Page 1 of 12 1 2 3 11 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 30 of 342

Thread: Compact Disc Collectors Lament

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Calgary
    Posts
    3,456
    Mentioned
    31 Post(s)

    Compact Disc Collectors Lament

    So here I am, appreciating the Vinyl Collectors Unite! thread and I realize that a CD thread would also be nice.

    I mean, for the first 20 years of my music collecting life it was all CDs (and the occasional DVD).

    So here we are then. Talk about your favourite new/old releases. Talk about how they sound, the packaging, the tiny booklets...

    Why did I choose lament in the title? The depressing value of CDs.

    One of my cherished/most played ones has a selling price of 0.41¢. And that's fine. It's just lamenting the long term costs associated with collecting.
    Show us what you've got, the neat stuff... the new stuff... the stuff you like.
    Last edited by MrLobster; 06-16-2018 at 04:11 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Calgary
    Posts
    3,456
    Mentioned
    31 Post(s)
    Now I'm in the process of encoding my CDs to the same degree I do my vinyl. A lot of the music I haven't listened to in 3+ years due to a HDD crash, so the re-discovery process is fun. I'm not doing them in any sort of real order just yet... just picking things that look good from the shelf.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    909
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    YES YES YES YES YES!!!! thanks for this thread.

    F#$% vinyl, enough of the vinyl BS!!!!
    My music obsession started in the 90's really so to me CD perfectly ties into that, don't get me wrong i enjoy playing a vinyl once in a while but this has become so ridiculous, so many good albums don't even get released on CD anymore, why????
    It can't cost that much money to make a small run of limited edition whatever CD with a nice package and liner notes, does it???

    If only the music industry didn't fuck it up so much (compression anyone?) then there might be more respect for CDs.
    Some older releases have become so cheap it is to me still a great medium to collect music.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    6,688
    Mentioned
    82 Post(s)
    When I was a kid I had tapes, but started by current music collection in 1993 when I was 13. I've collected thousands of CDs over the years and have them proudly on display, in alphabetical, chronological order. If I started collecting music earlier or later then maybe I would have bought vinyl, but I started with the compact disc, so...

    I like CDs, they are small, durable and if you take care of them should last a lifetime. Even though I usually listen to music via my ipod, uploaded from CD to itunes, I like having permanent, physical collection.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    6,688
    Mentioned
    82 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by armogi View Post
    YES YES YES YES YES!!!! thanks for this thread.

    F#$% vinyl, enough of the vinyl BS!!!!
    My music obsession started in the 90's really so to me CD perfectly ties into that, don't get me wrong i enjoy playing a vinyl once in a while but this has become so ridiculous, so many good albums don't even get released on CD anymore, why????
    It can't cost that much money to make a small run of limited edition whatever CD with a nice package and liner notes, does it???

    If only the music industry didn't fuck it up so much (compression anyone?) then there might be more respect for CDs.
    Some older releases have become so cheap it is to me still a great medium to collect music.
    What albums are released only on vinyl? I know virtually every new release on Amazon is available via download, available on CD and often but not always vinyl.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    909
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by RhettButler View Post
    What albums are released only on vinyl? I know virtually every new release on Amazon is available via download, available on CD and often but not always vinyl.
    I meant vinyl w/o CD option, yes vinyls are usually also available as DL but more and more skip the CD altogether, deviations? the latest jeff ament, the new PIG, I have a list going on

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    6,688
    Mentioned
    82 Post(s)
    I didn't even know Jeff Ament had a new album.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    SF, SD
    Posts
    2,839
    Mentioned
    49 Post(s)
    I still buy cds, i have a huge collection.

    In fact, with Best Buy stopping selling CDs, they were discounting everything they had, i just got a second unopened copy of Add Violence to add to my collection for 6 bucks, and I even got them to let me have the "NINE INCH NAILS" plastic bin divider card too

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Calgary
    Posts
    3,456
    Mentioned
    31 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by SM Rollinger View Post
    In fact, with Best Buy stopping selling CDs, they were discounting everything they had, i just got a second unopened copy of Add Violence to add to my collection for 6 bucks, and I even got them to let me have the "NINE INCH NAILS" plastic bin divider card too
    Sweeeet....

