The best quality music format, according to science
Over the years, there have been several different formats available for listening to our favourite music. Today, streamingrules the roost, whether we like it or not, and it has changed how fans consume sonics and how artists create them. Yet, despite technology impressing itself upon life and changing the complexion of the music industry, there have always been the purists, those who have resisted change – these often are the sorts of people who also refrain from using social media.
Of course, I’m talking about the vinyl lovers. These crate diggers have always maintained that vinyl is the best way to consume music and that the digital and, often, majorly compressed versions of songs found on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music pale in comparison to the analogue atmosphere inherent to so many classic records that were first released on vinyl.
While the quality of music has always been the realm of musos, specialists and production nerds who love the technical side of music and are fully aware of its significance, ultimately, most listeners worldwide pay no mind to such things. It’s almost certain that most of those listening to world-famous artists aren’t even aware of the consequences things like compositional aspects and production have in making a great tune. They just want a catchy melody, relatable words and, most importantly, a chorus in which they can lose themselves in.
However, the argument between vinyl and digital has been raging for years. It has become more public as vinyl has enjoyed a resurgence in recent times, with sales even reaching a record high in the UK in 2024. Clearly, what the sneering musos and High Fidelity-esque characters have been banging on about for years has some credence. Or does it?
Science has proven that vinyl in its truest format – featuring a pure analogue signal and all its natural beauty – beats MP3 and other digital formats with flying colours. However, its distant cousin, the CD, gives it more of a contest. Still, there’s only one winner. Vinyl is an end-to-end analogue format, from the recording and pressing to playback by fans, and because of this, its adherents assert that it most closely reproduces what the artist laid down when recording.
Digital music is different. Digital technology cannot directly read analogue soundwaves, so they are translated into a digital signal and then back into analogue again. In the process, some of the contents are lost or approximated. On the other hand, with vinyl, every part of the analogue wave is captured in the grooves, making it, scientifically, the only undisputably lossless format.
That’s not to say vinyl is perfect. Unlike a CD, vinyl is more prone to severe wear and tear, degrading playback quality. Furthermore, the physical character of vinyl inherently compels a longer record to have slimmer grooves, meaning the sound is quieter, and there’s more noise as the needle plays through them.
In another reality many never consider, vinyl albums often have a worse sound quality at the end of the record, as the needle changes speed in line with the circumference. Elsewhere, most modern vinyls are cut from digital masters, meaning they’re not actually analogue or have that true vinyl sound at all. When you add poor pressings to the mix, the quality is also reduced.
There is no doubt, though, scientifically or subjectively, that vinyl is the best-quality music format available.
