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Amazon Review

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Number of Titles

Amazon is our preferred retailer of Books on CD and Books on Tape. They have the largest selection of audio books in the world, with over 350,000 titles to choose from.

Prices

Amazon audio books are competitively priced. They consistently have the lowest sticker prices and the lowest shipping costs, both in the United States and internationally. You can even get free shipping on purchases over 25 dollars or save with an Amazon Prime membership.

Amazon Prime

Regular listeners can save big on shipping costs with an Amazon Prime membership. Members pay an annual free of $79 dollars and in return their family gets:

  • Unlimited Fast Shipping: includes free Two-Day shipping and One-day shipping for $3.99 per item on all eligible purchases.
  • Amazon Instant Video: enjoy unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of 5,000 movies and TV shows.

Amazon also lets you cancel at any time through your Amazon user account. Visit Amazon for more information about Amazon Prime.

Compatible Devices

One disadvantage of the Amazon product is that you have no flexibility when it comes to choosing a listening device. Books on CD must be played with a CD player, and Books on Tape must be played with a tape player.

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Customer Support

You can get in Contact with Amazon's Customer Support by phone, email or online chat here.

Return Policy

In general, Amazon will accept returns of CDs and cassette tapes as long as they are new and unopened. Visit their Books, Book, Music, Movie, Video Game, and Software Returns page for more information about returns.

If you can't return your item, you can sell it.

Technical Information

Available Formats

Audio books from Amazon are available three formats:

  • Books on CD: a book recorded on CD's with unimpressed audio at the CD regular bit rate. As the audio is uncompressed these audio books are typically five or more CDs in length. This is the most common type of audio book on CD.
  • MP3 on CD: a CD where the book has been recorded on it in a compressed MP3 format. As the audio is compressed, this audio book can fit on just one or two CDs. This format is less common.
  • Books on Tape: an audio book on a cassette tape.

See our Audio book FAQ for more information about these audio book formats.

Sound Quality

Technically, cassette tapes have a higher sound quality than CDs because they can reproduce a greater range of frequencies. However, CDs have a greater dynamic range, so they can produce loaders sounds. They also do not degrade as quickly over time. Thus the difference between sound quality of a Book on Tape and a Book on CD is debatable.

MP3 Books on CD have a lower sound quality than a regular CD, because they do not reproduce a smaller range of frequencies.

Device Compatibility

CD: Amazon's audio books on CD should be compatible with any CD player made within the last 10 years. Consult your CD player's manufacturer for more information.

Cassette tape: Amazon's audio books on cassette tape should be compatible with any cassette tape player. Consult with you cassette tape player's manufacturer for more information.