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Vinyl lives. Both mediums have a lot to offer. But I’ll always cherish and enjoy my records. It is visceral. Visceral is good.

It blows my mind what sounds come out of a needle dragging across vinyl! I’m always amazed when we play records. So neat.

Headphones convinced me that digital playback sounds by far superior in my experience. I connect emotionally to digital playback. I have no issues with musical involvement using digital sources. I’m not trapped in vinyl prison like so many audiophiles seem to be, digital sets you free and costs less to summit! The armada of audiophile grade flagship headphones on the market today don’t lie! I can’t say that about KZfaq.

I enjoy both however it costs a lot more to get your vinyl to sound as good or better than a CD.

The first CD I heard was Fleetwood Mack, Tango In The Night. For me, it was an amazing experience. I could not believe how clear and crisp it sounded, all the problems of Analogue gone. I still have that CD and it still plays perfectly. For me digital is king but I get why people still love analogue.

23 year old here, I totally agree with your statement on how digital music doesn’t require the focus and attention that playing an LP does. When I put a record on I am present in the music. I also think there’s a special feeling that comes with playing a whole album beginning to end rather than just putting shuffle on a playlist with over one hundred songs.

As an audio engineer, vinyl is like putting catsup in a milk shake. It doesn't resemble the sound going into the microphones in anyway. There is three turntables in my house and every time I play vinyl all I hear is multiple distortions I no longer have to deal with anymore.

I think some of the hostility to analog comes from the over the top rhetoric of the analog purists, who really can be tiresome. I like both (much prefer CD to streaming however). The quality of CD playback has increased in the past ten years to an astonishing degree, but not too many people have noticed since the vinyl resurgence has gotten most of the headlines. I noticed Herb Reichert was deeply impressed by a new CD player in Stereophile, and I was happy to read about it, because that has been my experience as well. For any young person, with limited means, who is interested in starting a personal library of music (a very fine thing to do), I have to say going the CD route is a good way to go. The bang for buck quotient is very high, especially as so many dumped their CDs to listen to Spotify instead. (BTW I totally agree the ability to buy different cartridges is so appealing. Just a ton of fun for not a ton of cash.)

For some people it’s about the kit and not the music, judging by the sort of stuff they listen to (in my experience).

Hi Steve. I completely agree with you . Am I an audiophile? You be the judge. I am 67 years of age. I was a subscriber to the magazine Stereo Review since I was 11 years old. I subscribed on my own and read each issue from cover to cover at least once. When in 1969 my parents decided to get a new sound system ( they were upgrading from a Dumont small console) I told them easily and off the cuff what to buy. The salesman at the store could not believe how easy was for this 12 year old to be so surely footed and determined about what to get within the budget dad had informed me I should not exceed. My choices were: a pair of Acoustic Research, so called then bookshelf loudspeakers, they were three way loudspeakers, an acoustic research 80 watts amplifier, and a Garrard turntable. Not the most expensive Garrard with the Formosia wood in the tone arm, because my dad said the price was excessive. We got the model just below that one. And for cartridge we got a Shure that at the time it had a price of 120 USD which half of it I paid with my paper route money. Once we got home I wired the whole thing up and proceeded to give an explanation to my parents about a world they have never entered before. I guided them to perceive staging, imaging, channel separation, tone, timbre, choose the speakers location and how it all was affected by tracking force, azimuth and external vibrations invading the area where the turntable resides. I was 12 years of age, born and growing up in an upper middle class suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I do not have a high end system these days. My turntable, cartridge, integrated amp, cd player and B&W loudspeakers amount to only 11k USD. In no way comparable to the magnitude of equipment and sophistication you are accustomed to see, possess and enjoy. I am a pauper in comparison. Pretty much a no one. But I love music. And the trascendental moment happens when I sit down to listen to music. Then the equipment disappears and the final reduct of it all is the most magical moment I can experience as a mortal. It does not matter if it is Lorena Mackenit, Allan Parsons, Barbara Streisand, the Who, Phillip Glass, Celia Cruz, Puccini or Ottorino Respighi. I listen to it and I derive a joy from it that benefits my physical and mental well being. I am a fan of vinyl and to this day I wear sterile gloves to handle my vinyl. Nobody touches my vinyl. Some of them are 48 years of age. Several are half speed direct pressings from the metal master. Barely any clicks and pops. If any. I also enjoy CD’s. What I don’t understand is taking music for granted. A sophisticated turntable worth its salt is a musical instrument. Like a violin it has the capacity to be tweaked and finely adjusted. It is a machine you approach with respect and knowledge. When one listens to music one does not clean the house, fry an egg or take phone calls. I am very concerned as an old man where our extreme materialistic mindset is taking us. It is definitely toward a lesser world. Thank you.

