Heard a guy at a record store say CDs were making a comeback, finally gave one a listen

Honestly I’ve been one of those people who swore vinyl was the only real way to hear music. But last Saturday I was flipping through bins at Vinyl Vault in Austin and this older dude started talking to the clerk about how early 90s CD masters actually had more dynamic range than most modern vinyl pressings. He pulled out a copy of OK Computer on CD and played it on their store system. I took it home, listened on my cheap Sony player, and ngl it sounded way cleaner than my beat-up vinyl copy. Anyone else ever have a format flip on them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

foster.jordan1d ago

Early 90s CD masters being better than modern vinyl is true for some albums, but it really depends on the specific release and who mastered it. A lot of those early CDs were taken from the same analog tapes without much compression, so they can sound more open. Your OK Computer comparison makes sense since the original vinyl pressing is known for being a bit rough around the edges.

aaronsullivan1d ago

And the weird thing nobody brings up is how those early CDs had different bit depth and sample rate limitations that actually helped some albums. The PCM 16-bit/44.1kHz standard was a real constraint, but on a lot of 70s rock records it forced the mastering engineer to make smart cuts that ended up preserving dynamics better than modern high-res digital. It's like the limitation became a feature for certain genres, especially stuff with wide dynamic range to begin with.

shanef341d ago

Yeah the limitation thing makes sense. Read somewhere that the 44.1kHz cutoff actually forced engineers to filter out ultrasonic noise that would mess with analog gear later. Kinda a happy accident for those 70s records.