Vinyl Vs. Cd: The Ultimate BoC listening experience

[Derail]

Ok, so I've never owned a record player, but I've heard from people that Boc on vinyl is much better than cd. I consider myself a pretty rabid Boc collector and I have all the general releases on cd, but there are some you just can't get on cd. I have a little extra $ and was thinking about getting a record player. Any recomendations for a decent one that's not to much money? And I guess the real question is, is it really worth it? Does it really sound that much better?

[cmx]

i don't know about the player thingie but i've got only MHTRTC on cd, all the rest on vinyl, and i should say that the crackle and pop adds to the boc-experience. it sounds more warm i think..

[gfresh]

... and i should say that the crackle and pop adds to the boc-experience....

Three posts in and I'm already going way off track, but speaking of adding to the boc-experience, has anyone listened to them outdoors, like say in the middle of no-where? Not too loud, and out in the country? I think the sounds of nature really enhance the experience.

Back to topic: I've got TCH on vinyl, and still haven't listened to it, 'cause I have a sh*tty record player. So I would be curious too about a good turntable, too.

I've ripped most of my BoC tracks to mp3, so I can get 9 hours onto one CD and shuffle through their catalog. Try doing that with a record.

[deadfly]

I'm a big vinyl fan but I have to say that you need to spend quite a lot on a hifi to be able to tell the difference in sound quality between CD and vinyl. Apart from the surface noise of course - it does add something to some music, especially BoC.

[kaini]

there are low, low bass freqs on MHTRTC i NEVER heard before i bought it on vinyl. vinyl all the way.

my hi scores is scratched to shit though

[m.oreilly]

i guess i must be one of the oldest
here, as i grew up w/vinyl, and yes,
as was mentioned, the warmth and
frequency depth are superior to
the cd quality. gear can be pricey,
though there are many used hi-fi establishments where quality gear
can be purchased for less.

[thedisavowed]

Both have their advanatages and disadvantages..

Neither is really better.. they're just different.

Maybe someday if Sony and all those big wigs figure out the next audio standard we'll be able to hear BOC without the imperfections of both formats.

Some day....

[vlari]

I have to play some tracks off the first disc of MHTRTC on 45. Telephasic Workshop and Sixtyten sound bloody awesome sped up.

Seeing as BoC have a very rich sound, vinyl seems like the perfect format. Happy Cycling on 12" is gorgeous and as stated, the pops n crackles just adds an extra dimension.

[Guest]

Ok, so I've never owned a record player, but I've heard from people that Boc on vinyl is much better than cd. I consider myself a pretty rabid Boc collector and I have all the general releases on cd, but there are some you just can't get on cd. I have a little extra $ and was thinking about getting a record player. Any recomendations for a decent one that's not to much money? And I guess the real question is, is it really worth it? Does it really sound that much better?

Vinyl sounds warmer and that's a fact.

[Guest]

Ok, so I've never owned a record player, but I've heard from people that Boc on vinyl is much better than cd. I consider myself a pretty rabid Boc collector and I have all the general releases on cd, but there are some you just can't get on cd. I have a little extra $ and was thinking about getting a record player. Any recomendations for a decent one that's not to much money? And I guess the real question is, is it really worth it? Does it really sound that much better?

Vinyl sounds warmer and that's a fact.

[zander two]

I'm glad this question was brought up because I was thinking about a record player investment myself. It really does sound expensive, especially considering some of the really great stuff on vinyl is very hard to find and rather pricey. I have enough problems tracking this stuff down on cd. Perhaps when we all start our own BoC-themed commune, we can all pitch in for some serious gear!

