What format do you usually use?

[GA Russell]

I was surprised to see on another board I am a member of that the majority of people there listen to music with MP3s rather than CDs, so I thought I would ask here. (They have ripped most of their CD collection to MP3s.)

Does the majority of your listening come via MP3s or CDs?

Edited September 8, 2010 by GA Russell

[B. Clugston]

Vinyl.

As for CDs vs. MP3s, I listen to CDs more.

[papsrus]

CD. I actually find it more convenient.

[kh1958]

On home stereo, majority listening is vinyl, minority is CD.

On computer, mostly CD, some mp3.

In car, mostly mp3, some CD.

[relyles]

I do not own an mp3 player and rarely listen to mp3s.

In the car - only CD (occassional cassette when I want to listen to some of the mix tapes I made years ago)

Computer at work - CD and FLAC files of ROIOs..

[colinmce]

CDs and vinyl. I don't use mp3 at all.

[A Lark Ascending]

I acquire the vast majority of new music as downloads; but then burn as CD-r and play as a traditional CD.

Also listen via the iPod when out, gardening, sitting in waiting rooms etc.

[mjazzg]

majority is CD but still a significant, and increasing amount of vinyl. Some MP3 downloads but not yet of anything available in the other two formats. MP3 rips of CDs for travelling

[BeBop]

In the car, I only listen to LPs. Actually, this is something of a dream of mine, but that's off-topic.

My preferences run LP -> CD -> MP3. But my reality is virtually all MP3. It's a byproduct of not being able to take LPs and CDs on the road. I try to keep my MP3s high-bit rate, but then storage gets to be a problem. Sheesh. Never ends.

[jazzbo]

CDs whenever possible. I have several vanloads of them.

[sjarrell]

I have a 160gb iPod that plugs in at home, the car & work. I got rid of my cd player and have a portable at home in case I have to play a disc, but it never happens. My old 80gb is the family stereo, which spends most of its time playing the J5/MJ and cartoon themes for the kids.

[Jim R]

I still have hundreds of LP's, but they never get played anymore (even if I wanted to play them, I can't, because I discovered recently that my turntable had died).

Other than long car trips, which are pretty rare for me, I almost never play CD's these days.

I've transferred almost my entire collection to MP3, and other than listening to KCSM in the car, almost all of my listening is done on the ipods or in itunes on the Mac.

[JSngry]

Since almost all my listening time these days is at work, in the day, in a corporate environment, .mp3.

I used to work nights, and then I would bring in a bag of CDs and listen to them through bigass DJ-type cans, but that was then...

[jeffcrom]

At home, my listening is pretty evenly divided between CDs and LPs, with some 78s thrown in. Like (I imagine) others here, my turntable gets as much of a workout as my CD player. I download music when I can't get it any other way, and I love the convenience of my iPod when I'm away from home.

I like my 78s, though - you can't beat the convenience of a bulky, highly breakable medium containing six minutes of music.

[.:.impossible]

I acquire the vast majority of new music as downloads; but then burn as CD-r and play as a traditional CD.

Also listen via the iPod when out, gardening, sitting in waiting rooms etc.

Why do you burn your mp3s?

[Chalupa]

Vinyl.

CDs at work, in the car, or on home computer. I never listen to MP3s.

[GA Russell]

I considered including vinyl to the poll, and I guess I should have.

It looks like some people are commenting without voting!

[BeBop]

One other option for me, when I can't have LPs or CDs and even an MP3 player is inconvenient, I've found reasonable satisfaction with internet radio, particularly AccuRadio. ...not that the "skip" button doesn't see active use...

As I was typing that, Esperanza came on.

[mjzee]

Exclusively .mp3's. So much so that I see these CDs as a burden - where to put them all, how to find one when I want to consult the liner notes, etc. I've digitized a good part of my LP and cassette collection, and continue to do so.

We have Internet radio on the iPod - we play it through a clock radio with an iPod connection in the kitchen. We use that exclusively for country music (there are no country stations in the NYC region).

[GA Russell]

(there are no country stations in the NYC region).

I had no idea!

[Dan Gould]

There was a time in the 90s there was a country format station in NYC but that eventually switched.

As for the question du jour, even if I download an album in MP3 format from Amazon or Walmart, it gets burned to CD. I have no digital storage of music files outside of Dime concerts that still wait to be burned to CD. Vinyl listening is limited to transferring new purchases (rare) or old LPs that I want to digitize.

Funny thing is that my wife bought a car stereo for my birthday that includes a plug for a flash drive, then cleared off one of hers to give to me. I had to tell her that while I could see loading the flash drive for a really long trip (the unit can handle 500 CDs or something like that), on my still-new daily commute, I am enjoying catching up on CDs I haven't listened to or haven't absorbed enough, and that the whole point is listening to the CD from start to finish.

There is no I-Pod and when I fly to CT to visit the parental units at the end of the month, I will proudly pull out my ancient disc man and CD case, no matter what odd looks I get from the ear-bud crowd.

[Chuck Nessa]

All of this is really disappointing to someone spending dozens of hours in the studio to make the 24/96 master sound as good as possible. Seems I'm playing the fool.

[AllenLowe]

don't worry, Chuck, I still listen to CDs through good systems or audiophile headphones. 24 bit is king (though I have done a bit of a-b ing and don't think 96 is that much different than 44 when there's a 24 bit rate).

[paul secor]

CDs and LPs. I'm an old fart, but I don't seem to be alone.

And I'll buy whatever you put out there, Chuck.

[7/4]

CDs.

rarely MP3 files.

I'm on the road 99% of the time now too...lots of time for tunes!