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    1,221
    Mentioned
    83 Post(s)
    CDs will be my jam for as long as they exist. And ya know what? Sometimes a used CD is the very cheapest way to obtain an album.

    P.S. It pisses me right off that they put Fantastic Planet and Magnified by Failure back into print on vinyl and digital, but no CD.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    4,116
    Mentioned
    96 Post(s)
    If you're going to rip your CDs, I highly suggest the CD ripping program EAC aka Exact Audio Copy. It will let you know how accurate your rips are, how much error correction was used to rip the tracks properly, and if there's any issues with your disc. When you first load it up, it will do its own diagnostics on your CD drive to make sure there's no issues and will rip properly. It's a very, very in depth CD ripping program used by many folks who take CD ripping and preservation seriously. Oh, and it's free! I now use it for all CD ripping and have discovered some of my CDs actually have quality issues in their pressings leading to lots of error correction and possible sound quality degradation when a badly pressed disc is played. I have actually gone and rebought some CDs when I discovered they had quality issues that could lead to further decay over time. Yes, like vinyl, CD pressing plants can do a shit job at pressing CDs and can lead to playback issues down the line.

    The only issue with EAC for some people is that it is Windows only. If you're a CD lover and ripper, be sure to dig up an old PC cuz it's well worth it for EAC. I don't really know of a Mac alternative as EAC is the leading CD ripping program for accurate rips.

    Exact Audio Copy (EAC)
    http://www.exactaudiocopy.de

    From TechRadar, November 2017...
    Exact Audio Copy is the free option, and it's so good, many audiophiles prefer it to its paid-for counterpart. It takes a while to set up, so we've put together a full guide to get you started.

    EAC employs a technology called AccurateRip, which uses data from users around the world to detect whether your rips are totally free from errors. No CD or DVD drive is perfect, and many will insert periods of silence into audio tracks where errors occur, so this verification is essential for making 1:1 copies of your discs.

    EAC can also find metadata for your musicfrom four different sources (complete with album art), rename files automatically, and normalize audio as it's processed. If you have the time to invest, you couldn't wish for more.

    https://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-cd-ripper
    Last edited by neorev; 06-16-2018 at 09:15 PM.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    639
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    In the same boat as a lot of you guys. I love cds, been collecting since the early 90s. Will have to post pics of my rare ones at some point here.

    Is anyone else weirdly anal about not wanting club or promo editions of albums in their collection? I remember abosolutely raping bmg and Columbia house any chance I could as a kid, and now as an adult have been replacing most of those old scratched discs with new, regular retail copies. For some reason I have this notion that the club versions are inferior somehow.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    909
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by perceptionnexus View Post
    In the same boat as a lot of you guys. I love cds, been collecting since the early 90s. Will have to post pics of my rare ones at some point here.

    Is anyone else weirdly anal about not wanting club or promo editions of albums in their collection? I remember abosolutely raping bmg and Columbia house any chance I could as a kid, and now as an adult have been replacing most of those old scratched discs with new, regular retail copies. For some reason I have this notion that the club versions are inferior somehow.
    i hate it too, i often buy these super cheap $4 shipped from ebay and i get annoyed by that\ and. hole punched ones too... i still have a few of these to replace.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Denver
    Posts
    207
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    I started buying CD's in my early teens and at the height of my collection I had 2500+ albums. About 5 years ago I decided that I didn't have any use for about 80% of those so I sold them or dropped em off at Goodwill. I only kept the cornerstones of my collection (NIN, Chris Connelly, Pig, KMFDM, Wax Trax and Cracknation for the most part). My vinyl buying habit took over and I just found myself to be more immersed in that format, quickly gaining another unweidly collection in the process.

    That all changed when I went to Japan. CD's are still the main source of musical currency out there, and as many of you know, Japanese imports are always stocked with extras. Their record stores out there are a religious experience. There's a Disk Union in Shibuya that's 7 damn floors with each floor dedicated to a new genre. It's amazing!

    Anyways, I went back to Japan about a month ago and instead of coming back with a bunch of vinyl, I had a carry-on full of hard to find Japanese Import CD's. Things I've wanted for years (Pig, Schwein & Schaft) and a handful of CD's from Jun Miyake who is absolutely stunning. Look him up if you're interested in some really gorgeous electronic tinged jazz.

