Do CD's degrade over time?

treitz3

That's it. Title says it all. I know the answer but I was just wondering what your thoughts may be on the subject...

concealer404

I'm unsure if my cds do, or if it's just my ears becoming more sensitive to the nastiness of some of them as time goes on...

To indirectly answer your question: Yes, some of my cds sound way worse to me today than they did a couple years ago.

Danny Tse

Sonically speaking, I don't think CD will degrade this early. I believe the original specifications for the CD format was to give it a much longer lifespan that its current age (28 years old). As to whether a CD will degrade physically over time, I think a CD can last a long time if you take care of it. The below CD....Seiko Matsuda's "Pineapple"....is possibly the oldest CD I have, in terms of age. This CD was one of 50 titles released by Japan's CBS/Sony on October 1, 1982 and these 50 titles were the first CDs available to the general public anywhere. The gold color on the label was only used for a very short time and it indicates this CD was pressed back in 1982. Yeah, the below CD is over 28 years old.

Conradicles

Your ears sure do.

McLoki

pressed CD's are not supposed to, but CD-R's and CD-RW's do.

I think CD-R's are supposed to last about 10 years and CD-RW's about 25. Keep that in mind if you only back up your photo's to CD.....

Michael

treitz3

Hmmm, good point. Although I'm talking primarily about CD's, we can throw those into the discussion as well.

hearingimpared

Well, I don't know the answer to this question as it stands; however I do remember reading about, IMHO, some nut, who claimed that leaving his CDs exposed to sunlight for extended peroids of time ENHANCED the sound of the CD.

treitz3

Let me guess, he was banned for bull...., right? Dear Lord.......:eek:

hearingimpared

treitz3 wrote: »

Let me guess, he was banned for bull...., right? Dear Lord.......:eek:

No man, this guy was serious as a heart attack. It was published either on the net or in a rag but I'll never forget. I know there is a device reviewed on 6 moons that claims to flash a CD with powerful light like the sun to enhance the sound!:rolleyes:

treitz3

Some people's kids....

shack

The answer is of course...yes. The degradation comes from the shelf life of the medium the information was stored on (ie: molded aluminum, organic dye or phase-changing film). Not from the use of the disc itself (like vinyl or magnetic tape).

This is an interesting study done almost 7 years ago. I'm sure the technology is improving all the time and hopefully the storage mediums used today are better than what was used in the early stages of recorded optical discs.

http://www.itl.nist.gov/iad/894.05/docs/CDandDVDCareandHandlingGuide.pdf

madmax

There is a thread here somewhere about shining very bright light on a CD to make it sound better.

pitdogg2

hearingimpared wrote: »

No man, this guy was serious as a heart attack. It was published either on the net or in a rag but I'll never forget. I know there is a device reviewed on 6 moons that claims to flash a CD with powerful light like the sun to enhance the sound!:rolleyes:

I have CD's from the very first year they came out still playing GREAT.

I also bought into the magic green pen that you ran around the outside & inside edge to enhance the sound and keep the laser from leaking out....I could tell no difference with or without the green paint. I also do not believe the BS about de magnetizing or removing static from the CD to enhance sound... just how on earth would that affect the laser light from seeing the pits in the disc?

nooshinjohn

Danny Tse wrote: »

Sonically speaking, I don't think CD will degrade this early. I believe the original specifications for the CD format was to give it a much longer lifespan that its current age (28 years old). As to whether a CD will degrade physically over time, I think a CD can last a long time if you take care of it. The below CD....Seiko Matsuda's "Pineapple"....is possibly the oldest CD I have, in terms of age. This CD was one of 50 titles released by Japan's CBS/Sony on October 1, 1982 and these 50 titles were the first CDs available to the general public anywhere. The gold color on the label was only used for a very short time and it indicates this CD was pressed back in 1982. Yeah, the below CD is over 28 years old.

I LOVE Seiko Matsuda!!!:):D

I would love to get a copy of that if you could.

hearingimpared

shack wrote: »

The answer is of course...yes. The degradation comes from the shelf life of the medium the information was stored on (ie: molded aluminum, organic dye or phase-changing film). Not from the use of the disc itself (like vinyl or magnetic tape).

