8 reasons to choose CDs over vinyl

Key Takeaways

CDs are more portable than vinyl, making them easier to take on trips and store in small spaces.
Record players can be expensive, while affordable options may not be worth it for quality and reliability.
Ripping CDs to your computer allows for a digital collection along with the physical one, saving space.

It’s no secret that streaming platforms are the predominant way to listen to music nowadays. But lately, there’s been a movement to return to physical media — initially in audiophile circles, but now even in the mainstream. It’s a whole aesthetic people are after — throwing a favorite record on a turntable or breaking out an old CD book to flip through and foster some nostalgia. Spotify just doesn’t hit the same way the retro tech does. But if you want to start collecting music in a physical format, you’re probably considering which medium to choose, especially if you want to be more focused on your collection efforts.

Some people will find collecting vinyl records more suitable for their needs and wants, some people will prefer tapes, and others CDs. I’m here to tell you the reasons why you might want to buy CDs over vinyl, as both are high quality options for music with different requirements and use cases.

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1 CDs are more portable

They’re called compact discs for a reason

One of the best things about CDs is that they’re portable. If you have a portable CD player, you can just pop in your favorite CD, plug your headphones in, and start listening. And if you want to bring a few CDs to have some variety for a longer trip, CDs are easy to store in a bag or in your car. It really is a compact format, just as the name suggests.

Not only is it easy to store CDs in their cases in smaller spaces, but you can also purchase cases that hold multiple CDs in a case to make them even more compact and portable. You can carry at least 10 CDs in a case smaller than a book. Keep it in your glove box, your tote bag, or your purse, and carry around your music wherever you go.

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2 Record players can be very expensive

The cheaper options just aren’t worth it — most of the time

A Sony record player with an Elliott Smith record inside, with a Spruce Trap and Fontaines DC record on the side.

If you don’t already own a record player, it can be prohibitively expensive. Cheaper used ones can be unreliable and require repair costs, and the more affordable, mass-produced ones like Crosley record players frequently malfunction and scratch records. If you want to err on the side of caution there, CDs are a better choice, since the barrier to entry is a lot lower.

If you want to err on the side of caution there, CDs are a better choice, since the barrier to entry is a lot lower.

Stereos, portable CD players, and external CD drivers are a lot more affordable than record players too, so if you don’t have the right medium to play either format, most that play CDs are a lot cheaper than record players. You can even find CD players at thrift stores, or likely in storage at your parents’ house.

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3 If you don’t already have speakers, that’s another added cost

Listening to a record with headphones just isn’t as easy as a CD

On top of the cost of a record player, you also have to consider speakers. You can listen to records with headphones, but then you’ll just be stuck sitting in front of your record player with headphones on. CDs allow you to listen to your music more easily on more devices, like the aforementioned portable CD players or a computer with a CD drive, where using headphones is significantly less inconvenient. To enjoy the full audio quality of a CD, you will need to use wired headphones, but good wired headphones can be found at really low prices.

A woman listening to music on a phone using wired headphones.

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4 You can rip CDs to your computer

This way, your collection can be physical and digital

Another beauty of CDs is how easy it is to rip CDs to your computer. This way, you can build a digital collection of lossless music along with your physical collection, making it even more portable and space-saving.

Within minutes, you’ll have a collection of high-quality lossless audio files ready to use on your computer.

Ripping a CD to your computer is as easy as putting the CD in, opening the media player on your computer, and dragging the tracks to a folder on your computer. Within minutes, you’ll have a collection of high quality lossless audio files ready to use on your computer, and ready to transfer to your phone too, so you can always have your favorite tracks with you.

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5 CDs take up less space at home too

Storage is way less of a problem than with vinyl

CDs are a lot more portable than records, and being able to rip them to your devices also allows you to listen to the music without having the physical CD on you. But it also has a smaller physical footprint than records do, making them easier to store in your living space as well. Records are large and thin, requiring boxes or shelves made to store things of that size. CDs can easily slot into a tower or stack on each other on any surface, and storing a pile of CDs in a drawer is also acceptable. You just can’t do that with vinyl.

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6 CDs are more budget-friendly

New and used records can cost a ton in comparison

Not only are record players expensive, but records themselves can be really expensive, depending on what you’re looking for. For reference, the average CD is anywhere between $10 to $15 new, and vinyl records are often between $30 to $50 new. You can keep it more affordable by only buying used records, and not going for really popular ones, but if you’re seeking out your favorite artists on vinyl, it’s going to be pricey. Used records can even appreciate in value if they’re especially rare, like if they had only one or two runs of production.

Used records can even appreciate in value if they’re especially rare, like if they had only one or two runs of production.

CDs are much cheaper, by contrast, because they’re easier to manufacture and distribute. So if you were to buy the same albums on vinyl or CD, you’d be spending a lot less money on the CDs.

7 You can find more music on CDs

It’s cheaper and more accessible for artists, so much more plentiful

Two Green Day CD cases, one open and resting on top of the other.

The cost it takes for artists to get vinyl pressed is a lot more than just putting music on CDs, so when it comes to smaller artists or artists with smaller budgets, you’re a lot more likely to find their music in CD format than vinyl. If you’re really into local scenes or obscure artists, this is a good enough reason to stick to collecting CDs over vinyl. Small artists also release tapes still too, since that’s another affordable and compact format, but CDs sound a lot better than tapes.

You’re also a lot more likely to find a used CD from your favorite artist than you will a record — more CDs get pressed than vinyl, so they’re way more common to find in thrift stores and record stores. So when you’re sifting through music in your favorite shop, remember to check the CD section, because you’ll probably find what you’re looking for a lot easier.

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8 CDs have better audio quality than vinyl

Contrary to popular belief, vinyl isn’t the best audiophile option

When you imagine an audiophile in your head, you might actually just be imagining someone with a huge record collection. But vinyl records have a higher signal-to-noise ratio because of how they’re constructed — with the stylus creating low frequency noise when it’s against the grooves of the record, along with any noise created by the record player itself. CDs have a significantly lower signal-to-noise ratio, since CDs aren’t touched by anything when they’re read.

Additionally, any flaws or inconsistencies on the grooves of a record can create pops and skips and other strange noises and quirks. And worst of all, the more you play a record, the more it loses its fidelity over time. This just won’t happen with a CD, and even a damaged CD can play a track just as it was intended to sound, unlike a record. The only times when a CD will have worse audio quality than a vinyl record is if the master used for the vinyl is mixed better than the one released on CD, but that isn’t a restriction of the medium, rather a choice made by the artist or manufacturer.