[monochrome]

Vinyl set to outsell CD’s for the first time since 1986

From a new report by the Recording Industry Association of America.

[luftfluss]

CD's have been doomed long than Pentax.

It's (nearly) all digital, anyway.

[boriscleto]

Streaming now accounts for 80% of music industry revenue. Physical media is only 9%.

[Dartmoor Dave]

I know a few youngsters who collect vinyl but wouldn't touch a CD, so I can believe that it'll become the dominant physical music medium again. And I handle vinyl sales for a charity here in the UK, so I know for certain that the market for good quality original pressings of fifties to eighties rock and pop is enormous. Although personally I handle the classical music side of things, where the market is much smaller.

The downside of the vinyl resurgence is that we're not getting as many top quality donations as we used to get, because people are hanging onto the stuff. Either that or they're selling the valuable items on ebay and just giving us the dregs.

Probably a good time to be a turntable manufacturer though.

[MarkJerling]

For a change I was ahead of the curve. There's a rare thing!

Good turntables are getting expensive. Now, I need to find a new Mission tone arm for my Ariston RD-40...

[timb64]

For a change I was ahead of the curve. There's a rare thing!

+1 Vinyl rules!
CDs were a marketing con “Perfect sound forever....my ass”to quote Jim Royle!!

[luftfluss]

+1 Vinyl rules!
CDs were a marketing con “Perfect sound forever....my ass”to quote Jim Royle!!

Early CD's sounded particularly awful. Before music on digital sounded good, I would get MFSL CD's whenever possible. Now I sometimes get HDTracks downloads.

Vinyl, CD, downloads... those are just the messengers. The big issue is the mastering. Listener fatigue is a real thing.

[RGlasel]

The big issue is the mastering.

It's the only reason to prefer vinyl to CDs, the human ear can't distinguish 14 bit digital music from pristine analog 33 1/3 RPM vinyl (so there isn't any dust popping and cracking to serve as clues) if the final mastering is identical. What makes many CDs and compressed digital audio sound artificial is mastering done for commercial reasons that sounds noticeably different than an analog vinyl disc that we accept to be the reference. If CDs were available before vinyl LPs, we would be complaining about lower dynamic range and distortion from adjacent grooves (not to mention the effects of stylus wear and noise from dust and dirt). The reason the early Beatles LPs released in the U.S. by Capitol sound so crappy is because Capitol executive Dave Dexter, Jr. wanted 1958 style reverb added, maybe to make them sound more American or because he thought the EMI mastering would never sell in the U.S.

Early on in the history of CDs, the music industry decided to boost amplitude compared to LPs, probably to help get more volume out of portable CD players, but it sounded too brassy for those of us who had invested all of our part-time income in direct drive turntables, high end cartridges, NAD amplifiers and speakers that cost as much as the beaters we drove. Compressed digital audio is mastered to suit automotive stereo systems and micro-powered portable players with tiny earbuds; it isn't just the data that gets grossly compressed.

It should also be mentioned that the per unit value of LPs is more than double that of CDs, so in the linked article, unit sales of LPs is less than half of CDs. Back in the days when a single LP could sell in the same quantities as the entire industry does today, the vinyl disc was thinner and more prone to warping. It's a shame my hearing has deteriorated to the point where I can't appreciate the better quality of today's vinyl.

[normhead]

It's the only reason to prefer vinyl to CDs, the human ear can't distinguish 14 bit digital music from pristine analog 33 1/3 RPM vinyl (so there isn't any dust popping and cracking to serve as clues) if the final mastering is identical. What makes many CDs and compressed digital audio sound artificial is mastering done for commercial reasons that sounds noticeably different than an analog vinyl disc that we accept to be the reference. If CDs were available before vinyl LPs, we would be complaining about lower dynamic range and distortion from adjacent grooves (not to mention the effects of stylus wear and noise from dust and dirt). The reason the early Beatles LPs released in the U.S. by Capitol sound so crappy is because Capitol executive Dave Dexter, Jr. wanted 1958 style reverb added, maybe to make them sound more American or because he thought the EMI mastering would never sell in the U.S.

Early on in the history of CDs, the music industry decided to boost amplitude compared to LPs, probably to help get more volume out of portable CD players, but it sounded too brassy for those of us who had invested all of our part-time income in direct drive turntables, high end cartridges, NAD amplifiers and speakers that cost as much as the beaters we drove. Compressed digital audio is mastered to suit automotive stereo systems and micro-powered portable players with tiny earbuds; it isn't just the data that gets grossly compressed.

