I Hope This Isn't Going to Be a Trend

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bookslover

Puritan Board Doctor
Classical violinist Hilary Hahn's new album (her second for Decca Classics) is, to my dismay and annoyance, only available on vinyl and as a digital download. Unless Decca's mind can be changed (or Hahn's?), it will not be issued on CD.

Judging by the response on Facebook, Hahn's fans (including me: I've been listening to her since her debut album in 1997) are not amused by this decision.

Does Decca think I'm going to run out and buy a turntable just so I can listen to her new album? They'd better think again. I was quite happy when CDs replaced the LP (as we called them back in the day) and have no intention of going back. And I'm not interested in downloads, either (tinny sound, etc.).

I assume that Decca is in business to make money. Why would they ignore what is still the mainstream format, the CD? Why ignore that particular revenue stream?

I have all of Hahn's classical albums. But I guess I won't have this one.
 
Is your complaint with digital downloads the quality? There should be no difference between a lossless digital recording and a CD (after all, a CD is digital) and the human ear and most sound equipment leaves little room to tell the difference between lossless and 320kbps MP3s (as one example of a commonly distributed format).
 
I’m sorry, but I must say, I really enjoy the vinyl and digital download combination. The best part is loading the download on a CD! It’s so versatile.
 
I pretty much only listen to my ipod for music. As in no cassettes or cd's. I do enjoy vinal also. If I do get a CD I put it on my ipod.
 
Is your complaint with digital downloads the quality? There should be no difference between a lossless digital recording and a CD (after all, a CD is digital) and the human ear and most sound equipment leaves little room to tell the difference between lossless and 320kbps MP3s (as one example of a commonly distributed format).

One problem with downloads is that, unlike with a CD, you don't get the accompanying booklet with all the recording information plus the booklet essay. I like that information.
 
I pretty much only listen to my ipod for music. As in no cassettes or cd's. I do enjoy vinal also. If I do get a CD I put it on my ipod.

I liked a cartoon I saw recently, in which a customer is telling a stereo equipment store employee, "What sold me on vinyl was the expense and the inconvenience." Yup - back to the bad old days (for people of my generation).
 
Vinyl records are superior in sound, however, because it is actual sound that is recorded and played, as opposed to digits (unless, I suppose, it is merely a digital recording transferred to vinyl).
 
Vinyl records are superior in sound, however, because it is actual sound that is recorded and played, as opposed to digits (unless, I suppose, it is merely a digital recording transferred to vinyl).

Well, that's what it would be: either (1) older analog recordings digitally remastered and transferred to vinyl or (2) digital recordings transferred to vinyl. Ain't nobody recording directly onto the vinyl (direct-to-disc which, by the way, was something of a fad in the 1970s), as far as I know.
 
By the way, checking Decca's website: under contact information, the only way you can communicate with them is by snail mail, with mail sent to a physical address in London - no email, no fax, no phone number, nothing through the website.

This tells me that Decca is happy to take your money but really has no interest in hearing (or reading) customer opinions or complaints.
 
I assume that Decca is in business to make money. Why would they ignore what is still the mainstream format, the CD? Why ignore that particular revenue stream?

CDs are no longer a mainstream format. Most people stream music from streaming services nowadays or, if they must own the files for some reason, then they will download them digitally. There is no difference in audio quality between a digital download and what you have on a CD. They are literally the same thing.

For those who still appreciate tactile media, LPs have been making a comeback for quite some time. So I suggest you either purchase a Spotify subscription and stream the music or download it and burn it to a CD.
 
I've read predictions that streaming is going to disappear in a few years. In the long run, I still think the CD is the best musical format and will win out, in the end. My prediction!

When I can stream music to my iPhone from anywhere and without a wifi connection to a pair of bluetooth headphones, what would motivate me to return to a clunky portable CD player? Remember, streaming music doesn't "skip" like CDs do.
 
CDs are no longer a mainstream format. Most people stream music from streaming services nowadays or, if they must own the files for some reason, then they will download them digitally. There is no difference in audio quality between a digital download and what you have on a CD. They are literally the same thing.

For those who still appreciate tactile media, LPs have been making a comeback for quite some time. So I suggest you either purchase a Spotify subscription and stream the music or download it and burn it to a CD.

I'll probably do the downloading-and burning thing. I've got about 1,000-2,000 CDs, which I'm not planning to get rid of anytime soon!
 
There is no difference in audio quality between a digital download and what you have on a CD. They are literally the same thing./QUOTE]

Well, not entirely. Your typical MP3 (and certainly your streamed radio) is not lossless: it doesn't have the same fidelity as a CD even though both are digital. If you have the digital download in a lossless format at 44.1 kHz, then it's essentially the same. HD audio at 96 kHz theoretically is even higher quality than CD audio, although it's controversial whether humans are capable of picking up the difference.
 
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