    I guess the whole point is, don't give up hope on CD's. There are places in the world that are doing it still and doing it incredibly well.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,216
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)
    I have fond memories of collecting CDs, but with lossless digital audio now, I don't see the point personally outside of having the physical packaging... and maybe that pales for me because when I really want that I want the vinyl. Increasingly, it seems like the CD is an outdated format that's super dead.

    My girlfriend's car doesn't even have a disc drive. That blew my mind. No tape drive, no disc drive... in a newish car. Then I tried to put a CD into my PS4 and realized that it doesn't have a CD reader. My new computer doesn't have a disc drive... This medium is pretty much gone outside of nostalgia I think. I just hope it doesn't fully go the way of accepting low quality compressed digital audio.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    6,688
    Mentioned
    82 Post(s)
    I remember being a teenager with my $10.00 allowence, plus whatever money I had from my paper route, or whatever job, and going to Circuit City or Best Buy and picking up my weekly CD. You would actually have to listen to it. With every album available via streaming or youtube, you don't give it nearly as much attention.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    4,139
    Mentioned
    62 Post(s)
    I still buy CDs, especially if a lossless version isn't readily available through the usual outlets. For instance, the band Chromatics only offers a 320kbs MP3 version of their music on their site. If I want higher quality, I have to buy the CD. Thankfully their CDs are usually around three bucks, which is a drop in the bucket compared to other bands. As far as what I do with them after I rip them, I will sometimes sell them off or give them to friends, but I usually hang on to the ones that I really like or that have cool artwork.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    544
    Mentioned
    1 Post(s)
    I still like CDs as much as I did when they were a shiny and new format. I stilll buy them all the time. I still burn mp3 discs of stuff I downloaded to play in my car. I can only think of 2 or 3 times I couldn't get a new release on CD and those were EPs. They're not dead just yet, folks.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    4,116
    Mentioned
    96 Post(s)
    I'm a huge fan of The Prodigy and still buy anything they release on CD and luckily they still put out a lot of stuff on CD, including hunting down promos.

    I also like to grab Japanese edition CDs for the bonus material.

    I got quite a few Chemical Brothers Japanese editions of their albums. For instance, back in 2002, Toshiba EMI Ltd. did a special Modern Masters series in which they reissued CDs as mini LP replicas. The first four Chemical Brothers albums and their DJ mix were a part of this "mini LP" series the label did in Japan. They made CD sized recreations of the vinyl packaging and even included the vinyl labels as their own art pieces. So say if the album was a double vinyl gatefold, the CD packaging would be a gatefold and the record 1, side A label would be the CD label while side B and the both sides of record #2 would be their own circular art pieces. If the record was just a sleeve, the CD packaging was just a sleeve. Plus this wasn't your usual CD sleeve material, they used very thick and sturdy stock. I dunno, sounds silly, but I absolutely love special Chemical Brothers mini LP CDs. Probably cuz I was always more of a fan of digipack, digisleeve, and digibook styles of CD package over the usual jewel cases.

    They also did these mini LP recreations for Massive Attack, Daft Punk, and Blur. The series only had 17 releases, which you can find here...
    https://www.discogs.com/label/258449-Modern-Masters

    If you're a fan of any of these albums, definitely pick them up if you can find them.

    I don't collect CDs like I used to do, only bands I really, really love. Now with lossless digital and 24 bit and sites like Qobuz, Bandcamp, and Bleep, I switched more to lossless digital. I moved quite a few times and moving my CD collection was a f%^*ing pain in my a$$. I do miss the art side. I do wish artists would take the time and thought to make the art side more worthwhile. That's why I found Trent's physical component idea so fascinating because it bridged the awesomeness of 24 bit hi-res with a unique way to deliver interactive artwork. I wish more folks try what Trent did and I admit that I am a bit sad Bad Witch has no physical component.

