The growing popularity of vinyl records encourages many people to become interested in this particular way of listening to music. They are very different from modern media in many ways, and there are many myths about them. Are those myths real?
Vinyl sound better than CDs
Vinyl records sound much better than CDs or MP3s. People who listen to music from “black discs” see a big difference in sound, and so far nothing has surpassed vinyl in this respect. However, there is a catch – the recorded material must be properly mastered. In other words, music for CDs is prepared in a slightly different way – when pressing traditional vinyl, sound compression was not used. In turn, digital recording often leads to data loss, and this is where the difference in sound comes from.
Preparing two materials, of course, means higher production costs, so in the case of newly recordings, it sometimes happens that the vinyl is the same as the CD, and then the sound quality is not better at all. So it’s worth making sure beforehand how the “black disc” you bought was made.
A damaged disc is no longer usable
Vinyls are fragile, and if not stored properly, they will become so damaged that the disc will no longer be usable. In fact, vinyl records can be regenerated – with minor damage, you can do it yourself, while when the disc is scratched or bent, it is best to take it to a specialized service. It is also important to properly calibrate the playing equipment, which is helped by anti-skating discs from XDiSC.
It is true, however, that some discs cannot be repaired even by the most experienced professional – a chipped, cracked, heavily scratched or abraded disc, bent beyond measure, cannot be saved. Some dirt is also problematic to remove.
Vinyl always cracks
Characteristic for vinyl records is crackling and sometimes a slightly “crunchy” sound. Contrary to popular belief, this is not an inherent feature of the black record, but rather its defect, because vinyl in good condition should not make such sounds during playback. The crackling usually means that the record or stylus is dirty, and sometimes it’s because the record is not made properly.
