RadioHead on Vinyl?? Is it the best way to listen to this band???

So I basically have every Radiohead album on vinyl from OK Computer up to and including the new Discbox of In Rainbows. They all sound fantanstic, especially those cut at 45 rpm, but I find something very disconcerting about listening to Radiohead albums on vinyl as opposed to CD, and it isn't about sound quality - it is about continuity of the presentation.

I was listening to the vinyl version of In Rainbows today and noticed that the album, although sounding excellent, didn't elicit the same emotional response from me as I got from listening to the MP3 burned CD for the past few months. I felt the same thing about Hail to the Thief. The continuity of the album and the emotional and psychological feelings I get from listening to the CD, and it's flow from beginning to end of the album, are lost when I have to keep jumping up every 10 minutes or so to change the LP sides. I felt this strongly with Hail to the Thief which works best in one continuous listen, and then again with In Rainbows, which I feel works similar to Hail to the Thief.

I love having the vinyl versions, but I actually prefer listening to the CD versions so I have the whole picture painted in front of me without interruption. This seems to affect me more when listening to Radiohead than almost anyother band out there.

Does anyone feel the same way?

 

I think radiohead Purposely released High Quality vinyl version for audiophiles and vinyl rips.

 

I like the Hail To The Thief on vinyl because you get a little extra at the end of the LP sides where the CD has crossfades.

 

I agree with MikeT regarding HTTT. I like the music and the sound quality of the vinyl is fantastic but I rarely listen to this title because there is a lack of continuity flipping the record every two or three songs. OK Computer and The Bends work great on vinyl for me as they seem to lend themselves more towards "side 1" & "side 2" sequencing.

 

Radiohead CDs

I am not comparing them to vinyl, but the Radiohead CDs are some of the cleanest recordings I have heard. It appears that Yorke and company take sound quality very seriously and I find it hard to believe vinyl is necessary when the CDs sound so good.

 

You should listen to the vinyl of 'OK Computer'. Big difference.

Todd

 

My Ok Computer is actually a realy noisy pressing, not as in poorly pressed with a lot of flaws but as in low-grade vinyl with an almost constant background crackle.

 

Mine too

 

I think the vinyl is the way too go. doesnt bother me to flip.

I will agree OK computer is noisey, but it does sound better than the cd.

 

My copy is quiet (also heavy weight). I bet there have been several pressings.

Todd

 

My OK Computer Vinyl is heavy weight and it sounds wonderful, but I have no complains on my CD at all....

 

I bought mine about five years ago and it's one of the quietest pressings I have. Truly an audiophile record. Not a single tick, pop or click on it and I'm very picky. I didn't even have to de-click it for a perfect needle drop. I think I have the Canadian import. A very impressive record in every aspect.

Which pressing do you have? I'm sorry to hear you got a bad one. We should make note of the bad ones so people can avoid them.

 

mine is a canadian import.

first record isnt so bad, second one was.

very heavy vinyl too.

 

Jamie, I remember you sent me a needledrop of yours several years ago when I was choosing a turntable. I picked it up myself once I got the turntable. All of my Radiohead vinyl (all of them except The Eraser and In Rainbows) came from Canada as well. They are all great.

As far as listening to the vinyl vs. CDs, I like the vinyl because it sounds so much better. I don't mind flipping the record every 3 songs. In fact, I prefer it if it means I get a superior sounding 45rpm version. I generally reserve the CDs (I have all those too) for the car, where the extra brightness helps.

 

MikeT, are you set up to do needledrops? If so, that's the way to go.

 

No copies of OK Computer were manufactured in Canada...they were all imports from the UK...so I have been told...

 

Thanks for this thread MikeT. I was wondering a few weeks back whether I should get all the albums on vinyl after hearing how good In Rainbows sounds compared to the CD. I'd particularly love to hear Amnesiac on vinyl. This came out on 10" if I'm not mistaken. Does it sound as good as In Rainbows ? I'm sort of hoping for more depth and width in the soundstage.

Regarding continuity, I transfered the album on the Masterlink in 24/96, along with the tracks on the 'B-sides' CD and the singles. After adjusting levels using Audacity (lowering gain on all the CD tracks) I burned the whole thing on a DVD-R using discWelderBronze. It works fine for me. Makes for great listening sessions with all the lights off in the dead of night—at times the soundstage extends about 25~30 feet beyond the front wall; it's awesome. I'd love to do the same with Amnesiac and its corresponding singles.

 

I have OK Computer, Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows (and The Eraser, as well). They all sound fantastic. Makes me want to buy the other titles on vinyl.

As far as a listening experience, I do understand the lure of listening to it all the way through, uninterrupted. That's why I'm happy with the Discbox... I can choose which I want, depending on my mood.

However, needledrops of all these records are in the pipeline for me, so that I may experience the best of both worlds.

 

The vinyl sounds only marginally better than the cd's to my ears, which is a shame.

 

No, Amnesiac vinyl does not sound as good as In Rainbows. IR and Hail to the Thief are in a league all their own. But the vinyl for the rest of the titles still tops the CDs in every case, IMO. Worth tracking down all of them (or at least your favorites).

I bet that DVD-R sounds great. I have a Masterlink too, and I have done needledrops at 24/96 and they are UNREAL. I just play them directly from the Masterlink, haven't tried putting them on a DVD-R, but that would obviously give me the ability to take them with me. Sounds like a pretty cool project.

 

Someone listed OK Computer as one of their reference discs yesterday. It's fascinating how people hearing things so differently.

I think Nigel Godrich is a brilliant engineer and producer. I tend to love his more authoritative style. He definitely doesn't make audiophile records. He's much more creative than that!

 

I don't see your analog setup in your profile. Is it comparable to your digital setup? I must say, that I am much more impressed with the Radiohead vinyl (and all vinyl in general actually) since I upgraded my cartridge to the Dynavector 10x5.

 

I think Radiohead is one band that you cant complain too much about the CD's. Ive never heard any of the albums on vinyl, but the CD's arent all blown out or anything, not like Beck (The Information aaaagggghhh!!) or the White Stripes (all of their albums). I think the Radiohead CD's sound alright.

 

My copy of OK Computer is pretty noisy on side 1. The weird thing is, it's not crackle or anything, but a "shhhhhhh" sound - kinda like really loud tape hiss. It's there from the beginning of the side to the end. The other three sides have some ticks here and there but are perfectly acceptable. It's a UK import from a local record store.

 

I have listened to needledrops from respectable systems of The Bends and OK Computer through my personal reference chain which goes like this

FLAC > FooBar200 > ASIO > E-MU 1616M > Grover Reference SC IC > Musical Fidelity X-Can v3 w/Little Pinkie V3i PSU > SAA Equinox Noir HD650 > Sennheiser HD650

They were still better than their cd audio counterpoints don't get me wrong, but they were not fantastic to me.