What are you in it for?
Some LPs sound better than CDs. Some CDs sound better than the same content on LPs. Can you find a clean copy of a given album on LP? Maybe. Is it a good pressing of that LP? Are there important extra tracks on the CD? Is is the best CD remastering, since CD releases can vary in quality dramatically. This is not a simple question.
If you’re in it for the music, there is a lot of great stuff on CD that was never offered on LP. Live jazz recordings for example. There are historic recordings that have been dramatically cleaned up using modern technology that either sound much better than the LP release or were never released on LP, especially classical performances. If you like opera, not only do the CDs often sound better, but that’s many fewer sides to get up and flip.
Availability is key, too. There are "ethnographic" recordings and recordings of the traditional music from around the world that offer a much richer selection on CD. If you have interest in Hindustani and Carnatic music, a CD player is a must.
When I am looking for a piece of music that was recorded in the analog days, I read up on which sounds best. Recommend Steve Hoffman’s forum.
Mind you, I keep a Victrola because some 78s will just never sound as good any other way. Listen to Ellington’s Blanton/Webster recordings or the Paul Whiteman "potato head" 78s or even early bebop in good shape on a quality gramophone- nothing like hearing horns through a horn.
Bottom line: I’m as concerned as anyone about quality of reproduction. But I am in it for the music. I go where the music is.
Some LPs sound better than CDs. Some CDs sound better than the same content on LPs. Can you find a clean copy of a given album on LP? Maybe. Is it a good pressing of that LP? Are there important extra tracks on the CD? Is is the best CD remastering, since CD releases can vary in quality dramatically. This is not a simple question.
If you’re in it for the music, there is a lot of great stuff on CD that was never offered on LP. Live jazz recordings for example. There are historic recordings that have been dramatically cleaned up using modern technology that either sound much better than the LP release or were never released on LP, especially classical performances. If you like opera, not only do the CDs often sound better, but that’s many fewer sides to get up and flip.
Availability is key, too. There are "ethnographic" recordings and recordings of the traditional music from around the world that offer a much richer selection on CD. If you have interest in Hindustani and Carnatic music, a CD player is a must.
When I am looking for a piece of music that was recorded in the analog days, I read up on which sounds best. Recommend Steve Hoffman’s forum.
Mind you, I keep a Victrola because some 78s will just never sound as good any other way. Listen to Ellington’s Blanton/Webster recordings or the Paul Whiteman "potato head" 78s or even early bebop in good shape on a quality gramophone- nothing like hearing horns through a horn.
Bottom line: I’m as concerned as anyone about quality of reproduction. But I am in it for the music. I go where the music is.