using master cd's - will their lifetime reduce?

[saravanaram]

First of all i would like to thank you all BHPians for excellent source of information about everything related to car.

This being my first post, i was just curious to know will my cd's life time will be reduced if they are used in Car Audio Systems.

[leadf00t]

Hi saravanaram,

I really dont see a reason why the cd's life time would be reduced just by using them in the Car audio.

The only major concern is the heat that is produced in the HU's (Headunit).
The original cd's will never give you problems since they are mass stamped
IIRC they made of metal foil substrate and "stamped" with the data.

The CD-R of inferier quality might pose some problems since CD-Rs are basically a dye layer inside the cd Plastic. A dye of bad quality might just not retain it recording quality and end up being a tea coster.

Use good quality branded cd's to burn your music and forget your worries of them going bad.

[sk456]

IMO.. i can only think of two major concerns of CD's going bad..

1. Leaving them in the heat
2. Bad handling - touching bare surfaces,scratches due to rough handling,etc.
3. Also not a big fan of LogicCases for storing CDs as the cd's touch the surface of the jackets here. I only use the original jewel case ( as here the CD playing area never touches anything ) to keep my CD's

I personally still use CD's purchased in 1986.( are still scratchless and work perfectly..albeit mostly used at home/portabes )..

[low_bass_makker]

My few old originals even which are scratch less some times skip. So there is a life even of a original cd.

[esteem_lover]

My old CDs have accumulated moisture. They have white spots on them which i use plain water & a soft cloth to dislodge, but so far there has been no skips.