Topic: Vinyl VS M4a VS FLAC VS CD

So I finally want to know what the fuss is all about "losless audio" and "vinyl sounds so warm and natural" etc...
As I'm somewhat of an audiophile (tested about 20 headsets for my PS4, worked a while for BOSE, ...) it hat come down to this and in my circle of friends and close relatives people are interested in this topic as well, so I might bring my findings to here as well, so people can join in with their experiences!

More in a few days, just received my record player and some nice vinyls!

@Scollurio: They all sound the same if all conditions are correct. There was an experiment on the gadget show I would try to find that.

Personally, I prefer CDs. I get the appeal of vinyl, but they don't sound as clear as a CD to me. I'm probably the only one I know who still buys and listens to audio on a disc... When I tried vinyl, it just sounded somewhat compressed and contrary to what others thought, it didn't sound natural to me (maybe because I'm not used to it).

It might just be subconscious but I really feel like I can hear the difference between a CD and a lossless audio type. I have a couple of albums in 24/96 (and even a 24/196 iirc) formats, but I don't really notice much of a difference between those and FLAC. My 'limit of tolerance' for MP3 is 320kbps.. anything less (within reason) and it starts to bug me.

On the same topic, PS4 audio sounds bad to me. Whether it's audio on a USB drive, streaming from my media server, or HD spotify, the stereo mix seems really poorly done. I'm not an audio engineer, but there's just something about it that doesn't sound right.

PS3, on the other hand, sounds amazing. I know supported PCM 24/192kHz (which I was able to utilize), but I think there was something else about the way it mixed audio. Same goes with the PS1 CD player.

Honestly it all sounds the same to me but I am not a music or audio buff. I prefer CDs as my main choice of physical music media just cause of the ease and durability of them as opposed to records. I will admit though digital music is starting to warm up to me mainly cause of the convenience, I don't have to carry 1000 CDs on me wherever I go.

I prefer to buy my music on CD. I must admit I used to love Vinyl but the audio quality isn't as good (unless you spend a fortune on a decent deck and components). Also with repetitive playing, the sound quality deteriorates (or can do) due to the needle wearing the vinyl. The main advantage of vinyl though is the artwork/sleeve. I still have a small collection of vinyl (picture discs and other limited editions) even though I no longer have a deck. I do think that vinyl has a certain nostalgic warmth to them over the more clinical CD's but I prefer to hear just the music.

CD's certainly have durability, versatility and a great sound. By versatility, I refer to the amount of devices that can play them - from car stereos, hi-fi's, consoles, DVD/Bluray/cinema surround sound systems. I used to have a hi-fi that lasted over 20yrs with a record deck, tape deck and CD player so could compare each media through the same amp, equaliser and speakers. I have several albums on all 3 and its the CD that in my opinion produces the clearest and most consistent sound. I could hear things on CD that were 'missing' or hidden on Vinyl because of the wear and tear, needle scratch/hiss etc. Tapes also suffer from wear and tear and 'stretch' with repeated use too.

I know the majority of CD's have some form of compression but I do have some that are higher quality too. I have Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds (showing my age) on Vinyl, tape, CD and also a CD box set with a higher quality. Its amazing to hear the difference between the CD's. Its almost as if the Vinyl is 8bit visuals, Tape 16bit visuals, CD is PS2 era visuals and the Box Set is 1080p visuals!

I watched the Gadget Show when they compared the various forms of compression. It was interesting to notice that very few could identify the FLAC on a top end stereo and when played through headphones - both cheap and expensive, not one of them thought that the best sounding was the FLAC. I guess if you have a very expensive set-up with speakers that probably cost as much as the 'average' car, you may detect a difference but for those that listen to their music through their phones supplied headphones, probably not. I don't know what a lot of the FLAC recordings use as their source. Obviously if they use a medium quality master, they are never going to be the highest quality - like watching an SD channel on a HDTV - it may look/sound a bit better but its never going t be as good as native HD.

I don't need portability and if I did, I would just transfer my CD to a digital playback device. I certainly would never buy digital or replace my CD collection. I love the tactility of CD's, the inlay and sleeve notes, the artwork etc and love seeing my collection on the shelves. I am exactly the same way with my games too.

Thanks for all your input here. I have to say I'm overall "in tune" (ha) with your opinions and findings, thanks for sharing those. I spent the whole day listening to several vinyls, CDs, ripped them all in different formats and came to following conclusions:

VINYLS
PROS

• nostalgic feel
• awesome artwork
• nice to collect
• the lack of "convenience" makes you experience everything more conscious, almost like a ritual
• in my book is the most "cultural" way of enjoying music
• warm natural and rich sound (given a good equipment also highly dependent on the mix/master) - subjective

CONS

• the lack of "convenience" makes you experience everything more conscious, almost like a ritual (if you're the convenient type)
• wear and tear, damage, dust, vibrations
• highly dependent on adequate equipment which an become really expensive
• you'll need a lot of dedicated space

FAZIT
I decided, that Vinyls are cool. They do sound not necessarily better, but maybe "different". Which is highly dependent on the equipment you use. If you're lazy, they are not for you. I still like them and should I have the luck to have some spare room and coin at one point in my life, I might be just the guy that might sit down with a glass of scotch and listen to some Floyd while rocking in a fat leather chair. For now, they are too impractical for everyday use in my life.

