CD Storage Options

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by dennis1077, Sep 8, 2020.

  1. dennis1077

    dennis1077 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I'm moving into a new apartment and using the opportunity to finally get my CDs in one place. My collection is pretty large.....close to 1000 discs. Currently, I'm thinking about buying this!

    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Triple-Width-Barrister-Tower-Black-Box-1-of-2/17439306

    What are you guys using to organize your CD collection? Any suggestions about products that are currently available in the marketplace?

    Thanks for any input you can offer!
     
    Tridachnid, papatwo, siebrand and 2 others like this.
  2. Zos93

    Zos93 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hertfordshire UK
  3. If you want to reduce clutter and don't want your collection on display.

    CD Binders

    [​IMG]



    They do them in 128 and 400 disc capacities.
     
    Gaslight, Duophonic, George P and 5 others like this.
  4. vwestlife

    vwestlife Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    I took all of my CDs that are not especially valuable and don't have artwork or liner notes worth keeping, and put them in one of those 240-CD binders. It saves a tremendous amount of space. And now even after throwing out all the cracked and scratched ones, I have a lifetime supply of jewel cases I can use for my CDs which are worth keeping in them.
     
    Gaslight, david1111 and CDFanatic like this.
  5. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I have thousands of these sleeves and started buying them back when they were called Jazzloft Sleeves about ten years ago. If you have a LOT of CDs, they are the best storage solution I have found. I use them in conjunction with boxes from Really Useful Boxes, then stack them on a shelf. Obviously there are other boxes and shelf solutions that work well also, that you can use with these sleeves.

    The best thing about them is that any CD can be converted back to a jewel case at any time and you lose NONE of the artwork (back artwork is kept).

    I've done the binder thing before when I was younger and less careful with my CDs. I definitely don't recommend it unless you have a bunch of discs you do not care about. Some of those binders will damage CDs over a period of time, IME.

    To date I have never had a CD damaged by the SS/Jazzloft sleeves, even when I put about 1200+ discs into a storage unit for five years. I have many more CDs than that now in the sleeves. I do use the paper liners in conjunction with the plastic sleeves.

    If OP wants a CD/tower rack, I'd skip that Wal Mart stuff. It tends to be very poorly made IME. If you need a rack that keeps the CDs on display, look for used Boltz USA CD racks or similar. I had a couple of those years ago and kinda wish I still had them. Each rack held about 500 CDs in jewel cases, IIRC. Problem is, they are expensive now if you buy them new. I bought them at a substantial discount back in the late 90s.
     
    goldwax, dennis1077 and Zos93 like this.
  6. Custom built ins :tiphat:

    [​IMG]
     
  7. ubiknik

    ubiknik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    That is nice, so is the Helmut Newton book.
    This is exactly how I was envisioning doing it over here in our place, the height where the shelves start looks spot on how you did it there.
    BTW, below the shelving looks like it is solid built, did you consider having some hidden storage in that extra space with maybe a sliding panel to keep it neat? Or maybe there is something there and somebody did a great job of making it disappear, judging by the plug on the right I'd say you didn't bother as the space in there isn't all that deep, so below the shelf is just a wall space with regular wall stuff behind it.
    A lot of those store bought deals waste all the lower area in the product because all you get with CDs stored too low is a PITA to browse and more dust, so I guess if store bought you use the lower 2 feet for whatever isn't so critical.
    I'm not so ambitious about it anymore as I really might have maybe 600 or so factory cds, 4 or 5 box sets and a boatload (truly unknown amount) of needle drop recorded cds in paper sleeves.
    I'm basically trying to wing myself back to my non materialistic roots and rip it all (whatever is worth the effort of course) and get rid of all the physical media.
     
    Mazzy likes this.
  8. I have stored 10's of thousands of CD's this way for 30 years+, never had a problem. Use good quality binders with nylon/cloth/felt backing.
     
    david1111 likes this.
  9. Brenald79

    Brenald79 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Maybe get 2 Billy book shelves from Ikea.

    30 inches in length gets about 70 CD. 30 inches is pretty standard book shelf length so your looking at needing about 14 shelves for 1000 CDs.

