This thread has set me off thinking about what is the difference between listening to vinyl and streaming. Thank you, @devinplombier . I like this place because there are people here who come up with such interesting and off the wall subjects. For a couple of days, I’ve been systematically listening to the vinyl and streaming versions of several albums to see if there’s any pattern in the differences.
I should mention that the vinyl signal passes through the same DAC as streaming. Therefore, the comparison is that of streamer excluding DAC to the turntable system including phono stage and an ADC. That is a Klimax DSM/3 System Hub, Linn’s top streamer and an LP12 turntable with Keel, Radikal 2, Ekos SE, Kandid and Urika ii. As Linn have recently launched some major LP12 upgrades, this turntable is a long way short of their best. That disparity doesn’t really matter here because we are more interested in the character of the sound than the question of absolute sound quality.
Of course, the findings are not necessarily universal because they are the result of one person’s tastes and preferences when listening to a limited selection of music on one particular system in a certain environment. Nonetheless, the sources are good and the loudspeaker system is accurate and resolving so the results are at least credible. Ideally, they should be confirmed by involving more listeners.
The tune dem type method of listening to a short passage of music on each format wasn’t much help. There really wasn’t much to choose between them in terms of sound quality. The major difference I found was that streaming is louder, even though I’d previously attempted to match levels by increasing the gain with vinyl.
I adopted a different method of listening to an entire LP record followed by a streamed version of the same album. Sometimes, I returned to the vinyl to confirm my first impression as memory fades quickly. The albums were as follows:
- Can - Tago Mago - SACD rip
- Massive Attack - 100th Floor - Qobuz
- Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future - Qobuz
- David Crosby - For Free - Qobuz
- Megs Bog - The End of Everything - Qobuz
- Genesis - ...And Then There Were Three - SACD rip
- The Doors - Strange Days - DVDA rip
- Mercury Rev - Born Horses - Qobuz
- Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life - Qobuz
- Peter Hammill - Incoherence - Qobuz
- Bitchin’ Bajas - Inland See - Qobuz
- Joni Mitchell - Blue - HDCD rip
- Modern Nature - The Heat Warps - Qobuz
The sound quality of the streamed albums was pristine and crystal clear. Every instrument is precisely laid out in front of you. Yet that’s it – as the album progresses there’s nothing more than this perfection. This might suit the more analytical listener, but for me it’s not enough. I want an experience that alters my consciousness. It’s similar to how I felt sometimes when playing music in a band or practicing on my own.
More often than not, the vinyl albums gave this. As they progressed, I was drawn into the soundstage and the music enveloped me. That enabled me to feel the presence, texture, depth, solidity atmosphere, realism, organic nature of the music. Rhythms were propulsive and strummed acoustic guitars resonated. I am not saying that these things aren’t there in streamed music, just that I found them harder to access. With vinyl it all happens quite naturally.
Taking the example of Tago Mago, I have enjoyed the SACD rip of this album for years. The vinyl record is a recent acquisition that turned out to be a revelation. The amazing texture of the sounds and atmosphere took the album to a whole different level. I could believe the claim that it was recorded in medieval castle and almost smelt the marijuana. That is an exaggeration of course, but the point is that the music was completely believable.
The streamed album that came nearest to the vinyl was the HDCD rip of Blue. Ironically, the vinyl here was the only audiophile copy amongst the selection of albums, a Mofi 45. The vinyl of Strange Days was quite battered with pops and clicks throughout. Nevertheless, quality of the music shone through. The damage didn’t spoil the experience. I wondered if that was because it is a record that I have been familiar with since the 1960s, the fourth copy I have owned. That doesn’t explain why the DVDA rip was lacklustre in comparison.
With the Genesis vinyl record, I went a whole side thinking that I couldn’t enjoy it. Then suddenly something clicked and it came to life. The electronic sounds of Mega Bog irritated on the Qobuz version but were tamed on the vinyl album. I didn’t particularly like the spoken vocals of Born Horses yet found the lush instrumental backing more vivid with the vinyl version. Sadly, I couldn’t get into the Peter Hammill album on either formal. Strange, as I remember enjoying it in the past. Also, Van der Graaf Generator were the second band I ever saw live back in 1969. Parts of the Bitchin’ Bajas vinyl album had a pleasing bounce that just wasn’t there on the Qobuz version.
I don’t know why I have such a strong preference for vinyl. I don’t think it’s a matter of sound quality because I recently got a hike in sound quality of streaming through a change I made to the network. Perhaps, it’s due to differences in mastering or maybe it’s an artifact of the vinyl itself. One thing is clear it’s not anything inherently virtuous about analogue over digital. I have made digital recordings of vinyl albums that sound just as good as the original.
It’s certainly not a question of prejudice – it would clearly suit me to be able to save money on expensive vinyl and cartridges. As I’ve done in the past, I could use the value that I ‘ve got tied up in vinyl replay to improve the rest of the system. In my view there is no better here. It’s just a matter of the formats being different and different people having their own preferences.