Maybe it was coincidence but vinyl began its resurgence at around the same time as recordings started this trend.
Why vinyl is better than cds.
Their sales have dropped by 95 percent since 2000 the peak days of cds according to a new report and are currently at their lowest level since 1986.
Cds give you more bang for the buck.
It didn t used to be this way which is part of what made collecting used vinyl in the 90s and early aughts such a gas.
But this article isn t focused on why cds are better than vinyl.
Take a look at the graph below.
On a theoretical level there s just no reason it should be the case that vinyl sounds better.
The simplest is to make a record that plays faster.
Crackles and pops records that skip and the whine of a needle against the lp all problems that the cd advertised itself on solving decades ago.
For comparison listening to vinyl as opposed to digital is like viewing the mona lisa with your own eyes rather than looking at a picture of it on a smartphone.
Original sound is analog by definition.
Cds on the other hand have been on the decline.
You ll also hear vinyl enthusiasts discussing the warm sound they get from their record players.
In practical terms this means that cds have more than 10.
A vinyl record is an analog recording and cds and dvds are digital recordings.
The vinyl format can generate other issues.
It s for this reason that vinyl sounds better than digital.
The answer lies in the difference between analog and digital recordings.
Cds are now cheaper than lps.
While coloured vinyl and picture discs are an easy way to ensure degradation to a record s playback there are practices made to better the way an lp sounds.
Vinyl is in a resurgence of course with records outselling cds for the first time in almost three decades.
Digital got its act together but not until the death of the cd.
The difference between the loudest and softest sounds an lp can play is about 70 decibels db.
There are built in problems with using vinyl as a data encoding mechanisms that have no cd equivalent.