[professorwiki]

I have quite a bit of lossless audio that I would like to burn to CD-R, but I know CD-Rs do not have that great of life expectancy. In the past I have used cheap memorex, but that was mostly just to have music in the car, not necssarily to archive lossless files onto a CD that I can play through my set up without having a computer on.

I wanted to get some opinions on the blank media you all have had the best luck with. I know the Taiyo Yuden brand is supposed to be good with a low "coaster" rate. I've also looked into gold CD-Rs for archiving, but those are even more expensive (about 2-3 times more expensive than some of the cheaper brands). So, what do you all think of those, and does anyone have some other recommendations for CD-Rs that will both last and not have a high coaster rate?

 

[AladdinSane]

Some reason you want to go to CD-R vs. massive hard drive(s)? Storage is cheap. Coasters should be pretty rare in this day and age given reasonably modern equipment. Was a little bit more exciting back in the early CD writing days. Still remember my 2x Plextor CD Writer where you put the CD in a holder thingy to burn it. Now that was a coaster crap shoot.

 

[professorwiki]

The reason I want to burn them as opposed to just play them off of my  hard drive is that I don't want to always have a computer turned on while playing them. Also, the fewer components involved while playing musing, the less chance there is for degraded sound. 

 

[mcandmar]

   Still remember my 2x Plextor CD Writer where you put the CD in a holder thingy to burn it. Now that was a coaster crap shoot.

 
Ugh, bad memories of tech support trying to explain this "feature".  It reminded me of those early game consoles that used tapes where you couldn't touch the keyboard or mouse, in fact just don't move, sit perfectly still holding your breath and it might load successfully

 
The best thing you can do for any CDR medium is to lower the write speed, if your writer software detects the disk as being 12x capable, write it at 8x or 4x.  Don't ask me why but the discs will be far more reliable, and will greatly reduce your coaster count.  Also is your drive is getting on in years have a look for firmware updates..

 

[professorwiki]

   
Ugh, bad memories of tech support trying to explain this "feature".  It reminded me of those early game consoles that used tapes where you couldn't touch the keyboard or mouse, in fact just don't move, sit perfectly still holding your breath and it might load successfully

 
The best thing you can do for any CDR medium is to lower the write speed, if your writer software detects the disk as being 12x capable, write it at 8x or 4x.  Don't ask me why but the discs will be far more reliable, and will greatly reduce your coaster count.  Also is your drive is getting on in years have a look for firmware updates..

I still am concerned about longevity. I know there are different CD dyes, different reflective layers, etc. The gold archival CD-Rs seem like the absolute best, but what's the second best?

 

[AladdinSane]

Oh. I thought you were archiving which to me means ripping and storing them in the secret bomb shelter in the back yard. Why would you play your archive CDs and risk damage?
 
I'm going to stick with recommending ripping all those CDs lossless to a hard drive using  a program like Exact Audio Copy (free) or dbPoweramp (not free) so you know your getting bit perfect rips. Back up that data regularly or mirror it somewhere. Burn cheap CDs (they sound the same) or if you're still concerned about "archive" quality look at the usual suspects and suck it up! Mitsui (MAM-A) allegedly lasts 300 years and Taiyo-Yuden (part of JVC now I think) you know about. T-Y makes silver stuff too. It's your collection so don't skimp.
 
I will shut up now 'cuz opitcal archive is not what I would rely on. Reliable 3TB drives (e.g Western Digital Green) are $100 regularly. Buy two.

 

[professorwiki]

  Oh. I thought you were archiving which to me means ripping and storing them in the secret bomb shelter in the back yard. Why would you play your archive CDs and risk damage?
 
