CDs actually sound better than vinyl for punk albums from the 90s

I know everyone in this group swears by vinyl for the 'warmth' and all that. But I spent last weekend A/B testing my original pressing of NOFX's Punk in Drublic on vinyl against the same CD I bought in 1994. On my setup, the vinyl had this constant surface noise that buried the fast drum fills, especially on tracks like 'Leave It Alone.' The CD cut through clean, no pops, no distortion on the bass drops. Maybe it's just my turntable or the specific pressing, but I kept reaching for the CD. Anyone else find that certain genres just don't translate well to vinyl?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverh4912d ago

CDs actually sound better than vinyl" - yeah, that's pretty much what I've been saying for years. Punk's about speed and chaos, not warmth. The surface noise on vinyl just kills those fast drum parts and muddy guitars. I tried playing some old Dead Kennedys records and all I heard was crackle over the bass. CD captures that raw energy way better for stuff recorded in grimy studios on a budget.

umar4912d agoMost Upvoted

1979's "London Calling" on a clean pressing through a decent setup destroys any CD version I've heard. The bass actually has weight and the drums hit harder instead of sounding flat and sterile.