What You're Missing

valkyrie

Well-Known Member
Sep 12, 2011
65
10
315
But I DO listen to vinyl - and at times what I hear from vinyl is deeply satisfying - not because I believe the medium is superior - but because the production on some vinyl is just "right", just "there", just allows me to forget the damnable gear and enjoy the sublime music. But sometimes not - for instance anything released by "Four Guys with Beards" - horrible, tinny sounding and just repulsive. So vinyl is not the answer - and neither is digital. The answer in my mind is better production from all involved.

Music - what it is all about. That thing that is never understood but has accompanied all men through all time - and without which our lives would be much poorer.
 

Gregadd

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
10,567
1,790
1,850
Metro DC
i am sure , but i doubt its the best , and that is what this forum is all about


True . But what of his opinion? It is grist for the mill to be gorund up into the final product.
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,807
4,702
2,790
Portugal
IMHO, trying to associate the differences between the best of vinyl and and the best of CD just to the production of the recording is overseeing the problem.

We can find many examples where this is true, but in my experience the best I have listened from vinyl was better than the best I have listened from CD. Surely this opinion is a consequence of my preferences - I do not valuate spectacular recordings, most modern pop-rock music, soundtracks or other types of music where enormous bass frequency pressures are needed or stadium like levels. But I have found that for acoustical music, instrumental, vocal and instrumental music, jazz inclusive, good LPs played in adequate systems surpass the equivalent CDs. No doubt there are many very poor LPs - I am only referring to the best of them. Also most of the systems playing vinyl I have listened to were not properly tuned - almost every time in shows. One of the reasons of the great success of R2R playing the Tapeproject tapes in shows is that the tape machine does not need setup (and the high quality or the recordings, surely) .

And yes, I can admit easily that the soundtrack from Gladiator will sound better in CD than in LP. From what I remember from the movie, its technical requirements surpassed what we can get from vinyl. The LP was not prepared for this type of music. Neither my stereo system or me. :)
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,238
81
1,725
New York City
IMHO, trying to associate the differences between the best of vinyl and and the best of CD just to the production of the recording is overseeing the problem.

We can find many examples where this is true, but in my experience the best I have listened from vinyl was better than the best I have listened from CD. Surely this opinion is a consequence of my preferences - I do not valuate spectacular recordings, most modern pop-rock music, soundtracks or other types of music where enormous bass frequency pressures are needed or stadium like levels. But I have found that for acoustical music, instrumental, vocal and instrumental music, jazz inclusive, good LPs played in adequate systems surpass the equivalent CDs. No doubt there are many very poor LPs - I am only referring to the best of them. Also most of the systems playing vinyl I have listened to were not properly tuned - almost every time in shows. One of the reasons of the great success of R2R playing the Tapeproject tapes in shows is that the tape machine does not need setup (and the high quality or the recordings, surely) .

And yes, I can admit easily that the soundtrack from Gladiator will sound better in CD than in LP. From what I remember from the movie, its technical requirements surpassed what we can get from vinyl. The LP was not prepared for this type of music. Neither my stereo system or me. :)

Are you referring to the 45 rpm ORG release of Gladiator?
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,807
4,702
2,790
Portugal
Are you referring to the 45 rpm ORG release of Gladiator?

Myles,
No, my sentence it was just a generic guessing comment - I have not listened to neither version of the sound track of the Gladiator in audio systems. But considering what I heard the few times I was at hometheater demos using the movie, I can accept it surpassed what is possible in LP, even at 45 rpm.
 

valkyrie

Well-Known Member
Sep 12, 2011
65
10
315
The 45 RPM pressing - released some time back. High quality 180g (or was it 200g?) vinyl. Two records in a very nice package (which is one thing I really miss when it comes to digital recordings - those big album covers - they were so nice - and as many have noted - try rolling something up on a damnable CD case).

Granted Zimmer composes and releases with digital in mind - but that simply means that we are not hearing something on CD that was produced with vinyl in mind - huge difference in the mastering and recording process between the two - engineers know that digital is far more capable and robust as a medium.

This is NOT to say that CD automatically means you will enjoy your music more -there are many productions (recordings) wherein I am transcended by the sound of a good vinyl pressing. But when you get to a composition that was recorded with the idea that it would be released in digital - and it is done by an extremely competent artist/producer such as Hans Zimmer - the CD is rather grand sounding compared to the vinyl.
 

Gregadd

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
10,567
1,790
1,850
Metro DC
Alright let's not get carried away.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing