Good place to buy CDs?

ChrisIRL

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I recently started a thread about how I found streaming was ruining the music experience for me. Too easy to browse and dismiss albums etc. I felt so strongly about this in fact I've gone I purchased a CD player! Thoroughly enjoying trawling back through my old collection I must say. The sound quality is better I find, just sounds more vibrant and clear.

So where's a good place to pick up cds online? Local stores are all but dead or very mainstream. Looking forward to building a new collection. Whilst my collection sounds great my taste in music has varied since I last purchased a cd. Not even great sound quality can save some of my previous decisions :)
 

ChrisIRL

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I have thanks. Pricey enough for anything out of the norm. Was just wondering if there's any big music site that everyone uses that I may not have heard of. It's been a while!
 

jjbomber

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ChrisIRL said:
So where's a good place to pick up cds online? Local stores are all but dead or very mainstream. Looking forward to building a new collection.

Ebay tend to be quite good these days. A lot of people buy CDs to rip and then sell them. Effectively they are played once and as good as new. Amazon are great for new and it may be worth becoming a prine member if you are buying a lot.
 

ChrisIRL

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Cheers everyone. Just made a few purchases on Amazon.

Not to kick off an old debate but there is simply no way 320 Kbps Spotify or 256 aac iTunes sounds as good as cd. Those that know know. Whatever about the detachment from the whole experience these formats bring they are definitely a step backwards in terms of sound quality. It's mad that modern tech would do this.
 

insider9

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Looking at how digital media developed over the last decade I believe Spotify has done really well. Yes, there is a difference in quality but the catalogue is simply something one could not afford. Not necessarily in terms of cost but space.

I still listen to music in an old fashioned way even on Spotify, pick an album and play it as a whole. That's most of listening. What doesn't happen anymore thanks to Spotify is I don't "gamble" my money for albums that will get 3 or 4 listens and will be put with the rest never to be listened again. Spotify gives a great opportunity for this. I listen to an album a few times and if I do like it I buy it.

I believe that soon both music and tv/movies will be available free legally in digital format. The only catch will be it's going to be in poor quality. Music streaming services pretty much started the trend with their free services. It's only a matter of time when the likes of Netflix or Sky catch on "giving away" all the content on demand. The only deferential will be quality and the better quality the higher the cost will be. Here's my thoughts on the subject, but that's not what I came here for.

For cheap and cheerful second hand CDs I use CeX. If you're lucky you can order some CDs as cheap as 20p. They do charge for delivery £2.50 (max 10 items) so it's mostly worth buying in bulk. I got 10 CDs for £4.50 a couple of times :)
 
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As others have said, Amazon and eBay, the used ones are particulary good value, though can be hit and miss on condition. If you're looking for a particular release then discogs is good too.
 

radiorog

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Discogs has the largest database if cd and vinyl in the world. I usually just google the cd I want and google has a good effort at finding the cheapest. Quiye often its discogs. If it rare, then discogs is a good bet.
Ive found that sainsburys has quiye a large supply of some harder to find stuff at a very good price.
Ebay.
The preowned sections in most cd shops now....if you live near an hmv or a fopp. Libraries sometimes do amazing sales of old albums,and they can be very comprehensive, and about £1.
And yes, cd sounds far superior than 320 kbps streaming.
:)
 

manix

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I use Amazon quite a lot, can't beat 1p + postage on some stuff. Used always go for condition very good or excellent and you can't go far wrong.

Worth noting a few times I have bought cd's second hand off Amazon they have turned up in the unopened wrapper.

Also one other thing to look out for is later versions of CD's especially on stuff going back to the 80's. Some of the 80's and 90's cd's were not the best when originally mastered.
 

matthewpiano

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Use physical record shops. Supporting them means they'll survive.

HMV and Fopp (same company) are both very good these days and there are still independent shops worth seeking out in different parts of the country. Then there's record fairs, which often include healthy numbers of CDs.

Some artists/bands sell their albums direct as well and it's well worth supporting that.
 

pauln

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If you are after specific versions then discogs is best. Ebay is good if there is a photo showing the catalogue number. With Amazon you often don't know what you're getting and might end up with remastered versions which often as not have a lower dynamic range. Depends how fussy you are really. Browsing in charity shops is great if you have the time but lots of dross to pick through, often they will cherry pick anything rare and sell it elsewhere.

Steve Hoffman forums is a mine of information on which are the best sounding pressings.
 

ChrisIRL

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Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Discogs seems to be exactly what I was looking for. Great selection and cheap as chips. Have made several purchases already!

I must say I'm really blown away by my reintroduction to cds. Sound quality is amazing. Enjoying whole albums again without browsing. My system is far better now than when I last listened to cds too so I'm really reaping the benefits. I'll continue to use Spotify, the selection is great. That said I think I'd prefer 100 good cds than 1000 Spotify albums.
 

ChrisIRL

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For anyone who hasn't used it discogs is brilliant. Great for finding unusual albums that you're unlikely to find elsewhere, Albums that I know I couldn't possibly find in any stores can be had for less than €10 delivered. All those €10s add up though, must stop ;)
 

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