Stand alone duplication, make perfect digital copies of CDs and CD-R/CD-RW discs without resampling through audio digital converters.
CD-text generation, create and edit track and disc titles with simple input controls. These titles are saved as CD-text that can be viewed on CD players and recorders that support the CD-text format.
Accepts multiple disc formats, the CDR500 accepts CD-R and CD-RW discs, including 1X-speed discs for computer use. This wider choice in media offers greater flexibility and additional cost savings.
Record level and balance control, the CDR500 offers both digital and analog record level and balance controls. This lets you easily control any input source and ensure that tracks on music compiliation discs share the same volume levels.
Selectable copy protection, bypass SCMS copy protection when duplicating a disc. Or set your own copy protection at the level you decide.
Summary: This cdrecorder does what it is expected for: cdrecording and copying. Ive had this unit for more than 10 years and indeed...the recorder unit broke down halfway down its life on the laser part in the recorder section of the machine. I've managed to replace the drive unit from philips with a philips CDD4401/65 cdrom recorder for computers and it now works even better:D these laser units from the 4401 are better and last longer, and are really cheap-ass to replace (picked up one from a second hand shop for less than a dollar) if you know how to take apart consumer-electronics and replace parts, then i would strongly recommend you do so with this machine. dont get into replacement parts from marantz, they are scarse and waaaaaaaaay to expensive.
it is an exellent machine that reproduces sound really well, i've used it for over a decade and exept for the stock laser unit it IS a good machine. the recorder part is part plastic, but is die-cast iron there where the laser unit is assembled and solid as a rock.
So for all things clear: the drive units from the cdr500 and the cdd4401 are completely interchangable and work really well! the units from the cdd4401 are waaay better than the stock phillips 775 (i believe) found in the marantz, and last longer!
Because of the bad stock laser burner that came with it I give it a rating of 2/5 for value rating, and a 5 star for sound, mechanics, inputs and control:)
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Summary: Same problem as others have mentioned - drive broke and >surprise< no replacement parts were available. Near-criminal support from Marantz for pro gear and a pretty clear indication of bad product design. This is without question the last piece of Marantz gear I'll ever purchase. It's not worth the small initial cost savings to have to risk this kind of expensive failure.
Weaknesses: User interface is cryptic, at best.
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Summary: I'm not going to go into too much detail about the " positives " of the CDR500. Prior reviewers have done a solid job of talking about all the things this unit does well and I agree with those reviews. However, what I do not like about the CDR500 is that Marantz used Philips drives which have the " known issue " of dying sooner than later. To make matters worse, these drives are hard to find and replace.....and there's no guarantee that they'll last. I used my CDR500 off and on for about 2-3 years.....hardly using it to record as much as I would expect a " professional " DJ or someone in a small studio would.........and my CDR drive died on me. And here's the fun part, it's a $500.00 fix to replace the dead drive and that's if you can find a replacement drive! For a " professional " piece of gear which has been used in a non-professional way(only about 80-100 hours of use).....that's a big let-down. Not too happy with Marantz on this one.
To justify that price, this unit needs some work in many areas. Maybe they corrected the mistake they made on the CDR500 in their replacement model(CDR510) by using different CDR drives? However, the doesn't solve my problem of owning a $600 CDR which now requires a $500 fix to make it more than just the sizeable paperweight it is now. Not cool Marantz. Where's the customer service on this unit?
Strengths: See prior reviews from other reviewers here on Audio Review.
Weaknesses: Quality and reliability of the CDR drive.
Similar Products Used: Sony, Philips, Yamaha CDR's
My Brother, I recently cleaned the lens on the record-play drive and my Marantz CDR 500 returned to full functionality. So far, the first ten CD's I placed in the drive have been recorded fine. My record-play drive had become more and more finicky over time ... rejecting most CD's with the nebulous "NO DISK" message. The play drive, however, worked fine. I had only recorded 50 or so CD's over three years ... so I couldn't believe I had a usage issue ... it seemed time related. Other people are having the same trouble. The record-play drive craps out after a few years ... whether you use it or not. Then I noticed the upper vent on the housing is over the record-play drive. Lenses in CD units face up ... toward the recording medium. So my theory was that, mayber, the record-play lens was just dirty. Maybe dust got on the record-play lens because it is under the vent ... but the play drive stays clean because it is not under the vent. I resolved to fix or destroy the bloody thing. I drank a Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA (good beer) and got to work. I removed the upper panel of the housing (a few screws). I removed the record-play drive (a few more screws) with the cables intact. I plugged in the unit, pressed the button to open the record-play drive to better expose the lens. I got a long special cleaning tip ... a long foam-tipped swab with isopropyl on it , I got the swab from an electronics store, Radio Shack maybe ... and reached in there and delicately swabbed the lens. I pressed the lens carraige vertically some as well because I had noticed the vertical movement of the record-play lens was not as smooth or as far as the vertical movement of the play lens (they bob up and down a bit with you first close a drive ... I think they are trying to focus on a CD ... that isn't there if the tray is empty. I don't know if manipulating the vertical movement of the carraige helped but I feel compelled to tell you the whole story. In any event, the carriage movement did not loo
(remainder of comment) In any event, the carriage movement did not look any different afterwards. I also couldn't tell by eye whether I had actually cleaned anything off of the lens. The lens is buried in the drive ... it's hard to get to and you can't see it very well. I waited a couple of minutes for the alcohol to dry ... and put in a blank CDR. After months of no function from the record-play drive ... suddenly it was initializing the blank CD. My Marantz CDR 500 is about three years old and is now back to full functioning. I recommend against anyone trying to repeat my actions. I operated the unit with the cover off. I operated the record-play drive while it was removed from the unit ... balanced precariously upon the play drive. Don't try any of this at home! You'll void any warranty, you may shock yourself, you may drop something into the unit and destroy it, and you'll probably just wreck your unit ... so don't try it! ... Instead, send it to somebody who will charge you hundreds of dollars and who may or may not figure out to swab the lens ... or ... do whatever you want ... it's your unit ... can you clean a lens?