    When I can't find something digitally in lossless, I then go hunt down the CD. I was lucky to live during the CD store era and had multiple stores around me back in the day. Tower Records and Virgin Megastore were THE SHIT. Seriously, I never came home empty handed, usually with at least 4 or 5 CDs whenever I went to either store. I'm one of the folks who would go to a store without a clue and just dig through the CD racks until I came across something that either caught my eye or had a label that I knew or producer involved. I was always more of an electronic music guy, so that would be my first section to visit. Virgin had an amazing important section too. Many times I would buy CDs clueless to who the artist was. I discovered Amon Tobin this way. I was digging through the electronic section, the artwork caught my eye and I turned it over to see Ninja Tune released it. That CD was Out From Out Where. I put it on in the car ride home and instantly was hooked. I would go on and buy all of his CDs and see him live around 10 times. I also discovered Clark from Warp Records this way. Man, I miss those days. Sure, sometimes you bought a dud that you never go back to. Sometimes albums I bought didn't do it for me at first, but ended up growing on me over time and luckily I had that CD there so I could revisit. But even the duds were few and far in between. Sometimes you discover something f%^*ing amazing that changes you forever.

    I never got into vinyl. I tried and there were just too many factors that ruined the listening experience for me. I love continous playback. I put on a CD or a load up my music player with an album’s tracks and I sit back, relax, and let myself be taken away by an album. I still love albums. I will listen to a band who can deliver a solid album much more than a band who only has a track or two that I like. I just love the journey of an album. I dislike how vinyl breaks music up into bite sized sections because you must adhere to its time constraints thus pulling me out of the listening experience. I don't like how vinyl forces artists to order tracks a certain way with quieter tracks more toward the center. I like the freedom CD and now digital gives artists. It's awesome that The Fragile Definitive Edition includes the vinyl's additional tracks digitally, but I do miss the way the CD version of The Fragile blends and mixes the tracks together.

    Anyway, hail CD and lossless/hi-res digital music!
    Last edited by neorev; 06-17-2018 at 05:07 AM.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Ontario
    Posts
    2,583
    Mentioned
    94 Post(s)
    Remember enhanced CDs? I always wondered if the addition of data like that ever took away from the audio at all to be able to have that stuff fit on there.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Calgary
    Posts
    3,456
    Mentioned
    31 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by thelastdisciple View Post
    Remember enhanced CDs? I always wondered if the addition of data like that ever took away from the audio at all to be able to have that stuff fit on there.
    Physical capacity is a thing, so I'd say yes. Admittedly, for a lot of the 90s enhanced content the quality wasn't exactly great. As I go through and encode (and make CDR audio/dvd masters of) my CDs I'm looking forward to checking out the old content again (and putting the Year Zero GB files back on my machine).

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    France
    Posts
    674
    Mentioned
    8 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by armogi View Post
    YES YES YES YES YES!!!! thanks for this thread.

    F#$% vinyl, enough of the vinyl BS!!!!
    My music obsession started in the 90's really so to me CD perfectly ties into that, don't get me wrong i enjoy playing a vinyl once in a while but this has become so ridiculous, so many good albums don't even get released on CD anymore, why????
    It can't cost that much money to make a small run of limited edition whatever CD with a nice package and liner notes, does it???

    If only the music industry didn't fuck it up so much (compression anyone?) then there might be more respect for CDs.
    Some older releases have become so cheap it is to me still a great medium to collect music.
    Why not both ? Why not neither ?

    But enough of the CD bullshit. Who cares when you have portable computers in the palm of your hand. If ya want something physical with a great big cover art vinyl is cool.

    I agree about the problem with no releasing on CD though, it is still useful.

    One cool thing would be to change CDs to a newer form of the technology, having more place, more duration, etc. Would cost too much for a "dying" item but why not.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Manchester, UK.
    Posts
    514
    Mentioned
    8 Post(s)
    Still a CD buyer, as I don't own a turntable so vinyl is useless to me. I don't think I'll ever stop buying CDs as long as they are made.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Calgary
    Posts
    3,456
    Mentioned
    31 Post(s)
    Stapled booklet or foldout liner notes?

    I think I like the booklets more over all unless there's art that multiple panels require for impact.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    605
    Mentioned
    7 Post(s)
    i still buy, and collect cds. but a nice digipak or interesting packaging (Nicolas Jaar's Sirens, or OPN's Age OF for example) is pretty much required. it was all i had until 2007 and started down the vinyl path. i was constantly scouring mall outlets, pawn shops, garage sales, flea markets etc. as a young teenager to find anything interesting.


















