SCMS, but every consumer deck has non-defeatable SCMS, so why am I griping?

After much internet research, much soul-searching, and deciding I really didn't want to spend $700 for a pro deck, I bought this critter. So far, I'm glad I did. I don't understand the amount of abuse that's been heaped on this model at this site; I know there are going to be duds shipped with every product run, but come on....how can there possibly be that many defective units out there? Two particular things I've noticed over and over are complaints lodged against the power cable (mine fit tightly and securely...I'm not planning on using it for a jump-rope), and the trays being flimsy. Well, they are thin, yes, but my GOD,do these guys use them for tampolines? Has all degree of care of one's equipment went totally out the window in this disposable age we're living in?

I rather enjoy the options included on the 775; when recording, you can go from a totally automated procedure that results in a handy-dandy finished complete disc, down to totally manual, which is what I was wanting (for mastering home digital multitrack recordings onto). I've done both (copying discs, as well as mixing several of our tracks onto CDR) so far, with none of the spurious glitches that seem to be annoying other users here. Having literally ran a Sony DAT into the ground for the past 10 years (it finally went belly up), I can honestly say from a sound-quality stand point, there's virtually no difference.

No, I don't like the idea of paying a copyright surcharge when I buy the CDR Audio discs (especially considering they're being used to record our own music tracks, which are HIGHLY UNLIKELY to every be copyrighted... ;), but prices seem to be coming down (Circuit City has a 50-pack of some import brand for $39.99, which breaks down to .80 cents per disc). With DAT going at best strictly pro, and the lack of MiniDisc compatability (as far as the number of people with home decks), CDR seems to be here to stay, and this Phillips is a nice alternative for someone who wants digital recording, but doesn't want to pay out through the nose for it.

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Marantz CRD500 (pro deck)

good sound works well in dj mode

manuale, frezzes up sometimes

well i have had to take one of these back because the record side would not even recognise a prerecorded cd. i could hear the disc inside sping around realy fast and the message would say NO DISC and when i opend the tray the disc would come out spinning at me. i got a knew one and every once in a while the unit freezes on the meassages update, wait, and initializing even got an error message that said, OPC ERROR.don't really know what that means. well i have purchased 2 of these units one seems to be working fine. BUT FOR HOW LONG???

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pc cdr cdrw

Playback sound is good

Getting a completely successful recording is crap shoot, manual sucks, buttons on unit hard to use, no way to copy a CD track starting somewhere other than the beginning (but can any CD recorder do this?),

I read all the reviews here with great interest today. I have been living a nightmare with my Philips unit and wanted to see if others have.

My unit was glitchy right out of the box. At first, I thought it was because I didn't understand how to use it properly since the manual is so sketchy. Now I now it's just quirky since I've had 4 months to learn how to use it. Here are just a few problems:

1) Unit often freezes while copying CD's. To recover, must power off and on again. CD is ruined.

2) Background static on copies made at RECORD FAST (2X). Better in LISTEN mode. (No electrical devices near unit).

3) In any mode, tracks toward end of CD (70-74 minutes) have background static.

4) Even digital copies lack zest of original recording.I can clearly tell the difference (Do an A-B comparison using a good personal CD player and headphones).

5) Only able to re-record a track on a CD-RW disc 3 times before spot unable to record. Background noise became louder than recorded music.(Trying to correct a mixing mistake. Wound up deleting track and ending the CD with previous track).


I could go on. For every good copy I make there's a coaster on the way. Think I've thrown away at least 40 ruined CD's.

I think this technology is still too young - units are not working well "in the field". My unit is right now in the Philips service center for repair ---- but I'm already surfing the Net looking for a reliable replacement - if there is one!!!!!

Overall, it's a good sounding CD recorder - it's just hard to get it to record!

Giving a 2-star rating to represent only 1 out of 2 CD's will successfully record.

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None

Sound is fine

Completely unreliable, Unit often freezes. Owners Manual is vague, at best.

I've read the previous reviews and noted that problems tend to develop after folks have had this unit for 1 to 3 months or more. I've had it for 3 weeks, and my troubles began last week. The first 20-30 disks I copied went smoothly. The last 20-30 have been consistently problematic. The machine will no longer make 2 consecutive high speed (2X) recordings(it freezes, with "update" being displayed). 1X recordings are prone to skipping and dropouts. I can't even make 1X recordings back to back anymore w/o the machine freezing. Or the unit stops momentarily, displaying incorrect total track and/or disk times. It seems to have a (schizophrenic) mind of its own. When problems occur, the stop function is rendered inoperable, as are all the other buttons. The unit must be shut off, thus ruining the CD-R(I only use Memorex). I've made sure that the original disks are pristine and free of dust, scratches etc, but disk reading problems have become more prevalent. Since I've only had it for 3 weeks, I am returning the unit tomorrow, for a replacement. I don't care about the money, I'm irritated at the random nature of this product, and as time goes on it has become the definition of unreliability.

