Sure, you see a little picture of the album cover when you’re listening to a song, but you’re missing the story of the album. In this streaming age, the album artwork seems to be more of an afterthought (to consumers, at least). The CD booklets and album artwork are underrated. It might not be much, but you can sell your old records and CDs online or to record shops if you buy a digital song, like an mp3 file, there’s no resale value. Also, there’s the resale value of CDs and vinyl. If you’re looking for vinyl, on the other hand, a new record will likely cost twice as much as that. Audio shops and retailers are practically giving away used CDs, while new CDs are usually in the $12 to $15 price range. If you’re looking for a superior audio format, CDs are the best deal you’re likely to get. This includes Tidal and Amazon Music HD, both of which are pretty expensive. The best compressed digital music files are referred to as lossless because they don’t lose information, but only a few streaming services are able to play lossless or CD-quality audio.

MP3, AAC, WMA are all types of compressed music files.

That means that the audio data is being stored in less space, which results in a loss of information and the music isn’t going to sound as vibrant or as complete. If you’re streaming music from the likes of Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal, you’re listening to a compressed music file. CDs obviously sound better than streaming digital files, too. Plus they’re not going to skip (unless scratched). Compared to vinyl, CDs are able to produce a wider dynamic range and more bass.

Sure, you might prefer the warm analog sound, specifically its crackling and other imperfections, as well as the visceral experience of actually dropping the needle on a spinning record, but CDs are simply the best sounding physical audio format that most people can get their hands on. One of the great myths in the audio world is that vinyl sounds better than CDs. The Best Dolby Atmos Soundbars of 2023 Yes, CDs sound better than vinyl.

Amazon music cds to buy