Old CDs and what to do with them...
26 September 2018, 10:48 PM
#1
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Old CDs and what to do with them...
I’ve got masses of CDs which I’ve accumulated over the years, and have now got to the point where I’ve had enough of looking at the damn things.
I tend to stream music from Spotify a lot of the time now, although I still enjoy digging out specific CDs and playing them. I don’t want to stuff them into the loft or garage really, as I still like to occasionally access them as mentioned above.
any suggestions on what to do with them? I’m debating whether to stick them all onto a large hard drive, athough it would still be a bit of a shame not to be able to play CDs individually.
What have the rest of you done? Am I just massively behind the times?!
I tend to stream music from Spotify a lot of the time now, although I still enjoy digging out specific CDs and playing them. I don’t want to stuff them into the loft or garage really, as I still like to occasionally access them as mentioned above.
any suggestions on what to do with them? I’m debating whether to stick them all onto a large hard drive, athough it would still be a bit of a shame not to be able to play CDs individually.
What have the rest of you done? Am I just massively behind the times?!
27 September 2018, 05:15 AM
#3
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I’ve got masses of CDs which I’ve accumulated over the years, and have now got to the point where I’ve had enough of looking at the damn things.
I tend to stream music from Spotify a lot of the time now, although I still enjoy digging out specific CDs and playing them. I don’t want to stuff them into the loft or garage really, as I still like to occasionally access them as mentioned above.
any suggestions on what to do with them? I’m debating whether to stick them all onto a large hard drive, athough it would still be a bit of a shame not to be able to play CDs individually.
What have the rest of you done? Am I just massively behind the times?!
I tend to stream music from Spotify a lot of the time now, although I still enjoy digging out specific CDs and playing them. I don’t want to stuff them into the loft or garage really, as I still like to occasionally access them as mentioned above.
any suggestions on what to do with them? I’m debating whether to stick them all onto a large hard drive, athough it would still be a bit of a shame not to be able to play CDs individually.
What have the rest of you done? Am I just massively behind the times?!
When doing so I also found some cd’s had deteriorated over time aswell
27 September 2018, 07:00 AM
#4
I did that only for iTunes to mess it up (mainly track ordering on albums which refuses to properly export to memory sticks etc.).
Not to forget the likes of Amazon music mixing up online purchases stuff with ripped CDs...the latter of which is always ripped at the highest bitrate, so I have average bitrate quality albums mixed in with high bitrate.
I've ended up re-ripping my whole back catalogue as it just became a disorganised mess (not to bad with two high speed DVD drives in a PC, takes about 2 minutes per disc). So the CDs will remain, albeit in a large box under the bed! Never had any purchased CDs deteriorate bar ones that were damaged (cracked/deeply scratched etc, minor scratches usually polish up). CD-Rs can deteriorate, but that is subjective to storage conditions - they don't like damp or sunlight.
They do see some use on occasion..I connect my HiFi via airstream boxes, which are brilliant. But it appears Win10 has screwed up all the networking streaming stuff (DLNA?) so now nothing works on a Win10 PC. Annoying as hell as 3 computers are win10 and non stream in iTunes ( similar issues with network printers and files sharing, NAS access, it all sucks). So end up diving under the bed for the CD. I must mention this...Windows 10 sucks, meanwhile my old PC runs Vista and that has zero issues with streaming, be it iTunes or anything else, same with anything else networking-wise.
Failing that...Music Magpie?
Last edited by ALi-B; 27 September 2018 at 07:11 AM.
27 September 2018, 07:24 AM
#5
A lot of years ago i loaded all mine to hard drive. Once i realised the CDs held no purpose i took them to Cash Converters. Oh the plans i had for all that sweet cash coming my way.. . . . . .i added it all up . . . . . . .all those special edition sets etc. . . . . Offered me £80 for more CDs than i could carry.
ended up selling them on ebay individually. Wouldn't bother these days, ebay/paypal/postage costs you'd have 10p left over (I'm guessing, and only half kidding). Worked out ok for me years ago though.
with modern tech as it is u can so easily get music u want. Legally or not. My only thing would be my memory not being great. It would be nice to look through a CD collection and go "ah, remember this !" And fire it on to play.
ended up selling them on ebay individually. Wouldn't bother these days, ebay/paypal/postage costs you'd have 10p left over (I'm guessing, and only half kidding). Worked out ok for me years ago though.
with modern tech as it is u can so easily get music u want. Legally or not. My only thing would be my memory not being great. It would be nice to look through a CD collection and go "ah, remember this !" And fire it on to play.
