Best CDR Blanks?

Hi guys.....I have a Plextor 32/12/10 burner with Buffer protection.

I've been using MAXELL and Memorex CDR blanks, and I'm very unsatisfied...the Maxells in particular dont work much of the time. I've burned WAY to many coasters.

I'm also using EZCD Creator, and while I like the program, it has its shortcomings as well.


What Blank CDRs can you guys recommend that seem to work BESTl with Plextor Burners?

I dont mind spending a little more, as long as I'll have a higher successs rate.

Thanks for any help!!

Mikey

 

I like the TDK brand myself. Fuji is also supposed to be good, I hear.

 

Always search the old DCC Forum at "The Lounge":

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=923&highlight=Best+CDR+blanks

 

Thanks Guys!!

Thanks Men!!

I was able to get Tayio Yuden blanks on sale at American for .29 each on a spindle of 100. Thats a super price for a Top Grade CDR!!

So thanks again, guys...once again the Hoffmanites come thru!!

Mikey

 

Check out "Nero Burning ROM", this is what comes with retail Plextor CD writers here. Very good software IMO.

http://www.nero.com

 

Kodak is still selling out their inventory of their gold/silver blanks. I just got my order in from UPS yesterday! Go to their online store. They are the BEST blanks no longer on the market!

Second in rank are Mitsui. They make product for HHB, I think.

Taiyo Yuden were the inventors of the CD-R and are still consifdered one of the best available.

Ditto with Sony.

Now, for those other brands like TDK, Maxell, Memorex, and Imation. Ritek makes their stuff and is of questionable quality. If they are made with Ptylocyanine they are a notch better but...

TDK. They USED to make their own but since the market has become a commodity, they have opted to chase the dollar and to hell with quality.

It is worth noting, however, that Maxell and TDK still make the pro line.

Again, TDK. Since they started making CD-R people have complained about incompatability with their particular burner, or say that they won't play in their Sony CD player. I didn't believe this but I also have started to have trouble with them, no matter who makes the blank in question.

Fuji? I've had many of their discs go south on me in as little as six months! I will NEVER use their blanks again!

Imation is made by CMC Magnetics, which has been rated even worse than Ritek, but I have not had any problem with them over the years!

I NEVER use no-name blanks for anything!

Let price be your guide! If it's cheap, or at your local Target or Best Buy, and NOT Sony, it's probably not worth it! Spend the money!

One more thing, the quality of a blank should not be judged by if it seems to burn OK or just works now, but by if it is durable and maintains it's playability in the future.

 

Sears

Sears is clearing out their stock of HP CD-R blanks that are Taiyo Yuden discs (Taiyo Yuden discs according to the CD Identifier program). The cost for a pack of 50 is just $9.99 ...reduced from $29.99!! The cool part is that you can go to Sears.com and buy as many as you want and elect to pick them up at the Sears store nearest you (or you can elect to pick your order up from a different store). When the discs arrive at the store you've chosen they notify you by e-mail. You simply take a printout of your e-mail confirmation and the credit card you used to make the purchase with and pick up your discs at the store's Merchandise Pickup.

 

All of the recent Memorex and Imation blanks I've used recently have been *exactly* the same. I had a couple problems with a few Memorex blanks, but I never had a problem with the Imations...

 

Never had a problem (well, at least not one that wasn't my fault) with either TDK or Maxell.

 

Luke, i've never had a problem with Imation either.

But, it should be noted that most people try to burn their discs as fast as the burner is rated. Well, some computers just can't handle it.

Mike, if you keep burning pucks, drop the speed. Also, pay attention to the speed ratings on the CD-R package! when they say their disc is rated for, say, 12x, they mean it!

 

Ditto.

 

CD-R Blanks

All,

Based on experience, I use Quantegy blanks!

Bob

 

Boy I have, had a 50 pk rated 16x that would not burn over 4 - 8x, all other brands I tried worked fine. Using Nero software. Have never made a coaster with TDK brand yet though (knock on wood).

 

I have experimented with many different kinds- but never really found anything that made one worse than any other. Usually I would make coasters upon first set up of a burner and software. 99% of the time- if I had made a coaster it was because I had not set something up right, and that usally was when I was setting up any new machine with a VIA chipset, and not having the latest drivers; or trying to run "full throttle".

As for longevity quality- the only time I had a problem was back 3 years ago I bought some "unbranded/unfaced" CD's that were supposedly from KODAK. Back then CD-R's weren't cheap, and for a stack of $50- I think I paid $40 or $45! Most every one started to bubble inside within 6 months.

How about "Cool Factor"? I have used a stack of 25 colored CD's. Its not just the label that is colored, but the rom itself! I actually think the name of them is "MEMOREX -Cool CD". They come in red, yellow, blue, and green, and maybe one other color. I had 0 problems with them, and thery look cool. I wonder how long they might last? I can't seem to find them here in Mass, or I would buy more.

Chris
(Only 39 more postings to go!!)

 

I fing those Memorex colored CD-Rs all over the place here in Arizona.

I've used many. The black ones have held up so far. The other colors? We'll see.

Again guys, people are buying burners that burn a disc in five minutes. Many PCs just can't handle this! I think it is really bad that these manufacturers aren't warning the consumer about it. Then the customer installs the thing and he burns coasters and thinks it's the blank.

Drop the speed, y'all!

 

Grant,

I record my CD-Rs on a professional HHB CD recorder, obviously, designed for audio data. I take it you record your CD-Rs on your computer using special programs, equipment etc. in order to ensure high audio quality. How much does one have to invest in order to "do it right" on a computer?

Bob

 

Drop the speed? Nah. If your computer isn't fast enough, you'll get a buffer underrun and your computer will choke right then and there. However, if your disc burns all the way through and then you notice problems, that's NOT your computer being too slow, it's a problem with your burner and/or your blanks.

I burn at 12x all the time with no problems. 210 Mhz CPU, SCSI burner and HD, etc...

Once again, if your discs burn all the way to the end but you have problems, it's NOT because your computer is too slow. It's because of burner or blank issues.

 

Re: Sears

 

Re: Re: Sears

 

If people are getting buffer underruns it most likely is buffer underruns. But many people, like me, use IDE interfaces, not SCSI. You are correct, if the disc burns successfully, it isn't the burner, but it could still be the speed.

 

$175. for a good burner
good soundcards starting at $79. (NO Soundblasters!)
software starting at $69
CD burning software for free on up

That's it! You're looking at around $329 for the bare basics. Your blanks will be cheaper, too!

This is if you have a Windows PC. If you have a Mac, the other guys can help you there.

A computer based system really is better, soundwise, and for other technical reasons, and I don't give a whit if some studio pros or Steve Hoffman use standalone pro burners.

 

Better for what? Steve H. uses an HHB standalone for doing ANALOG to digital CD-R's, not for burning CD's from CD's. I know he likes the A/D converter in the HHB. Different use, yes?

 

What???

If the disc burns successfully (ie, all the way through but there are problems with the disc), it is not the COMPUTER - it could still be the burner, though. The burner or the media itself.

 

HHB CD Recorder

Since I use an HHB CD recorder for transferring programs mastered on my reel recorder to CD-Rs, this is refreshing to hear. It has been my understanding that CD recorders were specifically designed to record audio data.

Bob