Metal has been in existence for quite some time now, and I know that I'm not the only one who has had to upgrade my technology to keep up with the times. Do you remember the first thing you ever heard metal on? Have you found digital copies of that album\song, but always thought it never compared to the source you heard it from? I've found numerous CD copies of some of my favorite albums, but always liked the sound of my old cassettes better. Sure their frequency response was inferior and they had the infamous "tape hiss", but whatever saturation those tapes were giving the music just pleased my ears. The digital counterparts sounded cold, and metallic (no pun intended), while the analog masters sounded warm and colorful. Over time, I've gotten used to the CD copies, (I've had to since those tapes are completely worn down now) but always longed for the sound of those noisy, lo-fi, pieces of shit. What turned you on to metal? Vinyl? Cassette? Radio? CD? Wax Cylinder? Do you miss that obsolete format if it is obsolete? Or am I just a crazy guy?

I prefer CD, I guess. Some tapes did sound better than CD as you described, but enough stuff benefits from the clearer, hiss-free sound on CD's that I think it basically balances out on that front. Where CD pulls ahead is that tapes wear out after enough listens and start to sound really muffled.

To me nothing beats vinyl through a good stereo but it's not exactly convenient, nor is it cheap. I know someone with a really nice (~$30,000) stereo and I listen to vinyls on that system occasionally, and record them to CD-R. A properly mastered LP of a recent album will sound vastly better than the brickwalled CD version (of course there are lazy vinyls like Memories of a Time to Come as well that just use the CD master run through an DAC). With '80s records it's a mixed bag. Often the equipment they used to master CDs was complete shit, especially for poorer bands and labels (8-bit ADCs, etc.), resulting in harsh, bright, artifacted CDs. In other cases the difference between the vinyl and CD will be almost nonexistent. Vinyl rips usually sound a bit darker though, and seem to make the cymbals more prominent, especially the ride and hi-hat.

I think this thread has been to death so here's the short of it.

CDs has always been my favorite, followed by vinyl. I haven't listened to tapes since that's all you had to really pick from.

I prefer hq mp3s or wavs (that I buy or are free from the band). I like cds also but they're harder to use. Haven't listened to tapes in a while either and they're even harder to use than cds. Haven't listened to metal on vinyl before.

Don't remember the first thing I heard metal on, but the first metal albums I bought were on cassette.

I generally stick with CDs. I'm not one to fawn over the "warmth" of vinyl or tape, but if those are the only formats the album was released in, I'll go with those. While vinyl can sound great, Woolie's point about it being expensive definitely stands, and for that reason I usually just stick with CD as long as it doesn't sound so bad I'd rather tear out my brain stem and play in traffic.

I'm young enough that I was 'turned on' to metal more severely (though I'd already been listening to some Arch Enemy etc) by downloads of some LQ mp3s of the first two tracks of Breeding the Spawn from Soulseek. This is in 2005 so I guess digital formats have probably been prevalent long enough that most people on the forum will have first encountered metal through some digital file.

Nowadays I prefer CDs where available.

CD. I listen to bands online too. But as soon as I get one of their CD's I forbid myself from ever listening to them online because I don't want to ruin my CD's value, I didn't buy them to let them collect dust while I listen to its content on YouTube or Spotify or the like...

Increasingly I've been leaning towards vinyl, so much so that roughly 80 percent of my purchases are on that format these days. Next in line is CD's. Never was too big on tapes although I am definitely not against the format in any real way.

Pretty much CDs. Although had it not been for the fact that I don't own a record player, I probably would've been collecting vinyls instead.

The first format I listened to metsl on was cassette. Ii was never too huge on cds. They just always seemed so easy to break and I didn't like the sound as much. I try to buy mostly vinyl now. The sound is vastly superior, and I've never broken a vinyl like cds

I tried to use cassette tapes for a while in the 90's until I just got tired of rewinding/fastfowarding them constantly, then I switched to all-CDs for a long time with the occasional downloaded MP3s, then I just got tired of trying to organize my physical collection perfectly/waiting for stuff to download, so now I occasionally purchase/download stuff on iTunes, but mostly it's just streaming all on Spotify for me

If you think cds are hard to use, there is no need for you to ever bother with vinyl.

Honestly, despite being a vinyl collector, I prefer listening to most full-lengths, esp. loud metal albums, on CD.