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28 September 2018, 02:51 AM
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A friend of mine just bought a Brennan B2 for this - basically a posh CD player ripping device which stores lossless cd copies, auto labels and you can access with your phone or something. Not cheap (£500 I think) so you’d have to be pretty keen, but interesting solution.
Gordo
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29 September 2018, 11:04 AM
#12
CrO2 mastered on a HX pro deck are the only decent sounding tapes. Especially when using TDK tape.
Ahem, yeah, I was a bit of a mixtape guru back in the 80's
Dont touch them now
Apart from when I found a original chrome edition Dire Straits first album and stuck it in the tape deck of the JAG, which incidentally has all the audio kit (amp, head unit, 6x9s) I had in my XR3 and it didn't sound too bad at all (excepting my taste for 80's Northern guitarists and prog rock bands)Last edited by ALi-B; 29 September 2018 at 11:22 AM.
29 September 2018, 11:59 AM
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Personally, i have kept and continue to add to my CD collection...I'm into high end Hi Fi and the only formats that offer good quality reproduction are well cared for vinyl (whose sales have increased over 800% in the last few years), CD, AIFF high res WAV and FLAC.
If you're not bothered about the quality of replay and are more concerned with portability or convenience I would sell them on, but not to someone like cash convertors..Take them to a specialist..Certain special CD's are worth a LOT of money, but many people insist that all CD's are junk (the same happened with vinyl of course, but audiophiles and DJ's kept the format alive...) I have made a killing on ebay selling off the vinyl that I no longer want..Some albums have netted me £hundreds.
Lots of CDs are worth very good amounts of money...When CD's and vinyl albums were made, record companies used a variety of masters. Therefore, certain CD releases of the same album have different masters printed at different factories..This means that the album can sound vastly superior (or inferior) depending on the master. To those 'in the know' these albums/CD's are the holy grail. As an example, there are about 20 versions of Pink Floyd's 'Wish you were here" alone...Certain German pressings sell on ebay for over £100. Certain Jean Michel Jarre Albums CD's sell for nearly five times that (Equinoxe Original Master Recording for example)...
99% of people have never heard music back through a high end audio system (not high street mass produced tat)...When they do, listeners are staggered, and suddenly their perception of the CD or vinyl record changes immediately...It is not fatiguing, glaring or synthetic to listen to...Unlike MP3 and similar media which has a resolution lower the a cassette.
MP3 is the lowest form of digital replay with a very low resolution (lower than 8 track cartridge and cassette) and one of the lowest quality formats made since the 1950's but it's often thought of as state of the art...iTunes etc to me is unlistenable..The files are very heavily compressed, simplified with enormous boosting of bass and treble (car stereo syndrome) and with zero dynamics (google 'loudness wars).
If it were me, I'd keep them and start buying decent equipment to listen to them on.
If you're not bothered about the quality of replay and are more concerned with portability or convenience I would sell them on, but not to someone like cash convertors..Take them to a specialist..Certain special CD's are worth a LOT of money, but many people insist that all CD's are junk (the same happened with vinyl of course, but audiophiles and DJ's kept the format alive...) I have made a killing on ebay selling off the vinyl that I no longer want..Some albums have netted me £hundreds.
Lots of CDs are worth very good amounts of money...When CD's and vinyl albums were made, record companies used a variety of masters. Therefore, certain CD releases of the same album have different masters printed at different factories..This means that the album can sound vastly superior (or inferior) depending on the master. To those 'in the know' these albums/CD's are the holy grail. As an example, there are about 20 versions of Pink Floyd's 'Wish you were here" alone...Certain German pressings sell on ebay for over £100. Certain Jean Michel Jarre Albums CD's sell for nearly five times that (Equinoxe Original Master Recording for example)...
99% of people have never heard music back through a high end audio system (not high street mass produced tat)...When they do, listeners are staggered, and suddenly their perception of the CD or vinyl record changes immediately...It is not fatiguing, glaring or synthetic to listen to...Unlike MP3 and similar media which has a resolution lower the a cassette.
MP3 is the lowest form of digital replay with a very low resolution (lower than 8 track cartridge and cassette) and one of the lowest quality formats made since the 1950's but it's often thought of as state of the art...iTunes etc to me is unlistenable..The files are very heavily compressed, simplified with enormous boosting of bass and treble (car stereo syndrome) and with zero dynamics (google 'loudness wars).
If it were me, I'd keep them and start buying decent equipment to listen to them on.
Last edited by funkyrimpler; 29 September 2018 at 12:03 PM.
