(OT) Settle a disagreement! Are songs on the radio better than the same song on CD?

[Kerrwyn]

I was driving down I-95 today in Northern Virgina, listening to the radio (as usual), when one of my favorite songs comes on: White Zombie's "More Human than Human". I had previously been in a rather bad mood, but hearing the song perked me up and had me singing along to it. My wife found this strange, because I had the CD with the song with us, but enjoyed the radio more.
My theory is that if the radio plays it, it's more "special", because you are'nt putting in your CD player, but someone else is playing it for you. My wife says there's no difference. At all. Help?


BTW, if I screw this up, forgive me, it's my first poll. Oh, and mods: I figured I could get away with this because I only counted two OT post on the front page.

 

[johnsemlak]

Better vote fast on this one before it gets closed

I didn't vote but I'd say I don't see much of a difference.

Now, if the song on the radio is a request you have made personally, that might make a difference.

 

[DerianCypher]

OT posts are one thing, but OT Polls are banned altogether

DC

 

[rounser]

Songs on the radio get compressed even more, making them sound "louder". It's quite possible you were hearing the compression improve it.

 

[Bonehoard Taffer]

I voted seems the same to me because I think both has good and bad, pros and cons. It's pretty sweet to listen to the radio and have a favorite tune come up. It's also cool on the other hand, to have the clear uninterfered with sound of a studio recording.

 

[kenjib]

Songs on the radio get compressed even more, making them sound "louder". It's quite possible you were hearing the compression improve it.

On the other hand, that compression also adversely effects the dynamic range of some songs (although most rock songs don't have much dynamic range to start with, which is why the broadcasters don't worry about it) and can create audible artifacts, such as a subtle sucking kind of sound. The sampling rate for broadcast audio is also a fair bit lower than a CD, so you also lose some of the high frequencies from the recording.

I also think that songs are better from a CD because they are presented in context of the entire album. Often, tracks are arranged on an album that creates an overall mood from song to song that gets lost when the song is removed from context.

 

[LGodamus]

countdown to lockage....

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[JoeGKushner]

I voted for CD. When I want to hear an edited version of St. Anger or another song, the radio's good for that. On the other hand, there are 'radio' mixes that often sound better because they're actually not the same song but a mix of it.

 

[Kerrwyn]

OT posts are one thing, but OT Polls are banned altogether

DC

Oops. Didn't realize that. Go ahead and lock it down.

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

My wife heard a song on the radio and wanted it for our wedding.

She checked out the CD with that song on it, she checked the single, she even found a different CD single of the song which came with a journal.

She insisted none of them were the version she fell in love with on the radio. According to her the background singers were different on each version.