Disc rot

[JDL]

CD s aren't the only things that rot after 50 years.😬

 

[Mark Dunlop]

I have maybe 400 cds, the oldest of which would be from 1989/90 and no rot to report as yet. A couple have a couple of skippy tracks, but none as yet completely unplayable. Currently listening to one I bought second hand in 1993... I have had DVDs rot, but only a couple from the same boxset. The good news is that unless you're listening to really obscure stuff, you can always just buy a replacement cd.
m.d.

 

[nopiano]

I had bronzing on a couple of discs, but there are probably a couple of hundred I’ve not looked at for a decade so I’m not sure as of 2023.

I‘m sure google will know which plants and dates were the main culprits.

‘Archival quality’ makes me smile because so many master tapes have turned to goo, if they’ve not been burned, whereas early stereo LPs from the 1950s sound fantastic!

 

[Rodolfo]

I also have many first-print CDs purchased in the 80s. All are commercially-produced. In the last couple of years, I've decided to re-rip much of my CD collection to FLAC or WMA lossless. All of them, including the oldest, played and re-ripped fine although many hadn't been played for years or decades. Heck, some of the oldest are still among my favorites. I keep most discs that I've cared about -because I wanted them readily accessible only, in three Case Logic nylon binders; but, others in original plastic cases appear to have kept as well. I do recall one Eddie Daniels disc in a binder that will not even play, though it looks fine.

I believe that most or all of us will not be able to learn personally how long reasonably cared-for/stored commercially-produced CDs will last.

BTW, I have an integrated amp and a set of speakers (both one-owner), and a turntable that are just about as old as my oldest CDs and they also still play great, thankfully.

 

[Gray]

I believe that most or all of us will not be able to learn personally how long reasonably cared-for/stored commercially-produced CDs will last.

Indeed, eventually the bigger problem for future dudes is likely to be finding working players for them.