There are limits to the LP format, and nothing beats the sound of a 45 RPM 12" single in my experience, but a full length album on vinyl loses many of the sonic advantages that "maxi-singles" have (wide grooves, higher RPM).

I have a hard time thinking of many LP's that don't sound equally as good as the CD's to my ears (outside of shitty mastering/remaster jobs, which is not the fault of the CD format, only the producer).

A good, clean, well mastered record sounds as perfect as anything, but maintenance for records frankly sucks, and if you can't keep them in good, clean shape, they eventually start sounding pretty crummy. For practical purposes, I prefer CD's for everything except singles, in which case I prefer 12".

There's a lot of wiggle room for people who have no clue what they're doing to make a home-dubbed tape sound like total shit, but good dubs on high quality tapes sound great to my ears, so I don't really have a strong opinion for or against the media itself. They are just as susceptible to wear and tear as vinyl if you don't properly care for them, and most people do not, but they will last ages if you care for them properly. Truth be told, though, I've listened to some albums on tape exclusively for so long that I couldn't even notice the gradual degradation some of them developed after years of substandard maintenance... listening to other copies of the albums, they sound muffled as shit.

I am a fan of the format, but more of a collector/enthusiast these days than anything. I usually rip and store tapes, and I often do the same with vinyl (and CD's, for that matter... it's just too easy not to, especially when my PC is routed through my stereo). I like to make dubs, though... It's nice having a "knock-around" copy of something on tape that I don't need to worry about wearing out, but which is still a lot hardier than a CDr after a month of sitting out with no sleeve.

did I really just read that right ???

Playing a CD is a pain in the ass.
Simple Directions
1. Play CD.

Simple my ass.
Complex Directions
1. Remove CD from CD case.
2. Put CD in CD player.
3. Press play.
4. Listen.
Why should I have to go through all that trouble to listen to music? Am I right? It's like toasting pop tarts. https://app.box.com/s/hn2i9z2qyraspgk1ehzl

Harder to use than audio files, as in only being able to play songs from one cd at a time (with my single disc player) so I prefer audio files, but cds are still easy to use and I do like them + the artwork can be cool.

I've listened to my dad's vinyl albums but they weren't metal.

Was thinking the same

I've had cd-rs that sit sliding back and forth on the dashboard of my truck unsleeved for a couple of years that still play fine.

That's how they are supposed to be played.

Browsing through a folder on my computer to listen to random files instantly with the click of a button is easier than repeatedly changing the cd in my cd player.

What Opus meant was that you're supposed to listen to the whole thing. Like, you know, listen to the entire album/EP/etc. ?!

320 kbps mp3s ripped by me.

Ok, I misunderstood. Sometimes I'll listen to full albums (sometimes one after another), sometimes random songs. Either way I prefer audio files (though there really isn't much difference in easiness for me between listening to one full album on a cd or on audio files).

I know what you mean. It's a lot easier to have everything in the same place and be able to play it at will. I should know since I've been using that way of thinking for a long time, up until recently. I have my entire physical collection of CDs ripped into my PC, which then allows me to transport it anywhere I want. Granted it worked better when I had a working Ipod Classic, but I guess the point remains the same. With that being said though, I've been making a return to just listening to CDs instead of MP3 files. This happened mainly because I now rarely ever listen to music anywhere else except home, and at home I have my CDs at an arm's reach. But a big part of it has been the "reawakening of the effort" in me, so to speak. Let me explain. I've been growing tired of having way much more music than I can chew each and every time I start up my rig, so I've reverted to just listening to the physical copies of stuff I already own and use streaming/downloads mainly for catching up with new music coming out. Which is the same to say that I'll force myself to buy the new stuff that I find interesting, instead of putting it in a "to buy list" for whatever later period in my life. Guess I've just grown tired of listening to digital files and want to feel "closer" to the music, if that makes some kind of sense. It also let's me keep track of what I do need to listen, so it's kind of a rearranging of sorts. And many of theses CDs weren't played for years, so I guess I must be doing something right.

Huh, I normally don't make a distinction between CDs and audio files since they are both, you know, digital.

Most of my listening is done behind my computer which has my "fancy" audio gear and all that jazz. I rip my CDs to FLAC (I have a 4tb HDD so why not?) and store that on my computer and playback using Clementine. And I also copy it over to my laptop that I lug around occasionally. I transcode these files to 192kpbs Vorbis for my small, portable media player that I bring to work all the time since that has less space and that bitrate is more than transparent really. My car is too old for an AUX port, so I bring CDs whenever I go significant distances.

