Solid Built, 2x speed recorder, Accurate copy, SCMS options, DAO (Disc At Once), front panel layout is user friendly. It has unique digital loop out from coaxial, user can cascade this unit with other recorder like CD-R or MD.

No fade in and out (but no problem, I hardly use this feature on my old Pioneer 609 anyway). No optical output, only optical input (again, nothing serious).

My first impression of this unit is that is right to the point, just by looking at the upper right hand side of this recorder you evidently see the "PROFESSIONAL" written on the front of the unit. As soon I got a hold of this particular recorder, the recorder is telling me to go ahead "Make my day" what are you doing standing around there? Start recording!
Basically, what I meant by this is that this unit looks simple but serious and it is ready, plain and simple. It might not have enough fancy button on the front panel of this unit than any other recorder that I've seen but it sure does a great job of recording from internally and externally. What I also like about this unit is simply built solid and I truly think that this unit is ready for rugged use for outside (touring) and not just for studio purposes.
Anyway, one of the main reason I like about this unit is that is capable of recording accurate copy or if not better.
The reason I mentioned that is better is because I did some comparison from one my copy and when I did a A/B testing with the original, my copy seem to have more warmth to vocal particularly but yet still maintain the original sound of the original recorded material. I don't know if it had something to do with the media (TDK)I'm using but it sounds good whatever it is. Or either that, it just my own imagination. And my other reason for having this unit is that I can now make a copy of my MD's to CD without having to worry about the SCMS restriction. I have had a difficult time for awhile on how to record my restricted SCMS copy of my MD's and it was frustrating. For that reason this CD Marantz CDR500 resolved my long time problem.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDS-JB930, Pioneer CDR609.

Most everyone is familiar with the process of making an audio cassette recording. You push the "record" button and unless you have the tape in backwards or your recorder isn't turned on, you should get a recording. The quality of that recording will depend largely on the grade of tape you've used, the fidelity and features of your tape machine, as well as your proficiency with setting record levels and using microphones (if recording live).In contrast, CD recording is still somewhat intimidating for many folks. Surely it must be complicated. If it requires a computer, forget it. The good news is that today CD recording is easy, with the right equipment such as that made by Marantz Professional. With the variety of stand-alone CD burners and computer CD burner drives now on the market, however, you want to be sure you pick the solution that's best for your needs.


Media
Blank CD-R (record-once) discs and CD-RW (rewritable) discs are cost-effective digital media that offer many advantages over tapes. They last for decades without degrading and cost less than analog cassettes. You can record audio on a CD-R disc only once and cannot re-record on the same disc, while CD-RW discs cost a little more but can erased and used again. Pro discs can be used in either computers or professional stand-alone CD recorders. CD-R Music and CD-RW Music discs are meant for consumer-oriented CD recorders. A premium imposed by the Recording Industry has been added to the cost of every CD-R and CD-RW Music disc sold. Marantz Professional CD recorders can use the less expensive computer data discs (as well as the consumer Music discs), so over the long run, if you burn a lot of discs, a professional CD recorder may be better investment. Marantz Professional recommends that you use high grade CD-R or CD-RW data discs for best results.


Computer or Stand Alone?
It's true that the CD-RW computer drives can be used for audio recording. But you may have to purchase and install a sound card with the right inputs and outputs, as well as install the drive and accompanying software yourself. If this isn't a challenge, one drawback may be that you won't have an easy way to burn CDs from LPs, tapes, or radio, short of moving your computer closer to your stereo system, or hauling stereo components over to your desktop computer. Regardless, you'll be using a computer interface whenever you wish to burn a disc. Alternatively, you may prefer to find a stand-alone solution. Computer industry companies offer an array of "beige box" duplicators designed for duplicating two, four, eight, or more discs at a time. These stand-alone recorders typically provide fewer features than CD burners designed exclusively for making audio recordings and can only copy entire discs.


