CD Recorder Suggestions?

I am looking to buy a CD Recorder. I have finally realized it isn't worth the trouble to try maintaining a cassette tape recorder and most of my non-main listening set-ups utilize CD players.

So can anybody recommend anything? I would like to get a machine which could not only record disc to disc but have the capability to record from an analog source, so I could record some of my vinyl or radio programs.

I am open to spend a little or a lot, if it's worth spending a lot.

As I am only going to duplicate my collection for use in less than audiophile situations (car, portable, boom-box) I don't see this requires a "state of the art" machine.

Thanks!

 

Denon DN-C550R

I've been very happy with this one. I tried a Harmon-Kardon consumer grade one but it did not have all the features I wanted and it only accepted the more expensive music-only CDRs. I took it back and did more research and came up with the Denon. Having the dual decks means that you can quickly dub CDs in digital mode, but it also has inputs and input level controls that let you record from analog sources:

Key Features:
Professional Dual Drive CD-R & CD-RW Recorder
Accepts CD-R/CD-RW data or audio blank media
Ignores SCMS 1X or 2X Dubbing Speed
4-way recording option
Optimum Power Calibration for Recording
HDCD dubbing compatible
CD Text & Titling compatible
Synchronized Recording
24-bit A/D conversion (drive 2)
24-bit Analog Devices D/A converters (drive 1)
Auto digital sampling frequency converter (32 kHz, 48 kHz digital inputs converted to 44.1 kHz CD sampling frequency)
Drive 1: CD & HDCD playback
Drive 2: CD-R/CD-RW Recorder; CD playback
Balanced XLR input
Unbalanced, mixed RCA output
Independent RCA outputs (each drive)
2 digital inputs (optical + coaxial)
4 digital outputs (optical + coaxial)
Dual Playback Mode (both drives play at the same time)
Relay Playback Mode
Mixed Playback Mode
IR remote included
2RU rack
More info from DENON

Ere

p.s. Plus, it looks really cool rack mounted with the Numark dual CD player and mixer from my DJ days

 

I've been happy with this one

http://www.tascam.com/products/cd_recorders/cdrw700/index.php

 

Don't buy a Harmon-Kardon. Like Ere said before, they only use those expensive consumer CDs. They also make noticeably brighter copies.

There's one of these machines in an office at my studio. We noticed the brighter effect and decided to make a test. We copied a CD two times and the disc was unlistenable. I call it the Inglot effect.

 

Something to do with pre-emphasis being flagged incorrectly, perhaps? Otherwise, if it's a direct bit-for-bit copy, what would cause this?

 

Something else I recalled about the Harmon Kardon was that bulletin board reviewers were pointing out that its discs would not play reliably in other players, especially car players. I noticed that too, though on repeated plays they now mostly behaves

Also, the thing just seemed kinda flimsily built - the transport seemed way too fragile and I didn't get the impression it would last very long.

The Denon is all metal and much sturdier - the Ampex's also were substantially constructed.

Ere

 

Have you considered burning using a computer burner Shakey?

IIRC it was established some time ago that you do get a better sounding burn with a PC.

 

Given how sturdy and heavy their older 80's equipment was, they really must have gone downhill quality-wise. I still have two H/K cassette decks I wouldn't part with, even for a Nak.

 

I have a Phillps CD recorder. It's very simple, easy to use. You can record anything you want from it. I recorded the Led Zep concert DVD from it and it sounds great. Not sure of they make my exact model anymore but it's cheap.

 

Here's another vote for the computer method.

 

Do any of these non-computer CD Recorders record in Disc-At-Once (DAO) or are they all Track-At-Once (TAO). For those of you who do not know what DAO means, well with DAO you can easily record a Moody Blues CD and have the songs transition without any air-space between tracks.

 

Er, Ampexes? Did you mean Tascams?


True, Ampexes are *quite* sturdy, but I've never seen them do CDs.

 

Yes at first. But I haven't had much luck getting the information I need.
I run via a laptop and I want to transfer some analog to disc. Unless I am assuming incorrectly, I would also need some sort of analog to digital converter to record/burn to cd.
So if my assumptions are correct, I think I'd be better off with something for my system I could stuff into the tape loop as a component. Then I could record vinyl to cd using my system.

It's too bad the HBB doesn't have a two disc feature in that my Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 does not have a digital out which would force me to go through the analog outs and seems a little more of a pain and possibly introduce an unnecessary step into analog.

I might consider the HBB if it is that much better than say the Denon to give up the convenience of a dual bay system.

Thanks for all the help.

 

Funny how?


























Couldn't resist.

 

The Denon allows you to do it either way, as well as completely manual indexing which is handy when doing a mix CD from different sources.

Yes, Tascams. They also have a dual deck unit that looked
very nice though about 40% more in cost than the Denon 550.

I can understand the benefits of the computer burner route, especially if one is sourcing tracks from the Internet. But I have so much source material in vinyl and especially tapes that it is much more convenient to have the CD recorder right there in the rack with my audio components.