I've never been much of a fan of analog sources. Too much pops and other annoying sounds for my taste.

It's not making a distinction, it's taking the effort (or should I call it ritual) of picking it up from the shelf and putting it in the drive spinning. Hence why I mentioned the "reawakening of the effort", as in taking the effort do use the CD instead of just hitting play on the PC.

Tapes.

That's what I first heard metal on and its what I prefer.

I actually stopped listening to music when CDs became mainstream. I hate CD/DVD/etc. for everything including movies and games too. Thankfully the mp3/digital thing caught on and I got back into music.

I use youtube and amazon to sample clips while looking for new bands/albums to acquire. Then I cycle my latest acquisitions on and off the iPhone. The best stuff stays.

Only listen to music while going for walks, running or at the gym. Though I've recently got these great cordless speakers that I can plug into my iPhone and blast on the patio. Good for cookouts.

There hasn't been any good releases lately (this week) so I think tonight will just be the new Iron Savior again.

Kinda reeks of laziness. Sorry. That's one of the things I enjoy about changing out albums. There is nothing I'm so involved with that I can't take 2 mins(if even that, usually more like 30secs) to decide on a new album and put it in the cd player.

CD, for sure, is more enjoyable for me. I'm sure I'd say the same about vinyl (I only have Aqualung and Vol. 4), but both are more inconvenient compared to mp3s, etc. I'm usually on the computer when I listen, so I guess digital.

Lazy or efficient? I could spend those extra 30 secs eating another cookie while playing tetris.

Yeah but when I'm running...I can literally pull songs from dozens of albums...at will....mid sprint. Before if I burned a CD, I was stuck with those 18 songs for the duration of a jog. My ritual of building new playlists everyday trumps physical collection any day.

"oh sure my chosen format is slower, outdated and inconvenient, but i have the soul of a poet you see and it's much more expressive when things suck a little bit."

What?!

Upon reading this, it seems to me that you want to listen to music differently depending on the preferred format. One way is to accompany activities such as running or anything in particular with (the best suited) music. Whereas another way is to create the (optimal) circumstances for the music to a certain degree. Obviously, one format is more suited for this than the other.

Personally I do both at times but I definitively prefer CD's. I also really like it to be able to listen to music without turning on the computer. I am currently away from my collection and I notice that my listening habits change: much more random songs, browsing and the occasional album.

I started out with tape back in the 80's so that's the most metal / nostalgic format for me.

These days 90 % of my metal listening is done while driving (long job commute). So 320 kbps mp3 do the trick rather well.

I grew up in the 90's/early 2000's when vinyl was basically moribund - though I've since begun to make up for that - so my first exposure to metal was CD's and, to a lesser extent, mp3's. Sure the quality wasn't great back then, most files were 96-128, but I've never been super picky about that and was less so as a young teen. After losing my entire CD collection multiple times (house fire, left behind on vacation) I've just begun seriously rebuilding it within the last couple years, and more recently (last few months) I've started collecting vinyl, majority metal but some great stuff in other genres too. I have to admit the analog sound appeals to me - oftentimes it sounds much more organic and alive - and it's not as if I have some fancy high-end system either, it's a basic $80 turntable from Fry's hooked up via Y-cable to a set of old stereo speakers, but it sounds fucking awesome when I blast death metal (or even classic rock) records on it.

I don't feel anything magical when I physical put in the CD instead of just playing it in my media player, but whatever suits you I guess.

Now you're just being a dick about what I said. I'm sorry but that's what your post reeks of.

I also don't feel anything magical, but you know what?! Call me old fashioned, an old fart, a warrior from the past or whatever, but I've grown so fucking accustomed to just hitting play on a button for my PC to decode some digital files I may or may not end up buying that, I don't know, I feel happy to hit my shelves and pick up a CD I actually own and put it spinning. It's not that it makes me feel better as much as it makes me feel more in touch with the "ritual" of listening to music. You could, and very well, argue that every CD is a digital media and that pushing play on a piece of software it's too different from hitting play on a stereo's optical drive. But again I say, call me old fashioned and all, but I like having the "trouble" of actually getting up from my chair and changing CDs inside the drive.

I guess it isn't that hard to understand.