This is an interesting study done almost 7 years ago. I'm sure the technology is improving all the time and hopefully the storage mediums used today are better than what was used in the early stages of recorded optical discs.

http://www.itl.nist.gov/iad/894.05/docs/CDandDVDCareandHandlingGuide.pdf

Steve, do you know if the molded aluminum is kept air tight by the plastic inwhich it is encassed ? If it is I would think that would keep the aluminum from oxidizing or other nasties that break it down.

bobman1235

Except that plastic breaks down much quicker than aluminum....

camp21178

pitdogg2 wrote: »

I have CD's from the very first year they came out still playing GREAT.

I also bought into the magic green pen that you ran around the outside & inside edge to enhance the sound and keep the laser from leaking out....I could tell no difference with or without the green paint. I also do not believe the BS about de magnetizing or removing static from the CD to enhance sound... just how on earth would that affect the laser light from seeing the pits in the disc?

That's so funny. I remember in an audio magazine back then when they discussed the green pen. They were serious as heck.

shack

hearingimpared wrote: »

Steve, do you know if the molded aluminum is kept air tight by the plastic inwhich it is encassed ? If it is I would think that would keep the aluminum from oxidizing or other nasties that break it down.

Of course that would assume the aluminum only breaks down based on its contact with oxygen or other airborne substances. You must also consider what happens to the aluminum based on its contact with the plastic.

headrott

Yes.

Bubinga99

Optical media longevity info:
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/opticalmedialongevity.html

If you ever watch Modern Marvels on the History Channel, there's a new episode about the Library of Congress. Besides books, the LoC has a lot of video and audio, and the show spends a fair bit of time on historic and new audio restoration and preservation, including some info on their longevity tests for CDs.

They have a lab with every imaginable old recorder/player, from obsolete tape formats to wax cylinders. Their reference turntable was (I think they said) $20k. Well worth watching if you get a chance.

treitz3

Bubinga99, you nailed it. That said, I'm outta here....

dkg999

The sound quality of my CD's seems to degrade at about the same rate as my hearing.

treitz3

The program on the Library of Congress is actually on right now [11:00AM EST] on the History channel. If you have the time, you will see first hand what can happen to a CD over time.

cnh

Well I can't catch that over here. But I remember reading that a Redbook CD will eventually fall apart...not degrade musically...but literally fall into its original components in a bit less than a century? Don't know how valid that is.

But I can't imagine the medium stuck between the plastic wafers...affected by much of anything for a while. Where would one get the idea that a 10 year old CD would sound any worse than a new one? Sounds like an odd idea...or a vinyl legend....carrying ideas from one medium that we know is subjected to 'friction' over time into another, however light that friction may be?

Did anyone catch the 'experts' on this above? Curious?

cnh

bigaudiofanatic

Oh boy another discussion like this just like the power cables and speaker wire.


Hang on



































Please..........Continue

treitz3

Yeah, but this one has an answer. Watch the program to find out.

cnh

I agree...I'm certainly not saying I know the answer to this. But would imagine that there may be a definitive answer?

So I'll stay tuned...since I can't tune in?


cnh

yepimonfire

i've never seen a problem with pressed CD's wearing, my parents have an enya CD from the 80's that sounds just as fantastic as the day they got it, as far as recordable media, that i have seen wear, usually the actual layer on top seperates from the plastic disc and it just isnt pretty. this only has happened with cheap discs though. keep in mind how CD's are constructed, the data is hard pressed into the plastic and then a reflective layer and a protective layer is place over it, then the label. nothing is going to happen to the actual data, if the reflective layer becomes damaged it would effect it though.


on a second question, anyone here gotten a CD fresh from the box that has funny "grooves" in the reflective layer that look odd? last four i've bought had this. they almost looked defective but they play fine.

jaama2shy

danny t you got a damn nice cd collection

dorokusai

If you're still listening to CD's in a hundred years, you'll be that old guy on audio forums that constantly talks about the old days....how lifeless everything is now....how it used to be about the music, blah blah blah.

I've never had a CD fall apart, delaminate or do anything to stop playing aside from my own improper care of the product. When they start to do those things, I'll throw it into the recycling bin and buy another if I haven't already downloaded it.

Adios CD's...it's been real.

Mike Kozak

I was attacked by a cat and I threw an old cracked cd at it!!!