Yes, I'd certainly make a distinction between meditating to reach a level of self-awareness or for spiritual reasons and meditating more for relaxation and stress relief. A CD could certainly be a good aid to the latter to help creat a good and conducive environment...essential for any meditation along with correct breathing.
I have a couple of CDs I like for calm ambience...but not the CRI soundwaves type which I've never tried...my favourite is a collaboration between Tibetan nun Ani Choying Drolma and American guitarist Steve Tibbetts called "Cho".