Sony RCD-W500C CD Player and CD Recorder

Rating:
Summary: Excellent recorder, but I'm going to keep my old player
Review: Thanks to everyone for their reviews. Since I found them very helpful I will make a contribution as well.

As a CD player, I consider the unit mediocre, mainly because the CD changer is very slow. I much prefer my old 5-CD turntable changer, which I was intending to get rid of, but have now decided to keep.

As a CD recorder, however, this unit is worth having. As somebody else mentioned, the recorded CD's do sound better than the original LP's. As many people mentioned, it's impossible to find a dB setting for the auto track detection feature that will work for all songs on all albums, or sometimes, even for all songs on the same album. My solution is to turn the feature off and do it manually. This requires listening while you're recording (pretty enjoyable, actually) and manually hitting the record button to mark a new track. This can be done with the remote control, so you can be on the other side of the room doing something else when you mark it. The other major issue, not being able to finalize recordings over 74 minutes, has not been a problem for me. I've made six CD's, recording two LP's per CD, and on five of the six CD's the total recording time was less than 74 minutes. On the sixth CD, the unit automatically stopped recording after 79 minutes and 57 seconds and finialized without a hitch. Maybe I'll eventually run into a problem with this, but if it works one time I don't see why it should do anything different the next. By the way, I was using 80-minute TDK music CD-R's.

Rating:
Summary: MAGNIFICENT SONY CD RECORDER
Review: This is my second cd recorder and this sony unit is fantastic. One thing for sure is you must read the instruction book before using it. The unit has many features such as simul-sync in normal or high speed which allows you to place a cd in the left carrier and record it to a cd in the right record bay. It has features that allow you to record different sequences of songs between one and 5 cd's. However you may have a longer silence between songs if you transfer to another cd. It also allows you to place tracks into a cd without creating a moment of between track silence. This is a great feature, you can also adjust the sensitivity of silence duration if you want the recorder to self track a cd (ie recording an lp and walking away from the unit). My favorite is the 20 bit map I use it when recording from an old reel 2 reel tape, it makes the sound just increadible!With the push of a button. You should only use "music cd-r or rw" and try not to record for greater than 76 min, the format may jam if you go to the full 80. Buy this and forget about the rest its more than enough!

Rating:
Summary: Sony's CD-R Workhorse(When it Works) !
Review: When it works it's an awesome piece of Sony engineered home audio recording equipment...When it doesn't it's scrap pile. I can sympathize why some reviewers might have chucked theirs in the dumpster...

The first one I bought had some serious locking up issues;It just malfunctioned on the same day I purchased it.It even trapped one of my cd's inside;to retrieve the cd back was no small feat without almost busting a knuckle.As I found out after removing the cover that space for the elevator/built in cartridge exchange mechanism is pretty tight. If you ever get a cd stuck in there, good luck!I immediately exchanged it for one that worked properly at my local electronics dealer.

This one has worked flawlesly for me for the past two years without failure ! I have not encountered any finalizing issues. Sony has crammed the RCDW500C with loads of features and then some. The only minor complaints I have is that you have to really read the manual from top to bottom,left to right, then try to memorize what some of it's hidden functions are to get the most from this unit. The flourescent digital readout display is not user friendly. Also, the internal cd exchanging mechanism is very noisy and clunky for being a Sony.Previously, I owned a Philips carousel model that was extremely quiet and smooth in it's mechanical operations and playback/recording functions.The downside of the Philips model was that it lacked the 4 times recording speed and the six cd holding capacity that I'm thrilled about with the Sony! Yet, it's(Philips) flourescent display readout was extremely user friendly and easy to read.It literally would tell you in text exactly what you needed to know and what function it was performing or instruct you what you needed to do to achieve optimum recording results.It would guide you practically step by step in words on the display and not numbers or codes. The Sony doesn't---it's all just digital display numbers and codes(save that Sony instruction manual and guard it with your life!!). However, it gets the job done and then some with flying colors...I use mine mainly for vinyl to cd-r transfers and the results are awesome! Sonically, the music sounds much more crisp, clear and sharp than the original analog source.I don't even use the SuperBit Mapping feature to enhance the sound;doesn't need it.Also, the fact it can hold 6 cds for playback is incredible and versatile. Some of the functions, whether necessary or mere bells and whistles, are a pleasure to have and use.

