Best CDR Blanks?

I've had really bad luck with CDRs that I believe are Princo (unlabeled generics), particularly just getting them to burn on a Sony CDRW. I've generally had better luck with Riteks. YMMV.

 

Guys..a lot of other no name companies copied the Princo color and specs. Princo does not supply any" no name" companies like that garbage for a dime at Comp USA and other retail chains. The only other company that uses Princo's product under their own label is Digital Media. Again, please explain to me how after trying nearly EVERY blank CDR on the market. No Other CDR would play in my DVD PLAYER only PRINCO.
I find that quite interesting! I called Princo to ask them and they said their product will perform in any source. And you know what? They are right! So if they only last 50-100 years I guess it won't matter to much to me then. I stand dedicated to this wonderful product!

 

Who makes the unbranded stuff for Comp USA?

 

Claviusb,
I just checked out your link. It's over 2 years old. Maybe a little dated.
We are all happy with brands that work for us and they work fine for me.
I wonder how long the aging process takes? My CDRs have been aging for 3 or more years? Still playing fine? Maybe a bad test disc or run? Thanks for your imput.

 

Not quite sure? It seems that everytime I would purchase their blank media it would be a different color. They also have their own branded CDRs. They must have a few sources. Sometimes they look exactly like Princo. I would try them in my DVD player and they would not work. That was a definite clue. I finally called Princo and asked, they never supplied Comp USA.

 

Well, Kodak was so sure their discs were superior that they challenged people to set another brand's CD-R out in the sun data side up and their disc too, and then try to play both after several days.

I can tell you from personal experience that I've traded CD-Rs with people who have sent me Memorex CD-Rs that looked flawless, I've cleaned the pristine disc and placed it into the Plextor and in EAC the Error Correction would go crazy-- sync errors all over the place-- on brand new discs. Maybe the Plextor and the Memorex don't get along, I think, so I pop it into a Toshiba drive. Hmm, I had better luck with the Plextor. OK! Some people swear by Memorex, not me.

To quote Patrick M, YMMV.

 

Please clarify the above quote? Translation?

 

YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. In other words... your experience may be different

 

Originally posted by Mikey

Actually I really like the Monkees it's just that I'm a bit more hard-cut than Davy Jones.

 

Thank You Kindly!

 

Mitsui and Princo experience

I use Mitsui Gold, Type 6 CDs for all my audio copying, like my friend Steve Hoffman, using a stand alone pro machine. It is used for copying LPs, cassettes, 78s and reel to reel. It is also used for copying CDs. It works. Princo has been used for several years, very successfully by several local professional audio CD copiers. None of the 1000s of discs Armadillo Audio has made for our choir and orchestra since 1999 has had a problem. I find that TDK and Fuji cds purchased at Fry's can fail after a year. The top coat peels off. DON'T put a post it note on top. That will certainly destroy those CDs in 6 months to 1 year (I know, I used it for cheap backups-luckily not important since stored only on Mitsui discs). Post it notes don't appear to harm Mitsui diamond top coated discs-not one peel problem in two years. The top layer protection of both Mitsui and Princo for offset/inkjet printing really protects the discs. Probably not all Princo CDs are good but my friend at Armadillo is using the right ones.

My computers never made an unreadable CD yet. Of course, I've only used Plextor burners for 3 years. My burners have only run in P3 500 Mhz or faster computers with plenty of RAM.

My current computer is a P4 1.9 Mhz Intel IBM clone with 512 Mg Rambus RAM, the latest Plextor 40X burner. Plextor allows data to be burned up to that rate but audio at up to 24X. It works (however, I have always had a degredation problem in copying through the computer and virtually none through a stand alone pro unit but that's another subject).

Grant, why don't you show us your proof against all Princo products.

I prefer Mitsui despite the cost. Steve's CDs by HHB have been durable for several years (based on my friend Robert Pincus's copies made by Steve). These are not cheap CDs but are in the long run.