Grew up with turntables and albums and always felt that CDs were lacking in soul. Then a year ago, I purchased a high end CD player and all of a sudden, I awoke to digital and heard their soul. Now I listen to both. It is just a matter of finding the right source to reach your soul.

Before the return of vinyl a few years back and before streaming, I realized that I missed that physical connection that the whole analog experience used to give me. I love finessing the cartridge/turntable relationship and reading about new gear. I love the packaging and presentation that’s put into the album and the fact that you can read the print without a magnifying glass. Steve is 100% right on every point so nothing else needs to be said.

when i play a record, i sit on the sofa as if i were attending a concert. the album cover is my "program". the whole point of recorded music is to create a facsimile of a performance.

I like both. I would say I stream more than anything. As stated, it is just so convenient. However, I am not streaming because I think it has superior sound. Like many others, a record despite all it is failings, plus being a total pain to upkeep and use; is still my favorite way to listen. Digital has an ephemeral feel to me, it is so pristine that it seems otherworldly at times. Whereas, when I listen to a record it feels more organic. That there is actual flesh and bone to the performance. Therefore, to my ear, analog is more natural sounding. It is the source that resonates with me the most, allowing me to have a deeper connection to the music than digital is able to provide.

I’m about to revisit LPs after a 35 year hiatus. Had a Technics SL-100 delivered a few days ago. Awaiting a Darlington MP-7 phono preamp and a RigB VM95ML cartridge ETA next week.

Early digital was pretty primitive and was no comparison in sound to a decent turntable. That has truly changed…I love my digital set-up (after a 3-year, expensive journey 😁), and am not willing to emotionally re-engage into vinyl with the cost (I am OCD 🤓), the insanity of turntables, cartridges, head amps, collecting expensive records, etc…etc…etc… but I sooooooo get it! I admire analog enthusiasts and their dedication and pursuit of perfection. It’s all GOOD! (Secretly I have FOMO!). WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE AN AUDIOPHILE! 👍🏼😀👍🏼

I agree that vinyl does sound great, but the clicks, pops and surface noise simply drove me nuts. I have found that I can digitally record at 24/96 a good sounding LP, remove the clicks and pops with digital signal processing, and come out with a copy that sounds nearly identical to the LP without the garbage (and it doesn't get worse with every play). I have concluded that the analog processing used to make an LP changes the sound in a pleasing manner to most people.

I love vinyl as well as digital streaming files and CDs. What I learned after building a custom rega turntable from parts is, for a large part of the population setting up a turntable is too complex. Digital playback is ultimately more scalable, although some turntables require less maintenance and tweaking than others. Growing up there was such thing as a local HiFi store where if your turntable needed a new cartridge, there was someone to help you. Now you are kind of on your own but with online help. We always have to remember that many of us are so lucky to even have a chance to love music and enjoy finer playback no matter what the format.

Steve, you are simply the best. A voice of common sense in all the noise. Thank you for all you do!

As an old guy with gray in my hair and beard, I've owned hundreds of LP Records from back in the 60's and 70's. Even before CD's, I hated the inconvenience of LP's. The scratches & skips, getting up to turn it over to side two, not to mention the album degradation that seemed inevitable, no matter how careful you were with them. When I heard my first CD, I was hooked on digital. I went whole-hearted into digital and never looked back. I can remember in the 90's, brand new albums could be bought at close-out prices and I just knew LP records were going to die the death I felt they deserved. But there were still the rappers out there who liked to do the DJ thing with albums, the remixes etc. But then artists started releasing albums again. I remember hearing that Pearl Jam released one of their albums on vinyl a few days before they released it on CD and I was completely confused. I'll be honest, I still don't get the attraction people have with vinyl, but hey, you do you, and I'll do me. How can scratches & pops sound more real?

My favourite video of yours by far. I’m not a digital hater but definitely an analogue lover. I love vinyl with all of its faults. There is nothing like spinning one of your favourite albums and all of the ritual that goes with it. Thanks very much for this video Steve.

