How has your perception, buying and listening of CDs changed over past 5 yrs?

The market for CDs has certainly changed, how have you changed?

For me:

I started accumulating most of my CDs over the past 5 years as prices dropped and I got interested in building a lossless PC Audio Collection with attention on knowing the mastering/releases. I've got most of the back catalog titles of interest now that are affordable so my purchases are slowing. With retail stores pricing at Amazon Marketplace and less churn in the stores (not to mention less stores) it's harder to find the rare titles for an affordable price.

The reemergence of surround sound and Bluray (Steve Wilson especially) has sparked my interest in buying and listening to these titles. I love getting rare original hot stamper needle drop, new mixes and well done surround sound versions all in one package usually <$50.

For exploring new releases I use streaming/download services vs. buying some unknown trendy new title. If I like it I buy the CD.

I rarely actually play a CD (anywhere). I listen on my HiFi playing JRiver FLAC, download, xfer or stream to my phone for car/plane/mobil listening. I like plugging my iphone into the USB jack in the car.

I still enjoy acquiring CDs but the storage has become a problem and thinning the herd is not a profitable experience. I try to pay attention to title and condition and mastering realizing when I buy I probably will be keeping the disk. When I buy new MFSL/AF/BD versions of preference I usually just keep the regular issues since they don't have much resale value.

More recently I have thought about focusing my collection more on audiophile masters and titles not on streaming services having a hybrid cloud that starts with the streaming service and then adds what's missing from my private cloud. Today I have too much common overlap with the services but I at least know the source and control the quality which I like. Of course may say "why don't you sell your CDs now that they are ripped and you don't have space for all of them anyway?"

 

My listening has changed a tiny bit. I listen to my vinyl more. But I'm not dumping my CDs.

Sounds like you have a lot of overlap. I try to keep this to a minimum. Some titles I "collect" and keep mmultiple copies. But I would be overwhelmed with two of three sources for less important titles.

But everyone has different rules. Have fun!

 

Everything I buy gets ripped to a media server almost immediately. I can't remember the last time I played a CD on my home system, though I still do on occasion in the car. I still play SACD on the home system.

All 4000 are in the basement in crates. My big project for this year is to get some proper CD storage boxes so I can sort everything for the first time in a decade. Try as I might, I still end up with duplicates even though I have a full catalog on my phone.

I bought the least number of CDs in 2014 in over 20 years. I have 95% of what I want and my primary focus right now is filling holes.

Still undecided if I'm going to get rid of anything. Possibly the duplicates and public domain titles.

 

I purchased some cardboard boxes from ULINE for cheap that were sized the way I wanted although I saw some white custom CD boxes yesterday with column dividers. I have half of my collection sorted in these boxes since I can't put 5,000 in my shelves.. I decided not to place them spine up like stores because the art slides can get bent and impressions from case holders.

I also have them cataloged on Collectorz on my phone which I love. I get a lot of duplicate titles (different pressings) when I start with a regular pressing and then "upgrade".

I too have vinyl (~4,000) because in the 90's & 00's it was dirt cheap and I still liked it. More recently I have gotten CD versions of the server. I like to build playlists and sample a few tracks from many albums. This way I can enjoy more volume hitting the highlights although I still enjoy full sides...I love the options.

I am filing holes in both CD and vinyl collections. I like to look at the original album sleeves as I surf my music server.

 

I have my eye on this one from Bags Unlimited. I made this mistake of putting about 1/3 of the CDs, back cards,and booklets in plastic sleeves, but thankfully I kept the jewel cases. I just need several months to put everything back together again. Maybe next winter.

https://www.bagsunlimited.com/p-5426-cd-dvd-big-box-white-corrugated-cardboard.aspx

 

I'm buying more CDs than ever, with prices on used and even collectable discs cratering, as well as licensing loosening up and many great R&B, soul, funk and jazz titles seeing their first digital reissue. And there's the phenomenon of the monster classical box with dozens of discs pricing out at less than flea market prices per disc.

If you're pretty much restricted to Classic Rock, I guess it's possible to exhaust your wantlist . . .

 

Apart from having fewer music stores to shop around, not much has changed for me in the recent years - or, to be more precise, since I purchased my first CD player in 1987. A creature of habit, I am, I'm afraid.

 

I ran out of space in December so I can't purchase any more cds. Got a few titles on CD-R I would like to replace with originals though.

 

I'm becoming more and more convinced that mastering and engineering trumps format differences. Some of my CD purchases in the last year, including new and audiophile remastered catalog titles, are among the best sounding recordings I've ever heard.

Oh, and I ran out of CD storage space about 5 years ago. Trying to find the time to research and purchase a new storage system, then reorganize and thin out my collection.

 

I used to buy around 100-125 CDs per year, but that's been steadily decreasing over the past six or seven years. I purchased only about 25 in 2014. Part of it is that I'm buying far fewer catalog titles; I have now filled a lot of the holes in my collection and remasters are no longer automatic purchases for me. I've also been buying more vinyl.

I also realized at one point that I was buying more than I had time to give proper attention to. I had stacks of unplayed discs at any given time. The problem with that is that once I would get to an album, if it didn't click with me immediately, it would get shelved after one or two plays and I'd be on to the next one. Now that I'm giving each new acquisition a few more spins, I'm finding that some of the albums I like best aren't the ones that clicked on first or second listen, but grew on me over the course of several plays.