Haven't read the comparisons between the audio quality of PC vs. CDR produced discs, but what I've been able to produce has sounded really very close to the sources. After immersion in this forum for awhile I burned a copy from my cassette of the 1996 VH1 Honors Witness concert broadcast, with Peter Gabriel, Pete Townshend, Michael Stipe, and Natalie Merchant. Left the N/R off the cassette and EQ'd it flat. There is hiss but man that CD sounds good!

Ere

 

I have an HHB unit, although an older model than the one Steve pictured. It is a fantastic machine. Not only does it make perfect bit-for-bit copies, but it will do sampling frequency conversion as well. You can input a 48KHz 16 bit signal (from the digital output out a DAT, for instance) and it will convert it to CD Standard in real time while burning the CD-R.

It has various "synch" modes to allow you to easily copy only selected tracks from a digital source. For example, if you program your CD player to play tracks 2, 8, and 12 and connect it digitally to the HHB machine; the HHB machine will generate a bit-for-bit with tracks numbered 1, 2, and 3.

The unit includes an analog input along with its 2 different digital inputs.

 

I have A Denon that's about 2-3 years old DR1000, which works great. Listed for $1200 when it came out, got it for $300 when discontinued.

 

I get around that problem because my PC and stereo are right next to each other. They are intergrated. If I want to run off a needle-drop to CD-R, I can even do it in real time!

Computer method has it all over standalone boxes for editing/indexing/tweaking purposes.

There should be no difference between the two methods rgarding sound as long as one uses a quality soundcard and cables in the computer method.

 

How does one do the "needle-drop" to CDR?
Do you run through your systems phono section first?
Then how is the analog signal converted to Digital?
Do you then go digital out of deck to computer?
What is a quality sound card?
I don't suppose this is applicable a laptop?

 

The tascam does both, the pause button will introduce a 2 second delay, otherwise for a live performace divisions can be entered on the fly. Copying via the digital coaxil will keep the divisions or not, your choice.

Needle drops need to go through a phono stage first, a tape machine can plug straight in.

The stand alones all have their own converters

 

Terry, considering you are using a lap-top I'd suggest a stand alone like Steve's. External burners don't cut it IMHO, not the same as an internal PC burner.

 

One last question then on an issue I have mentioned earlier: Since my Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 has no digital out I would be forced to make copies of CD's using my SF as the source using the analog outputs, yes?

Unless there is some good way to use my laptop as the source or it's HD as storage, I think I am forced to go with a dual drive unit like the Denon suggested earlier by Ere.

 

I have heard some negative things about external PC burners. I have never used one, as i've always used internal ones. IMO, they are the least difficult pieces of PC hardware.

But, since you have a laptop/notebook, it's probably better for you to use a standalone.

 

I bought an HHB last year (the 830 Plus version) and believe it or not, I was just was too busy to have the extra time to use it to make cd comps on. (was using it just as a cd player). But now, I am ready to make recordings with it. However, I ran into a snag in that, for some reason, it doesnt seem to work in synchro (auto stop/start ) mode- I get an error message "Cant Sync' on the display. I will try it again this weekend and see how it goes, but if the synchro mode doesnt work, the manual then says you have to record manually, which my interpretation of means, is that I have to operate it like a casette deck and push buttons myself to start and stop recordings- which is a pain- as there is always a delay in doing that in conjunction with the starting and stopping of the source cd player. And I find that annoying- what good is spending the $$ on a Professional CD Recorder only to discover that it cant do what it claims to?- the synchro option doesnt mean squat if it doesnt work.


The other negative thing with the HHB is that it onyl records in real time, a "blazing fast" 1x. So, if I want to spend an evening making several cd compilation discs, I dont think I will be able to make more than 1 or 2 of them as each one to make will take 74 or 80 minutes to do (the HHB cant digitally extract the music from the external source cd at any speed faster than the 1x speed that the souce cd is playing at - I wish I had realized that BEFORE I bought this unit or that that issue was made more clear by other people who owned the model or in the HHB advertising).


So, in order to speed up the pace, I s'pose I'll just have to make a master on the HHB and run off faster multiple copies using the Plextor computer cd burner.

Another CD recorder you might consider is the Yamaha CDR-HD1300. It has an 80G hard drive, so you can copy approx 120 hours of music (thats 5 straight days of music listening) from your cd collection onto it- very convenient in that you can then use the Yamaha and listen to music continuously w/o having to get up every 5 minutes and swap cd's in the 'ol single tray cd player.

As for recording, the Yamaha does have digital SCMS- when you copy music from its hard drive onto a blank cd, its called a "digital move" and the Yamaha talkes the liberty of erasing the portion of the music on its hard drive that you copied onto the blank cd in its tray. To get around that, you would have to make a slower speed analog copy.

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/DVD/CDRHD1300.htm