CDs or Vinyl? Who's actually crazy?

By the way, pressing Vinyl Records is realistically much more expensive than CDs. 500 CDs will run you about $1,100, while 500 LPs will cost upwards of $2,200... plus, those records are going to be way harder to move unless you're playing 100 shows a year across the States.

Lale, forget him. // edit

Good grief, two million! 🙂

C2V3N said:1. Sound quality (I don't just listen to music to hear noise; I listen to actually enjoy it, and you simply can't get that experience from an MP3. If you have a 5.1 surround system at home, you might as well toss it if you're only using it for MP3s—or better yet, just give it to me)

Honestly, this is just pure bias. When you're comparing a poorly encoded MP3 to a standard CD on a basic home stereo, there isn't much of a noticeable gap. However, when you step up to compare a CD to Vinyl Records, that's where the real difference lies.

David Sullivan4 said:btw, Vinyl Records are realistically way more expensive to press than CDs. 500 CDs might run you $1,000, but 500 LPs will cost you $2,000 plus... and honestly, those LPs are a lot harder to move unless you're playing 100 shows a year across the States.

Not really. You’re probably looking at data from a year or two ago. The cost of pressing Vinyl Records has dropped; now it's only about a third more expensive than CDs.
And if you're lucky enough to have the right connections, you can get those LPs into indie distribution... and they just fly off the shelves. Supposedly, anyway. It's a boom or bust situation, right?

You know as well as I do that overseas, it's a 1:1 ratio for CD vs. LP—at least in some kid's garage.

Alex Scott22 said:By the way, Long Plays are a totally different beast... It makes perfect sense to buy Vinyl Records that you can't just rip or clone—something unique that actually feels substantial in your hands, looks great on a shelf, and obviously sounds better (though, okay, okay, let's not get too carried away here)

Totally unrelated to that:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I read somewhere that an original CD master only lasts maybe 15 years before it's toast. Burned ones? Even less. But hey, those are basically free anyway. A record, though? That thing lasts like 2,500 years... well, roughly speaking...

CDs are overpriced and they degrade over time, while Vinyl Records eventually wear out. Me? I'm tearing through MP3s and I've never been happier. Sure, I still know how to sit down in front of my audio setup and listen with religious devotion (The soundstage! Those grainy mids! The imaging is blurry at the edges! If I swap this power cable, the sound will finally breathe! Listen to that timbre, for crying out loud!)—but it happens less and less. Life gets busy, people just don't have the time, so my setup of digital files works perfectly: straight from the PC via ethernet or wireless into my squeezebox, then from the squeezebox via optical straight into the amp. Just one massive hard drive with 1,000,000 albums and let it rip. People always whine, "But MP3s are lossy! You can hear the quality drop!" Yeah, obviously... ☕

Vinyl is wonderful, but it’s an expensive fetish. All these vinyl fanatics (who will definitely recognize themselves) waving their money around to buy records just to spin them on some cheap turntable and listen through desktop computer speakers should honestly be banned from public life. What's the point? Owning vinyl just so you can act like an elitist when someone asks if you own a specific album by a specific band, so you can smugly reply, "Yeah, I have it on vinyl." :assholeextravaganza: Invest in the gear, people... A high-end turntable, a solid amp, and some killer speakers actually make a difference...

Man, I'd love to join the vinyl cult too, but CDs are just more practical, ya know?

Alex Scott22 said:No. You're probably looking at data from a year or two ago.

from last month. 1000/2000. Czech Republic.

coastalpanther11 said:Invest in the gear, people... A high-end turntable, a solid amp, good speakers—they make magic happen...

Posted. My paycheck hit my Chase account yesterday and I was greeted by an unauthorized overdraft fee. Great.

coastalpanther11 said:I’d be a Vinyl Records fanatic if it weren't for the fact that CDs are just more practical...

True enough. Who wants to bring a girl home only to spend the whole night playing records? Ruin the mood. Kill the vibe. Just set a six-hour playlist and go...

David Sullivan4 said:It’s been about a month. 1000/2000. Czech.

Gary mentioned this to me..

It’s likely an issue with non-standard Vinyl Records, maybe multi-colored labels or just how they handled the mastering. Who knows, hit me if I'm wrong.

Actually... maybe it's the volume. As the run gets bigger, the price drops closer to what you'd pay for a mass-produced CD... once you hit a certain amount, the gap basically disappears.

Alex Scott22 said:It’s likely a combination of colored Vinyl Records, multi-color labels, and the mastering itself.

Exactly... heavy-duty cardstock, full color art, custom inner sleeves... most people buying Vinyl Records aren't just hunting for sound quality; they want the aesthetic. They want thick packaging, high-quality sleeves, vibrant colors—something that actually feels premium when you hold it. That kind of production adds up, but that's why it sells...

