Episode Details

The HiFi Five Episode 39:  Is Vinyl All That?

Guests:

Jefferson Douglas -- CEO of Tubelandia Music

Mike Lavigne -- audiophile hobbyist

Amadeus Meitner -- Managing Director, EMM Labs and Meitner

Doug Schneider -- founder of SoundStage!

Topics:

Which is the best sounding format, and what does best sounding mean?

When great vinyl beats state-of-the-art digital, what are we really hearing -- the format, better mastering, or better gear?

If master tape is the ultimate reference, which gets closer: vinyl or digital?

If an LP was recorded, mixed or mastered digitally, what exactly do you gain by playing it on vinyl? Can mastering digital onto vinyl actually make it sound better?

Where does another $25,000 buy you more sonic improvement -- vinyl or digital?

Twenty years from now, will vinyl still be a reference-quality format -- or mainly a collectible experience while digital becomes the unquestioned reference?