Vinyl versus CD's

[cliff]

I've heard that records are superior to cd's in sound quality. The extent of this (if it is true) is something that I know nothing about. I own a few records, but I haven't really noticed a marked difference in sound between them and my cd's. This is probably due to the fact that my home stereo setup isn't very good in the grand scheme of things.

I asked my dad, who said that records are superior in sound quality to cd's, but only if the turntable, needle, speaker, etc. are top of the line; in order to draw out the frequencies missing from the cd experience.

Therefore, if this is true... it is my contention that records have almost been rendered obsolete in regards to the general public, because most of these people will probably never own such top of the line stereo equipment. Thus placing most of the appeal to vinyl in the hands of that small (and shrinking) percent of the population that have shelled out the bucks to put together a serious home stereo system.

So is vinyl just a novelty format for music in most instances?

Any thoughts, confirmations, arguments, suggestions, feedback, etc etc???

[FauxAssNonsense]

i agree.

[hospitalcomedian]

what about super audio cd's? i don't know one way or the other about the sound quality but vinyl smells much better. also according to ray manzarek it stops you getting too stoned because if you want to listen to an hour long album, you'll have to keep getting up to change over a double album on vinyl, but it's all on one side of one cd so you just sit there getting baked. having said all that, i wouldn't swap the eight-disc changer in my car for an eight vinyl changer. my car is far too small for such opulance.
the thing with needles picking up frequncies lost on cds, i think that's just wrong. cd's sample at 44.1k which is more than twice as high pitched as human ears can hear, so anything missed by the cd player wouldn't be heard by people anyway.

[ShawnPhase]

i donno.

i've made both.

i've recorded stuff digitally and then sent a master to the pressing plant and gotten the product back and said 'this is so much better than the digital format' even after listening to it on a shitty record player.

i recorded a 7'' recently of 3 very don cab-ish songs, check out www.myspace.com/terrafirmarecords for an example. its only $4 ppd if anyone wants it, and comes on grey vinyl.