I’m honestly pretty stoked about my Vinyl Records collection, and there's zero chance I'm selling them, though I don't go hunting for new ones very often. I mostly hunt for those old-school American gems—stuff that never even made the jump to CD. Sometimes I'll snag an interesting folk record that some suit brought back as a gift from a business trip to the Philippines back in '74, or just some weird, obscure find that hits right...

I’ve got this old AI Win setup with the matching turntable, and if I'm feeling generous, I guess you could call the sound "decent." But look, I'm not some hardcore audiophile, so it doesn't really bother me. I listen to my MP3s through the same gear, and since my laptop doesn't have a high-end sound card or anything, it's definitely not world-class audio. Whatever, it works for what it is. About 80% of what I listen to is just MP3s anyway, and the lo-fi quality doesn't phase me one bit. Sure, it's cool to have the physical cover art and all those little details, but at the end of the day, the music is what matters, regardless of the format.

coastalpanther11 said:All these vinyl snobs (who are easy enough to spot) waving their collections around while playing records on some cheap setup through computer speakers should be banned from public life. What's The Point? Owning vinyl just to act like an elitist when someone asks if you have a specific album, so you can smugly reply, "Yeah, I have it on vinyl." :assholeextravaganza:

Good grief, who pissed in your coffee... 😢

Since I feel personally targeted here, I'll clarify that I don't own a Zagiv; I have a Pioneer's turntable. It’s nothing special, but it gets the job done. If anyone is actually bothered by my lack of high-end gear, I'm more than happy to let them buy me a better one for Easter, or maybe my birthday... I also want to make it clear that I don't buy records just to pose as some elite collector—mostly because I don't even own more than three records that any kid worth their salt would care about in this pretentious market. I buy them because they look good and they bring me joy. They're beautiful, largely due to the large, striking cover art, which brings us back to Alex Scott22's obsession with colorful sleeves, but I don't care. It makes me happy. Besides, people pay massive amounts of money for simple PICTURES that don't even make a sound; for $23, I'm buying a beautiful picture that happens to contain great music, and it brings me satisfaction. If that upsets someone else... well, too bad.

coastalpanther11 said:I just don't have the time—most people don't. That’s why a setup using streamers is perfect for me: run a network cable from my PC or go wireless straight into the squeezebox, then an optical cable from the squeezebox to the amp. Just load up a massive hard drive with a million albums and let it rip. Invest in your gear, folks... A high-end turntable, a solid amp, and some killer speakers make all the difference...

The reality is, we don't have the time or the money.
With your permission and a few suggestions, I’ll map out a sample daily routine and how to upgrade the gear accordingly. It's about freedom from choice.

Anyway, I'm hoping to pick up this large print tonight:



Since I already worked things out with coastalpanther11 regarding a loan—given that I'm currently stuck in that unauthorized overdraft I mentioned earlier—it would be a waste if the guys didn't bring some Vinyl Records along too.

David Sullivan4 said:Since I already worked things out with coastalpanther11 for a little loan—given that I’m stuck in that unauthorized overdraft I mentioned earlier—it would be a damn shame if the guys didn't bring some Vinyl Records along too.

:forumchickmode:

The guys 😍

Massimo hanging out in Chicago during March 😍

Mats rocking leather pants 😍

A cold Budweiser :sandpaperingthecortextomorrowmorning:

Well, here we go again. I have that classic female impulse—I absolutely have to buy something the second the urge hits, and then I immediately regret the price tag once the adrenaline wears off. It’s exhausting.

Kevin Chavez3 said:Anyway, plenty of people shell out way more cash for basic pictures that don't even play music

Man, he comes onto the forum and immediately goes after the art—classic...

Staying on topic: I don't even own a turntable😬

DJs and Guzollini are basically running the show at my place right now. Seriously...

It’s nice to see people actually hanging out.

Look, I’ve got the whole setup—expensive turntable, high-end phono preamp, top-tier cabling, beefy amps, and speakers that cost more than my first car. Honestly? I mostly just buy Vinyl Records so I can look "cool" and impress girls who think a guy with a serious analog collection is a total catch.

Man, I haven't picked up an original Cee hasn't been since '98. I've never been into LPs and honestly don't see it happening, but I get why Zachary Bishop82 and Kevin Chavez3 are suckers for great cover art. Personally, a cool badge does the trick for me. Why wouldn't you want something massive that actually plays 🙂? Plus, you can just tuck it under your arm while walking through downtown 🙂

There’s a price tag attached to that, which basically decides how rare they stay. If they were cheap and easy to find, I doubt people would be making such a huge deal out of them 🙂