Chris Trottier on Nostr: I prefer CDs and tapes over vinyl. And I say this with the full realization that ...

I prefer CDs and tapes over vinyl.

And I say this with the full realization that vinyl is what people associate with audiophile quality.

To that, I say that vinyl is such a pain the ass. There's surface noise. It gathers dust, which you then have to clean. The stylus can degrade the grooves. You have to be precise with speed. You have to ensure the tracking force is just right.

Compare this with a CD. You put it in, no surface noise. They're easy to clean. The laser is light—so just decades 1s and 0s. Even cheap DACs are relatively good, so the worst that can happen is jitter which—while terrible—is rarely a problem anymore. Tracking force? Not even a factor.

Now I will admit that tape can be a greater pain in the ass than vinyl. But what can tape do that vinyl cannot? Record music. It really is just a press of a button, and you can immortalize sound. And if you have *good* tape, the sound can exceed the quality of vinyl.

That said, I tend to listen to vinyl a lot more than anything else. And this is because my daughter *loves* the tactile nature of it. Music is so much better when it's enjoyed with company.