CDs
PROS

• you DO get some kind of artwork/cover/booklet
• also nice to collect
• given the proper care they last really long
• no mechanical degrading by using them
• you can skip titles, yay, halfway there to the convenience of files
• good sound, for me "on par" with the other options, just "different" and also dependent on mix and master
• you still can do that "ritual thing" really enjoying a CD by itself on some good high end equip

CONS

• storage space
• it's still not as convenient as having thousands of files at your fingertip

FAZIT
I grew up with tapes, then moved on to CDs, then MP3s, then iTunes. CDs are very much connected to my youth and therefore have some nostalgic bonus for me. Honestly I think they are the good middleground between "physical appeal" and "sound quality" and "collecterism". If anyone gets my drift. I have most of my music bought legit on iTunes as I decided to move to digital for storage space reasons (after a fire killed off 90% of my CDs) and now I'm honestly thinking to move back to CDs, get a nice player, celebrate it like it was 1967 and I was a rich guy sitting in a space-egg-design-like-chair listening to vinyls, only that it would be some cheap ikea thing and a CD player and it's 2015.

DIGITAL FILES
I summed them up because I couldn't hear any huge noticeable difference between a good file from iTunes, 320 MP3, or overkill 384 KHz // 32 bit floating HD file ripped straight from Vinyl.

PROS

• if they are "remastered for iTunes" or similar, I noticed that they seem to have a wider dynamic and soundstage
• convenience, convenience, convenience
• today, almost everything plays them, not much of an equipment needed (except good headphones)

CONS

• "unpersonal"
• of varying quality
• no artwork, no physical collectible
• maybe "without much value" because of wide availability online from shadowy sources

FAZIT
There you have it, I don't think that a file (given the proper mix and compression) necessarily sounds bad, quite contrary, I even noticed that some well remastered files "outsounded" their CD and Vinyl counterparts, also they are not to beat in the convencience point. Also I didn't notice much difference between "the standard stuff you get from iTunes" and lossless/FLAC files. So for the time being I think I might stick to the digital file thingy, although Im thinking about going back to CDs. Any more input is appreciated.

END-FAZIT
I truly think, given all the factors involved, it comes down to personal preference. The difference in sound quality between all options is - in my book - mostly dependent on your equipment and how the source file was recorded/mastered/remastered and mixed. Still all that's being said, there IS something special about vinyls...

@Scollurio: http://www.rockerzine.com/index.php/2011/11/which-sounds-best...

I'm not really an audiophile so I think it all sounds the same, but I'm a huge fan of vinyls. They always have awesome artwork and they're just a lot more fun to collect than CDs, I think

I do consider myself as a bit of a 'collector'. Whilst Vinyl is by far the best way for artwork and offer the same tactility as CD's, I buy CD's for sound quality and durability. I love seeing my collection grow on the shelves and know that if anything should happen, I have an asset - something digital only does not. Its similar to my game collection too. A console with say 20 digital games is not worth as much as a console with those exact 20 games on disc - not that I trade but its the principal.
Something else that digital cannot offer is that feeling of buying and holding 'something' for your money. Opening the case for the first time, seeing the Artwork and reading any supplied literature, placing the case in its slot in the growing collection etc. I have a number of box sets and limited editions with 'extras' that you can never get digitally. Same with games too. I know some games have digital bonuses that are 'worthless' once used to anyone else (should I ever sell). I love the build up of anticipation, from purchasing to playing, Whether that's waiting for the postman to deliver or getting home to play it. In terms of 'assets' though some Vinyl is certainly worth more than CD's although this can be affected by playing them. I have a few vinyls I have never played - mostly ltd editions, picture discs etc - something that CD's are not as affected by. Collecting Vinyl though does take a lot more care and consideration than CD's as they are more susceptible to damage - even environmental like temperature too.
I know CD's don't offer the same level of portability that digital can offer - you wouldn't exactly go 'jogging' with a portable CD player but the music can be uploaded to a digital music player anyway. Also if you buy from certain retailers, they also give you the digital album too - Amazon is a prime example.

@BAMozzy: This is another reason why I love vinyls and CDs - I love physically owning things. That's why I buy Dvds a lot, even though I'm subscribed to Netflix

I only own 2 vinyl albums Michael Jacksons Bad and The Transformers Move Soundtrack both hold found memories for me. I prefer to buy CD's and then convert them to lossless format. Even though most of the time high rate mp3's are fine. People tend to focus a lot on the quality of the formatting of the track but its no good unless you have a good player and either headphones or speakers to match.