Why vinyl LPs are not better than CDs
Dynamic range compression was required for vinyl playback. Without it, the forces on the vibrating stylus were great enough to make it jump out of the groove. Vinyl playback typically had a signal to noise (S/N) ratio of no better than 70 dB, compared to at least 90 dB for CDs. No tonearm, cartridge, or turntable could undo this compressed sound because it was put there during the mastering process.
Analog storage of sound vibrations on vinyl are subject to noise during playback from a variety of sources. These sources of noise only made the S/N ratio worse:
Flaws in the surface - Even in an unplayed LP there are microsopic flaws in the surface of the plastic. One large source of these flaws is air bubbles injected into the liquid vinyl before pressing. Injecting air in the vinyl, a petrochemical made from oil, is a way to stretch this increasingly expensive material. Unfortunately, these air bubbles make audible noise.
Vinyl is easily scratched or deformed by pressure. The mechanical force between the moving diamond stylus and the various bumps in the groove wall are enough to deform the smaller bumps that generate the higher frequency sounds. Abrasion between the stylus and the grooves in the LP, due to the greasy grit in the groves, makes this worse. The more an LP is played, the worse this gets.
Accumulated dust and dirt - This was a serious problem due to the unavoidable fact that fingers and hands always secrete a rather large amount of oily and sticky biological compounds (lipids, amino acids, and small proteins). They are difficult to clean from vinyl surfaces. Vinyl also develops a static charge from use. This is especially true during the winter months due to dry air from central heating. The static electricity attracts airborne dust that sticks to the vinyl surface, and gets embedded in the hand and finger oils, becoming a greasy abrasive. Numerous methods were used to clean LPs, but none of them work well without frequent and diligent repetition. Probably there is some vinyl junkie with more money than sense, who handles his LPs while wearing gloves and moon suit in a dust-free clean room.
Large diameter plastic discs sometimes warp with improper storage.
About the only thing that was better about LPs was the better jacket art that was allowed by the size of the cardboard jacket.
You are certainly allowed your preferences. We all have our own. But to argue that analog storage of audio on vinyl LPs and its playback is better than digital storage on CDs, is like argueing over whether wooden or aluminum airplane propellers are better - during the jet age!
Sorry for the long rant
. I feel much better now
. Anyone want to argue about 33 RPM versus 45 RPM?
