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Physical degradation of CD's

Hello friends,

Please keep in mind that I am new to the digital world and I'm just curious about something....

I have just recently bought two Dac's.  As I've been trying to break them in, I've had a cd player spinning a cd 24/7 on repeat into the dac.

I'm wondering, does the cd laser constantly going over the same pits over and over again, somehow degrade the physical aspect of the cd layer that is being read by the laser?

I know that I wouldn't want to replay my precious vinyl over and over again, but in that case I'm physically dragging a diamond stylus through the record grooves.  

I have no idea if the laser does anything to the bits it's trying to read when kept on 24/7?

Thank you and best wishes to you all,

Don

no_regrets
travelinjack's avatar
travelinjack
181 posts
 

None of my pre-recorded/store bought CDs have degraded unless scratched or otherwise damaged.  The CD-Rs that I burned have shown substantial degradation somewhere in the 50% range.  CD-Rs contain inks while pre-recorded CDs don't.

ezwind's avatar
ezwind
78 posts
 

If you’re still at all concerned then just use a cd of music you don’t really like and don’t care if it’s damaged. You must have at least one of those in your collection. 

moonwatcher
446 posts
 

Just know that the "energy" of the laser reading the pits and spaces is nowhere near the energy that was used to create them. So, no, you can play a CD a million times and it will be just as good as the first time. This was indeed one of the "selling points" for CDs compared to vinyl album back in the 1980s.

I would worry more about putting unnecessary wear and tear on your CD player in breaking in the new DACs and use a streamer instead set on various playlists that run for hours and hours. 

Regarding "CD rot", I have a collection of about 2500 CDs, some from the mid-1980s. Out of all of those I’ve had TWO "go bad" because of oxidation of the aluminum substrate. It was like a small pinhole was somehow created (either a manufacturing defect or caused by rough handling in a car). Fortunately, I was able to find copies still in print and simply bought replacements.

waytoomuchstuff's avatar
waytoomuchstuff
1,108 posts
 

On a related subject ...

We service vintage audio gear and frequently have CD players presented with "can't read" error message of some sort.  Typically, this is a combination of weak laser and slop in the sled assembly. Sometimes it's difficult to present technical information to customers that they can relate to. So, to be "more relatable" to male customers, I use the following:

"Image trying to hit that little target in the urinal with a weak stream that you can't hold very steady anymore."

We usually get an affirmative nod.  And, a smile.

no_regrets OP
525 posts
 

Thank you for all of your comments!

Espcially….”Find something else to worry about” 😆

I never thought about the possibility of heat building up degrading the cd!

I think the best remedy as mentioned is to put in a cd that I can’t stand (of which I have many) and let it play away 👍

Thx for all the help!

Best wishes,

Don

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