Bruce Dickinson

I'll be real honest, MOST folks could listen to a 256kbps MP3 of their favorite band and have it switched back and forth between a superior format, whether CD, FLAC, or Vinyl, and not be able to tell the difference.

I don't really notice a huge difference when listening to an mp3 and then directly comparing it to a superior format.

But what I really notice is when I've been listening to my ipod in the car for weeks and then switch it up by playing a CD it's very obviously way superior.
 
Well-worn vinyl is really atmospheric though. It's like you're sharing the hopes and dreams of all the people who listened to it before you.
 
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Does anyone know if the Bruce Dickinson vinyl box "Soloworks" is a limited run item? I'm getting a good extra few hundred bucks in my next pay check for being a good boy, and I'm debating on whether or not to treat myself to this, or if it's not limited then I can wait a bit on it. Thoughts?

Edit: Disregard this I suppose. I found a copy on Ebay for $110, and in great condition. I could not pass that up!
 
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The vinyl vs digital debate is missing a pretty important factor: mastering. Sometimes the version of an album that appears on vinyl is different than the digital version, especially if the album was released prior to CDs. A lot of original CD pressings will be the best version available of an album from the 80s or earlier because no clicks/pops/surface noise, but a lot of remasters (which is what most digital albums on itunes and spotify are sourced from) are very compressed and inferior masters. With more recent albums that are pressed for vinyl, the quality is all over the place. A lot of record companies know that most people are buying vinyl for aesthetic reasons and not sound quality so they get away with lazy (and sometimes even lossy) transfers. So in those cases the vinyl is actually worse than a digital or CD version. Sometimes the vinyl is handled with care and is just as good or better than the other formats.

Maiden has been pretty mixed so far, I think TBOS is marginally better on vinyl (not quite as loud). A lot of the 1998 CD remasters are awful, most of the vinyl I've heard are better than those. Number of the Beast sounds really dull on vinyl, but the recently released CD doesn't have that problem. Dance of Death sounds fantastic on vinyl. Haven't listened to any of the other recent CDs so I can't speak to them.
For Bruce, Accident of Birth/Chemical Wedding had subtle distortion issues that are resolved on vinyl. Tattooed Millionaire sounds great on the original CD, but awful on the remaster. That was also fixed with the vinyl.

It's just a case by case thing. When vinyl is superior it's usually because they fucked up on the CDs/digital versions, not because vinyl has an inherent quality that makes it better. As for streaming, if you have spotify premium, you can stream at 320kpbs which is as good as music can sound unless you're an audiophile listening in an acoustically treated room on high end equipment. If you think one format is universally better all the time, I'm sorry but you're listening with your eyes. I will say that all things being equal, my ideal format is a well mastered CD because it can be ripped lossless and then converted to any format afterwards while preserving all the lossless data. But of course there are a lot of caveats to that.

Also, the plural of vinyl is vinyl. :p
 
It's just a case by case thing. When vinyl is superior it's usually because they fucked up on the CDs/digital versions, not because vinyl has an inherent quality that makes it better. [...] If you think one format is universally better all the time, I'm sorry but you're listening with your eyes.
Well, if the content came from the same source (same exact mix & master), then one format should be universally better all the time, depending on what you value. But when the source is different, the medium can become irrelevant. Apples to apples vs. apples and oranges.
 
Well-worn vinyl is really atmospheric though. It's like you're sharing the hopes and dreams of all the people who listened to it before you.
I meant to comment on this and never did. So now I am. This kind of thinking reminds me of what I call "old people and their goddamn frying pans" theory. See, here in the south east United States there is this belief that if you have a crusty ass 100 year old cast iron frying pan that over years it becomes "flavored" by all the meals cooked in it. Either way I like it. My grandma used a lot of Crisco.
 
I meant to comment on this and never did. So now I am. This kind of thinking reminds me of what I call "old people and their goddamn frying pans" theory. See, here in the south east United States there is this belief that if you have a crusty ass 100 year old cast iron frying pan that over years it becomes "flavored" by all the meals cooked in it. Either way I like it. My grandma used a lot of Crisco.
Well, my mother would certainly share your views about frying pans, although her theory was to do with non-stick qualities rather than flavour. All I meant about the vinyl though, was that any wear and/or damage that it acquires are all part of the story of that particular record. I love analogue - I always think that a digital recording is like a photograph but an analogue recording is like looking through a window: even if the glass is a bit dirty you are still much closer to the actual event.
 
I got the Bruce Dickinson vinyl box set. Dude on Ebay selling it for $110 and it was still in stellar condition. I'm very pleased to now have this item in my fairly recently started Maiden vinyl collection. That is my story.
 
Yes, you're right, not releasing anything for 15 years is pure stealth mode.
He may be a sleeper agent waiting for a sign.
 
Yes, you're right, not releasing anything for 15 years is pure stealth mode.
He may be a sleeper agent waiting for a sign.
If that's not a stealth mode I don't know what is. But he was telling on the book tour that the solo album is coming. Or he was speaking about 'scream for me sarajevo' what would be disappointing
 
If that's not a stealth mode I don't know what is. But he was telling on the book tour that the solo album is coming. Or he was speaking about 'scream for me sarajevo' what would be disappointing

He was talking about the solo album, but he did also mention that he needed to finish it first. :)
 
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