Sound quality, ease of use.

Won't record computer cd-r's(for data). Slow finalization.

Having grown tired of trying to find a decent cassette deck, I opted for this cd recorder. It is far and away better than any tape deck could ever be. It makes bit perfect cd-r/cd-rw copies and allows for HDCD copying as well as DTS encoded cd's. Easy to use, plenty of hookup choices(I use the coaxial)a great user manual(which is rare these days)and great sounding copies. The only complaint is that it will not recognize computer cd-r's to record them. It will play them however after they have been finalized. I haven't had any problems so far. I made a few recording mistakes and the unit will allow you to insert skip id's so your errors can be skipped, this feature I really like. Bottom line- I'm happy with it and that is all that matters, since I am hard to please.

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Easy to use. Can be "tricked" into burning computer data CD-R's.

Cannot adjust fader time length. Copy protection, so no digital copies of burned discs. Remote.

Almost everything about this machine has been reviewed already, but I wanted to mention something about the consumer discs "needed" for it. It's easy to switch an audio CD-R with a computer data CD-R instead. I can't believe it took me a month to come up with this idea. It involves taking the Pioneer apart a little. Make sure to unplug the power cord first.

Firstly, unscrew the top cover (4 screws). Inside you'll see the drive and tray with a small grey metal piece over the spindle. Unscrew this (2 screws). This supports a little plastic/metal disc that helps hold the CD onto the spindle below, which has a magnet set in it. Keep this disc handy.

Secondly, plug the power cord back in. Load in an audio CD-R the normal way. Quickly drop the small disc onto the spindle, so the CD-R doesn't spin loosely. Wait for the machine to read it as a CD-R.

Thirdly, take off the small disc. Take out the audio CD-R from above -do not press the eject button. And replace with a computer data CD-R. And then put back the small disc. Now you can burn the cheapo CD-R's!

I bought several different brands of special audio CD-R's, but I really can't distinguish one from the next in sound quality. Even the computer data discs. It's all just 1's and 0's aint it? I guess it just depends on how well the recorder can burn a disc.

So far, I haven't burned any coasters. Synch recording from my Sony MD deck is a breeze. I bought the Pioneer mainly for recording my concert bootlegs, so being able to divide tracks in frames instead of seconds is great. (85 frames per second) I would also like to be able to adjust the time length of the fader, like I can on my MD deck. But it's set at 5 seconds. And like most Pioneer remotes, this one also has small hard to use buttons.

That's about all I can complain about it right now. This thing works just like it promises. I'm very happy with it. I got mine for $549 CAD.

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stinky Philips CD-R recorder

Machine does what it says and does it very well.

The additional cash layout for the special consumer CD-R & CD-W disk format required with this unit. The Optical cable being included would have been nice.

Went to my local bestbuy to purchase a minidisc recorder and saw this open box complete unit for $159. Needless to say i am still looking for the minidisc since bringing this baby home. Salesman told me that it would not record CD-RW or any analog formats (Wrong). Recorder does both without any problems. This machine makes great recordings and i have no regrets for purchasing it. As soon as i got i home i read the manual completely and put it thru its paces. It does everything it says it will do with no effort at all. It is very important to read the manual because mistakes can be costly. I would recommend this recorder to anyone. It is the best $159 dollars i have ever spent. I will do another review in future after more use.

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Sony and JCV players

an absolute fine machine that never caused me any problems

replay quality, but i have a better machine for that...

bought this machine from a firm in berlin, where the modified it, so that i can also use computer cd-rs to record on.
its not the price, that disturbed me on audio-cd-r, its the lack of different brands you get there.
i had no problems with this machine.
the only job is to copy, and it does it very fine.
i can only recommend it with five stars.

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Options to record through optical and analog recording.

Monitoring (recording) and finalizing time (four minutes).

I first purchased the Philips CDR-765 to which I endured major problems within the first month on usage. What people truly don't understand is that you must use digital audio CDR and CD-RW in order to record CD's. Finalizing your CD when your finished enables you to play your CD in any player. Pioneer PDR-509 gives you the flexibility that the Philips CDR-765 doesn't provide. Track
no. write is the best feature to manual number your mixes, only if you use the optical feature with the Philips CDR-765. The Philips CDR-765 was my main outlet for dubbing CD's, but I now use the Pioneer PDR-509 as my main recorder and my Philips CDR-765 as the primary recorder for my finalized (manually tracked/Pioneer) CD's through the optical mode. In short, this review is limited in provisions, but I assure you can get the best of both worlds by using the Philips CDR-765 and Pioneer PDR-509 to record through the optical mode. It will enable you to receive the exact digital recording through an analog(original)source that was originally recorded (auto-track only) without the skips that the Philips CDR-765 normally provide. The Pioneer PDR-509 has a display that says over to give you the proper reading of your limitation. The remote is useful to finalize, track no./write, etc. In short, the PDR-509 didn't replace the RW-555, just became reasonable priced.
The only flaw is monitoring through recording time is shut off after five minutes because if the machine doesn't recognize that it recorded anything. It can be a great source to shut off to reserve energy, but if you want to perfect your pre-production from an analog source (monitoring), use the Philips CDR-765 which doesn't shut itself off. Closing with an idea that you can get the most out of the Philips CDR-765 and the Pioneer PDR-509 by using the optical feature instead of dubbing through the Philips CDR-765. You'll eliminate the skips after manualy track no./write through the Pioneer PDR-509, but you must use auto-track on the CDR-765 and press both the Philips and Pioneer play buttons simultaneously. Overall, I recommend the Pioneer PDR-509 highly for the success that's provided through my mixed CD's.

