STEREO Survey

What happens to your CDs?

According to statistics, CD sales are heavily losing in comparison to streaming.

This is reasonable, since listeners without many discs of their own can suddenly have the largest collections in the world at their immediate disposal and streaming services such as Qobuz even offer high-resolution files. In addition, DACs and streamers are now available in absolute top quality. But where there's light, there's also shadow, and if there's problems with the streaming service or the internet connection, the enjoyment of one's music is over – no matter how big the system may be. We have asked the subscribers of our STEREO Magazine Newsletter what happens to their CDs.

  • I occassionally buy a disc, but it's immediately ripped to my server. Don't ever use physical discs. Also streaming Qobuz
  • When I say rarely - I’m still buying at least 50 a year
  • Never use the physical discs anymore!
  • I don't even have a CD player any more so the stored CD's are just as a backup.
  • just bought the Gato Dia 250S cd player so am happy with it
  • I still buy CDs
  • I'm still using the physical discs for SACD, XRCD and Blu-Ray. I play everything else from my server or streaming.
  • I find the majority of “new to me” CDs on the used market especially at GW. I’ve expanded my collection considerably for just a $ or two
  • I also rip my CDs to my computer using jRiver and play some back from a USB stick into my Oppo Bluray player and car system.
  • I do not use streaming except for my iPad and wireless speakers. I have CDs purchased in 1983 that still play without issue. Of my 3000+ CDs, we have never had a CD fail unless directly damaged and then are only perhaps 5 or so of those.
  • CDs are my primary listening source. I have recently purchased a new player and continue to purchase discs regularly.
  • I have ripped those of my CDs I like the most and put them on a USB-stick. This stick is inserted in a ROON Nucleus and then my CDs and Tidal are both accessible through the Nucleus
  • Now I buy and listen mostly to vinyl, again, like I did before CD's came along.
  • I own an eminent selection of about 2000 CD's (85% of them with classical music) which have been downloaded onto one of the best servers available (PinkFaun). I keep the CD's as backup material. In addition to this I own hundreds of high resolution downloads. I prefer not to depend on streaming services.
  • I continue buying CDs (around 15 per month) and rip them to my server. I don't have streaming services
  • I still have my vinyl collection also and listen to both on a regular basis. The used market for cds has offered many good deals.
  • The majority of my listening is from a streaming service and I occasionally listen to a ripped CD from my server.
  • As streaming has improved, I am buying less CDs than before. I attend live music events, and generally will buy CDs from the artists at the merch table.
  • I still play CDs in my car sometimes because it does better than fm radio but haven’t bought new ones in years
  • I stream for background music. When I want to listen critically, I’ll play a CD.
  • ..I have to admit I often look across the room and see a CD on the shelf, then just look it up on Qobuz and stream it without leaving the hot seat..!
  • I still collect and keep cds.
  • I'm afraid that I have gone back to vinyl!
  • All CDs on a server and streaming from Tidal. Impossible to cell CDs in Sweden at the moment so I'm waiting for a slight revival before I sell them (doubt this will happen though).
  • Cd sounds better than streaming.
  • As a senior, senior citizen (I’m 82!) I no longer can hear the audio improvement in my large collection of DVD-A’s and SACD’s. I have a 300 CD changer that holds the majority of my CD collection, and I no longer purchase new discs. I have more than enough now to last me the rest of my life. I still DO listen frequently though with great enjoyment!
  • I do still buy physical CDs from time to time, mainly signed copies from the artist website
  • I could have checked the first three boxes and been not far off
  • I also still buy new CDs online, mostly from Amazon and also purchase hi-res downloads in roughly equal numbers.
  • Still buying a lot of vinyl and a few new CDs.
  • In the future I'm thinking to buy a music server and rippball my cds as a complement to a streaming service
  • Still refer to cd booklet occasionally or a libretto for operas
  • I still buy CDs but I rip them on to a hard drive and resell the CDs
  • CD's are still my MAIN music source and will stay so.
  • I prefer my musics on a manageable format
  • CDs are a waste of time and money. They lose sound quality over time and take up unnecessary space. For the cost of a CD I can have millions of songs a month at my finger tips. With a good DAC there is no reason to look backwards.
  • I still buy and keep physical media
  • I keep all my CD's and occasionally buy 5 Dollar CD's at flea markets,
  • I own a fine Luxman D-05 SACD player, perhaps upgrading for an Luxman D-06 player. I will not stream.
  • If I buy a new record it will be on vinyl. But it rarely happens . Most of new music i listen to streaming. But I still play my old cd's but mostly my vinyl records.
  • I donated the physical CDs to my local Audiophile club so members can give the club a $1 and take a CD.
  • Whatever happens, no internet or bad connection, ..., with buying cd we support jazz bands and can listen them whenever we want ... but only on the HiFi installation which is a disadvantage if you want to listen in car, unless you rip them.
  • Don't play them anymore, but keep them around to read the liner notes sometimes when my server rips are playing
  • Although I subscribe to Qobuz and Tidal I rarely use either. If I do it is usually Qobuz. Perhaps it's time to cancel Tidal again.
  • I ust listen to digital downloads.
  • I buy CDs just when I don't find the vinyl version. Time after time, I record them on tape or cassette. Just for fun, living in the past.
  • A physical support - CD or vinyl - offers the possibility to read the booklet and also to have a visual image of the music through the cover image
  • This survey should allow more than one answer. In addition to the answer I provided. If allowed multiple answers, I would also have chosen "I saved them on a server and rarely ever use the physical discs anymore."
  • I still use my discs for convenience as I find many streaming apps less than enjoyable to use - its quicker to grab the CD that I want to play.
  • Install disc, push play= music
  • Can’t go wrong with a cd.
  • sometimes I still buy a CD, because the music is not available on streaming, or the collector edition contains valuable documents, but then I rip it on my computer for listening.
  • I do not buy CD anymore
  • Still buy C.D.’s, rip them to hard drive and use Roon.
  • I still believe the best sound is from CD
  • While my reasons for continuing to listen to and buy CDs persist, I am considering buying into streaming so I can explore more diverse music than I can readily access with CDs. That said, like LPs, CDs and their cases, documentation, and artwork are less fussy and more intuitive to hold in the hand and fully appreciate than display-dependant laptops, phones, or tablets. With a physical music album I can more immediately get the flavor of the complete expression of the artists involved, more easily and fully distinguish one album from another, and I am not tied to computers with their intrusive interfaces, built-in hype, second and third-guessing of my intentions, and incorrect attempts to correct me and homogenize my taste. A physical album also has nothing to do with what I have to all day at work. IN all the ways, I find CDs and LPs to provide more of an oasis within which to become lost in the music.
  • If the new CD is worth of listening I'll buy new one...
  • Due to the fact that I still have separate rack system with CD player, therefore I have kept my entire vinyl and CD collection.
  • Still like the medium, but I probably buy more vinyl than CD's ironically. CD's are on server as are digital downloads. I still dig them out and play them on my player (which I sometimes wonder why I invested so much into. (Seemed like a good idea at the time!)
  • I listen mostly to SACD's. Would consider classical music streaming in addition but can't find a proper device for HD for Primephonics.
  • Still watching streaming one-box systems evolve
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