Sorry for goofing up the comments. I recently fixed my Marantz CDR 500 after experiencing what are evidently common frustrations with the unit. My unit is about three years old. I fixed, I'm jazzed, and I'm trying to share information with other disappointed owners who want that investment to get back to work. The first portion of my story starts with "My Brother." The second portion picks up after that and starts with "(remainder of comment)." My hope is that my comments will help other bring their units back to life.
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Rating Reviewed by: David K Nakamura(Unregistered User)
(Audio Enthusiast)
Review Date December 3, 2003
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
Visitors rate this review 5.00 of 5,
1.00 votes
Review 4 of 11
, from San Francisco, CA
Price Paid:
$800.00
from Leo's Pro Audio
Summary: This is a dual-deck pro-audio style CD recorder with the recording deck on the left side. It has rack mount holes and a wide-format rack-style front, but no rack handles installed.
The main differences between this deck and a standard consumer CD-recorder deck are:
1. SCMS defeatable function. Selectable levels of security. This feature ALONE would justify the price difference from a $300 consumer player;
2. Rear panel connects include the usual coax, toslink, and unbalanced stereo ins and outs for both decks... this deck also has balanced XLR inputs, but strangely, no XLR outputs. Rear connectivity is almost exception except for this fact.
3. Kindy klugey, big, clunky and primitive remote. Obviously OEM, as coincidentally, this remote operates another Onkyo CDR deck that I owned, as well as the Onkyo's remote fully controlling this one.
4. Drive drawers are somewhat flimsy-feeling for a supposed "pro" deck. These drive drawers and probably the mechanism and many other parts are OEM parts for consumer decks. Makes sense, and one can't complain for the price.
5. Yes, there is a noisy fan that goes on during recording. I actually consider that a blessing, as this unit is clearly designed for heavy use. That fan keeps internal temps down, and everybody knows that nothing deteriorates parts faster than excessive heat.
6. Relative ease-of-use. The front controls are a bit small (small buttons, very small jog dial), but the menus are simple and the operation buttons large, clearly marked, and color coded. This is not a sumptuous machine, but more of a purposeful workhorse. It looks like it would be more at home in a studio or a rack full of equipment than perched atop a home stereo system.
Overall, this is a very good product, and great for the price. The sound is good, though I might just get better CD playback out of my Sony ES SACD changer. For most copy purposes, it's easier and much faster to burn copies on my PC (especially if it means selecting specific tracks). However, and the final major selling point of this deck might just be this: according to my friend who also bought one at my recommendation, this deck supposedly will record from the new copy-protected CDs !! If that's true, then that makes this deck that much more of a great product.
Strengths: simple control layout, industrial no-nonsense design, rear panel connectivity, SCMS controls, possible copy-protection override, cooling fan during recording process hints at robust operating lifetime.
Weaknesses: klugey, primitive, large remote, flimsy drawer trays, lack of XLR outputs, somewhat noisy recording fan
Similar Products Used: various Sony CD and SACD players, Marantz CDR dual deck
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Summary: This is an excellent machine for recording from CD or analogue. Sound reproduction was better than from my Rega Planet in many ways. But there are a couple of blemishes alluded to by other reviewers. This applies to recording from analogue vinyl.
1. There is no record button on the remote though there is a pause recording button. This means you have to go back to the machine to continue recording which is a hassle if selecting vinyl tracks or playing new sides.
2. Record levels do not show up as red/blue bar lines as per the instruction manual. I would leave as factory set to.
3. "Make CD" should be the default setting for most people making CD copies as this initialises the disc as well.
4. Auto-track needs to be turned "off" when recording from vinyl if you want to add tracks to reflect source tracks on vinyl. Otherwise you could simply use the tracks on the CD to reflect "whole vinyl side" content which saves you the task of pressing "track increment" on the remote.
Strengths: Does what it says it does and sounds comparable to same cost CDP units.
Weaknesses: 1. Manual is not clear
Similar Products Used: None.
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