Continuing Revolutions

Since we last chatted, I have been continuing my journey through the world of records. Over the past weekend I replaced the Shure cartridge on my turntable with one from Grado Labs, the entry level Prestige Black. It has made a world of difference. I do not know if I can say it is a better cartridge than the Shure one, but the Shure one was maybe 20 years old, so anything is better. Right away the records were cleaner, clearer, more alive.

To go with my new cartridge, I also picked up a copy of Mike Doughty's Haughty Melodic on vinyl. I really wanted to hear what a new record sounded like, and as this is one of my favorite albums, it is one that I know well and I knew I would listen to a lot. I gotta say it is amazing. I am not quite yet prepared to say that the vinyl version is definitively better, but it is definitely different. The record sounds more present, more authentic, for lack of a better word. I did feel at first that there were some details that I was missing on the record that I heard on the CD, but after listening for them specifically I could hear them, they were just quieter than I was used to. This could be because the record is less detailed, or it could be because the CD is just more compressed and the record is what the musicians and engineers actually intended. I wish I knew.

What I do know is that I am really enjoying the records. I think it has a great, fun sound. And while I am not sure if CD or vinyl is better, or if that can ever be determined, I am sure having fun comparing them.