[kaini]

i picked up an original pressing of bowie's "heroes" today for a tenner!

the second side has some of the best ambient music ever committed to vinyl imo... and it's immaculate condition

*chuffed*

[m.oreilly]

I'm glad this question was brought up because I was thinking about a record player investment myself. It really does sound expensive, especially considering some of the really great stuff on vinyl is very hard to find and rather pricey. I have enough problems tracking this stuff down on cd. Perhaps when we all start our own BoC-themed commune, we can all pitch in for some serious gear!

indeed

[Goiter Sanchez]

Derail; as you are probably aware, when you listen to a vinyl to are listening to an analogue form of sound reproduction as opposed to digital. The sound you hear in your everyday life is analogue by definition. When you listen to vinyl it is as though the needle dropped into the groove is an an instrument playing right there in the same space as you (if that makes any sense).

Digital mediums (like CDs, SACDs and DVDs) are only 'theoretical approximations' of an analogue sound. They take 'snapshots' of the analogue sound and encode it into zeroes and ones to be stored digitally. This is called 'sampling rate'; for CDs it is 44,100 samples per second, for SACDs it is around 120 K and for DVDs it is a bit higher.

What this means is that, by definition, a digital recording is not capturing the complete sound; it is merely approximating it through a series of steps. Some sounds that have very quick transitions, such as a drum beat or a trumpet's tone, will be distorted because they change too quickly for the sample rate to register.

In your home stereo the CD or DVD player takes this digital recording and converts it to an analogue signal, which is fed to your amplifier. The amplifier then raises the voltage of the signal to a level powerful enough to drive your speaker.

A vinyl record has a groove carved into it that mirrors the original sound's waveform. This means that no information is lost. The output of a record player is analogue thus it can be fed directly to your amplifier with no conversion.

Switching to vinyls doesn't have to expensive contrary to popular belief. The vinyls themselves are more expensive than CDs because they are more difficult to produce and more fragile to ship; however, used vinyls can be purchased at music shops and garage sales for as little as $1.00 and STILL sound amazing.

You're probably listening to music on a $120 - $200 US CD player I'd imagine (if that) which really doesn't sound that great (though you may not realize it). If you bought a record player for $250 US you would have to buy a CD player worth over $800 US to come close to how good it will sound.

In reality getting awesome 'audiophile quality' sound is cheaper with vinyl, although you should probably spend at least $250 on the player. I would recommend the 'Project Debut' record player which I have used. It is absolutely stellar for it's price range (around $250 US). Here is a link:

http://www.audioenz.co.nz/2002/0601.html

You may be wondering why vinyls aren't more popular that CDs since they sound better. The prevalence of CDs these days derives from our consumerist culture; CDs are cheap to produce and ship, also requiring minimal care as opposed to vinyls. Here is a pros and cons table for analogue and digital sound storage mediums.

ANALOGUE

PROS
- True to life, 'warmer' sound than digital mediums can ever achieve.
- Vinyl looks awesome, smells awesome and feels awesome!
- A lot of music (particularily in the electronic music scene) is released only on vinyl.
- The act of flipping the record or manually putting the needle onto a latter groove to hear a different song makes you feel like more of an 'active listener' and more a part of the music (that's how I feel).

CONS
- New vinyls cost more than CDs (although used vinyls cost less than used CDs usually).
- Vinyl versions of albums are often limited editions compared to CD releases and can take more searching to find.
- Vinyls must be kept clean and stored carefully or you will start to experience 'surface noise' like pops and crackles as dust gets trapped in the grooves.
- Vinyls cannot hold as many songs as a single CD; for example all 66 minutes of Geogaddi fit on one CD where the vinyl version consists of 3 double-sided records with four or fives songs per side. Thus you will have to become more involved and flip/change records as opposed to the CD.
- Vinyls are larger and need more room to store.
- Vinyls are not very portable and listening to them in a car or while walking is highly impracticle and nigh impossible.
- Analogue audio is more difficult to rip to your computer's hard drive and turn into an mp3 than with digital storage mediums.
- Buying/collecting vinyls can become a dangerously expensive obsession.

