Those digitally encoded discs retail for approximately twice as much as a record album.

Availability can also be a problem. Compact disc manufacturers can only meet about 30 to 35 percent of the demand, says Rich Kenney, who buys pop music compact discs for the Harvard Coop.

Some students have more esoteric reasons for not purchasing compact discs. "I don't like the color silver," says Lowell House resident David L. Rettig '89. "And you can't hang them up on the wall."

Idiosyncracies aside, Tweeter sells nearly 25 compact disc players a week. Compact discs now account for 40 to 45 percent of music sales at the Coop, and the store is continually expanding the cd department.

Compact disc sales have seriously cut into the record market, although many record listeners still remain faithful to their black vinyl.

"A lot of people have extensive record collections, and they don't want to start all over," says Liam B. Lavery '89, Lowell House rock 'n' roll lover.

Thanks to their portability, cassette tapes have been selling at Harvard Square music stores in increasing numbers over the past few years. "The walkman has kept tape sales very strong," Healy says.

Students are far and away the largest purchasers of tapes at Strawberries 11, at 38 JFK St., where compact discs make up 15 percent of sales, albums make up 35 percent, and tapes comprise the balance of sales. "Mostly it's just kids buying tapes," says store manager Rob M. Nadeau. "Real audiophiles buy strictly albums or cd's."

The major drawback to the audio tape is its lack of durabilty. "The life span of your average tape is six to eight months, so basically they're a waste of money," says Nadeau.

But new developments may also drastically change the cassette market. Manufacturers may soon introduce a digital cassette tape which would utilize technology similar to a compact disc. Introduction of the new tapes--which fit inside a different size tape player, of course--would further complicate students' choices of music players.

Ya Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess

Harvard students have a specific shopping style when they're out looking for music equipment, Saltsman says. "Harvard students are really easy to deal with. I hey have some brains in their heads and they can communicate."

Furthermore, Saltsman says "Harvard students want to listen to the music, while MIT students really get into how [their equipment] works. Tufts students either come in and bounce checks or they buy everything in sight."

And shopping styles also vary with a student's wealth and interest. "The rich kids who come in with credit cards buy cds," says Pezzati.