2. amps-preamps
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The awful truth about CDs, do they have the same shelve life as LP's ?

The answer is properly not. Recent studies have shown that the chemicals used in their manufacture of CDs have reduced their life expectancy to ten years, not all but many, as per Paul Mcgowans email. The suggestion was given that if you have suspect CD's they should be re-copied. But my question is how do you identify these? I can tell you that I have a great deal of LPs and I can play anyone of these with great success and some are 40 years old. This no doubt would give some audiophiles another good reason to hold onto their belief that LPs are the way to go.
phd
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
It’s in PS Audio’s interest not to have quality CD mechanisms in their products, as they are the only whole expensive mechanical parts they have to purchase and integrated into a cd player. If they didn’t have to do this manufacturing cost go down and profits go up. It’s all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$.

Cheers George.


jafant
18,803 posts
 
I remember reading that crap by PM, what a flake!
sfall
346 posts
 
" It’s in PS Audio’s interest not to have quality CD mechanisms in their products, as they are the only whole expensive mechanical parts they have to purchase and integrated into a cd player. If they didn’t have to do this manufacturing cost go down and profits go up. It’s all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$."

I take it you never ran a business. Is it possible PS Audio's customers buy their products because they use good parts, not cheap ones? Otherwise, they can just go to Best Buy. As for the extra cost, If its more costly to make a CD player over just a DAC, it will be reflected in their prices, same as any other company.
larryi
3,718 posts
 

I have ripped more than 4500 CDs to my NAS.  The ripper provides data, such as errors encountered in the ripping process.  Not one of the CDs had an error.  Some of the CDs date from back at the beginning of CD production. 

I believe that the concern raised about CDs came from the experience with laser discs, something that predates the CD.  Laser disc were subject to deterioration when air managed to get between layers of its sandwich construction causing the metalized reflective layer to oxidize.  I have seen this "laser rot" on laser discs.  But, CDs are made differently and are not as prone to problems with oxidation. 

As to the extremely long run, who knows?  Will the polycarbonate plastic in CDs begin to cloud or become fragile?  I don't have to worry because my CDs are ripped and then put on shelves as backup or for their cover art, booklet information, etc. 

bondmanp
1,784 posts
 

I think this was already touched on, but the durability issue applies mainly to CD-Rs.  These use a heat-reactive ink layer which allows a laser to burn the digital signal onto the disc.  This ink can fail over time.  I have a few CD-Rs I burned in 2001 that skipped enough to warrent a re-burning of them in the last year or two.


However, commercial CDs have the digital signal stamped into an aluminum layer that is sealed in plastic.  Unless that plastic seal is compromised, it should last many decades, if not indefinitely.  Deep scratches and high heat can warp or compromise the plastic layers, or prevent the laser from reading them properly, and are the most common reason commerically stamped CDs fail.  So, as common sense would dictate, proper care and storage of your CDs is a must.


If you have a server with all of your CDs on it, and backups for that server, you should be fine for the rest of your life.  When I have a CD-R go bad, I burn a fresh CD-R from my hard drive. (I use CDs in the car, and I get to every CD once in about three years, so I can flag any failing CD-Rs for replacment.)  Currently, I am paying about 22 cents apiece for Taiyo-Yuden CD-Rs.

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