Today is exactly 40th anniversary of CD in EU/US. Is that a reason to celebrate? How many have you collected? And how do you store your treasures?

[Robin L]

Still have around 1500, with around 1000 on shelving in my bedroom. Also still have a CD playback device in the form of a Sony BluRay player. Most (but not all) of the collection is ripped to Apple lossless files on SSD drives. Listen to the files mostly these days. Initially I was one of those "golden ears" types who hated the format, now feel that way about LPs.

 

[restorer-john]

While the CD itself was a pinnacle of industrial design, the creator of the 'jewel case' should be roasted alive over hot coals. A dreadful design.

The history of the CD - The 'Jewel Case' - Research | Philips

When the technical development of the Compact Disc was virtually completed in 1981, the packaging and marketing activities were started. And since the CD was a totally different product from the LP, a completely new packaging had to be designed.

www.philips.com

Compact Disc Jewel Box - Designer Peter Doodson - DutchAudioClassics.nl

DutchAudioClassics.nl - Peter Doodson, designer of the CD Jewel Box

www.dutchaudioclassics.nl

In my opinion, the jewel case is a brilliant design. The originals were practically unbreakable, even if dropped. The parts were all interchangeable and allowed front, rear and spine artwork along with completely protecting the all important disc at the same time supporting and elevating it from the tray.

But I get it, some people hate them, but not me.

 

[Robin L]

The history of the CD - The 'Jewel Case' - Research | Philips

When the technical development of the Compact Disc was virtually completed in 1981, the packaging and marketing activities were started. And since the CD was a totally different product from the LP, a completely new packaging had to be designed.

www.philips.com

Compact Disc Jewel Box - Designer Peter Doodson - DutchAudioClassics.nl

DutchAudioClassics.nl - Peter Doodson, designer of the CD Jewel Box

www.dutchaudioclassics.nl

In my opinion, the jewel case is a brilliant design. The originals were practically unbreakable, even if dropped. The parts were all interchangeable and allowed front, rear and spine artwork along with completely protecting the all important disc at the same time supporting and elevating it from the tray.

But I get it, some people hate them, but not me.

You must have been unusually careful/lucky---working in places where CDs were sold, I ran across many returns or used CDs where the center spindle was cracked/broken. Also, when buying new and used CDs as well. The center spindles were fragile, the multi-disc packing more so.

 

[Klonatans]

I still have an Exposure 2010S CD player and two shelves filled with CDs, but don't use this tech anymore. Ripped everything back in 2012 and now using Qobuz and Tidal. Sweet memories of thrill of pleasure receiving those shiny discs. SQ wise CDs are still fine, streaming is just so much more convenient.

 

[Mart68]

II am a latecomer, 1991 with Sony X333ES. Here is my first stereo:
View attachment 268904

Now that's what a stereo system should look like. Youngsters - please take notes.

 

[ThatGuyYouKnow]

I still buy lots of CDs, only because many limited edition soundtracks are released on just that format. The positive is that they can hold good resale value.

 

[Galliardist]

The history of the CD - The 'Jewel Case' - Research | Philips

When the technical development of the Compact Disc was virtually completed in 1981, the packaging and marketing activities were started. And since the CD was a totally different product from the LP, a completely new packaging had to be designed.

www.philips.com

Compact Disc Jewel Box - Designer Peter Doodson - DutchAudioClassics.nl

DutchAudioClassics.nl - Peter Doodson, designer of the CD Jewel Box

www.dutchaudioclassics.nl

In my opinion, the jewel case is a brilliant design. The originals were practically unbreakable, even if dropped. The parts were all interchangeable and allowed front, rear and spine artwork along with completely protecting the all important disc at the same time supporting and elevating it from the tray.

But I get it, some people hate them, but not me.

If you have even slightly long nails, even, the spindle is a problem. And not all jewel cases were made to the standard. But with care, they work. And we don't need to spend a fortune and give space to special cleaning machines and so on, like with that other outdated nostaligia format!

I have a fair few discs in box sets with sleeves and attempts at cardboard sleeves, and they are all worse than a good jewel case - until you have to deal with those horrors that held two or three discs. I'm with @MattHooper on those.

 

[Vuki]

3000+, mostly jazz, on the shelves in my listening room. Still buying and listening.

 

[Galliardist]

Now that's what a stereo system should look like. Youngsters - please take notes.

Not nearly enough tiny fiddly buttons with confusing functions on that lot!

 

[MCH]

Still have them at hand and sill read some booklets from time to time (one of the major contributions of the CD format in my opinion, some are really valuable pieces of music journalism/history that you can't always find online).
Regarding the physical format some commented, the biggest fail imo was the choice of those plastic jewel cases: horrible format, horrible quality, unpractical... and they kept it almost until the end! I wonder how it would be if the format was launched nowadays...

