DJ Equipment Reviews

 

Vinyl vs CD

The Ultimate DJ Battle Part 1

In today’s day and age, it’s all about technology and advancements. You can’t get past it, not even if you tried. The advanced version of everything has been sweeping the nation and dominating our homes to the extent where you wonder if tradition will ever see the light of popularity again. I, unlike many people, prefer tradition to this dawn of the new age techno stuff. I like a simple coke (not diet cherry coke), I like my coffee black with a little cream (not some frapp drink) I like my phone to be user friendly, not a complex riddle (cough, iPhone, cough), and I even prefer VHS to DVD (I don’t even wanna think about this Blue-ray nonsense).

I am, most likely, one of the youngest old fashioned people you can ever come across, and I take pride in that. So when it comes to the battle of "yesterday meets new age", you know which side I’m taking. In the battle between turntables VS laptops (click here for workingDJ post), I support the turntable. In the battle between turntable vs CDJs, naturally, I still support the turntable. And, lastly, in the battle between all American wax as opposed to CDs, you’d think I’d take the side of vinyl. However, as I explore the pros of CDs for working DJs, I can’t decide which is better. Convenience and strength? Or the quality sound of tradition?

When CDs came onto the scene and became popular they, undoubtedly, made it difficult for working DJs to decide which they wanted to spin, as this determines what equipment they buy. Since the deejaying trade ain’t one for the kid with an allowance of ten bucks a week, this became a tough decision. Should working DJs use wax, or polycarbonate and plastic? You’d think this is a no brainer: just go for the wax. But when Pioneer came out with the CDJ and every curious DJ went flocking to this new device, CDs suddenly became the "record" to spin as the price sales went up.

Pioneer’s CDJ1000 created a new era of spinning

But why is that? So many-perhaps even the majority-of working DJs saw covenience in this new digital turntable, the CDJ. But aside from that, what does the CD have that vinyl doesn’t? Does it sound better? Scratch better? A working DJ won’t mind some convenience, but what really matters is the music. Convenience plays absolutely no part in the music. So why pick the CD over the vinyl?

Studies, as well as our ears, have proven that the sound quality in vinyl is far greater than that of CDs. Even when you have the CD in vinyl mode to emulate the sound and the feel of a traditional vinyl, the sound is close, but no cigar. No one can make CDs sound like vinyl, because nothing sounds like good old fashioned vinyl. Nothing breaks like vinyl either, except for an egg shell. That’s right, vinyl is weak. The sound might be good, but it doesn’t last long. The feel may be nice against your finger tips, but with time, that too deteriarates.

Working DJs will end up replacing, and replacing the replaced until they go mad! The expected lifespan of a CD is 120 years. The expected lifespan of vinyl is supposedly more if you take good care of it. And the people who make these claims aren’t saying the quality of the vinyl record will last that long. Since vinyl is sensitive to temperature and abuse, the quality won’t last, even if the exterior does. So in the case of durability, vinyl doesn’t hold a candle to a CD. CDs can take one hell of a beating and still sound like the day you took it out of its wrapper. It doesn’t wear and tear easily, ultimately placing more money in the pocket of the working DJ. And when a CD does get damaged, it can easily be rebuffed, repaired. And that is something everyone has to take into consideration.

Click here for part two.

 

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