Pro vs. Consumer
I've already mentioned the higher cost of the Music discs required by consumer CD burners, but there's another reason to buy a professional-grade burner: copy protection. A professional deck makes perfect digital copies of prerecorded music CDs. (You still must obey copyright laws.) Consumer decks must pass the signal through multiple signal converters due to digital copy protection, so you aren't getting a true digital copy. Marantz Professional CD recorders let you set your own protection level under SCMS (serial copy management system). Also, they come with a full compliment of professional inputs and outputs. And because professional CD recorders are in frequent use, their internal components are built to last.


Ease of Use
When recording CDs, you want the process to be as simple as possible. On the Marantz CDR500, you can easily rearrange songs on the CD you wish to duplicate. When you are ready to record, simply press the Record Mode button until you are in the mode you want (record at double speed, record while listening, or Make a CD). Then press the Record button. The burner will automatically record and finalize the disc so it can play in any CD player. If you want to title your own tracks or title your CD, it's easy to "dial in" and select letters to spell out the message you wish to display in CD-TEXT that will scroll across the CDR500's display or appear in any CD player capable of displaying CD-TEXT.

Professional CD recorders like those built by Marantz Professional can also be used for live recording, just like the traditional cassette recorders. All you need are microphones and a microphone preamplifier. If you use a CD-RW disc, you can go back and record over any mistakes. Your finished high quality digital recordings can be divided into many tracks accessible at the touch of a button. With the CDR500, you can also use your recorder to duplicate CDs on the spot.

With so many CD recorders on the market at varying price points and with different features, how can you tell which model is right for you? As you make your purchase decision, it's important to understand the difference between consumer CD recorders and professional-grade units.

In addition to the more rugged build-quality that is typically the mark of a professional unit, all Marantz Professional CD recorders provide features that are simply not available on consumer recorders.

Control over copy protection
The serial copy management system (SCMS) is integrated into every consumer CD recorder. Consumer models are at the mercy of SCMS, while professional CD recorders provide control over SCMS.

SCMS has three copy-protection states as follows:

Off. No restrictions on digital copying.
On. A single digital copy can be made. Digital copies of the copy are not possible.
Home Copy of a Protected Original (HCO). No further digital copying is allowed. Many commercial CD recordings are marked as HCO, preventing consumer CD recorders from making digital copies. Many owners of dual-well consumer CD duplicators do not realize that they are really converting CDs into analog and then back to digital to make a copy.
A professional CD recorder lets you bypass SCMS entirely. This means you can create your own compilation disc, and make multiple perfect digital copies for distribution (please not that copyright restrictions may apply).

Wider choice of media
Professional CD recorders are compatible with a wider choice of media. They use all grades of CD-R (write-once) and CD-RW (rewritable) discs, including inexpensive computer discs, as well as CD-R-Music and CD-RW-Music discs. The computer-grade CDR and CD-RW discs are available from most computer and office-supply retailers as well as music and electronics stores.

Consumer models are limited to CD-R and CD-RW discs manufactured specifically "for music." These discs are more expensive than professional or computer CDR and CD-RW discs because their price includes a surcharge imposed by the major record labels. (This surcharge is intended to offset the music industries lost income from illegal copying of commercial music CDs). They are also less widely available compared to computer discs.

Professional Connections
Keep in mind how you will connect your CD recorder to other components in a sound system. Professional units will have the widest variety of inputs and outputs. Marantz Professional's CD recorders, for example, include XLR, coaxial, and optical digital inputs as well as balanced XLR and RCA analog inputs. They include RCA and coaxial digital outputs.

Next Generation CD Text Creation
The newest models from Marantz Professional let you generate your own title and artist information for each track, right from the front of the unit. These titles will appear when the tracks play back on the recorder or in professional CD players that can display CD-Text. Additionally, the CDR500 dual well recorder/player will allow CD-Text to be copied when dubbing discs; consumer CD recorders will not copy "protected" CD-Text, which is the case with most commercial discs.