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Analog recording

front panel controls, especially track skip control. Also,instability of the unit.

I am the Minister of Music and Media at a local church. We purchased the Philips Electronics CDR775 for custom mixing soundtracks for choir, as well as the capability of making analog recordings. I have been reasonably pleased with the ability to make analog recordings, as well as digital copies.

We have had the unit for almost (but not quite) a year, and our problems started about a month ago. The system has frozen on a number of occassions. Some times it occurs when playing a fully produced CD. At other times, it freezes while copying. It looks like I will be sending it back to Philips, although I am not sure if they can fix a random problem.

Very good sound quality. Easy to copy and finalize CDs.

Very poor reliability. Near useless owner's manual.

In less than 3 weeks, I had to return 2 of these units. The first one would not record a complete CD without giving a "disc error" message which means the CD is ruined and you have to start over with another CD. At first I thought I had a bad batch of blank CDs, but I had the same problem with several other name brands. The second unit would not allow me to adjust the volume when recording and frequently cut off the first several seconds of a track. Fortunately, Tweeter stands behind their products and allowed me to return both units. I upgraded to the new Yamaha CDR-651 and I'm glad I did. There is nothing worse than wasting time having to rerecord CDs due to a malfunctioning recorder.

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Sony ES CD changer.

Great Price, dual tray's, ease of use

Instruction Manual!!!

I have had the Phillips CDR-775 and I found it to be a very
good item. The features like the recording level that can
be adjusted makes this cd recorder stand out. Once one learn how to set the recording levels Digital to Digital Recordings come out flawless. As mentioned above, The manual
leaves something to be desired. If anyone is intresed to use
the recording level while doing a Digital To Digital recording all you have to do is: 1.) from the source program all the tracks that you want to copy 2.) once all set, then
you can adjust the recording level( with the Jog/Shuttle Button). I Have found that -5 to(-3) works very good. If the recording level is not set correctly then the recordings will be so low that yiu van not hear them.

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None

Easy to use, even for a tech nitwit like me

Manual weak on details.

I was able to make CDRs on the first try! Excellent bit perfect copies. Haven't tried CDRWs yet.
I just now tried some 80 cent CDRs made in Taiwan (50 to a spool). Problems! Error messages all over the place. Other more expensive well known makes like Memorex are fine. I'm trying to work with the mfr., but I am wondering if it is a good idea to go cheap on CDR blanks.
Hank

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Sound quality, easy to use, price

If it does it's work for at least 5 years without crashing, none.

Amazing cd-recorder, all in all.
I am using this apparatus for a few weeks now, for my own composed music, and I must say, why buy any harddisk-recording-system for your home-studio these days?

When using a sequencer and a small mixing device in your setup, nothing else is needed. The possibility of recording hundreds of times on a cd-rewritable, and the possibility of digitally copying cd's using this twin-deck, are really very nice features.

I haven't yet listened to any other stand-alone cd-recorders, but the sound-quality of built-in cd-recorders in computers is nothing compared to what this device spits out; at least when you don't have a 500 dollar sound card that is.

When comparing the master sound to the copied child, I hear no significant difference in warmth or dynamics.

When this recorder lasts for more than a few years, which I hope it does, then it's fantastic value. (price about 900 Dutch guilders).

Impressive playback as a player, Twin decks which can be hooked up to 2 diffrent amps, large display area, attractive slim design, good price for me (paid only $298brand new in box), easy to set up, double speed recording

remote too small, inputing text is a pain, manual could be a little clearer,

I'm very pleased with this product. I was reluctant to buy at first because I've never baught a Philips product before. Anyways I took the plunge because I wanted a recorder and the price was right. All my other components are Sony including tv. Never had a Sony product go out on me. I was waiting on Sony to come out with a cd-recorder but that not gonna happen any time soon.
I've burnt over 30 cd-R so far with absolutely no "coasters" I have not tried ant cr-rw's .The price of audio cd-r's is no longer a problem. I picked up a 30 spool for 19.99 a K- mart last week..Thats less than a buck each !!This thing really works. Dubbing off a complete cd is a snap. You simple choose the "Make cd" mode of recording and the unit will make a perfect digital copy and automatically finalize at twice the speed. I've got this hooked up to my Sony 5 disc player via the optical input. I've made many compilations this way. This is just way too easy. Only problem is putting in text on discs. This can take forever. I wish this had a keyboard port for text input. For less than $300 this cant be beat.

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This is my first cd recorder