If the readout display was easier to read,certain "hidden" button/rotary knob functions better laid out on the unit's fascia and the exchange mechanism quieter, this would definitely qualify as Sony's flagship CD-R machine and get a 5 star vote from me...

Rating:
Summary: If it's what you need ...
Review: You might want this if, as I did, you want a component that fits in your audio rack to record your vinyl records to play in the car. It may be the only available product of its type. You need to be aware of the limitations of the technology, though.

The main problem is that you are recording directly onto CDs, and this is a finicky process, especially sensitive to vibration. In my case, this even meant the vibration induced by pushing the buttons. Put it on the bottom shelf, and use the remote even if you are standing in front of it, and you'll usually get a successful recording. Sometimes I don't, though, and this is frustrating: you don't find out that it fails until you finish the track (which usually means the side of an LP, see below). Then throw the media away and start over. Inconvenient for copying LPs, disastrous for live music (karaoke, for example).

As others have noted, unless you intervene manually, you are pretty much stuck with one track per side. There is a function automatically to detect silence and start a new track, and the threshold of silence is adjustable. I can't find a level, though, that is high enough to ignore surface noise between tracks but low enough not to trigger on pauses or quiet passages in the music. Of course, you could take your new CD to your computer, edit it into separate tracks (and do other tricks on it if you want) and write another one, if this matters to you.

As noted, the media are a little expensive. This is partly because the cost incorporates royalties, but these are actually only a few cents. Mainly it's because not so many people buy them, so the market is not as fiercely competitive as for nonmusic blanks. I certainly don't mind paying royalties to creators, except for two things. First, I have to pay them even when the recording fails and the disk goes right in the trash. Second, the royalties are divided among artists in proportion to current sales, whereas I am recording stuff precisely because it is not even for sale any more, so the artists I am recording get nothing.

You can, but almost surely don't want to, use this to copy other CDs. If you want to do that at all, it's easier, cheaper and more reliable with a computer.

You should think about these alternatives. They all have drawbacks, and you may decide, as I did, that this product is the best compromise; but consider:

1. Putting a computer next to your stereo. They're a little noisy, they may not fit the decor, and your computer sound card may not give you the same fidelity. You get editing flexibility, though. More importantly, you get to record live onto hard disk, which is much less sensitive, and then from disk onto CD. This last step takes only a couple of minutes with modern drives, so there is a better chance of keeping the thing still enough, and little time wasted if it fails.

2. Putting your stereo (or a rudimentary other stereo) by your computer. All you really need is the turntable and preamp, but these are a bit expensive, and you don't get to listen in your usual environment.

3. Running a wire from your stereo to your computer. Now you have to run yourself back and forth from the "studio" to the "booth" to record.

4. A more expensive standalone machine with a hard disk in it as well as a CD burner. These are marketed as "professional" rather than "consumer" products, through different channels such as music stores, but we're all on the Web here, right?

5. If the records you are copying are available on CD, just buy them.

6. Hire a service to copy the obscure stuff that hasn't been re-issued.

7. Just play the records and enjoy them until they wear out.

As a player it's OK, but nothing special. You can get as good much cheaper, or much better as cheap.

Oh, and as to the CDs sounding "better" than the source, as some have said: well, think about it. For me, the best it can get is the same. Anything else is distortion. You may find it to be a pleasant sort of distortion, or not. (With my gear and my elderly ears, for what it's worth, it sounds near enough the same.) And, unlike your vinyl, it won't get worse over time.