And your ears shall hear…

A while back, we read a post called, “7 Reasons I’d Switch To CDs From Vinyl Records.” This is a response written in reference to the Pocket-lint article by contributor James Wayman, who, for the most part, “liked the article, but I felt there were a couple of snags.”

First, CDs are budget-friendly in a head-to-head comparison with vinyl, but unless you are thrifting or going to garage sales, they aren’t as cheap as they once were. In addition, some sellers are asking for a higher sales price to make it worth their while to stock or move inventory. For example, most jazz CDs, like Chet Baker or Bill Evans, start around $8 and go up from there depending on the version. Also, try grabbing the new Middle Kids or Ducks Ltd. for anything less than $15. You won’t be able to do so unless a store gets a promo and doesn’t know what they have. Most new CDs start at $15, which is what they were when I was in high school back in the early ’90s.

Second, it doesn’t mention the loudness wars mastering issue that makes many 2000s-era CDs and remasters fatiguing to listen to for more than 10 minutes at a time. This also leads to the confusion of which version to buy. Do I get the latest remaster, or the original production? What year was that loud version made again?

Third, the benefit isn’t portability so much as it is about being a lower-maintenance format than vinyl. LPs are taller but are also a bit narrower. CDs aren’t as tall, but the packaging can be three times more bulky in width than a typical LP.

Lastly, the playback is what costs money. Using a Discman with dollar store earbuds is hardly better than streaming on your phone. Bluetooth results in a loss of sound quality. Vinyl does require a minimum quality in every associated device. But with poor speakers, a cheap DAC, or a weak amp, CDs can sound like crap as well.

Please let us know what you’ve been thinking about making the leap back from vinyl to CD’s.

James Wayman is a music enthusiast, collector, musician, and educator from the far northwestern suburbs of Chicago. You can follow, comment, and/or react to his ‘album a day’ capsules on Twitter/X at @SMFOBA51.