by Richard Sprigg

Created on: October 12, 2009

Is Vinyl better than CD format? Strictly from the point of musical reproduction, yes, it most certainly is. The limitations of the CD format are well known to most people: with the sampling rate being what it is, clipping and distortion of treble ranges are common. Since the whole purpose of the technology is to reproduce music, the argument should end right there. However, since many other posters have taken the debate past this point, I will explore some of the other points that seem to be relevant.

The reproduction of CD is much cleaner than that of vinyl. The analog technology is subject to physical stresses that do not exist in digital reproduction, so rumble, wow and flutter, so common in average priced turntables, is absent. However, this cleaner sound is not without occasional unintended results. Often older recordings, transferred to CD, disclose things not apparent on the original vinyl: the sound of traffic outside the studio, for example.

Further, vinyl has inherent problems due to both material used and the process used to extract the sound. Black vinyl is a hard substance, and this is reflected in the level of interference inherent in playback. Coloured vinyl produces a markedly cleaner sound, but a shorter lifetime.

The greatest advantage of the CD format, however, is the relatively inexpensive equipment needed to produce a reasonable playback of the recorded product. I recall, 30 years ago, replacing the elliptical diamond for the cartridge on my Thorens TD125 was over a hundred dollars. The equivalent of that cost today would purchase a reasonable CD player.

Over that time, I have seen a number of reasonable alternatives to the standard CD format (formats with significantly greater sample rates, DAT etc) sink without trace in the marketplace. In many cases the established producers flat out did not want to replace their equipment or face increased costs, and reacted by ignoring the new developments. With no media available, the format died rapidly.

It should be understood that both formats are as obsolete and irrelevant to the future of recorded music as the Polyphon and the 78rpm disc. The transfer of music in digital form is going to happen, and happen soon: the only sticking point at present is the form and format it will take at the retail level. I have seen ROM chips which required a USB reader, memory cards and the like already. Perhaps the true audiophile should look forward with anticipation rather than back with nostalgia.

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