I love analog, especially vinyl. But lately I’ve been going off in a whole new - old direction - fm tuners. It all started when I dug up a Scott 314 tuner from 1963 and it sounded soo good! Well I’ve picked up 5 other tuners since. A Lafayette LT-250, it has 14 tubes and is from 1965, and was built by Kenwood in Japan it’s a work of art - the obvious care it was made with makes me wanna cry, ($30 including hardly used tubes), then there’s the Magnum Dynalab which doesn’t have vibe of the others but is a real baseline to evaluate them with - its the precision of the digital readouts and the stellar reception that puts it on par with anything in in audio today. The pioneer from the early 70’s really is the pinnacle of stylish it commands it’s space in innumerable and ineffable ways including a warm sound that will seduce you and the Marantz 120B makes me feel like I am cheating on my wife and the other tuners too. These were all acquired on the cheap and compared to the cost of anything new these day -unbelievable. Got’m all from the usual used online sources and all of them worked and looked great right out of the box. I think in a way I am lucky where I am living and the available reception and that I have the rooms for each of these to show off on their own. If you are at all inclined, go for it FM radio lives is still awesome. Viva-la FM and it’s still free

Without a doubt this is one of my favorite shows. Great speaker too btw😉. Firstly, I have such nostalgia for record albums. The tactile feel in my hands, the smell of the cover, the artwork. I also was so much a part of the change from records, to cassettes, to CDs and now streaming. It’s been my life. Helping people with their turn tables, rescuing tapes out of decks. I remember video discs and the first cd players and being amazed by it. But my heart ❤️ will always be analog in a digital world. I’m SO happy to have been and STILL be part of this industry. I’m all about EVERYONE being able to enjoy however they want. Let’s just listen together ☮️

It soley Tidal/Roon and Vinyl for me. Mainly digital because that is the only affordable way to keep discovering "new to me" music. But I would prefer vinyl....

If the studios really cared for sound quality, then CD would sound fantastic.

Great presentation on the basics and details, as usual. YES! Speaking of cartridges and turntables and whatnot, we really do need a look-in done on PARKER -- himself! It's due, this to see just what he's been up-to these days. I expect really BIG things coming from that 'bad boy' of creative cartridge ideas and crack-engineering. (He and ones like him, after all, ARE 'the future!") Every PARKER interview is an EVENT -- one to be looked- forward-to and, to experience and savor . . . 'till the next! Best it would be as done while in his natural environment of work and creativity but, I suppose, we'll take anything that we might get, and be darned grateful for it. Indeedy! Thanks a pile Steve for all you are and do for our passion. Now, back to my 19th Century wax cylinders . . .

Yes, early digital recordings and players falsely promised "perfect sound forever." But the "forever" claim was right, as compared to vinyl, which invariably picks up noise and has deterioration of the grooves over the years. In contrast, I have never had a CD deteriorate--they all sound the same as the day I bought them. Actually, better..., because players have improved since the 1980s, as well as digital recording techniques. After ripping some vinyl records that weren't likely to appear on CD, I gave away a dozen boxes of vinyl and never looked back.

Great to hear your enthusiasm for analogue Steve. When I go to the orchestra New Zealand Symphony in my case, I hear music that is very little like digital sound that I hear from a digital system. That includes hearing high-end systems in our local audio shops. Real live music has a warmth that digital does not have. Go and listen to live analogue sound and re-tune your ears to the natural world of sound.

I remember my 1st CD experience. I bought a Technics SL XP7, their fist portable player. I had yet to upgrade from my Panasonic Thrusters. The jump in fidelity was astounding to me. Digital music, from even a modest player took away one of the biggest obstacles to true HIFI, the signal source, and made it available to us mortals allowing us to focus on other system improvements.

I truly enjoyed your presentation of the “argument” between these two mediums. I may offer an automotive analogy… I’ve owned a 1965 Volkswagen Bug (analog…and very much so an analog machine) and a brand new Hyundai Tucson (digital). Certainly it is magnificent to get into the Tucson and know that it is reliable, easy to operate and void of preparation to get it running. It is predictable and accurate…much like digital or streaming. And on the other hand when you step into a vintage auto, sit into it’s worn seat, comfortable and familiar, pump the accelerator pedal (clean the album), turn the key and bring it to life… then listen to the carburetor and exhaust warm up (clicks and pops), ease it into first gear, let out the clutch and enjoy the breeze through the wing-windows while waving back at admirers--that is analog album listening. I enjoy the convenience of digital (Tucson) but I sure enjoy a run around the block in the ole’ Bug (vinyl). It is familiar, comfortable and engaging.

These kind of videos where he gives a lecture are the best...love getting a lecture from a salesman. Hey genius...if you look at the comments on your CD player videos you'll probably see people with negative comments about CDs...and if you look at the comments on your (few) streamer videos, you'll probably see negative comments about streaming...welcome to the internet! People have opinions on the internet, just like in real life! Crazy, huh?

I like my LPs and I keep upgrading my analogue chain because of my collection, but is easier and cheaper to make a good sounding digital chain. Nowadays CDs are cheaper the vinyl, so that's what I mainly buy. I love music, not formats!

My thoughts are...there is a place for both. I love vinyl-- but I am also fond of the cd transport/dac/jitter 20 bit sound too. We in the Audio community have a personal relationship with our gear, the end result should be being in love with our music!

