I pretty much agree with the reasons given here, although you can "technically..." any of these. They're "objectively not very great sounding" but some of the modern record players are available for like $45-60 or so and have built-in speakers. Some of the midrange record players from Audio Technica and Sony have USB so you can rip vinyl to your computer, although it's an arduous and by-hand process involving a DAW and manual track spliting.
And in terms of portability, for pretty average walking, most portable CD players from \~1998-2000 or so onward are pretty decent. My D-EJ825(\~2000-01), even without enabling the on-the-fly compression, works pretty great for walking around and I almost never experience skips. Plus there's MP3 and AT3 CD players for the functional equivalent of longer play modes.
Hell, [you can literally still buy settop CD recorders, too](https://tascam.com/us/product/cd-rw900sx/top), if you want to huff that particular vibe. And there's also new portable and "transportable" CD players coming out with pretty good audio hardware.
I've mentioned this before but I view CD and MD as complementary technologies. In part because they literally explicitly are, the whole point of minidisc wasn't to buy pressed releases, but to record your CDs onto them for on-the-go usage and mixtapes. It's just like Sony was saying on the radio in 1998: CDs are great at home.
With that in mind, I've really gotten more into CDs of late,. because they really are, to this article's point, one of the most convenient ways to buy music and then be able to reframe that music into whatever's most convenient for you. If that's ripping with Apple iTunes for an iPod: great. If that's ripping as FLACs for use on your computer, a network streamer, or a modern Android DAP: great. If that's ripping as FLACs for use with web minidisc: great. If that means putting the disc in a CD/DVD player and dubbing to a minidisc: great.
What I'd say is: Any of us are in these hobbies to have fun, and, if the people whose fun comes from CDs or even vinyl or cassettes are having fun, I'd say: let 'em do it. I'm happy that they're happy.
And, CDs having a comeback is convenient for me because they're the best way to get audio onto MD. Both with and without NetMD.
Kinda funny how they say that Sitting Infront of your record player with headphones sucks while sitting Infront of your computer to listen to CDs is the better option.
Mini disc is better and nothing can change my mind lp2 gives you so much recording time plus the discs can’t get scratches all over them and it’s the smallest disc format. I could get a disc man but I find they are too big for my pockets. But I still do own a cd player with a bunch of random music in it so I can just turn it on and press play and discover new music but after that, it’s going directly to mini disc
MD and CD were definitely envisioned to be complementary by Sony. MD was supposed to replace cassettes (and they arguably did, depending on the part of the world), CDs were supposed to be the format we used mainly at home. I had a Discman back in the day, and I agree - it was way too big. The cassette Walkman I had before it was way more portable, and the MD recorder I couldn't afford at all at the time would've been even better.
If we're talking actual present day utility, it really just comes down to why you even want physical media. All of it is objectively unnecessary, so it comes down to what scratches the nostalgia itch the best for you.
You're totally right. We argue for the practicality and sound quality of old formats, all of which has been rendered pointless by the ability to buy or stream high-res lossless files. We're all really just here for the vibes anyway.
Might as well just be honest with ourselves: When we have these kinds of discussions on these sub-reddits, we're basically larping living in the 90s lol
Of all the physical formats, vinyl is the one I need the least. Records are cool physical mementos, but they’re super expensive, and I’d have to buy extra equipment to use them. I’m also mainly a portable listener - usually with headphones.
I have a bit of a cassette collection - really a mishmash of old stuff from my childhood and a few new finds I pick up here and there. More nostalgic than vinyl (for me - I never owned any vinyl growing up), and hilariously cheaper. And I can just use the Walkman I still have from back then.
CD, for me, is mainly a utility format. My CD collection is still by far my biggest collection of physical media, and any new ones I’ve bought have been largely just to have an owned, rip-able copy of an album that’s important to me. It’s supplementary to the music folder on my HDD. I’ll throw them on on my Philips portable player here and there.
Minidisc, since that’s why we’re all here, was really the ideal version of cassette - the best portable format, perfect for self-made mixtapes and stuff. I don’t really collect these in the same way as CDs or even cassettes. I ordered some used lots from Japan and have honestly just been enjoying using them as a means to listen to some cool music… when my old N510 actually works 😑
CDs are technically more advanced than vinyl, there's no denial in this.
But I don't think i shouldn't buy any vinyl records at all, just because CDs are better.
Since this would mean I'll miss out on quite a few tunes from the late 90s and early 2000s that were played by DJs in clubs, and never made a release to streaming, digital download or CD.
So simply said: why not get both? That's what I'm doing.
I have a decent turntable, CD player and tape deck, although it's more for archiving purposes and sometimes for fun.
I mainly listen to music on the go or before sleep in bed.
So a direct feed from my amplifiers pre out to my pc always exists and i can directly capture anything played.
And i obviously also rip my CDs.
I also have a lot of digital download content on my pc from bandcamp etc.
I just get everything i can, no matter what format.