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Philips CDR-765

Ease of use.

Auto track writing on analog input.

I have burned about 20 CD-Rs of my casette library so far, and have had no problems, other than the auto track writing. I have had to use manual track writing on all my recordings so far (it's a bummer to "test" the auto track writing, only to find it doesn't work and miss the beginning of a song."

For the price, this is a great device. I've always been a little leery of Pioneer, but the price and features got me. I've got about 400 audio casettes, and just couldn't see myself sitting at the computer trying to use a CD-R drive to do all these conversions. I would recommend this recorder/player to anyone looking to convert casettes (LPs?) to CD. Just make sure you buy 80 minute CD-Rs and not 74 minute if you want to double up similar albums (e.g. two Styx albums on one CD).

It does what it says it will -- everytime.

4-minute finalization

I'm the guy who wrote on 4/08/00 about getting a distortion on CD-Rs dubbed on the 509.

I must apologize and say I have subsequently discovered the distortion came from the Kodak CD-Rs I was using (as the gentlemen after me suggested). I must have gotten a bad batch (I buy in bulk) because a good two dozen were filled with a pulsing white noise distortion. That was the only brand I used, so I mistakently thought it was the machine.

However, since I have switched to Maxell and TDK CD-Rs, I have had nothing but perfect recordings. I wanted to write in and say I'm sorry if I led anyone to believe the PDR-509 is not the great product I had said it was in my first review. It's a truly wonderful machine!

?

This is a review of a Pioneer PDRW739. Never even used. As with the other posters on the PDR-555RW review page, the 3 disc changer drawer would NOT open. It was purchased at Sears and was a brand new, factory sealed product.

I didn't want a Philips as they don't provide the vital and more commonly found standard "optical" digital "output". They provide an optical "input" but no output.

I passed on the HK CD2 because it's manual states it has a 20 track limit of recorded tracks. I found from a couple of reviews this is a typo and false. The 20 track limit pertains to only PROGRAMMING. I will find out as the HK CD-R seems to be a very nice recorder for only $50 more than the 739. I will get the HK and submit a review on that later. I'm really disappointed in the defective pioneer product. From other's reviews, this is a common defect and should have been "RECALLED" by Pioneer, which it was NOT. I unfortunately, was a victim of this poor product design. Beware, don't let it happen to you. Our time is "WORTH" money!

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Very easy to set up and use. Well laid out

Price of special CDRs, cannot erase first tracks without having to erase the last ones also.

I have used the 509 for less than a week, but have 'burned' 4 or 5 CDs now and i'm happy with the results. It is easy to use. The CDR media is available here in the UK for aroung £1.50 per 80 minute CD (TraxData), i bought a pack of 10 for £14.95 from Currys. The sound quality is excellent, i would recommend buying a CDRW CD also, just to burn to when doing analogue recordings (you can erase it if you screw it up), then burn from that CDRW to CDR, it works fine for me.
I paid £249 at Dixons, i think that's about right.
A very nice deck - well done Pioneer !

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I only bought this instead of PHILIPS because it has digital output and the
price was good.

I could not have a single CD-R recorded right since I bought this unit

I bought this unit on July 31st 2000, thinking that I could enjoy my
self-made CDs on my car cd-player.
I bought the pioneer because it has a digital output conection and the
price was below the philips.
I regret deep in my heart this choice, first because I trusted in Pioneer
technology and second because I live in Brazil (and it makes difficult for
me to return to the Best Buy in Miami) and Pioneer does not want to have my
unit served here.I was a fool because I saw 3 units standing over the shelf
in Best Buy, with the label "Open Box" and I did not realize that it was
the dump from previous customers not satisfied with the product.
My unit was brand new, sealed in the box.
So far I recorded 10 CD-Rs from different Brands and all have the same
problem. The first 5 or 6 musics are OK, the rest has distortion and white
noise, a garbage. In some brands the disk is completly useless.
The brands that I used:

JVC: Bad from the beginning
PHILIPS: First 3 musics OK, the rest bad
MEMOREX: All disk ruined
KODAK: The best, but some parts of some musics with distortion
LG: First 4 musics OK, the rest bad
LG industrial: First 3 musics OK, the rest bad
SAMSUNG: All disk ruined
BASF: All disk ruined
TDK: All disk ruined
NIPPONIC: All disk ruined

To play I had more confusion:
My DVD Panasonic A100: it says NO DISK on the display, for any disk
My LD Pioneer CLS109: The best to play, but plays based on the behavior
explained above
My Discman Sony: It plays but it is impossible hear the music from any disk
My infamous Pioneer PDR-509: You hear the distortion
My Mini-system AIWA: Plays based on the behavior explained above
My Mini-system SHARP: Plays based on the behavior explained above
My Kenwood Car CD-Player: Impossible to read the TOC

If the people from Pioneer in Brazil does not give a solution I will try to
suit them in court.
To have my money back or the unit repaired.
And if I do not succeed, I will never buy a Pioneer product again.

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