When compact discs format was launched, it did not take long for consumers to embrace them. This format is very compact and more durable because there was no wear and tear during playback. Although they were more expensive than cassette tapes, the audio superiority made them a premier choice for audio enthusiasts from the 80s. CDs overtook vinyl sales in 1988, and overtook cassette tapes in 1991.
A Short History: From CD Back to Vinyl
It was also clear that there was concerted effort to advocate digital-quality audio production by labeling the albums with SPARS code. The most common ones are DDD, ADD, AAD. It represents the type of equipment used during recording, mixing, and mastering. I recall getting influenced with this mark and tried to look for albums with “DDD” labels.
Today, CDs have relegated to what LP went through in the 90s. They are practically worthless in the resale market. But this also provides great opportunity for music collectors to own physical digital albums. Would you pay $12 for a digital album on Apple iTunes, or pay $2 for a physical CD? Yes, that is how much a used CD is priced. Thanks to this phenomenon, I recently bought a 2-CD “The Phantom Of The Opera” original cast recording for just $5.
Back in 1992, I bought the 1-CD “Highlights” of the POTO album, and encountered something I have never seen on CD before. The entire album of almost 60 minutes contain one single track. Initially, I was baffled and wondered if it was due to compatibility issues like some hidden index marker that only special CD players could read. It was both fascinating and frustrating, as I had to manually note the play times so that I can manually search for the tracks that I wanted.
Why was this CD made this way? After almost 20 years, I think I have come to a logical conclusion. The original recording for POTO was done on the analog medium, and mixed in the analog format. In the “Highlights” album, the pieces have been cut to transition seamlessly, and the mastering engineer probably just used the finalised “Highlights” analog tape to cut the CD without re-indexing the tracks. This is why the engineer could not simply follow the original tracks from the full-length versions. Even so, at the very least, he should have split the CD tracks into Act I and II.
I guess I will never know the real reason, but what is real is that the vinyl record format has influenced a lot on how music albums are designed, how the song tracks are sequenced, as well as the length of the album. Eventually, this influence got less important as music listening progresses into online streaming. It’s now so affordable to own a piece of music, and I encourage you to collect CDs from the artists that you love, rather than just streaming them. I still try to purchase CDs and records of albums, so that if one day the streaming platforms go down, I still have access to music at home.
Almost 20 years later since I bought the CD, I placed an order on the LP on Discogs and it reached me on 20 May 2021 from a seller in Sweden. One of the fun things about mail order is not knowing when the package would arrive – the element of surprise – and what a delight when I saw the package came plastered with traditional postage stamps. The seller also wrapped the records in cloth paper.
Audio Quality Difference: CD and Vinyl
I am just another voice to this digital vs. analog audio debate. After reading so many articles over the past months of record collection, it has become quite clear on what vinyl brings to the music lover. But first, please listen to this comparison video and see if you can tell the difference.
In terms of audio, digital music sources are very consistent: playing the song countlessly will not degrade the sound. Ripping the file using different machines will still produce the same sound, because the audio data is identical. It’s the digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) part, the amplification, and the speaker/headphone design that can dramatically change the sound quality.
For analog music, the difference begins right from the moment the turntable cartridge picks up the vinyl groove. The quality of the cartridge and the turntable performance determines the accuracy of the audio, followed by applying RIAA equalization curve during the phono stage pre-amp process, before getting received by the stereo amplifier for any further audio processing similar to a digital audio signal.
When I compare the CD and LP of “The Phantom of the Opera”, I find that the LP brings out more upper midrange, forward vocals, the sound is more open, more treble extension, more ring. The CD sounds more refined, cleaner, polished. LP audio quality deteriorates when the groove gets closer to the centre.
My Verdict: Vinyl Is More Gratifying
There are so many variables that can affect the sound quality of vinyl. Some people say one format sounds better, and that’s because they invested in better equipment to produce the sound of that format. I summarise my opinion here:
- Analog does not casually deliver better quality than digital format. After all, analog is technically a less perfect medium.
- Record collectors do not choose vinyl solely for the audio accuracy. They choose because it offers tangible experiences of larger album packaging, handling the record, operating the turntable – rituals of listening to music.
- Vinyl also connects music experience to the listener through immeasurable nostalgia, especially older albums. Fancy playing a record album that was pressed in the 1960s to 1980s, reliving what the older generations went through.
- Newer albums produced in the digital era pressed on vinyl format are usually mastered identically with the digital version, offering no audio difference.
You know how sometimes you seem to appreciate a piece of music more after you read about the origins and the meaning behind it? This is what vinyl offers. Vinyl makes us appreciate music more. It is the connection with the artists who spend hours to produce the work of musical art that makes vinyl a gratifying hobby.
And precisely since you are already spending money on collecting vinyl, you would want them to sound as good – if not better than – digital albums. That’s where more money will have to be invested in better turntable equipment, like an external phono preamp.