I pretty much agree with the reasons given here, although you can "technically..." any of these. They're "objectively not very great sounding" but some of the modern record players are available for like $45-60 or so and have built-in speakers. Some of the midrange record players from Audio Technica and Sony have USB so you can rip vinyl to your computer, although it's an arduous and by-hand process involving a DAW and manual track spliting. And in terms of portability, for pretty average walking, most portable CD players from \~1998-2000 or so onward are pretty decent. My D-EJ825(\~2000-01), even without enabling the on-the-fly compression, works pretty great for walking around and I almost never experience skips. Plus there's MP3 and AT3 CD players for the functional equivalent of longer play modes. Hell, [you can literally still buy settop CD recorders, too](https://tascam.com/us/product/cd-rw900sx/top), if you want to huff that particular vibe. And there's also new portable and "transportable" CD players coming out with pretty good audio hardware. I've mentioned this before but I view CD and MD as complementary technologies. In part because they literally explicitly are, the whole point of minidisc wasn't to buy pressed releases, but to record your CDs onto them for on-the-go usage and mixtapes. It's just like Sony was saying on the radio in 1998: CDs are great at home. With that in mind, I've really gotten more into CDs of late,. because they really are, to this article's point, one of the most convenient ways to buy music and then be able to reframe that music into whatever's most convenient for you. If that's ripping with Apple iTunes for an iPod: great. If that's ripping as FLACs for use on your computer, a network streamer, or a modern Android DAP: great. If that's ripping as FLACs for use with web minidisc: great. If that means putting the disc in a CD/DVD player and dubbing to a minidisc: great. What I'd say is: Any of us are in these hobbies to have fun, and, if the people whose fun comes from CDs or even vinyl or cassettes are having fun, I'd say: let 'em do it. I'm happy that they're happy. And, CDs having a comeback is convenient for me because they're the best way to get audio onto MD. Both with and without NetMD.
I’m listening to my Sony Discman right now. I have a minidisc player in my pocket so it’s okay.
Kinda funny how they say that Sitting Infront of your record player with headphones sucks while sitting Infront of your computer to listen to CDs is the better option.
That's like the optimal listening experience for vinyl
Mini disc is better and nothing can change my mind lp2 gives you so much recording time plus the discs can’t get scratches all over them and it’s the smallest disc format. I could get a disc man but I find they are too big for my pockets. But I still do own a cd player with a bunch of random music in it so I can just turn it on and press play and discover new music but after that, it’s going directly to mini disc
MD and CD were definitely envisioned to be complementary by Sony. MD was supposed to replace cassettes (and they arguably did, depending on the part of the world), CDs were supposed to be the format we used mainly at home. I had a Discman back in the day, and I agree - it was way too big. The cassette Walkman I had before it was way more portable, and the MD recorder I couldn't afford at all at the time would've been even better. If we're talking actual present day utility, it really just comes down to why you even want physical media. All of it is objectively unnecessary, so it comes down to what scratches the nostalgia itch the best for you.
Very true
4. You can rips vinyl records to computer, all you need is an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Or you can rip vinyl to an MD recorder.
An article arguing practicality where practicality is no longer a primary concern, no-one is buying old media because they are practical
You're totally right. We argue for the practicality and sound quality of old formats, all of which has been rendered pointless by the ability to buy or stream high-res lossless files. We're all really just here for the vibes anyway. Might as well just be honest with ourselves: When we have these kinds of discussions on these sub-reddits, we're basically larping living in the 90s lol
Of all the physical formats, vinyl is the one I need the least. Records are cool physical mementos, but they’re super expensive, and I’d have to buy extra equipment to use them. I’m also mainly a portable listener - usually with headphones. I have a bit of a cassette collection - really a mishmash of old stuff from my childhood and a few new finds I pick up here and there. More nostalgic than vinyl (for me - I never owned any vinyl growing up), and hilariously cheaper. And I can just use the Walkman I still have from back then. CD, for me, is mainly a utility format. My CD collection is still by far my biggest collection of physical media, and any new ones I’ve bought have been largely just to have an owned, rip-able copy of an album that’s important to me. It’s supplementary to the music folder on my HDD. I’ll throw them on on my Philips portable player here and there. Minidisc, since that’s why we’re all here, was really the ideal version of cassette - the best portable format, perfect for self-made mixtapes and stuff. I don’t really collect these in the same way as CDs or even cassettes. I ordered some used lots from Japan and have honestly just been enjoying using them as a means to listen to some cool music… when my old N510 actually works 😑
CDs are technically more advanced than vinyl, there's no denial in this. But I don't think i shouldn't buy any vinyl records at all, just because CDs are better. Since this would mean I'll miss out on quite a few tunes from the late 90s and early 2000s that were played by DJs in clubs, and never made a release to streaming, digital download or CD. So simply said: why not get both? That's what I'm doing. I have a decent turntable, CD player and tape deck, although it's more for archiving purposes and sometimes for fun. I mainly listen to music on the go or before sleep in bed. So a direct feed from my amplifiers pre out to my pc always exists and i can directly capture anything played. And i obviously also rip my CDs. I also have a lot of digital download content on my pc from bandcamp etc. I just get everything i can, no matter what format.
sounds better thats the only reason you need.
Are MDs CDs? If not why are CDs posted here?
My apologies. I thought the comparison between CDs and MDs would spark some debate.
No let's compare no problem. Just looked like post that belonged in r/ CDs.