I first got into vinyl back in the early 90's listening to my parent's old Sears record player/8 track player in the basement. My system went thru a number of iterations in the last 20 or so years, and about 5 years ago I talked to my Dad, who is a diehard vinyl fan and told him I wanted to buy a record player. This came about after a listening session in his living room playing the Piano Man album. I was just floored with how natural and amazing the piano sounded. Wound up with a Uturn Audio table with a Grado black cart. Vinyl is my favorite source by far, it just relaxes me and wants me crank it up. Digital sounds pretty good thru a DAC, but sometimes it fatigues me even thru my tube preamp which is a battery powered Bottlehead Quickie. There's nothing like listening to a good 70's rock album on vinyl, it just brings me joy.

I went to a friend's place yesterday and swapped some 45s for 33s. Sat down with a glass of wine gazing through the album covers. I handed over a 45 that I've had since 1982 knowing that it will be played by my DJ friend. All good fun.

the audiolab cd player is the best component in this system.

I pretty much agree with your entire presentation, Steve - I'm not a baseball or football fan either. 😁 I also deeply prefer vinyl (analogue, that is), so I have to seek out and buy older (pre 1980) LPs to get what I want. I have some CDs and of course any LP of the last 40 years is likely to have been digitally remastered. To me playing a record is something one should take the time to enjoy, a "romantic" adventure, perhaps much like a Japanese tea "ceremony" (sadō/chadō (茶道, 'The Way of Tea') or chanoyu (茶の湯)), a cultural activity.) If I just want background music while running around the house - I'll play CDs. If I want to sit, relax, listen and enjoy, I'll play LPs.

i have had TT's since i can remember and still love analog. remembering back to the first time i heard a CD i had just moved into a new house in southeast baltimore , rowhouse. after puttering around for a bit i all of a sudden heard some music coming from next door , it was loud and so crystal clear. i thought the guy must have been in a band and they were practicing. a day or so later i met the neighbor and asked him about the music , he said it was a CD player i was blown away , this was in the late 80's. i also have CD's and a CD player and enjoy them as well as enjoying streaming.

I can relate to feeling a more visceral and involving connection to the music when playing vinyl LP's vs. CDs or streaming. However, LP surface noise can be quite intrusive for classical recordings with lengthly slow/quiet movements, whereas jazz from the 50's and 60's really comes into its own played by from my record deck vs. ultra-clean playback from one of my digital sources. If I had to live with just analog or just digital I would have to choose digital because of the limited selection of music that can actually be purchased as vinyl today.

Sometimes you just have to laugh, people spending small fortunes trying to get their streams to sound like vinyl & CDs, spend that money on physical media and you will always own it 🙂

Really love your channel. I'm not a high end audiophile, but love reel to reel. Something about it... just so live sounding. I can record a CD on my TEAC or Tandberg decks, and upon playback, the analog feel returns. It's so rewarding to play music on real equipment... machinery... not digital on an iPhone or whatever. Intangibles. Best to you!

Interesting video Steve. I like both formats but I love my vinyl more . Have recently got my 35 year old daughter hooked on vinyl.

Great video, Steve. I still love vinyl very much, but I sold off my vinyl collection, about 2500 LPs and 100 45s, to downsize for a move to a smaller home in Mexico. I owned a Dual 622 direct drive turntable since 1981, that was practically flawless, especially with the Shure V-15 Type IV & Shure V-15 Type V cartridges. Very special sound indeed! I also own about 2600 CDs and a bunch of MiniDiscs, which I love as well; they sound great with more modern players and DACs. I still kept about 100 cassette tapes that still sound great, that I use with a Sony WMD6 Walkman Pro..............

Having recently put together a great system, with the full intention of getting back into vinyl, my real surprise has been how good cd's sound with a great DAC and speakers. The vinyl has been fun, but even after cleaning every album, there is a fry-cook working away in the background. I've also been shocked by the number of newly purchased LP's that came warped.

I'm about the same age as you Steve - I kept all my vinyl from my teens and twenties, about 800 or so I think. Much as I cherish my vinyl, I don't buy it any longer. Nowadays I have a super duper Marantz CDP and I buy lots and lots of CDs for peanuts, mostly eBay and scouting about locally. I love to explore music and with a great player and so many cheap CDs, I'm in paradise. I find vinyl is too expensive to make mistakes - PLUS the same old issues continue to plague the format, bad pressings, warping, scratches etc etc. Bent sleeves do my head in! 😄 I also have a Technics SL1210 - I had a Thorens, a Rega, but the Technics was always so much better. It seemed to be able to play anything and make it sound "right". From Fats Waller to Chaka Khan. I'm thinking of trading it in and buying the same one you have though.