29 September 2018, 12:11 PM
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A friend of mine just bought a Brennan B2 for this - basically a posh CD player ripping device which stores lossless cd copies, auto labels and you can access with your phone or something. Not cheap (£500 I think) so you’d have to be pretty keen, but interesting solution.
Gordo
Gordo
29 September 2018, 04:39 PM
#15
Personally, i have kept and continue to add to my CD collection...I'm into high end Hi Fi and the only formats that offer good quality reproduction are well cared for vinyl (whose sales have increased over 800% in the last few years), CD, AIFF high res WAV and FLAC.
If you're not bothered about the quality of replay and are more concerned with portability or convenience I would sell them on, but not to someone like cash convertors..Take them to a specialist..Certain special CD's are worth a LOT of money, but many people insist that all CD's are junk (the same happened with vinyl of course, but audiophiles and DJ's kept the format alive...) I have made a killing on ebay selling off the vinyl that I no longer want..Some albums have netted me £hundreds.
Lots of CDs are worth very good amounts of money...When CD's and vinyl albums were made, record companies used a variety of masters. Therefore, certain CD releases of the same album have different masters printed at different factories..This means that the album can sound vastly superior (or inferior) depending on the master. To those 'in the know' these albums/CD's are the holy grail. As an example, there are about 20 versions of Pink Floyd's 'Wish you were here" alone...Certain German pressings sell on ebay for over £100. Certain Jean Michel Jarre Albums CD's sell for nearly five times that (Equinoxe Original Master Recording for example)...
99% of people have never heard music back through a high end audio system (not high street mass produced tat)...When they do, listeners are staggered, and suddenly their perception of the CD or vinyl record changes immediately...It is not fatiguing, glaring or synthetic to listen to...Unlike MP3 and similar media which has a resolution lower the a cassette.
MP3 is the lowest form of digital replay with a very low resolution (lower than 8 track cartridge and cassette) and one of the lowest quality formats made since the 1950's but it's often thought of as state of the art...iTunes etc to me is unlistenable..The files are very heavily compressed, simplified with enormous boosting of bass and treble (car stereo syndrome) and with zero dynamics (google 'loudness wars).
If it were me, I'd keep them and start buying decent equipment to listen to them on.
If you're not bothered about the quality of replay and are more concerned with portability or convenience I would sell them on, but not to someone like cash convertors..Take them to a specialist..Certain special CD's are worth a LOT of money, but many people insist that all CD's are junk (the same happened with vinyl of course, but audiophiles and DJ's kept the format alive...) I have made a killing on ebay selling off the vinyl that I no longer want..Some albums have netted me £hundreds.
Lots of CDs are worth very good amounts of money...When CD's and vinyl albums were made, record companies used a variety of masters. Therefore, certain CD releases of the same album have different masters printed at different factories..This means that the album can sound vastly superior (or inferior) depending on the master. To those 'in the know' these albums/CD's are the holy grail. As an example, there are about 20 versions of Pink Floyd's 'Wish you were here" alone...Certain German pressings sell on ebay for over £100. Certain Jean Michel Jarre Albums CD's sell for nearly five times that (Equinoxe Original Master Recording for example)...
99% of people have never heard music back through a high end audio system (not high street mass produced tat)...When they do, listeners are staggered, and suddenly their perception of the CD or vinyl record changes immediately...It is not fatiguing, glaring or synthetic to listen to...Unlike MP3 and similar media which has a resolution lower the a cassette.
MP3 is the lowest form of digital replay with a very low resolution (lower than 8 track cartridge and cassette) and one of the lowest quality formats made since the 1950's but it's often thought of as state of the art...iTunes etc to me is unlistenable..The files are very heavily compressed, simplified with enormous boosting of bass and treble (car stereo syndrome) and with zero dynamics (google 'loudness wars).
If it were me, I'd keep them and start buying decent equipment to listen to them on.
Mind, how good does it have to be when the mainstream use speaker docks and BPC (black plastic crap). The single chip amplifier and switch-mode power supplies did a lot to kill audio quality on their own. Although I'm a hypocrite here as all my stuff is single chip of what is a glorified AB design (marketed as class AA, of course
). And I have since heard good class D stuff, albeit in cars, which have masses of instant DC power where AC mains amps don't. China not helping one jot with their iffy capacitors and buying up all the mid range speaker companies (IAG etc.) leaving behind just the boutique brands that are priced way out of the grasp of the average punter. Which is probably why 70's and 80's HiFi equipment now fetches good money on eBay...you couldn't give it away 20yrs ago!
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