It should also be mentioned that the per unit value of LPs is more than double that of CDs, so in the linked article, unit sales of LPs is less than half of CDs. Back in the days when a single LP could sell in the same quantities as the entire industry does today, the vinyl disc was thinner and more prone to warping. It's a shame my hearing has deteriorated to the point where I can't appreciate the better quality of today's vinyl.

I won't buy another turntable unless the store selling it has replacement cartridges and needles in stock. So far, that's no one. Talking about hearing loss, the last time I had a functional turntable I put on one of my favourite high DR tracks to play a very high cymbal track that helped my by Yamaha instead of a Sony amp. Sony reproduction was so poor you couldn't distinguish it, while the Yamaha had it loud and clear. SO using my same 30 year old Yamaha amp, I can't hear it anymore. And I can no longer distinguish the difference between Tess' Sony and my Yamaha. Life sucks,

[Dartmoor Dave]

The big issue is the mastering.

Absolutely. Mono first pressings of the Beatles, Stones etc change hands for much more than the stereo versions, because it was the mono versions that the bands spent weeks in the studio mixing. The stereo mixes were usually done in a couple of days as an afterthought, and often without any of the band even being present.

And it's why in the classical world the most sought-after records are first pressings of the earliest stereo recordings from Decca and HMV. They basically recorded the greatest conductors and orchestras of the time as if live, using big valve omnis in a hall that suited the music, and pressed on heavyweight vinyl without any transistors ever being involved. Trust me, listening to a Decca stereo wideband first pressing on a decent turntable is an experience that'll reveal any digital remastering as the travesty it is. And if rock is what you're into, listening to a Beatles mono first pressing will have the same effect.

[ZombieArmy]

I collect vinyls as more of a hobby than as a listening experience. I love the big album art that's presentable, it's like owning a bit of history.


However I will say there are some advantages to vinyl, like for some reason artists are tending to put uncompressed masters on vinyl while not doing the same for other releases. Even when converted to a digital format with high end equipment the vinyl masters are much easier to listen to. Some notable examples off the top of my head are X&Y by Coldplay or the Self-Titled album by Audioslave.


This isn't always the case since uncompressed or original masters can be found on CD, such as the exceedingly rare Japanese black edition release of Pink Floyd's The Wall or the Japanese release of Toto IV (which I believe was a version that was barely mastered at all). I doubt everyone has the same reasons as me, but the reason I go to these lengths is overall listening fatigue. A lot of modern masters and compressed albums introduce clipping and low dynamic range which I've noticed makes it difficult to listen to for more than even an hour.

I do think part of it is novelty though. Even cassettes are coming back. Just look at the price for original releases on ebay.

[stihlmania]

I have about 18 8-track cassettes is someone is buying..... 4 are stereo...

[RGlasel]

I have about 18 8-track cassettes is someone is buying..... 4 are stereo...

Any quadraphonic ones? How about pre-recorded reels of half inch tape? Back in 1975-76, one of my uncles gave me a consumer grade reel to reel deck so I could take German by correspondence and he included a Johnny Cash album with it. If I root around in my storage room, I think I can find the tape, but the deck died sometime in the late eighties.

---------- Post added 09-11-19 at 11:59 AM ----------

I won't buy another turntable unless the store selling it has replacement cartridges and needles in stock.

Good luck with that, I had to buy the last two cartridges and a replacement stylus online, starting in 2000 (I think) with a new stylus for my Shure V15 IV from a retailer in Austria. You can upgrade the cartridge that turntables sold by the likes of Best Buy come with for about $70 and get much better performance.

[ChrisPlatt]

Does this mean there's hope for film?

LP album art has undeniable appeal. I enjoy the ritual of playing vinyl LP's.
But not so much the clicks and pops.

Given the choice today I still opt for CD over LP, mainly for convenience.
Most importantly I can play them in my car, where I do most of my music listening.

The first CD players sounded pretty awful, but they got much better quickly.
I'll bet most of today's cheap turntables sound pretty bad as well.

Chris

[stihlmania]

Any quadraphonic ones? How about pre-recorded reels of half inch tape? Back in 1975-76, one of my uncles gave me a consumer grade reel to reel deck so I could take German by correspondence and he included a Johnny Cash album with it. If I root around in my storage room, I think I can find the tape, but the deck died sometime in the late eighties.

---------- Post added 09-11-19 at 11:59 AM ----------

Good luck with that, I had to buy the last two cartridges and a replacement stylus online, starting in 2000 (I think) with a new stylus for my Shure V15 IV from a retailer in Austria. You can upgrade the cartridge that turntables sold by the likes of Best Buy come with for about $70 and get much better performance.

1 Perry Como and 1 Percy Faith are quad......interested?????