated: September 27, 2009

There should be no dispute over CD or vinyl. Without a doubt vinyl has a truer sound than CDs. If you could close your eyes for a minute and imagine your index finger is the needle of a record player. Feel the rigid rings all through the vinyl. Fell closer you can feel the impression of each individual sound. It's a beautiful thing.

Now again close your eyes and run your finger tips across a CD. It is quite smooth isn't it? That is because the ridges on a CD are covered by thin film of plastic that can be resurfaced when it gets scratched. This is great but at the sacrifice of sound quality. There is a crisp real sound that comes from a needle making contact with the surface of the vinyl record.

I don't know about you but I am a Pink Floyd fan. I have heard Dark Side Of The Moon more times than I can count as well as Animals. I have heard them in vinyl, CD, and mp3 format. The best quality sound by a mile is vinyl. With the other two styles there are actually sound affects missing from the recordings. If your any type of Floyd fan you know that sound effects are half the experience.

When you are listening to a cd you are relying on a computer to make an accurate interpretation of what it is reading. A reflection which is read by a laser eye is converted from data to sound. Would you use a computer to play back some of the greatest music ever performed? Sadly some would say yes. I agree that CDs and mp3s are more practical for traveling. I couldn't imagine trying to get a record player to not skip in a bouncing car. Each application has its usefulness.

If you want to preserve your music long term maybe mp3 is the way to go. CD is an acceptable format as well provide you have a machine that doesn't scratch them. I love the crackle of the dust on the needle, it reminds me of a better time that existed long before I was born. I would have been a vinyl collecting hippie had I been born long before I was. I should have been born in the nineteen forties to match up with my tastes. No matter what you choose, remember one thing, ROCK ON!

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