HELP! Which Stand Alone CD Recorder To Buy? (1 Viewer)

[Bill Will]

Friend would like to know which CD Recorder to buy? Please list Brand, Model Number & Aprox. Price. Also what should he be looking for in terms of features (single disc? dual disc?) record speed & etc. Also the lower the price the better No he doesn't want to go the computer route. Thanks in advance

 

[KeithH]

Bill, I have a Harman/Kardon CDR 30 dual-tray recorder that has served me very well over about a year-and-a-half. To my ear, dubs sound just like the original CDs, and I have never made a coaster with this unit. The CDR 26 is the current model, which is similar in key areas to the CDR 30. The CDR 26 just lacks a few bells and whistles that the CDR 30 offers, such as HDCD and MP3 decoding. To be more accurate, the CDR 26 looks to be a replacement for the CDR 20, which was a step-down model from the CDR 30. It looks as though H/K has not replaced the CDR 30. Regardless, I don't think your friend can go wrong with a recorder from H/K. Crutchfield sells the CDR 26 for $400, but it should be available for less through OneCall (1-800-340-4770) or J&R Music World (1-800-221-8180), both of which are authorized dealers.
While, H/K gets my vote, there are other good recorders out there. In general, I suggest your friend get a dual-tray recorder over a single-disc unit. For one thing, the dual-try unit is self-contained, at least for recording from CDs, which makes recording convenient. Secondly, a dual-tray unit allows for high-speed dubbing, which of course cannot be done with an external source connected to a single-disc unit. Your friend should also be sure to get a dual-tray unit that can dub at up to 4x speed. This is a common feature today, but there are still some units out there that can only dub at 2x speed. It's worth noting that all units can record at 1x, which allows you to hear the music as you record.
Note that www.crutchfield.com has a good survey of available recorders. Their prices are on the high side, though. Hope this helps.

 

[Bill Will]

Thanks Keith. Please keep them coming Anything in the under $300 price range?

 

[KeithH]

Bill, no problem. Best Buy and Circuit City have some dual-tray recorders for $300 or less, but I don't know if they are any good. Brands include TDK and Classic. You might be able to get a Philips unit at Best Buy or Circuit City in this price range as well. I had a first-generation Philip dual-tray recorder (CDR 775) a couple of years ago that gave me nothing but headaches. It made too many coasters. Some of the time, the unit would stop dubbing in the middle of a disc, resulting in a coaster. Other times, it would dub all the way through, but when I played the CD-R, I would hear static throughout. I returned the player for a refund after a few weeks. Perhaps I got a defective unit or maybe Philips recorders are better now.

Best Buy and/or Circuit City may also have the Sony RCD-W10 dual-tray recorder for $300. I haven't used it, but your friend may want to check it out. See Crutchfield's web site for more information on this unit.

 

[Bill Will]

H/K has a refurbished CDR 20 for $198.00 any good? plus any thoughts on "REFURBISHED" H/K products?

 

[Sathyan]

on HK Refurbs:
HK provides a full warranty (1 yr. ) on these products
my brother got a HK refurb CD changer and has been happy with it so I think that's a good deal

 

[KeithH]

Bill, I generally avoid refurbished products because you usually don't know what was wrong with them and if they were fixed properly by a competent technician. However, I would feel better getting the item from the manufacturer with a suitable warranty. Nevertheless, your friend should call Harman seeking elaboration what "refurbished" means in this case. Where did these units come from? What was wrong with them? Perhaps he will be able to get suitable answers from them. Also, he should find out if he can return the unit for a full refund within 30 days if he is not happy with it for any reason.

 

[Paul Clarke]

Bill,

While I generally find myself in agreement with Keith on most things, I can tell you from my own considerable experience with them that H/K factory direct refurbs and remanufactures are a great buy.

I have the $198 CDR20 and couldn't be happier. I know that
Keith uses higher level equipment for playback duties but I am more than satisfied with the sound quality of this unit for both playback and record. It is a great choice for the money and the original warranty. I also have sourced several receivers from H/K as well. All units have been scratch-free and in perfect working order and they remain so.

Good Luck.

 

[Jerry Gracia]

I have had the first generation dual-tray CD-Recorder from SONY for about 9 months with zero problems.
Past recorders that didn't work well for me were:
PIONEER PDR-509
PHILIPS (single tray/model #?)

 

[Adil M]

The Sony Rcdw10-$349 and the HK CDR26-$399 at CC are my two rec'ds. They are 4x and the HK is a better cd player, but when you make mixes you have to push a couple of more buttons then the Sony on which you can go straight to the track and record that by itself w/ less button pushes. Both are great players.
In addition, I have had nothing but success w/ Fujifilm cd's while Memorex has only given me headaches. Those would be my rec'ds based on what's at CC.

 

[Bill Will]

Any thoughts on the Sony SRCDW10 compared to the H/K ? A local store has the Sony on sale for $299 I know on the Sony you can adjust the record level on "digital" recordings but not on the H/K. Do you really need this? & do you think the Sony is worth a $100 more? Which one would you go for? Thanks again guys.

 

[Patrick Williams]

I have owned a Tascam CD-RW700 for about 2 years. It's a terrific component, and you don't have to use consumer discs - any cdr will do - and you can make digital copies.

 

[Paul Clarke]

Bill,

Have you checked out the owners opinions at consumerreview?

These are used for more than simple 'feel good about my purchase' postings. In the case of the H/K CDR2, people were not loathe to complain about the problems encountered.
That attitude led to the verifiable improvements in the CDR20 and CDR30.

Go with what is tested and true and will give better CD play as both Adil and I have offered.

$207.56 delivered in 5 days. Original warranty and 30 day Return guarantee. How can you go wrong?

 

[KeithH]

Paul,

I have used my H/K CDR 30 as a CD player a few times, and it is a good player. In fact, the playback surprised me. However, I do feel that my other players in the same system are better.


Bill,

Digital recording level adjustment is useful if you are making compilations from several different CDs that have been processed at different volumes. It is analogous to level adjustments on cassette decks. My H/K CDR 30 has the digital recording level adjustment feature, but honestly, I haven't used it. I only use the unit for dubbing complete CDs to CD-Rs, as I use a computer burner for making mixes. Anyway, if you feel you will be making mixes, you may find the digital recording level adjustment feature useful. Note there has been some criticism of this feature because it is felt that it could negatively impact the sound quality. I recall reading such criticism in a magazine review of a Philips CD recorder a couple of years ago.

 

[Michael Davies]

Bill

Hi as another suggestion i am very happy with my Yamaha cdr hd1000 ( please note im in Australia so the model numbers may vary, its very embarrassing when you think you know what you are talking about to a salesman, and he is talking about the same item with a different number ):b

It is ONLY a single tray but its copies are superb, my ears and most computer programs cant tell the difference from the 'original'

it takes about 10min to do a copy.

Good hunting