There will probably never be an end to the analog vs. digital argument. Each side has its proponents and critics. In truth, there are advantages and disadvantages to both. First, let’s take a look at the differences between the two media. Analog sound is directly converted from the performance onto the recording medium. Whether it’s a tape or long-playing record, the sound waves are imprinted directly; there is no conversion. Digital recorders convert recorded sound waves into samples of numbers and imprint the numbers onto the recording medium. A CD, for example, has 44,000 binary numbers per second of sound.
Analog players read the wave directly without needing a converter. Digital players convert the stored numbers to a voltage wave and funnel that through the speaker system. Additionally, analog sounds are denoted by sine waves, while digital sounds are denoted by square waves. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two is that analog sounds, by their very nature, degrade over time. Digital sounds, by and large, do not.
Pros & Cons
You may be asking, “So, why is this even an argument?” Ask any vinyl record enthusiast, and you’ll see why. By and large, people who listen to vinyl records over CDs are purists. To them, taking a sound, making it into numbers, and then converting them back again is sacrilege. Vinyl enthusiasts prefer the pure sound transference that analog provides. To them, it perfectly captures the essence of what happened in the studio. A digital recording is just a machine-washed copy of the “real” sound.
To those who prefer digital sound, the big advantage is that there are no pops, crackles or other sound imperfections in what they hear. They don’t prefer the so-called “real” sound. They consider the digital sampling and conversion as a purifying process that removes flaws and leaves only the music behind. Digital enthusiasts point to analog’s lack of low-end and high-end performance and the tremendous cost of high-quality needle cartridges and turntables. They also point to the huge amounts of space needed to keep a high-end record collection compared to a small MP3 player that holds much more music. Analog purists fire back by pointing out that MP3s remove parts of the music to complete the compression process, allowing the files to be as small as possible.
An All-inclusive Collection
In reality, there is a place for both recording methods in the collections of music lovers. Remember, there are analog recordings that haven’t made it to CD yet. For instance, classical music fans can point to the 1977 Aston Magna recordings of the “Brandenburg Concertos” or the Eastman Wind Ensemble’s legendary 1958 analog recording of Mozart’s “Gran Partita,” K. 361. The best way to choose is to listen to both media and then make a decision. Should you choose vinyl, look no further than Electrohome’s Kingston 7-In-1 Vinyl Record Player to enjoy the warm crackle of your favorite records!
Kingston Vinyl Record PlayerBacked by over 100 years of manufacturing high fidelity audio products, Electrohome has paired the design of vintage record players with the technology of modern music systems. Learn More |