[otabdeveloper4]

> Digital is more capable of faithfully reproducing sound than vinyl is.

That's exactly the problem that makes digital unsuitable.

Theoretically digital can reproduce sound faithfully, but if the medium allows sound engineers to compress the hell out of music, then they will abuse the opportunity.

Vinyl is a very limited format and you can't really do any sort of "creative" audio optimization bullshit with it.

[account42]

Compression in the audio waveform sense has nothing at all to do with the medium. You can absolutely press the same compressed masters on vinyl or release the uncompressed masters digitally. It's a matter of what the customer base is looking for. Digital music is made for the mass market where "louder" means standing out and thus more success while contemporary vinyl is made for the enthusiast who can afford high-end equipment and clean listening environments.

[otabdeveloper4]

> You can absolutely press the same compressed masters on vinyl

Nah, there's physical limits of the needle-in-a-groove medium that prevent this.

> or release the uncompressed masters digitally.

Technically yes, but nobody is gonna do this and risk not "standing out".

> who can afford high-end equipment

The average vinyl record player nowadays costs less than $150. The market is absolutely flooded with low-end Chinese turntables.

When a modern person listens to vinyl records for the first time, the immediate reaction is "how the hell do I make this louder so it pops out more".

And the answer is that you can't, the medium just doesn't work like that.