• Welcome to ASR. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

If CDs are obsolete, why old CD players are still expensive?

Is that the reason it's having a comeback?

That's interesting, because what you describe has nothing do with why I collect vinyl.
Why is that relevant? He was referring to one of the plethora of popular reasons, not whatever your specific ones are.
 
Don't know if CD's are obsolete. If you know that analog master tapes are deteriorating (transients are sometimes already diminishing with in hours after recording) than the closest that comes to the original master tape will be an early CD release. There are people buying for this reasons early pressed Cd's.
 
Why is that relevant? He was referring to one of the plethora of popular reasons, not whatever your specific ones are.

Because data.

He expressed a hypothesis (better sound) as to why vinyl is having a comeback.

He could be entirely wrong as to the cause.

And, also, he didn't say it was one of several factors.
 
Of course, there are other reasons people collect vinyl. Be it the cool details about the music/band in the dust covers, or just the neatness of the analog experience and taking things slow- having to change a disc at a time or listen to it in full. Whether or not these reasons like them are as popular as the sound quality ones is something I'd like to know, too.
Because data.

He expressed a hypothesis (better sound) as to why vinyl is having a comeback.

He could be entirely wrong as to the cause.

And, also, he didn't say it was one of several factors.
I mean, sure, he didn't have statistic grounds for what he said. But, your anecdote didn't lend much to contrary data, either.
 
Of course, there are other reasons people collect vinyl. Be it the cool details about the music/band in the dust covers, or just the neatness of the analog experience and taking things slow- having to change a disc at a time or listen to it in full.

I mean, sure, he didn't have statistic grounds for what he said. But, your anecdote didn't lend much to contrary data, either.

I haven't seen any comprehensive data, either.

But you already have 2 posters on this thread saying that they don't collect LPs because they think they sound better.

So those anecdotes challenge the correctness of the hypothesis, prima facie.
 
Some people, like me, don't think they sound better.

But love to collect and play them, anyway.

I only purchase re-releases of Pop albums i like and i know were butchered dynamically on CDs.

Ray of light is one of my most prized possessions.

51SnVjIxCkL.jpg
 
Last edited:
I haven't seen any comprehensive data, either.

But you already have 2 posters on this thread saying that they don't buy LPs because they think they sound better.

So those anecdotes challenge the correctness of the hypothesis, prima facie.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2 people from ASR aren't that representative of vinyl collectors as a whole. Really, I would guess that vinyl collectors who browse ASR represent a very, very small minority of vinyl collectors.
 
Some people, like me, don't think they sound better.

But love to collect and play them, anyway.
12" x 12" vs. 4.5" x 4.5", no contest. As an art object, there's a lot to be said for the LP. For sound archiving?, not so good. Streaming's much, much better.
 
CD Players do not need to be expensive in this day and age. Of course, there is audiophile hyperbole, but in the real world of scientific audio performance, your best bet is an (UHD)BD player with an optical audio output. These can be had for almost nothing, and will be sonically perfect. Going the (UHD)Bluray route gives you video as well, and for, for example, opera I think that is a real requirement. I really see no use case for audio only CD players.
 
It’s the only explanation i found to why the general public thinks vinyl sound better.
This is a nice topic about master tapes from which Vinyl is made. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/are-there-any-good-remasters.18653/
When vinyl records are made they used the LP cutting masters which were marked "master" and the true 2-track mixdown masters were marked "do not use" these are the thrue masters with all transients an full dynamic sound which Vinyl in most cases is not able to reproduce. Steven Wilson is known for looking for true master tapes thats one of the reasons his re-masters sounds most of the time much better than the original vinyl records (master).
 
I only purchase re-releases of Pop albums i like and i know where butchered dynamically on CDs.

Ray of light is one of my most prized possessions.

51SnVjIxCkL.jpg

Nice.

Just curious, do they not make lossless digital files of this album, high res or otherwise, available these days?

After all, the LP had to be sourced from something, and I don't think it was originally recorded on 15 IPS.
 
CD Players do not need to be expensive in this day and age. Of course, there is audiophile hyperbole, but in the real world of scientific audio performance, your best bet is an (UHD)BD player with an optical audio output. These can be had for almost nothing, and will be sonically perfect. Going the (UHD)Bluray route gives you video as well, and for, for example, opera I think that is a real requirement. I really see no use case for audio only CD players.

But I can buy streaming opera in 4K video, too.
 
This is a nice topic about master tapes from which Vinyl is made. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/are-there-any-good-remasters.18653/
When vinyl records are made they used the LP cutting masters which were marked "master" and the true 2-track mixdown masters were marked "do not use" these are the thrue masters with all transients an full dynamic sound which Vinyl in most cases is not able to reproduce. Steven Wilson is known for looking for true master tapes thats one of the reasons his re-masters sounds most of the time much better than the original vinyl records (master).

Amongst my reel to reel collection, I have both recording masters and "production masters" (used to make LPs).
 
Nice.

Just curious, do they not make lossless digital files of this album, high res or otherwise, available these days?

After all, the LP had to be sourced from something, and I don't think it was originally recorded on 15 IPS.

Just to be clear, CD quality is always available if the Album was originally released on that format.
 
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2 people from ASR aren't that representative of vinyl collectors as a whole. Really, I would guess that vinyl collectors who browse ASR represent a very, very small minority of vinyl collectors.

Make it three...
 
Just to be clear, CD quality is always available if the Album was originally released on that format.

Yes, I understand.

But I was assuming if they bothered to dig up the original, uncompressed digital masters to make the LP, they could have easily released it in, say, 24/192kHz, too, to get additional sales, but I guess not.
 
Make it three...
I know there are a lot more than 2 vinyl collectors on ASR. I'm just saying, however many people there are, are a very small minority of the world's vinyl collectors. I don't doubt most vinyl collectors on ASR listen to vinyl for reasons specifically disregarding sound. But, of course that would be the case- it's ASR!
You could start a poll. ;)
Would be nice, yeah.
 
Back
Top Bottom