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Thread: Age and condition of CDs

  1. #21
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,778
    I'm Martin.

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    It was PDO discs that had the problem with degradation aka 'Bronzing'. But that was fixed back in the early 'Nineties. Being a fairly late adopter of CD (bought my first one around 1996) I don't have any like that.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  2. #22
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Hertford, Hertfordshire, UK

    Posts: 321
    I'm Adam.

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    I have a Nick Drake "Pink Moon" original Island CD pressed by PDO that is bronzing (still plays OK and is ripped anyway)

    My first CDs were all the Kraftwerk albums up to Computer Welt on German Import (purchased circa 1985). Despite being well over 30 years old they all still play fine.

    You do get some other technical issues with ripping older discs. Some have Pre-Emphasis (these discs can be processed after ripping using SOX software).

    Classical discs often have index markers as well as track markers. I recently discovered that you can rip by Index to make these separate tracks in Exact Audio Copy.

    Discs from the 90s are sometimes HDCD (again there is software to extract these files with the HDCD intact).

    Another thing to watch out for. The old Fatboy CD cases often contained a small sheet of foam to protect the discs. This foam can degrade over the years and adhere to the discs. I had a disc in a Jean Michelle Jarre box set ruined by this. I advise you remove this foam before it is too late.
    Adam.

  3. #23
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,778
    I'm Martin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Theadmans View Post
    I have a Nick Drake "Pink Moon" original Island CD pressed by PDO that is bronzing (still plays OK and is ripped anyway)

    My first CDs were all the Kraftwerk albums up to Computer Welt on German Import (purchased circa 1985). Despite being well over 30 years old they all still play fine.

    You do get some other technical issues with ripping older discs. Some have Pre-Emphasis (these discs can be processed after ripping using SOX software).

    Classical discs often have index markers as well as track markers. I recently discovered that you can rip by Index to make these separate tracks in Exact Audio Copy.

    Discs from the 90s are sometimes HDCD (again there is software to extract these files with the HDCD intact).

    Another thing to watch out for. The old Fatboy CD cases often contained a small sheet of foam to protect the discs. This foam can degrade over the years and adhere to the discs. I had a disc in a Jean Michelle Jarre box set ruined by this. I advise you remove this foam before it is too late.
    Good advice about the foam. I've seen those cases but never had one myself.

    It's funny though. You've got on the one hand people saying that plastics take thousands of years to degrade in landfill and on the other people saying that your cds, sat on a bookshelf, in their cases, in your warm, dry living room probably won't even last you out before they degrade to a state where they are unplayable. Someone's got to be wrong.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  4. #24
    Join Date: Apr 2017

    Location: Cheshire UK

    Posts: 843
    I'm Martin.

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    Cds ocassionally need a very light dusting with a blower brush and very light rub with a suitable specified cd cloth. A well looked after cd in a temperature controlled home will barely need any maintenance.

    I just give a blower brush dusting, some breath and an extremely light drag back of a cloth I have.

    Great care is needed with the right type of dust free cd cloth as any rubbing can introduce fine scratches

    Ive even run dirty used cds through a warm water and washing up liquid rinse before giving them a final clean.

    There is a lot to be said for the humble cd. I dont look at them with the reverence I had in the early 1980s but I dont think anybody can complain about longevity and maintenance of the playing surface

  5. #25
    Join Date: Oct 2017

    Location: Fenland

    Posts: 125
    I'm Bob.

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    I have almost finished ripping, about 10 double discs to go, I can't help but have noticed that all the ones that are in poor condition (Scratches and marks) are all in the category of "Been badly abused at drunken parties many many times", and still it's only the opening track on a Doors album that hasn't ripped.

    The vast majority of them are still in very good condition and should last the rest of my life and beyond, when the CD came out the prices where a bit steep compared to the album or cassette prices, but I have played some of these albums thousands of times so maybe not such a bad investment after all :-)

    And thanks for all the advice regards cleaning but having owned these for all of this time I do actually know how to do it.

    So my advice to all of you, if you want your CD's to last a long time is "Don't get drunk".

  6. #26
    Join Date: Dec 2008

    Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days

    Posts: 4,779
    I'm Shaun.

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    Bought my first CD's in 1983 and still have a few of them. They still look and play fine.

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