Dynamic Range Vinyl Better Than Cd

The dynamic range of vinyl when evaluated as the ratio of a peak sinusoidal amplitude to the peak noise density at that sine wave frequency is somewhere around 80 db.

Dynamic range vinyl better than cd.

Add to that the 96db dynamic range and the peak output level from your speakers would need to be 136db to experience the full dynamic range from a cd. Vinyl has greater resolution than cd because its dynamic range is higher than for cd at the most audible frequencies. Vinyl records typically yield 55 65 db. The dynamic range of a direct cut vinyl record may surpass 70 db.

A sound level of 136db is jet engine loud. And so are mp3 and aac files with bit rates above 300k which in most cases are indistinguishable from cds. 70ish db than analog analog recordings sometimes have a higher effective dynamic range because their mixes weren t made with boosting loudness as an end goal. 16 bit cd digital audio has a technical dynamic range of 96 db though many argue the perceived range is higher when taking dithering into account.

Even though digital music has a higher theoretical dynamic range 96db vs. However by any measurable criterion cds are superior to lps. The dynamic range of digital audio systems can exceed that of analog audio systems. Here are the reasons why.

Consumer analog cassette tapes have a dynamic range of 60 to 70 db. With the above in mind i began exploring why some vinyl records have greater dynamic range rightly concluding that mastering lay at the heart of the issue. Now assume that your speakers are relatively efficient and can produce a sound level of 96db with an input power of 1 watt. It s different from sitting back and letting your cd changer do its thing.