    Here’s a Billy with 12 shelves and you have plenty of room to add up to 4 additional shelves on each side (8 shelves in total).
    BILLY Bookcase - white. Shop here - IKEA
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2020
    hifisoup, IainS and caracallac like this.
  10. darkstarcrashes

    darkstarcrashes Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oxford UK
    Nice, especially the Dead section
     
    RunningWithScissors and Mazzy like this.
  11. ukrules

    ukrules Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kentucky
    Sorry dude...amateur-sized collection around these parts. :)
     
    Gaslight, ARAMP1, dennis1077 and 8 others like this.
  12. This is my daylight basement and the reason the shelves start where they do it that they are built on top of the foundation parapet. It comes out about 9 inches into the room so having shelves from the floor would waste space. That area at the bottom is almost solid cement behind the sheetrock. There is conduit and insets for the plugs.
     
    ubiknik likes this.
  13. nolazep

    nolazep Burrito Enthusiast

    Most of my CD's are in Case Logic binders and have been for around 25 years and I've never had an issue with a single disc. The cases are stored in plastic Rubbermaid bins out of sight. I do have a "personal archive" of original old school thrash and death metal, Zeppelin bootlegs, audiophile stuff, and personal favorites that I keep on display but if I shelved all my CDs in their jewel cases things would get ridic.
     
    Gaslight and david1111 like this.
  14. As an alternative stick all your CDs in sealed boxes and put them away after ripping them to FLAC with EAC and store on a couple of these...

    [​IMG]

    Get a decent NAS and DAC for the money you save on fancy storage systems.

    This allows you to keep your house looking like a home rather than a library or shop.
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2020
    tin ears, sunspot42, timind and 6 others like this.
  15. Mbe

    Mbe Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    The Walmart adjustable shelving unit looks very smart in black,
    re-configured utilising the extra shelving mentioned by the reviewers should hold 1000 + cds.

    The instructions would probably advise wall fixing dependent on the base size (think Buster Keaton).

    Better for cds to be easily accessible and in-view or else they tend to be forgotten almost abandoned :)
     
    Big Blue likes this.
  16. nosliw

    nosliw Delivering parcels throughout Teyvat! Meow~!

    Location:
    Ottawa, ON, Canada
    I bought one of those cheapo CD binders and it caused outgassing, affecting the back surface of my CDs. I cannot get rid of it but at least it didn't affect playback nor ripping.
     
  17. caracallac

    caracallac Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    A second for the IKEA Billy bookcases. Minimalist, configurable, customizable and inexpensive, what’s not to like?

    [​IMG]
     
  18. formbypc

    formbypc Forum Resident

    I'm with him. My CDs are in plastic-wrapped boxes in the garage, and I listen on file-based systems in a couple of rooms. I no longer have to carry CDs from one room to the other to play. I can access all from iPad or remote. I can change from one album to another without leaving my chair. I have less dusting to do. I can use the saved space for bookshelves.
     
    timind likes this.
  19. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I think something like that is what I would do for CDs.

    Mine are currently not organized, and I listen to LPs way more often. CDs are in boxes, having been ripped long ago. But I do toy with the idea of getting all the discs unpacked and put on shelves sort of like what you linked.
     
    Mbe likes this.
  20. Swann36

    Swann36 A widower finding solace in music

    Location:
    Lincoln, UK
    I'm a shelves kinda guy too
     
    ispace likes this.
  21. Brenald79

    Brenald79 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Looks like the Wartmart has about 38 CDs per column and 3 rows along per column. You can easily fit 1000 CDs. But I’d prefer the longer continuous shelves of the Billy that hold 70 CDs, which would be a lot easier to “move CDs along to the right and down to the next row” if your CDs are in alphabetical order and you were to add a couple of CDs.
     
    Big Blue likes this.
  22. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I do like the Billy better, or something else like that, assuming the longer shelf does not bow under the weight of that many CDs?
     
    Greg Gee and Brenald79 like this.
  23. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    Any suggestion for something other than a shelf solution is likely being made by someone who either does not have a large collection, or does not care about alphabetic filing and the ease of moving discs as your collection expands.

    Something like Mazzy's suggestion, either custom or off-the-shelf, is what you want.

    With regard to Boltz, I wrote this 14 years ago, and my view is unchanged: Boltz CD racks? My collection has grown since then, but I now use bookcases for the additional CDs/small boxes, and a deep bookcase/drawer combo for large (12" x 12") boxsets and heavy cube-type sets (particularly classical ones with 100, or so CDs per box).
     
    emmodad and Big Blue like this.
  24. Brenald79

    Brenald79 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    The Billy shelves are very solid. 1/2 inch thick. I’ve never had an issue even filled with textbooks. 70 CDs weighs less than 15 lbs by comparison.
     
    Greg Gee and Big Blue like this.
  25. Norbert Becker

    Norbert Becker Senior Member

    Location:
    Philadelphia PA
    Nicely done, and I like how some of your box sets are mixed in and are face out...even the long Talking Heads one, and are you in a Beatles or Stones tribute band?
     

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