 

[dougi]

I came of age with CDs - I was 14 in March 1983 and got my 1st CD player for my 16th birthday. I've always had a smallish collection, and it's grown very gradually from 300 15 years ago to about 500-550 these days - and I still play them. I store most of the collection in a couple of shallow Ikea Besta floor and wall units in my listening room, where they occupy a grand total of about 2 square feet of floorspace. My entire collection is ripped to FLAC and archived on backup drives, and about 80% of that is also loaded into my computer streaming library, which is how I listen to the music most of the time. But I enjoy playing the actual discs sometimes, and I enjoy being able to see them, check out the spines, open them up, and so on from time to time.

View attachment 268910

View attachment 268911

Intreguing the The box set!

 

[bluefuzz]

The originals were practically unbreakable, even if dropped.

They must have been made out of better material down in Oz then. The little fingers holding the centre hole were inevitably broken here even when bought new from the shop. And the hinge arms on the front lid break if you look at them wrong. Multi-disk cases were even worse.

It's fairly trivial to make a paper/card cover for a CD that protects it as well or better than the jewel case without using any plastic at all. Also much more scope for creative and original solutions.

 

[restorer-john]

It's fairly trivial to make a paper/card cover for a CD that protects it as well or better than the jewel case without using any plastic at all.

I agree. And to be honest, if they had used miniature record sleeves in the first place, the space and weight saving would have been enormous for everyone. But they wanted something impressive in 1982 and crystal-clear everything was attractive back then.

 

[restorer-john]

But they wanted something impressive in 1982 and crystal-clear everything was attractive back then.

It took me a few minutes to find and scan this back cover ad on a 1983 Australian HiFi magazine, I vividly remembered when typing the above comment:

 

[Keith_W]

Here are a few well designed jewel boxes:

Top: Booklet style, cardboard exterior, thick cardboard hinge, plastic insert holding CD glued to cardboard. Removable booklet inside. Pros: easy to access CD, and CD is securely held. Cons: there is no mechanism to keep the container closed, so the booklet falls out easily.

Middle: Booklet style, two plastic inserts glued to cardboard, with a cardboard hinge. Pros: CD is held securely. The two plastic halves are able to lock. CD and booklet are secure. Cons: that cardboard hinge might tear if it is abused or gets wet. I keep my CD's very well so it still looks good.

Bottom: Booklet style, cardboard construction. Booklet integrated into cover, CD's (2 of them) held within cardboard sleeves. Pros: very compact for a case that holds 2 or more CD's. Everything is secure and nothing will fall out even if you turn it upside down and shake it. Cons: a bit difficult to remove the CD. Nothing to protect the cardboard from scuffs.

 

[bluefuzz]

a few well designed jewel boxes

But they are specifically not jewel cases which are always plastic. The much nicer cardboard ones are generally known as 'digipacks' I think.

 

[gene_stl]

There are a lot of CD collectors on YouHooTooob who are bragging about dumping their jewelcases and replacing them with various space saving schemes similar to digipacks.
I have rejected going to one of these systems because I like the quarter inch spine which either front or rear allows you to recognize the disc at hand. With those thin space saving system your librarianship becomes very important and if you miss file a disc you will never ever find it again.
I do like the super jewel cases that SACDs and DVD-As often came in , better than usual production ,jewel cases. One of the quiet upgrades they have is better selection of plastic materials. The regular flimsy jewelcase is usually polystyrene which is cheap and gets brittle with age which is why the hinges and center springey things snap.

 

[Waxx]

I don't know how many i have, a few hundred probally. They are ripped to my NAS and stored in a few cartboard boxes in my storage room. Idem with my dvd's and cassettes (VHS and audio) from back in the days...

These days it's vinyl, streaming (local from my own NAS mostly), webradio and DAB+ only in my system...

 

[Audioagnostic]

I stopped ripping CDs and bought a player very recently. The physical aspect is appealing in a time that is becoming more and more digital. Ironic...

My pace of buying CDs has accelerated due to the availability of cheap 2nd hand CDs. I use it to discover new music. If I dont like it I simply donate it back.

How many? Dont know. Bought at least 20 in the last week. Currently listening to my 1,5 euro purchase of this morning, Lauryn Hill unplugged. Preachy but will keep...

Storage is going to be a problem though.

 

[restorer-john]

I have rejected going to one of these systems because I like the quarter inch spine which either front or rear allows you to recognize the disc at hand.

I have to put on my glasses these days to read the spines...