Storage is starting to become a bit of a concern as well. I've been slowly going through my collection, finding the titles I haven't played in at least a couple of years, listening to them and deciding which ones to weed out.

 

I think that iTunes has changed my relationship with CDs more than any other factor. I am a song oriented guy. To me, an album is a collection of good songs. When I purchase an album I expect/hope that I will like the majority of the songs. Back in the 90s when the vinyl 45 went away, I bought more full length CDs because there were few options. If I liked a song & wanted to own it, I had to spend 12 to 14 dollars & pray that there would be other good songs to justify the purchase. Of course, more often than not I wound up with a Chumbawumba experience - one good song and 40 minutes of crap.

Because of iTunes (and the internet in general) I am able to sample other tracks when I like the single. Most of the time I just purchase the song on iTunes and am done with it. CD purchases are now more special. The good news is that I like the bulk of the tunes from my recent CD purchases (Foo Fighters, In The Valley Below, Taylor Swift, Jake Bugg). The recent Lily Allen CD was a real disappointment, so I still get Chumbawumba'd every so often.

As to catalog items, at this point I own much of what interests me. I tend only to buy catalog items if the mastering is special or if the bonus tracks are stellar.

 

Like a lot of people, I have 95% of the catalog titles I want on CD. I don't really buy new CDs anymore, except for archival releases from artists for whom I already have a complete or near-complete collection of their albums on CD. I listen to new music on streaming services, and, if I like it enough, will buy the vinyl and hope it comes with a download card.

 

Not much has changed for me. I still buy CDs regularly, and always in preference over downloads. My CD player is still central to my system in my living rooms, and I play CDs most days.

I have a surround set up as I got into SACD & DVD Audio in 2003, (and now Blu Ray) but the majority of titles I buy are still CDs.

I don't own a server, have little idea of how they work and don't have much interest in owning one.

Even if a title comes with a download card, my go to format is the CD.

 

Everything I've purchased over the last few years gets ripped to lossless as soon as the cellophane is torn off. Like someone else said, I can't remember the last time I played a CD on a home system.

I really don't have the space for physical media any more, even though I'd rather own something I can hold than a bunch of files. Nevertheless, I've been contemplating a thinning down of my collection this year.

 

I've collected more older masterings on titles I've had remasters of or, new to me, titles from the past.

Considering these usually sound better to me, and that they're not the desired issues most seem to want to buy, I find these super inexpensive and plentiful.

As much as I think I have 95% of what I want, I always find something, new to me, to enjoy. I'm glad there are nearly limitless amounts out there to run up on and snatch !

I'm not too worried about new cd release demise so long as I can still get a good player and find these old gems like I do.

Not so bad being left in the dust as far as being a physical copy dude....

 

All of the record stores have disappeared locally, I have to drive 65 mile to get to the closest store now. Needless to say I purchase most cds online and occasionally scour the thrift stores for used discs.

 

Listening? Unchanged.

Buying? Only difference is where I might buy versus five years back, since many of the big retailers have literally obliterated their CD sections.

 

I'm buying a ridiculous amount of CDs these days. According to iTunes, I've added 260 CDs in the past three months. Since I bought my Denon Micro System, I'm actually playing CDs on a daily basis.

 

I did most of my massive buying between 2005-2010, when there were still several stores that had deep stock and I was big into exploring jazz and classical catalogs. Now that I've finished most of what I started there there is only looking for the few holdouts, the rare new title from a musician I enjoy, and occasional surprises.

Amazon sellers have been both a blessing and a curse. Most of what I want is available at some price, and it is all-to-easy to select the "buy it now" button in order to get the last few discs I need to complete a collection. When I was shopping at physical stores, I'd frequently come out with nothing.

 

Lately, I haven't bought much at all. Finding stuff locally is damn near impossible for my tastes and not currently having a system.......well, why buy it anyway? Besides, most of the things I enjoy have been "re-mastered", and we have gone down that road in numerous threads.

A friend of mine told me something years ago and sometimes I have to really think - with all this stuff you're buying, will you ACTUALLY listen to all of it on a regular basis? Hmmm..........

 

It hasn't changed for me. Very rarely is there a new cd that I want to buy, I generally comb the used bins for OOP material. Since the late 90s budget restraints are a factor that keep me from going wild on purchases.

 

I held out forever...

I loved my cd's, organizing them, the excitement of opening up a cd, reading the booklet...

Plus they just got cheaper and cheaper.

Well just about a yr ago (I know cuz I just renewed it) I found out about itunes arch (letting me store up
To 25k non iTunes songs)..,I was sold

So while I had an iphone for a bit with some songs, I didn't have enough storage room for much of my collection.,, but when I learned of 25k songs for 25/yr that changed

I spent a good few months getting my songs up (I don't have all of it but am maxed out ). But I don't care

I'm all digital and I love it!!!

Best thing ever and listen to more of my music than ever....
I have bought a few CDs for those albums not on iTunes (then I upload them)

 

Vinyl has gotten more expensive and CD's have gotten cheaper. Ergo: I buy more CDs and less LPs

 

CDs have certainly gotten a lot cheaper, unless it is a really rare OOP title. I'm more canny with my purchases.

 

I'm noticing that as digital technology advances, my biggest problems with the CD format seem to fade away. Low-level linearity is much improved, the sonic textures are getting more supple, rests are starting to sound like rests. I suspect that gear designed to pass 24/192 has better anti-aliasing filters and lower distortion analog sections following those modern D/A converters.