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'80s vinyl sound like CDs?

This is primarily for those of us who agree that vinyl sounds better than CD, and is not meant to restart the vinyl vs CD debate. Is it just me, or have others noted that a lot of the vinyl releases from the mid to late '80s sound more like CDs than traditional vinyl? The soul that usually comes through with vinyl is missing, and to my ear sounds like a high quality (but sterile) CD. I don't think it is just the DDA recording chain, because today's digitally recorded vinyl sounds much better. Is it maybe because the recording engineers were still figuring out how to get the best sound out of digital, or did they use lower sampling rates in the 80s?
mrvordo
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
It is an interesting phenomenon.. The idea that digitally recorded Lps are inferior to analog ones.
Seems interesting how folks embrace this idea. and find new ways to express this belief system.
Feel free to indulge yourselves in it.

However it was true that SS equipment back in the day which replaced tube stuff was usually not as good.
mrvordo's avatar
mrvordo OP
142 posts
 
Hi Elizabeth,

I'm not saying digitally recorded vinyl are necessarily inferior, and I realize that every recording is different. I'm just noticing that a lot of the vinyl from the 80's is not as ....something, compared to vinyl from before and after the time period of mid 80's to sometime in the 90's, and am totally guessing if it has to do with primitive digital recording methods. That's why I'm here asking for opinions and whether or not others have noted the same. This is not any kind of agenda, but a search for knowledge.

BTW, I always enjoy your no nonsense posts, and overall, I agree with your opinions.

Good listening,
Mike
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
As Elizabeth and others have mentioned, when the SS equipment replaced tubes, the problems started. While many studios maintained their analogue capture of sound, the electronics of the tape machines were replaced with SS stuff. I have heard 'pure' analogue sound where the entire chain, recording and playback was tubes, and it defines 'better sound'. Today, digital produced sound on vinyl is an oxymoron.
orpheus10
5,988 posts
 

Jcharvet, my experience almost duplicates yours. I have the same identical records in some cases where I replaced the record in the 80's, that I originally purchased in 1970, and the 80's record was far superior.

In regard to the CD's there was no similar improvement. Let me clarify that; if the CD was made when they first came out, they simply kept reproducing that bad CD; however, if the CD is of a recent recording, that CD could possibly be better than a lot of LP's; CD's have come a long way.

Enjoy the music.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
It should be mentioned that a lot of companies, RCA and others, were producing very thin vinyl records in the 80s, perhaps to save money, who knows.
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