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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
bbarten
64 posts
 

@dekay If I send you postage would you send me your throw-aways?

barts's avatar
barts
712 posts
 

@ibmjunkman

Too bad this unit runs on 100v...I'd snatch one up and put it in the box!

Regards,

barts

 

asctim
477 posts
 

Of the few hundred CDs I’ve owned since the late 1980s only one quit working, and that wasn’t long after I bought it. To this day I’m not sure if it was really defective, or if I somehow damaged it. 

I'd be more concerned about the CD players becoming obsolete and no longer made, like VCRs. 

richardbrand's avatar
richardbrand
79 posts
 

Don’t forget that the easiest surface to damage is the label side. The pits are just under it! And most CDs are stamped, not laser burned!

Hard to see how the tiny currents in a DAC will help it burn-in. Speakers, cartridges and amplifiers possibly. I put an input power meter on my Krell class A amplifier after a rebuild, and the power consumption definitely rose over a few days, even though it was switched off when not in use.

mikhailark
240 posts
 

Physical CD degradation does happen, but media should last 100 years+. If you are concerned, you can always rip into file then burn another copy. Or just play the file.

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