DIGITAL

PROS
- The discs are small, easy to store and cheap to buy.
- Digital discs like CDs play constantly for up to 80 minutes uninterupted without having to be changed or flipped as with Vinyl.
- The discs are very portable and can be listened to on the fly (in a 'discman' or in a car CD player).
- Digital audio can be easily ripped onto a computer hard drive and turned into an mp3 (although 'copy protection' CDs are making this more difficult).
- The discs require minimal maintenance to keep in playable condition.
- Some pop albums are only available on CD since the 'pop music demographic' (14 year olds) are not interested in buying a more expensive , better sounding storage medium (it's worth noting that although you can only buy the newest 'Celine Dion' album on CD, hundreds of unauthorized, 'white label' vinyls full of electronic remixes of the tracks on that same 'Celine Dion' album are exclusive to vinyl).
- The discs make excellent coasters for beverages.

CONS
- CDs, SACDs and DVDs are digital approximations of an analogue sound, thus they sound 'tinnier' and lack the dynamics of a true analogue sound medium like vinyl.
- The packaging isn't as large or attractive as on vinyl releases; for example, compare the Geogaddi vinyl artwork to even the limited edition of the Geogaddi CD. The Geogaddi vinyl has much larger, lusher artwork in my opinion.
- You will have to spend considerably more on a CD player before you can approach the sound quality of a record player that costs half the price.

When I made the switch to vinyls I could never go back to CD. You really are missing out and I'd say anyone who loves music should make the switch!

[m.oreilly]

yes, indeed well said. now to find
an audiophile table and cartridge/stylus.

[Guest]

... and i should say that the crackle and pop adds to the boc-experience....

Three posts in and I'm already going way off track, but speaking of adding to the boc-experience, has anyone listened to them outdoors, like say in the middle of no-where? Not too loud, and out in the country? I think the sounds of nature really enhance the experience.

Back to topic: I've got TCH on vinyl, and still haven't listened to it, 'cause I have a sh*tty record player. So I would be curious too about a good turntable, too.

I've ripped most of my BoC tracks to mp3, so I can get 9 hours onto one CD and shuffle through their catalog. Try doing that with a record.

So why buy it on vinyl? I have both to and it's much easyer to listen to it on mp3 or cd, but vinyl sounds idd warmer, because of the analogue sound, btw i have a good recordplayer.

[kem1kal]

I have to play some tracks off the first disc of MHTRTC on 45. Telephasic Workshop and Sixtyten sound bloody awesome sped up.

Seeing as BoC have a very rich sound, vinyl seems like the perfect format. Happy Cycling on 12" is gorgeous and as stated, the pops n crackles just adds an extra dimension.

any way you can rip mhrtc in 45? i would LOVE to hear telephasic workshop sped up!

[gfresh]

It's not vinyl @45 rpm, in fact, it might be considered just wrong... but here is Telephasic Workshop resampled at 45 rpm... or at least a sound editor that approximates what it would sound like played at 45 rpm. Of course it's digital, and not as warm as an LP, but you get the idea.

REMOVED

I didn't like the pitch change in the track, so I sped up the tempo 35% but kept the pitch about the same... would this be considered a mashup, or just trash?

REMOVED

[Guest]

It's not vinyl @45 rpm, in fact, it might be considered just wrong... but here is Telephasic Workshop resampled at 45 rpm... or at least a sound editor that approximates what it would sound like played at 45 rpm. Of course it's digital, and not as warm as an LP, but you get the idea.

REMOVED

I didn't like the pitch change in the track, so I sped up the tempo 35% but kept the pitch about the same... would this be considered a mashup, or just trash?

REMOVED

I don't like pitching at all, when it's 33 rpm or 45 rpm you should play it like that

[vlari]

i did actually rip a few days ago. I did however, make a minor adjustment on the pitchcontrol on my deck, so it's acutally 45rpm -8%

if you could live with that, I'd be happy to hook you up

edit: it sounds quite similar to the one posted. just f.y.i