Hello friends,

I've been buying physical media for over 30 years now and I've always taken pride in the accessories I use to improve my vinyl playback, but it recently occurred to me that I also use accessories for my CD collection.

I recently posted a video on YouTube with a list of 10 accessories that took my CD collection to a new level with the hopes that it can do the same for you, whether you are new to CD collecting or, like me, have been buying CDs for years.

I'm including that same list below in case you missed the video - each has an affiliate link that if you choose to buy, will help support my channel:

1. ​CD Fast Wipes - $9 - quickly remove dust and finger prints from your discs to ensure the best playback possible. Just remember to wipe from the inside of the disc straight out to the edge and not in a circular pattern to avoid scratching the disc.
2. ​CD Laser Lens Cleaner - $6 - a clean disc still can't be read with a dirty laser inside your player. I am short on the time needed to disassemble a player and get to the laser with a q-tip and alcohol, so I just use this $6 disc instead - it has worked wonders on my vintage players!
3. ​CD Scratch Repair Kit - $8 - this inexpensive kit will repair a scratched CD, but keep in mind, it doesn't actually remove the scratches, it just polishes enough to play again. I used it on a very scratched CD and was surprised it played through, even though it still looked rough.
4. ​CD Cases - $38 for 50 - I buy a lot of used CDs and even the ones at record stores can look pretty gross due to an old cracked or dirty case. I started swapping those cases out with these and my collection looks much better. It's like putting a new protective sleeve on a precious vinyl record!
5. ​CD Storage - $19 for 30 CDs - these clear acrylic shelves have rubber feet for stability and notches in the top to stack cases if you need more storage - if you stack two you can store up to 60 CDs - I've carried these to a lot of record shows and they are very durable!
6. ​CD Opener - back in the 90s, companies would give these out for free with their branding on them and they were so helpful in removing the shrink wrap and stickers off new CDs - ask a family member if they have one in a junk drawer before buying!
7. Discogs App - a lot of people use Discogs to catalog vinyl, but I'm not sure if many use for tracking their CD collection. Used CDs are so cheap now that I find myself accidentally buying copies I already own. Using this app saves me money from buying a CD again by mistake - also, check out my Discogs store where I have new and used CDs available for sale!
8. ​External CD Drive - $30 - the great thing about owning CDs is we own our music instead of renting from a subscription service. CDs can be ripped to a digital file for playback on your home network, phone or even a vintage iPod. I bought this external drive which can connect to either a PC or Mac and it's worked great for ripping!
9. Portable CD Player - if you don't want to bother ripping CDs and would rather take them with you, you're in luck because companies are releasing new portable CD players! My favorite is the Fiio DM13.
10. External DAC - if you are using a vintage CD player or cheap blu-ray player, an external DAC can help improve sound performance. New DACs are being released weekly, so it's hard to suggest just one, but I made a YouTube video with suggestions on which one to choose for your cd player.

Reminder, these are all affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them — it doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps support Forever Analog so I can keep making more content like this.

Thanks for being part of the community!

Aaron