My younger grandkids take me for some kind of a magician when they watch me placing a vinyl record, selection, dust removing, switching on the phono stage, waiting for the tubes to switch on, start the motor supply, the pre, the amp and at the end releasing that small handle that makes the pick land on the disk. They can only watch the setup from a distance and they are amazed when the music purse out of the speakers😊😊

Love them both! Streaming Sade through my Bluesound/Denafrips combo right now. And later I'm going to spin my new Analog Productions vinyl release of Mile Davis "Someday My Prince WIll Come" on my Technics 1500c. It's ALL good!

Great video. Another thing: with streaming it’s very easy to jump from “album” to “album”. But when I’m listening to vinyl I get to experience the artist’s entire creation.

Steve, you just hit a high note, that I have felt for years with audio and photography; lazy! I’m a vinyl fan and have been for 55 years, and nothing compares with the process, with perhaps the exception of very expensive reel to reel, I do however miss my old Revox. Before retiring 10 years or so ago I was a pro photographer throughout the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s. Today I still shoot but for my own gratification. My point here is this; with digital so readily available on virtually everyone’s phone, including mine. Far too many people do not have a clue when I talk about depth of field, aperture, fstop’s etc, and I’m not surprised by this just a bit saddened to see what pleasure so many have missed out on, the art of photography, and the process of making a stunning B&W 16x20 image from a 4x5, or 6x6 negative. Of course I use digital imaging myself, but I use camera and interchangeable lenses, perhaps to give me the illusion that I’m going through the process. Thanks for all you do, Patrick

Steve, You bring up the Age Old Topic of Analogue Vs. Digital. At 1.30 you mention your first exposure to CDs in 1983. I'm 71 YO, a Music afficionado, not an Audiophiliac, and waited until circa 1987 to compare my first CD : Born in the USA !!. At that time, I just purchased my first true high end Stereo system which I still have to this day: NAD 1300 Preamp, NAD 2600 Amp, Dual CS5000 TT with Shure Cartridge, a Onkyo 6 Disc CD player and a pair of KEF 104/2 Tower speakers No EQs, No SWs]. After setting the system up, I played the vinyl LP against the CD version. The CD was Tinny and had No Warmth. In fact, I declared that CDs would not last - like the Laser Video Discs. However, I continued to obtain CDs, primarily for the convenience. Then a few years later. I bought the Abraxis Album - a Remastered CD - by Santana. That CD Blew me Away by the Sound.! I continue to play both formats - as the Mood strikes me - and like many others added Music Streaming in HiFi Plus. On occassion, I will "experiment" - playing my Re-issued copy of Tommy by The Who LP, my original LP (with its slight scratches and pops), The CD version, and the Streamed version. Each has its own "Flavor". I have to admit though, the enhancements in HiFi + (Tidal) sound Magnificent with great clarity. The LPs still maintain that slight difference in Warmth. At least to my ear. As you said, Streaming or Multi Disc CD players sdd a tremendous convenience Benefit to the Music Playing Formula. THX for your Video.

Good conversation. Just two additions...Playlist and time management are digital benefits as well

I just can’t handle the crackles and pops. It really affects my listening pleasure

I love everything about vinyl. I love the work you put in to it. I love cleaning vinyl and experimenting with different cartridges, and speakers. I love tweaking the sound, rolling tubes and speaker placement. Sticking a cd in a tray and hitting play is boring.

I’m definitely in the vinyl group. I love everything about it. The sound, dropping the needle, reading/looking at the cover, etc. I disagree with you Steve that CD days are limited. I’m expecting as the generation that grew up with CDs will dive back in just like us 60s & 70s decades vinyl players. I have access to thousands of CDs and I keep grabbing them expecting in 10 years I’ll make a bundle!

The only things for me is the absolute sound... and i get it with digital. Period!

I like both, but there are some instances that I feel vinyl is better and some cases digital is better. At it's worse digital to me can be fatiguing and flat, where vinyl can be more spacious and pleasing to the ear. But with a good digital recording it can go above and beyond. I guess it also depends on the dac. But hey, I'm into the best of both worlds.

I'm totally with you Steve, I love LP records and could easily live with them over digital and I have both formats. I love both formats actually and hear so much from both. I also have a cassette collection also which is well over 100 tapes that are mostly out of print. This is the best hobby that brings me so much joy.

Many years in the past I had a Dual 1215, 1218, Empire, Sony 2251 LA with SME arm and finally a Linn Sondek with a Vestigal Arm playing in my Klipschorn plywood cabinets (all I could afford in college ). I built several Dynaco kits including two Dynaco 400s but I loved the turntables the most. It was always rewarding to clean the records with the Discwasher before and after playing the album. So engaging like a ritual. That involvement was never there with CDs I plan to build a system around a pair of Polk R700s which are on order. Budgeting about $1000 for turntable and cartridge. Don’t know what yet but can’t wait. Love vinyl and the engaging nature of using it. Amplifier who knows So many good choices.