  26. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Posts
    92
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by thelastdisciple View Post
    Remember enhanced CDs? I always wondered if the addition of data like that ever took away from the audio at all to be able to have that stuff fit on there.
    I seriously doubt the audio tracks' quality was compromised at all. As for the enhanced content, it's pretty obvious the overall quality was far from great

  27. #27
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Boston
    Posts
    248
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by StockAvuryah View Post
    One cool thing would be to change CDs to a newer form of the technology, having more place, more duration, etc. Would cost too much for a "dying" item but why not.
    This is a GREAT point. Why doesn't the music industry act like the movie industry? Seems every ten years or so a new and better format comes along for movie (DVD, blu-ray and now 4K) with increasing audio options as well. Those formats have grown and stayed relatively consistent even with various streaming methods on offer. Why can't music do the same? Like Guns N Roses is releasing their Appetite box set to include some crazy ass blu ray containing hi-def 5.1 surround audio of Appetite, bonus tracks and music video. I still buy CDs with my Vinyl records if I love the band enough (need to rip the audio in FLAC and Applelossless for on the go) and my car still has a CD player. But I just think that one of the short comings of the music industry has been a focus on streaming without trying to figure out how to make compact discs more viable. The technology should have grown and not stopped once the MP3 came along.
    Last edited by renton44; 06-18-2018 at 05:24 AM.

  28. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    909
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by renton44 View Post
    This is a GREAT point. Why doesn't the music industry doesn't act like the movie industry? Seems every ten years or so a new and better format comes along for movie (DVD, blu-ray and now 4K) with increasing audio options as well. Those formats have grown and stayed relatively consistent even with various streaming methods on offer. Why can't music do the same? Like Guns N Roses is releasing their Appetite box set to include some crazy ass blu ray containing hi-def 5.1 surround audio of Appetite, bonus tracks and music video. I still buy CDs with my Vinyl records if I love the band enough (need to rip the audio in FLAC and Applelossless for on the go) and my car still has a CD player. But I just think that one of the short comings of the music industry has been a focus on streaming without trying to figure out how to make compact discs more viable. The technology should have grown and not stopped once the MP3 came along.
    that's correct, the issue probably being that upgrading the CD would require customers to purchase new hardware, SACD is proof this wasn't a good game plan. And then they started milking the whole vinyl revival so they couldn't care less about CDs.

    I think they should have focused on using the technology better, mp3/streaming is of lower quality, vinyl is of (supposedly) higher quality, CD could have been a middle approach if only they were properly mastered without compression, as it used to be in the early 90s (for the most part). But instead most releases today are from the same master and it that master sounds like shit then whichever medium they are issued on/with will e the same.

  29. #29
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Denton, Texas
    Posts
    420
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by renton44 View Post
    This is a GREAT point. Why doesn't the music industry doesn't act like the movie industry? Seems every ten years or so a new and better format comes along for movie (DVD, blu-ray and now 4K) with increasing audio options as well. Those formats have grown and stayed relatively consistent even with various streaming methods on offer. Why can't music do the same? Like Guns N Roses is releasing their Appetite box set to include some crazy ass blu ray containing hi-def 5.1 surround audio of Appetite, bonus tracks and music video. I still buy CDs with my Vinyl records if I love the band enough (need to rip the audio in FLAC and Applelossless for on the go) and my car still has a CD player. But I just think that one of the short comings of the music industry has been a focus on streaming without trying to figure out how to make compact discs more viable. The technology should have grown and not stopped once the MP3 came along.
    Because what’s the point of CDs when digital files far exceed that quality? Blu-rays exist because it’s impossible to get the same quality from streaming/digital files on your computer.

    I can get SUPERIOR quality at 24/96 w/ digital files while I’m limited to 16/44 with CD. And then I can get lossless analog quality AND the artwork in a better size with a physical medium that retains value.

    CDs are obsolete. Sell them while there is any value left, you’re about to end up with cassettes.

  30. #30
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    4,139
    Mentioned
    62 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by ninsp View Post
    I can get SUPERIOR quality at 24/96 w/ digital files while I’m limited to 16/44 with CD.
    SOMETIMES you can. There is certainly the option with a lot of newer releases, but not everything gets released that way. It's like how some films have never been released on DVD/Blu-ray, so you have to hang on to your old VHS tapes if you want to watch it.

    And again, some stuff is only available through digital outlets in MP3 format, so if you want better quality, you still have to find the CD.

Posting Permissions