Basic Differences Between Vinyl and CD
The fight between vinyl and CD is one of the longest ongoing arguments in music technology. Vinyl is analog. That means the surface of the record has a groove with a miniature picture of the sound wave. The needle (or laser on some newer turntables) follows that groove and turns it into sound. A CD is digital. It takes snapshots of the original sound wave 44,000 times a second and records the value of the sound wave at that moment. When your play a CD, it turns those snapshots back into a sound wave.
Advantages of Vinyl
Analog has some advantage in fidelity over digital - particularly at high frequencies. At lower frequencies, a CD does a good job of copying the sound, but the sampling rate isn't as good for high frequencies. For example, a CD will only get about two "snapshots" of a 20 khz (kilohertz) sound per wavelength. This results in a lot of information about the sound getting lost. Vinyl also has some advantages over CD in distortion. Both CDs and records have distorted sound, but most people find analog distortion more pleasant and less harsh than digital distortion.
Advantages of CDs
Despite its shortcomings, for most listeners the CD is a better choice. Records are very soft, and lose information with every playing. The needle wears away a little bit of information every time, which is why old records sound muted and muffled. Although laser turntables exist which can play records without a needle, they are too expensive for most consumers. Dust, scratches, and mold can also effect the sound of the record, creating hisses and pops. CD audio is good enough that an average listener is unlikely to hear flaws in the sound - particularly if it is played through a good stereo.
Tags: sound wave, high frequencies, into sound