I'm going to stick with recommending ripping all those CDs lossless to a hard drive using  a program like Exact Audio Copy (free) or dbPoweramp (not free) so you know your getting bit perfect rips. Back up that data regularly or mirror it somewhere. Burn cheap CDs (they sound the same) or if you're still concerned about "archive" quality look at the usual suspects and suck it up! Mitsui (MAM-A) allegedly lasts 300 years and Taiyo-Yuden (part of JVC now I think) you know about. T-Y makes silver stuff too. It's your collection so don't skimp.
 
I will shut up now 'cuz opitcal archive is not what I would rely on. Reliable 3TB drives (e.g Western Digital Green) are $100 regularly. Buy two.

Actually, I already have the lossless files that I don't have any CD for. I will keep them archived on a hard drive, but burned to a CD for listening use. I was concerned about archival quality or something near that so that in 3 years the data won't be corrupted. The cheap CD-Rs sometimes start to lose data after a few years. 

Granted, I suppose I COULD just use a hard drive to store them as WAVS, which my blu-ray player can play back from the USB port. I just am old fashioned, I suppose. 

 

[AladdinSane]

WAV, FLAC , ALAC , AIFF. Any lossless in a storm. In a few years if CD fails burn another. You don't have to use the computer files.
 
Damn, I didn't shut up. I blame the coffee. 

 

[CoiL]

 
I just am old fashioned, I suppose. 

You`re not the only one. I also want some of my original CD`s to be backed up with EAC copies and also make some lasting CD`s for my car listening (cd sound is way better than from USB stick/ mp3) and boombox player at work (which is very picky about blanks but with good quality sound). Also I`ve noticed that some of my original older CDs have weird bubbles going on under print layer. Despite they still play ok, I`m going to replace them with EAC copy gold CD-R blanks, just to be sure I have working "original" media. I love having physical media in my book-shelf and holding it in hand looking pictures/text/lyrics while listening. Sounds weird but I guess it`s like with the e-books vs. paper books. Yeah, it`s more ecological having digital storage and files but it just doesn`t have the same feeling. Sorry mother nature.
Nowdays it`s harder and harder to find phthalocyanine dye + gold based CD-R blanks that are also with reasonable price. As much I have read about it, phthalocyanine dye + gold should be most stable and longer lasting due to not oxidizing and reacting to UV so fast. Luckily there still are some fine grade and cheap gold based blanks available. I just bougth 50 pack of Maxell regular CD-R blanks in spindle that cost me only ~7€. Look same like in this pic: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maxell-50-Recordable-Cd-Mins/dp/B0006NH9PA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1409386120&sr=8-5&keywords=Maxell+CD-R
They are not marked "special for audio" but according to EAC they are Type 7: phthalocyanine / gold made by Ritek and they do look with golden glare/reflection. So far they haven`t let me down yet and have great value. Maxell XL-II should be also high quality and are marked as for audio but they are noticeably more expensive.
For original CD`s "renewal/archival" I`m using higher grade "for audio only" TDK / Taiyo Yuden gold blanks from Japan.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  The reason I want to burn them as opposed to just play them off of my  hard drive is that I don't want to always have a computer turned on while playing them. Also, the fewer components involved while playing musing, the less chance there is for degraded sound. 

 
You can get around the clutter of CD-Rs as well as the general bulk (physical or excessive power supplies) of computers by using music servers. Many  them are basically CDP circuits, but instead of a CD transport, they either have an internal HDD and/or some way to connect an external HDD, like USB ports. Those that have LAN or WLAN connections can access an NAS, as well as allow for a smartphone with the right remote app to facilitate browsing, especially for use with speaker systems so you don't need a large TV to see and navigate the content. Some have a CD transport, an internal HDD, as well as WLAN - allowing you to rip the CDs in there, then it can check online for the track tags if it's an older CD with no embedded info. They also have SPDIF outputs, and HDDs are easier to replace than it is to service CD transports.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I'm cheap, so my alternative to a music server that is more focused than a PC and consumes less power is a technically free (as I need for other obvious reasons, and carrier-subsidized) smartphone - also a 64gb microSD USB audio server.