Pro Audio Asylum

Posted by Ken J. (i) on July 31, 2001 at 13:39:39

In Reply to: Alesis ML-9600 Masterlink......????. posted by Chris Garrett on July 27, 2001 at 22:26:51:

Chris,

I don't usually hang out in ProAudio, but I wandered in when I realized my regular haunts (Vinyl and General) were closed for remodeling.

Anyway, I posted a question on General several months back about which stand-alone burners would be best for transferring vinyl to CD-R, and I think you were one of the few who responded.

I've done a lot of research since then, and like you, I soon decided that a pro unit would suit my needs the best (especially with the ability to use inexpensive media). After many exhaustive Internet searches and dozens of e-mails and phone calls, I narrowed in down to the HHB 830 and the Sony CDR-W33.

I finally decided on the Sony, based mainly on these considerations:

• Good word-of-mouth feedback on its reliability and compatibility with a wide range of CD-R and CD-RW formulations
• Excellent DSP features, including Super Bit-Mapping (which I use all the time with excellent results), parabolic EQ, and limiting/soft clipping.
• More housebroken appearance (the HHB's purple stands out like a sore thumb next to the rest of my home audio components).

Since I bought the Sony a few months ago, I've burned approximately two hundred CD-Rs and CD-RWs from several different brands. I have not had any problems whatsoever, and the sound quality is excellent, IMO. In fact, I am currently making a comparison CD-R with the same tracks recorded with two different phono cartridges. The sonic differences, though subtle, are clearly audible on the CD-R.

Of course, if you need features that the Sony doesn't deliver, you'll have to look elsewhere, but for recording vinyl to CD-R and CD-RW, I think the Sony is great.

Ken J.