[Waspinators]

Well, I've been downloading like crazy (some legal, others... "acquired") since a few years ago, and now I have a library of about 5200 songs (mostly 192 to 320), which minus about 3 or 4 CDs, are all downloaded. But, I've recently rediscovered the magic of CDs when I bought one the other day. Not just the liner notes and packaging, but the ability to rip it however you want, and not having to worry about squawks and glitches in the sound (something that's plagued me in a lot of downloads).

So it looks like I'm going back to buying CDs, save for the occasional Amazon MP3 download. And hopefully I'll be getting my first part-time job soon, so I'll have money for them. But, it'll be weird to have all these new CDs, while having no CDs from my favorite artists (whose work I have in MP3 format). So I was planning on either buying my entire music collection in CD format (would take a lot of time and money), or going the easier way and just buying some of my more favorite albums and some box sets from my favorite artists, while saving the rest of the money for new CDs (that I haven't heard) and a new bass amplifier. What do you all think I should do?

 

[ZephyrSapphire]

If you have the cash, I can't see why not to rebuy your whole collection. But I'm doing the latter, which is buy albums of my favourite artists and saving some for new cds.

 

[badmonkey]

If you legally own the music, then find and download FLACs from a reputable club. I've found that you can find most music, and the rest you can then add to a shopping list and order all at once.

Manually ripping is a pain, so downloading with any half decent broadband plan is almost always preferable.

Naturally FLACs you can then transcode how you like, and you will always have a perfect archive of the original CD.

I still have some old MP3s that I can't replace easily. It's an ongoing process.

 

[ozz]

I would start with your favorites since those will more than likely get
more play time then justifing the cost.

 

[Golden Monkey]

I have almost a thousand CDs, and had ripped most to mp3, but built my rig around CD exclusively. I've never liked digital file formats...I'm too tactile for that. I like having liner notes and stuff to read while I listen. So many of my discs go back to the beginning of the CD era, and sound like crap now that my rig resolves everything so well, so I've found that for every five or so that I buy, a couple will be remasters or expanded editions of what I already have. A lot of the remasters sound just so much better, so I don't mind re-buys. I can always resell my old versions.

You should strike a balance - buy new stuff to expand your horizons, and buy your faves that you know you'll listen to a lot.

 

[mikaronni]

I had a similar situation as you, but it is a good time to figure out if some of the music you "acquired" wasn't as great as you thought. I was able to narrow down the stuff I really like from my internet collection, and that's what I bought.

 

[vcoheda]

join bmg.

a quick inexpensive way to build up your cd collection.

 

[mikaronni]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif join bmg. a quick inexpensive way to build up your cd collection.

Wow, I like your recommendation. Especially that initial offer of 7 CD's for the price of 1. I will definitely be making future purchases there.

 

[Golden Monkey]

Does BMG have a pretty extensive catalog? I listen to a lot of stuff off the beaten path, but have been fleshing out my classic rock collection as well. Do they have a lot of boxed sets?

 

[vcoheda]

they have a lot of stuff - esp if you haven't used them before.

the trick is to use various searches (including the advanced search) when looking for items you want, as the search engine is not that great. or just browse through genres so you don't miss anything.

for the best deals including the best introduction offer, see this link below.

DVD Talk Forum - One & Only BMG Music Service Thread (Part 5)

 

[J.D.N]

Im doing the same thing, and do find it a real struggle. Whilst there is lots of stuff i've had for a while i want on CD, there is also new stuff coming out and new genres/styles i want to explore. You just have to find the balance that suits you. I usually split it quite even, and then if i've got a little spare money ill buy into a new genre for some experimenting.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waspinators /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, I've been downloading like crazy (some legal, others... "acquired") since a few years ago, and now I have a library of about 5200 songs (mostly 192 to 320), which minus about 3 or 4 CDs, are all downloaded. But, I've recently rediscovered the magic of CDs when I bought one the other day. Not just the liner notes and packaging, but the ability to rip it however you want, and not having to worry about squawks and glitches in the sound (something that's plagued me in a lot of downloads).

Yes, plus you don't have to worry about some DRM scheme changing or getting locked out of new hardware. You're always better off owning the physical medium.

Good recommendations here so far, and I'd also look at eBay and local stores for used CDs. I don't want to derail the thread, but there are a lot of benefits to vinyl. One of the biggest being that you can find used discs for under a dollar. 100% legal and they sound pretty good, too.

 

[bigshot]

Formats don't really matter. There are great sounding LPs and lousy sounding CDs. MP3s are able to sound as good as either, if properly encoded. Music is what matters most... after that convenience. The iPod certainly changed the way I listened to music. It's the best format for music ever. I store my record collection in a small warehouse space. But I have even more music than that in my pocket. That's pretty incredible.

See ya
Steve

 

[Waspinators]

Thanks a lot for your replies everyone. I've decided to just buy my favorite albums, and some hefty box sets from my favorite artists. That way I'll not only have physical media of my favorite bands/albums, but also have something of a collection when I start buying new music.

 

[vcoheda]

i love buying CDs.

i thought about buying a wadia itransport, but i actually like having and handling the physical media.