Disc rot

[antipop]

I've read that article today. I knew that discs had a limited life but I was surprised that it was this short

https://tedium.co/2017/02/02/disc-rot-phenomenon/

I've had the issue with some RW discs that I couldn't read anymore but so far I didn't notice any issue (or barely) in my CD collection.

I've ripped them all anyway but now I'm wondering the need to keep them physically if they are going to go to waste anyway.

Have you had any issue with your collection?

[Still-One]

Interesting. I burned most of my discs that I want to hear so discs never really get taken out of their jewel boxes. I hope that i never have to deal with disc rot but then if I couldn't play a given disc it wouldn't be a major problem, I would just play something else.

[Antonmb]

In 34 years of buying CDs (got my first player in ‘85) I can count on one hand the number of discs I’ve had fail for whatever reason. Of course they’ve all been in storage for at least 5 years now, so it’s hard to say what’s happening to them in my garage attic

[PHC1]

Streaming... It never rots.

[bart]

Originally Posted by Antonmb

In 34 years of buying CDs (got my first player in ‘85) I can count on one hand the number of discs I’ve had fail for whatever reason. Of course they’ve all been in storage for at least 5 years now, so it’s hard to say what’s happening to them in my garage attic

I also started my silver disc career in '85, worked the whole summer to buy a Philips CD player.
So far, 1 or 2 have gone lost.
Even the ones that have resided in my car (where temperatures can rise!) still function.

[Audioraven]

I started buying CD's around 1987, and all my discs still play fine.

[nicoff]

Just because they seem to play fine, that does not mean that there is no damage. I have discs that I only realized were damaged when I tried to rip them and got ripping errors. Then I paid extra attention when listening and noticed the errors.

[audioguy3107]

I've got tons of CDs, many from the late 80's and early 90's and I've never had one issue with a disc playing or ripping to PC unless they were fairly scratched up.

- Buck

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by nicoff

Just because they seem to play fine, that does not mean that there is no damage. I have discs that I only realized were damaged when I tried to rip them and got ripping errors. Then I paid extra attention when listening and noticed the errors.

Most audiophiles will never notice...

In all seriousness it is a problem but since most audiophiles tend to take care of their CDs like storing them in jewel boxes and not exposing them to UV light as well as handling them more carefully vs throwing them around like a Frisbee, the typical CD that has spent its life tucked away in a jewel box should be rot free much longer than a typical CD that was exposed to a rougher life with scratches to the lacquer layer protecting the aluminum reflective layer which will oxidize quickly when exposed to oxygen.

[Audioraven]

Originally Posted by audioguy3107

I've got tons of CDs, many from the late 80's and early 90's and I've never had one issue with a disc playing or ripping to PC unless they were fairly scratched up.

- Buck

Exactly.