@8:00 and for me is Vinyl way too hectic. For every track skipping you need to stand up where streaming is just one click and you instantly can put the ipad beside. Two of the most important reasons why i prefer streaming, most of the Albums have only a few good tracks on it (=hectic to stand up and move the needle) and you cant get Singles / EP's on Vinyl. I dont hate Vinyl, for me its just not my kind of Medium i want my music on, because i dont see any benefits. - Just an small amount of Records are on Vinyl - too much potencial failure sources with vinyl (dust, bad vinyl quality etc) - you need way too much space for all the Vinyls - and in the old days there wasnt anything better as most people talk. Just because its ,,Retro,, it isnt automatically better, same with Vintage Audio Gear or so... its not an sign of quality and at the end, nearly every Analog Source was at some point an Digital Waveform ;-)... but hey, why always the black & white discussions, let ervyone enjoy their music how he wants, and when its an 128kbits MP3 with an 150€ Stereo System.. who cares, its all about enjoying Hifi & Music

I bought my first CD in 83 and it's benefit was convenience but my Reel to Reel still sounded better

I thought I preferred my turntable, until I moved up to a better DAC that made digital recordings sound equally good overall. When the sound is as good overall, I prefer digital because it's so much easier and more straightforward to deal with (putting it on isn't the main problem, but cleaning, storing, etc.). So, I'm in the long process of digitizing my favorite records. I think that both digital and analog CAN sound wonderful, but when high-quality digital doesn't sound as good as analog, I bet it comes down to the album's mastering rather than the digital gear.

I love vinyl, but my current finances make discs unaffordable, and many used ones are scratched and worn out. That's why my main media is CDs. They cost next to nothing used, and are usually in playable condition. However, I like to stream when I'm just chilling on the sofa and need some background music on my Alexa. Streaming services have also introduced me to some great music, which I have then bought on physical media to play on my main system. If money was no object it would be vinyl and valves all day every day.

I prefer digital, but nothing against vinyl and like hearing about it. And even though it is technically inferior, in practice it's often given more care and individual vinyl RECORDINGS do sound better.

Thanks for these great insights, Steve, your channel is truly inspiring - especially as I am not into any particular 'camp' or 'tribe' - it's all about the music! Best, Carlo

Steve, watching this video felt like we have too much in common, maybe because it is the common sense when you love music. I like both digital and analogue, but for sure I would keep my lp’s if I had to choose. I stopped playing vinyl for a few years and when I went back to it last summer, I regretted so much and missed a lot. Maybe because my cartridge, benz L2, was too old, my Nottingham Spacedeck wasn’t setup correctly, and limitation of the line stage in my preamp. So when I changed cartridge to VAS Nova, upgraded the turntable and set it up correctly, and got a tube phono preamp, everything changed. I disconnected my dac since it was taking too much room and opted to playing only vinyl which made me enjoy the music much more. By the way, back in 2003 when I visited my best friend in NY City, I dragged him with me to your old work place. I wanted to heard the big JM Lab Grand Utopia with Lamm amps in the big room, but I really liked the smaller room with the mezzo and there was a SME turntable, they sounded great. I told myself SME will be my next turntable. I saw you have the SME 20, maybe one day I’ll change from Nottingham. I am not if I met you there or another salesman, it was a very pleasant experience. My friend did become an audiophile after it. Thanks for all the interesting videos and sorry for the long comment.

Recently got back into vinyl, but still LOVE my Cd's, and Cd's are not going away anytime soon.

I remember hearing some musicians discuss analog on the radio, and one said that the preference for vinyl was due to the infinitesimal delay in the signal, a type of harmonic distortion which listeners hear as warmth. I don't know if that's true, but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

Vinyl is warmer sounding...because of all the pops and clicks...there's a forest fire in the background. Mmm...warmth...

I like both formats but I would select Digital over Analog. Probably because that is what I grew up with. Now that said, when I’m home and actively listening, I play more LPs than anything. There is just something about the ritual that I like. It prepares you for the listening experience. I can’t seem to get that with CD, let alone streaming. Keep rocking!

I write software for a living, & I've been doing it for a long time. At first, I thought magnetic hard drives & SSDs were great technology. But I've come to see that floppy disks, & better still, paper punched tape, are a more satisfying way to write code. Take me back to the 1950s. That's the future.

