I think we’ve settled the debate on vinyl by you simply being here and reading this blog. If you are here you’ve probably started to invest in vinyl, or want to start investing.
This guide gives you an idea of what to look for and where to start your collection. Of course, the very best direction to go is to choose music from artists you love, support smaller up-and-coming artists as well as buy the classics that every collector should have.
What decades sound best on vinyl?
Before discussing genres of music we need to look at the decades of music as this has influenced on the sound.
The 60s, 70s, and early 80s vinyl was king. Music was recorded to sound best on vinyl and with that in mind, the sound engineers have done a great job of capturing the band’s production and transporting it to your home via the record.
That being said you still get some modern artists that are purists and still take vinyl production seriously. Jack White and Foo Fighters are two names that come to mind when discussing modern vinyl greats.
What genres of music sound best on vinyl?
The setup and sound quality will be important here. With the basic sound setups that most of us have in our homes genre’s that will sound great will be:
- Rock
- Jazz
- Hip-hop
- Motown
- Soul
- Cinematic
- Classical
What genres sound worst on vinyl?
Again this will be mostly based on your idea of good / if you really like some of the genres below then you’ll probably like the vinyl output. When we discuss ‘bad’ it’s more about how the quality translates onto vinyl from the digital version.
Genres that don’t sound as good are things like:
- Trap
- Modern hip-hop / rap
- Modern EDM which is digitally produced
- Top 40s radio pop music
Conclusion: What music sounds best on vinyl?
Great music is great music, classic rock albums, big sounds on brass instruments, and bands which use a number of instructions / have a higher production value will usually sound best on vinyl. When starting your collection pick up some classic albums from the 70s and you’ll be onto a winner.
