I love playing LPs but I am under no illusions that they perform better sonically than a CD. Measurements prove that CDs have greater potential to perform better than LPs, However it is possible for a sound engineer to ruin the performance of a CD so that it sounds worse than an LP.
It is my opinion that a well recorded CD always sounds better than a well recorded LP no matter what type of music is being played. But, pop and rock music LPs sound almost as good their CD equivalents, because the continuous loud sound masks any rumble and low level noise from scratches and the crackle and pop of dust and static.
The LP has to be brand new when making comparisons and it must be dust free.
The other day I put on a brand new remastered version of Errol Garner's " Concert By The Sea". Half way through one of the tracks I heard a tremendous popping noise and I thought the record had been scratched. When the record was finished I examined it. There were no scratches or marks on the record which could have produced a popping noise. The record was covered in more dust than usual and the needle was also covered with dust. Static electricity was the culprit.
Before I play any LP record I always clean it with a carbon brush and I always clean the stylus. Normally, I do not hear any popping noise caused by static electricity or dust and when the record finishes there is usually very little dust sticking to the surface of the record.
On this particular day the atmospheric pressure was high and the air was very dry, this meant that the conditions were perfect for static electricity to be generated on the surface of the LP, some of which was discharging and creating a popping noise which was picked up by the stylus. The dust which was unavoidably collecting on the record and stylus was also causing a slight hissing noise.
Advocates of vinyl records who claim that LPs sound better than CD are allowing emotion to get the better of them. Any noise which should not be there degrades the performance and prevents the reproduction being genuinely of high fidelity.
No matter how much money you spend, and how well designed and built the play back equipment is, static and dust will always be a problem. If you drag a diamond stylus across a plastic disc on a day with a very dry atmosphere then you will generate static electricity.
The more sensitive the equipment is then the more clearly you will hear the noise. You cannot have your vinyl cake and eat it.
This is why I prefer to listen to CD as a matter of preference and only listen to LPs when I am in the mood. I never listen to classical music on an LP as I simply cannot stand the crackles and pops.
If you are contemplating "getting into vinyl" and spending thousands on a turntable then be warned. Do not take too much notice of the forums and HI-FI magazines which say vinyl is wonderful and it is the only way to listen to music. Listen before you buy and decide for yourself. Try out a pristine new 200 gm vinyl classical album with headphones and compare it to the same album recorded on CD: and then you will see what I mean.