When I bought a new car I replaced the disc brakes with drums, so happy to live like the olden days again with all the quirks and flaws. Keeps you on your toes I tell ya.

The biggest challenge with digital is finding properly recorded and mastered material. The digital file downloads and CDs are usually compressed and don’t sound as good as the vinyl release of the same recording. Some of my best digital downloads are the ones from Neil Young’s now defunct online PONO store.

After a few decades of really no audio equipment, following a major life change, during which I sold my system, I’ve returned to music listening. Over the past year, I’ve purchased a good turntable and phono preamp, a terrific CD player, used as a transport with digital out to a DAC, active self-powered speakers, and a digital streamer. I love the sound of my turntable system and truthfully am also amazed by CDs and hi res streaming. Before I sold my equipment, truthfully I had become “obsessed” with equipment and never ending tweaks and upgrades. I was more often listening to the equipment, rather than enjoying the music. Getting to the point… as much as I like listening to vinyl, I’m finding that all the necessary steps to set up and play an album, is more irritating than ultimately pleasurable. I feel like I listen to and enjoy the digital, rather than needing to interrupt my listening by flipping albums, complete with the cleaning/brushing of each side etc. I’ve purchased, unknowingly, a few albums pressed and played at 45rpm. It seems that as soon as I begin listening, it’s time to get up and flip etc. So, usually, I do choose the convenience for uninterrupted serious music listening. My turntable gets the least amount of use, almost regretting the purchase.

Hello. Me, as a musician, love digital 24/96, because of absence of all the noise-clicks-rumble-scatches-low-dynamics-colorization from different pickups, needles, tonearms etc....., but in a melancholic mood i also put a vinyl on 🙂😇😊

Analog is real. Early Elvis and the early Beatles recorded live to tape. Now that's recording.

I truly enjoy your videos, Steve. I love vinyl records and turntables. They offer a sound and feeling that digital music and compressed audio files can’t match.

I definitely lean toward vinyl, I find it easier to get immersed in the music and, fortunately, I have a setup that allows vinyl to sound good. I also listen to CDs and stream with great pleasure at times. I really like streaming as a way of checking out new artists and albums I want to hear. In general, I’m very album-oriented, I don’t listen to playlists and I don’t skip songs. I want to hear what the artist has to offer. In each setting, I appreciate a well-recorded album that I can sit down and listen to intently.

You hit the nail on the head regarding how people listen today. People have lost the ability to actively or critically listen. I don’t know that I could say that it has solely been brought about by no longer listening to records, but you are definitely correct, in saying that people have become lazy with their listening habits due to the improvements in convenience. I have been enjoying my own personal reawakening of my enjoyment of final recordings from having recently moved my record collection out of storage and boxes to shelves where are can access them again. When I did this, I played a few records and the first thought was “why did I ever think that CDs were superior in every way?“

Clicks, pops, and having to get up every 22 minutes to flip the disc. What a brilliant option in the 21st century!

I enjoy y music in all formats. However, the CD is what I buy first. Thanks again!

Grew up spinning vinyl. Off a high cliff. And into the Alabama River. 1950s. Dad was a DJ at a local radio station. Big stacks of 'em every week. Music, commercials, promotionals, longform programs. Everything was on 78s. And BOY, could they fly! I listen to digital because of convenience and portability. I prefer listening to vinyl, BUT, the life of a vagabond wouldn't allow it. Now, in retirement, just don't have the space. Though, frankly, I've gotten accustomed to living lean. Even the CDs I buy on the fleamarket (because the content isn't available from the Chesky gang) get ripped and passed along to my buds. Digital keeps evolving, and I'm hopeful.

I like your comments about the audiophile desire to “hear” a recording the way it was recorded . I play music and have been on a few recordings; i recorded my own project on 2020 and was present for the recording, overdubbing, mixing and mastering; i listened to it through headphones, in cars, on Bluetooth speakers, earbuds and home hi fi; I lived with the recordings for 6 months before they were “good enough”. Im my case, recordings can sound better than they ever sounded during recording, mixing, etc. Not long ago, I had the opportunity to listen to my recording on a great hi fi system and I was blown away! The recording had never sounded so lifelike and real, much better than it ever did during recording, mixing, etc, Was this what we intended? Sure!

My arse is parked between the speakers when I play cds or albums Steve when I’m busy I play the wonderful BBC 6 music radio station.

Over here, CD's are used to warm up the stereo for a couple hours prior to a listening session of records.

