In the 1990s vinyl records were almost completely extinct. Music stores had eliminated them from shelf space as CDs took over. New music was not being released on a medium that was rapidly becoming obsolete. But some three decades later, vinyl is in the midst of an astonishing comeback. Twelve-inch LPs are fashionable again and retaking retail shelf space as CDs fall from favor and are no longer cool.
I made the transition to CDs in the late 80s like everyone else, but I still held on to my old vinyl records, even favorite titles I had replaced with new CD copies. Over most of the last fifteen years, though, my old records have been stuck in boxes as I moved from place to place. But after recently buying a house and feeling like I’m somewhat settled, I decided to get my vinyl collection spinning again.
The first thing I needed to do was get my vintage stereo gear in shape. In recent years most of my music listening has been on computer, partly because of convenience but also because the stereo system I got for high school graduation needed some upgrading. I replaced the woofers and passive radiators in my Ohm speakers and cleaned my Pioneer receiver to remove the crackles in the switches and dials. I replaced the belt in the Technics turntable and bought a new cartridge and stylus.
I sorted and alphabetized my albums and put them in new shelves I bought at Shopko’s going-out-of-business sale. Now I was finally ready to listen once again to my treasured old records.
It didn’t take long before I was reminded why I enthusiastically embraced CDs when they came on the market. Records are bulky, inconvenient and a burden. You have to continually clean them to remove dust and static. You have to delicately handle records so the grooves don’t get scratched or smudged with fingerprints. You also have to brush the stylus with cleaning solution after every few plays. Even then you may still have pops and crackles, distortion, rumble, wow and flutter, and surface noise. And every twenty minutes or so you have to get up and turn the record over.
But wait! There’s more! The tone arm needs to be balanced and the cartridge calibrated. Plus, the anti-skate should be adjusted. If you don’t do these things you could damage your records. And damaged records could ruin your stylus. And a damaged stylus could ruin your records. It’s a vicious circle revolving at 33 1/3.
To play a CD you just put the shiny disc in a drawer. That’s it. No muss and no fuss. And as long as you’re not using them as a Frisbee or putting them in your toaster, CDs are virtually indestructible. Even if you’ve got one that’s been carelessly scratched and damaged, it’s not going to ruin your CD player. Unlike a record, they don’t wear out. And best of all, there’s no annoying surface noise or pops and clicks. It’s just pure music.
I know what you’re thinking: don’t records sound better than CDs? That’s just propaganda from the vinyl cult. Actually, the answer to that question is: it depends. Some records sound noticeably better than CDs. And some CDs sound much better than vinyl records.
The sound quality of a record depends on how it was mastered and where and when it was pressed. Is it an original or a reissue? A myriad of factors make a big difference in the sound of the record. It’s all a crapshoot unless you make the effort to research, investigate and sample records. There’s even aguy on YouTube who compares several copies of the same Beatles albums to find the one that sounds best. Who has time and money for that? Other than the YouTube guy.
Yet finding the best CDs takes some research and trial and error too. The first CD releases of older records were often made from second or third generation master tapes to quickly fill a growing market demand. Because of their comparatively poor sound quality, many of these early discs should be avoided. But exceptions exist. For example, Capitol’s original Frank Sinatra CDs are superior to the later “Entertainer of the Century” series which sound brittle and harsh with traces of digital fuzz that render them nearly unlistenable.
But when classic recordings are remastered for CD with care by talented engineers, they sound just as warm and rich as the original LPs. The late ‘90s Columbia/Legacy remasters of classic Mingus, Monk, Miles, Brubeck and Ellington albums sound glorious and bring these legends to life.
Of course, everyone hears music differently. You may think I have tin ears and lack any taste and discernment. You may be about to write a letter to SDPB about how outrageous it is that a philistine like me would be allowed to host a public radio jazz show. But all that matters is what sounds best to you. That’s it. Everyone else’s opinion is irrelevant.
And maybe you enjoy all the extra work that’s involved with a vinyl record hobby and don’t find it a chore. But what about the expense? A decent entry-level turntable costs at least $200 and you’ll need to pay more if you want to pull the best sound out of your records. A basic CD player is about half or that. Or you can just use the DVD player you probably already have in your house.
At two to three times the price of a new CD, new vinyl records strike me as a waste of money, especially since the audio quality is often awful because of the horrific use of dynamic range compression. (DRC is ruining music, but that’s a discussion topic for another day.) It’s best to stick with original pre-digital era releases when you can find them. But even used vinyl is often overpriced. I just saw a used copy of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors on e-Bay priced at $40. Anyone who thinks a record that sold millions of copies is worth that much is delusional. Eight dollars is a more reasonable price for a decent copy of popular albums like that.
In comparison, used CDs are a bargain these days. I recently bought a few dozen classic jazz CDs for between fifty cents and a dollar. This is the reverse of 30 years ago when stores were getting rid of their vinyl and I picked up some bargains then too. It’s one of the advantages of being uncool.
While I prefer CDs, vinyl records have a magic and charm that CDs will always lack. I fondly recall the joys of buying a new record, slicing the shrink-wrap with my thumbnail and catching a whiff of fresh vinyl as I carefully pulled the record out of the cardboard sleeve. Then I’d cautiously put the tone arm on the edge of the record and hear a few seconds of crackle before the first song played. I’d lie down and stare at the colorful imagery on the album cover and drift away as I listened to the music.
Opening a new CD is a more sterile experience. There’s not much to smell. CD booklets are small and difficult for aging eyes to read. The cover art loses its impact in such a diminutive format. And getting the wrap off of a CD has always been a frustrating challenge. Scientists can put a man on the moon, but they can’t develop the technology to create easily removable CD shrink-wrap.
In the end, arguments over vinyl albums versus CDs are silly. It’s great that we have both. I’m happy vinyl is making a comeback and younger generations are enjoying the fun of playing records, even if I find the process laborious as I slide into my dotage. And I’m glad that we still have CDs, even if the music industry seems to be trying to kill them, just like it once tried to do with records.
LP aficionados and CD fans should live in peace and harmony as we each do our part to preserve physical media. We must stay united to fight the real enemy: streaming and MP3s.