I will try the Kodak discs next; however, my pro unit prefers Mitsui Type 6 best of all (I tried a 4 year old Mitsui Type 5 yellow/gold, the predecessor to the current gold/gold Type 6 and it was as good as the better silver discs did not make 100% perfect copies in my pro unit-it has excellent durability though). Most burners are not as picky.

 

Sorry to check in late on this one...

Having burned several thousand discs (an incurable Deadhead, sorry...), and having tried many, many brands, I have to echo most of what others have said. I have found the Kodaks and Fujis (Taiyo Yudens) to be all flawless. Many people like the Mitsuis, but they are about double the price of the others.

In general, most heavy traders seem to agree that the discs made in Japan are superior to those made elsewhere. However, one exception is the Kodaks, which are often made in Mexico. I like the Kodaks because, among other reasons, they have a very good scratch-resistant coating (called Scratchguard, or something equally innovative), which does seem to be better than what others use. Also, burning real gold discs makes me feel like Steve Hoffman!

The Fujis (which are equivalent to the HPs, also made by Taiyo Yuden) are often on sale for $15 per spindle of 50 discs, and you can usually find additional rebates too. These discs are so cheap that I have to wonder why anybody would take a chance on the generics out there. For Fujis, look at Staples, Office Max, Best Buy, Circuit City, and the other big department stores. (But for God's sake, don't buy any audio equipment while you're there!) Also check www.salescircular.com, which keeps good tabs on what's on sale each week in your area.

Hope that's helpful!
Peter

P.S. If there are people out there hoping to acquire some live Dead recordings from any era, but don't know where to start, give me a holler at <[email protected]>. I'm happy to spread the music! And yes, this is totally legal.

 

Hi Peter and welcome aboard. So how are Steve's CCR albums selling?

Oh yeah, we know about Red Trumpet up here too and thanks for the ELP on Zounds.

 

cdr label danger

I just read on some post not to stick postit notes on cdrs.
Is there any long term hazard in applying custom labels?
Will the label and the cdr backing all peel off in 5 years?

Djose

 

And what about CDR markers?

 

Peter,

Welcome to the land of breath of life. Where have you been?

Looks like we will be talking about making CDR's, among other things.

Don't mean to sidetrack this thread but could you tell us about the CD recorder(s) you are using and any tips you'd like share?

 

Thanks for the welcomes, kids! Nice to hear from a few I know.

I do CDR stuff on my computer (a hush falls over the crowd) -- so I'm not sure I can offer much help. The discs I mentioned were all data discs (which take audio as well, of course), but they are probably NOT compatible with consumer CDR decks, which require audio-only discs. This is because audio-only discs are laden with royalties, which are paid to the record companies. "Pro" models almost always accept regular consumer data discs, and I know many people who really love the Tascam CDRW-700. I believe the retail price is $749, but pro music shops will almost certainly offer discounts from that price. I'm not very current on audio-oriented models, unfortunately, but I know that some of the Pioneer and Marantz models are well-regarded.

In case anybody cares, I have a Macintosh G4 with a SuperDrive (burns DVDs! okay, so I've never burned a DVD but it sure sounds cool...) and a LaCie 16x10x40x CDRW drive. I love both. No platform wars, please!

As for CD markers, I have seen so many threads on this that I cannot even see straight anymore! Basically, many people are concerned, and some folks warn against using permanent markers like Sharpies on the discs. However, nobody that I know has EVER had a problem with Sharpies, or been able to document any real problem, and with the people I associate with (read: riff-raff), that must collectively be tens of thousands of discs or more. I use Sharpies on all my discs.

Take it easy, folks!
Peter

 

CD Labels and Sharpie Pens

I have used Stomp CD Labels for 3 years with no sign of ill effect, outgassing or peeling. I hope that that continues for decades. I've used Sharpie pens for at least 5 years with no ill effect, even on cheap CDRs (from the late 90's). I hope that another positive opinion helps.

 

I'm looking for the link on Princo's unreliablility in the long term.

Thing is, guys, i've used some Hi brand CD-Rs without problem, and they still play quite well. But if you want to be SAFE...