Format simulator
Format War: Vinyl vs CD
A free vinyl vs CD simulator. Play any track and flip between the CD and the record without losing your place, then take a blind test to find out whether you can really hear the difference.
Free, no account. Your audio stays on this device.
1Choose a track
The browser calls it sharing a tab. Only the sound is used; the picture is never looked at or uploaded.
Waiting for audio
No signal2Switch formats
Instant switching, same moment in the track.
Before you listen for small differences, make sure the switch really cuts the sound.
Blind test: which one is it?
0 / 0 correctListen to CD and Vinyl, then pick Blind and say which one it is. Leave surface noise and wow off to judge tone alone.
Vinyl vs CD: what is actually different
A CD stores sound as numbers and plays them back the same way every time. A record stores it as a groove, and every step from the cutting lathe to your stylus leaves a mark on the sound. Most of what people call the vinyl sound comes from those steps, and from records often being mastered differently from the CD.
| CD | Vinyl | |
|---|---|---|
| How the sound is stored | 16-bit, 44.1 kHz digital samples | A wavy groove cut into vinyl, traced by a stylus |
| Dynamic range | About 96 dB in theory | Roughly 60–70 dB in practice, less on a worn record |
| Stereo separation | Complete: more than 90 dB | Typically 25–35 dB, set by the cartridge |
| Deep bass | Full stereo | Usually narrowed toward mono so the stylus can track it |
| High frequencies | Flat to about 20 kHz | Can reach higher, but soften toward the centre of each side |
| Between tracks | Silence | Faint hiss, the odd tick, low rumble |
| Speed | Exact, from a crystal clock | Slight wow and flutter from the turntable |
| Wear | None from playing | A little with every play |
Why does vinyl sound warmer?
“Warm” usually means a little more body in the low mids and a little less edge in the highs. On a record that comes from several small things together: gently softened treble, a touch of harmonic distortion that thickens notes, bass gathered toward the centre, and stereo channels that bleed slightly into each other. Records are also often cut from a less compressed master than the CD, so they can sound more open even before any of that.
The simulator lets you turn each of those on and off under Choose individual effects, so you can hear which ones you are actually responding to.
What each control does
Bass toward mono
Cutting engineers narrow deep bass so the groove does not swing too far sideways for the stylus to follow. The Vinyl side does the same below about 100 Hz.
Groove position
A record turns at a constant speed, so the inner grooves pass the stylus more slowly than the outer ones. Less groove per second means softer highs and a little more distortion near the end of a side.
Cut level
A hotter cut is louder, but it is harder to track cleanly. Push it up to hear peaks round off and edges thicken.
Record condition
Wear dulls the treble and raises the noise floor. Turn on surface noise to hear hiss, ticks and rumble grow with it.
Playback character
Warm is a full-bodied moving-magnet style voicing and the easiest to hear. Clean is subtle. Open is brighter, in the style of a moving-coil cartridge.
Wow and flutter
Tiny changes in turntable speed. Most noticeable on held piano or vocal notes.
Does vinyl sound better than CD?
By measurement, a CD is the more accurate format: quieter, wider in dynamic range and identical on every play. Whether that sounds better is a matter of taste, and plenty of listeners prefer what a record does to their music. Others love the sleeve, the ritual and the act of sitting down to listen to a whole side.
The honest way to settle it for yourself is a blind test at matched levels, which is exactly what the simulator above is built for.
How to run a fair blind test
- Use headphones, at a comfortable volume, with a track you know well.
- Press Check the switch once, to make sure Vinyl really goes silent and nothing is playing around the simulator.
- Turn surface noise and wow and flutter off, or the ticks will give the answer away.
- Listen to CD and Vinyl on the same passage, then pick Blind and decide which it is.
- Do at least ten rounds. Nine or ten right is strong evidence that you hear a difference; five or six is what guessing scores.
Questions
Is the vinyl vs CD simulator free?
Yes. Format War is free for everyone, with no account and no sign-up.
Is my music uploaded anywhere?
No. Files are decoded and processed in your browser, and a shared tab’s sound goes straight into the same local audio engine. Nothing is sent to Unrip or anyone else.
Can I use Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or Tidal?
In Chrome or Edge on a computer you can share any browser tab that plays audio, including web players. Some sites protect their audio and share silence; if that happens, open a file you own instead.
Which browsers does it work in?
Opening a file works in current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari. Sharing a tab needs desktop Chrome or Edge, because only they can share one tab’s audio and mute the original at the same time.
Is this exactly what my record will sound like?
No. It is an illustrative model of a typical playback chain applied to your digital track. A real record is cut from its own master and played on your own turntable, cartridge and phono stage, and all of those change the sound.
Why is the Vinyl side level-matched?
When two versions differ in loudness, most people prefer the louder one and hear it as clearer or fuller. Matching levels means you judge the tone, not the volume.
What is a blind ABX test?
You hear A and B knowing which is which, then an unknown X that is secretly one of them, and say which. Guessing gets about half right, so only a clear majority over many rounds shows you can really hear a difference.
Choosing which format to buy? The buying guide covers editions, condition grades and shipping.