I Bought a beautiful second hand Thorens and played the six records that I got recently. I love the tactility of a beautiful tonearm and the groove being read by the needle. I started out on vinyl in the late 70s. But I didn't enjoy having to change records and sides when nowadays I can make playlists with 100s of tracks that will literally play for hours if not days. So I sold the Thorens. I do still play cd's if only to support the artists that I come to love. And finally I have never before in my life had access to so much music at once on Tidal, which is great for me, I listen to classical, jazz, folk, indie, americana, blues, rock, ambient etc. old and new. Soundwise I like most formats but prefer the lower noise in digital. Maybe the fact older material can be missing on streaming services is a let down.

Don't miss the snap, crackle and pop at all. If anything takes me out of the moment it's hearing a large pop emanating from a record album on the turntable. Agree that the CD's day is done but it's easy enough to download digital music.

Manual Gearbox or Automatic Gearbox? What is better? It depends....

Couldn't agree with you more. I don't mind CDs and digital files, but when you go through the ritual of getting an album ready, it puts you in the frame of mind to really sit down and listen to the work of the musicians. With digital it's very easy to click on it and go back to what you were doing. That's fine sometimes but it's also nice to just sit on the couch, close your eyes, and pretend you're getting a private concert.

The trade off in listening to Streaming is, the discovery of music! Yes Vinyl is better but back in the day when i had an all tube system and vinyl it was great but i listened to the same music a lot. I had 1000 records but kept going back to the same 50. I listen seriously to digital but have found "music" streaming that i would have never found with records, so its worth the difference. I'm a happy camper streaming to my hearts content with 50 million songs to listen to....

Chances are those who pooh- pooh analog have never actually heard a really good analog setup. They don't know what they don't know.

I still love vinyl, but high end turntable (tonearm, cartridge, phono amp) prices are ridiculous. And I love my old scratch filled albums.

Interesting conversation and one I had with myself a long time ago. The first Apple iPod changed my relationship with music. It was so easy to go from headphones to laptop to the car to home and it became consumable. I went from loving it to losing appetite. I wondered how it was possible for a human being to lose interest in music. I had a similar relationship to photography. I used to take such care with film and that was kind of lost with digital. So I ditched it and went all in on analogue. No dac or streamer at home. I invested time in the front end, turntable, phono stage and amp. I think the decision to purchase a particular album, sourcing the right pressing, adding it to my collection and then taking care of it provides a connection in a way that digital didn’t. This makes me happy and don’t think I’ll go back.

I'm that guy watching your video even though I've never understood why people like vinyl. I have to say, what you were saying about music turning into background noise in the digital age does really ring true for me. I love music and listen to tons of music, but it is often as background, and rarely am I solely listening to music. Now that's not to say I'm gonna start listening to vinyl, but I'm gonna start sitting down a bit and just listening to music, doing nothing else. And I certainly do see how the "work" required to play a record would naturally lead to the listener focusing on it more.

Dear Steve you are literally a living and walking treasure as well as a tremendous source of knowledge. I have watched some of your videos so many times (love the one about audiophile snobs..) Your companionship and topics of discussion have helped me so much to go through very rough times the past 3 years in my life and due to the time difference (live in the GCC region mainly due to business obligations) I always watch your latest video first and then go to sleep ..another thing, one of the things you have taught me through audio "lecturing" is to have a wider perspective and a much broader mind in everything life related.

Re: VSotD, I really wouldn't put a Tube amp on top of a Subwoofer, microphonics surely?

Più passa il tempo e più apprezzo il tuo stile, la tua competenza, le tua sincera passione per la musica conla giusta ironia, un Mix perfetto! Bravo Stevie, We R Audiophiliac 🎸

Steve I tend to agree with you about analog vs digital. I had a similar experience back in the 80's when I was a salesperson at an audio store in Connecticut. In fact I still have a Sheffield Labs T-shirt that says "Stop Digital Madness". I have owned a number of turntables and enjoyed some amazing cartridges while listening to all types of music. However, for the past 20+ years I have been enjoying the convenience of digital playback. The improvement in digital playback systems and recordings especially DSD to me is amazing. There are many times while listening to my system that I forget about the components and just become totally consumed by the music . I noticed this more with live recordings and some very well recorded studio recordings. Back when I had turntables I never liked most live records so I was surprised to find that I enjoy them better now. I am not anti analog but I do love being able to listen to what I want at the by looking at my smart phone and touching the album picture or going to a playlist. One more comment: as a former New Yorker I can't understand how you are not interested in baseball! Just go to Yankee stadium once and tell me you didn't enjoy the experience. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your time with the audiophile community.

Steve I totally agree with your presentation. When my turntable needed a new cartridge and I could not use it I relied on CDS. That only increased my admiration for vinyl Thanks Steve 😊

Hey Steve, what are your thoughts about LP's that are pressed from digital masters and digital recordings? I've always been a little torn on whether there is a difference between those types of LP's Vs. Digital. But AAA pressings have my heart absolutely!