CDs are in every way better than vinyl records. They are smaller, much higher quality audio, lower noise floor and don’t wear out by being played. The fact that CD sales are behind vinyl is a sign that the world has gone mad. The fact you can rip and stream your own CD media is fantastic because generally remasters are not good and streaming services typically only have remastered versions, not originals. You have no control on streaming services about what version of an album you’re served or whether it’ll still be there tomorrow. Not an issue with physical media.
The vast majority of people listen to music using equipment that produces audio of poor quality, especially those that stream using ear buds. It makes me very sad when people don’t care that what they’re listening to could sound so much better, especially if played through a hifi from a CD player, or using half decent (not beats) headphones.
There’s plenty of good sounding and well produced music out there, but it’s typically played back through the equivalent of two cans and some string. I’m not sure people remember how good good music can sound when played back through good kit.
The myth of the superiority of vinyl, and the idea that vinyl is inherently Authentic in a way that digital formats aren’t is one of the most successful scams in corporate history. In one fell swoop, the recording industry persuaded music fans that they need to pay extra for a format that has measurably inferior fidelity, that cannot be copied (well, you can digitise it to a WAV, but then you get a murky, crackly sounding WAV; even if the sound coming out of the speakers is identical to how it would be from the record, the fact that you’re not playing a vinyl record diminishes it), and that wears out slightly each time you play it. Meanwhile, a lot of records never get released on CD, only vinyl and streaming, closing the digital ripping loophole. Well played, RIAA/IFPI.
So elaborate? Because every wax head I’ve met tells me one of two things. Either vinyl is the best audio quality you can get bar none, or they have specifically curated a collection of obscure music that can’t be heard any other way.
