Price Paid:  $400.00 from Wal Mart

Summary:
Beware of this unit if you are in the market for a cd burner- this one's a crap shoot. I bought mine when they first came out, and the recorder would only work about 30% of the time. Since they were new at the time I thought that was just how they were. It finally crapped out all together just as the warranty was running out (literally that week) and when I finally got ahold of a Phillips customer service rep(very difficult to do) they directed me to a repair center. They replaced the optics, the mother board and some mechanical parts. When I went to pick it up I asked the repair tech why they went through all that trouble instead of just sending me a new unit and he said "That's what Phillips said to do. You wouldn't believe the trouble they are having with these things". That's the repair guy talking. He said that if the warranty had run out that the repair cost would probably be more than a new one, which was around $400 at the time. Since the repair, it works most of the time. It still gives me OPC Error and Disc Full errors from time to time, and the recorder side has a very hard time reading some brands of blanks, sometimes I have to go through 5 in a row from the same spindle to get one that works, but when it works it's great. I don't know if other brands such as Harman Kardon or Sony burners have these OPC problems, but I also have a CDR 770 (single tray version of the exact same model) that will not work at all anymore. It is a great player, but the record function is totally defunct. I have to say that Phillips customer service is almost non-existant, absolutely the WORST customer service dept. that I have ever had to deal with. They don't even know what products they still make or if service centers are still open. And that's IF you can even get them on the phone or on the internet. I think Phillips released this product before their homework was done, as it seems that the later models were more reliable. Don't pay too much for one since they are prone to failure, and make sure that the seller will take it back if it's a dud. If you are buying one from craigslist, PLUG IT IN AND TEST IT. I didn't do this with yet another one and I got burned (when will I learn). Better yet, buy a Sony or HK.

Strengths:
Very good sounding player,and the player side is very reliable. Digital and optical outs and digital / analog inputs, user freindly shuttle wheel, nice display (not too bright), reasonable size fits pretty much anywhere, good looking faceplate.

Weaknesses:
Very unreliable, many bugs (especially in the earlier ones), absolutely 0 customer support, not worth repairing, be prepared to buy alot of discs to find the ones that work.

Similar Products Used:
Phillips CDR 770, Phillips CDR 785 Phillips CDR 880

Price Paid:  $36.00 from pawn shop

Summary:
I got one great deal 3 years ago! Althigh I have had some of the problems that many have printed here. It is my thinking that it is the .50 CDR not the machines fault. I have recorded more than 600 Lps and have thrown out maybe 10 cdrs. Like I said it has been a great buy.

Weaknesses:
none

Price Paid:  $225.00 from BestBuy

Summary:
I got this to record my LP collection. I used a mixer and audio inputs to my computer for a few recordings and decided this was too lo-fi (noise, distortion). This unit makes very good quality recordings. I have had no trouble with the unit, and have completed recording over 1000 LPs. I used FUJI Audio CDRs while I could get them, then switched to FUJI All-Purpose CDRs, both in 50 pack configurations. I had problems with one 50-pack of All-Purpose CDRs, with about 10 failures, but I think that was a problem with the CDRs as they were sticking together on the spindle. I also used Memorex CDR-Ws for the few times with great success; but note that some computer CD readers will have problems reading these (a Matsush-ta would turn sine waves into saw-tooth waves with very unpleasant results, but Yamaha and Pioneer drives both worked well). I now use this occasionally to read bad CDs that my Yamaha and Pioneer drives won't rip. I haven't tried this on any copy-protected CDs so can't vouch for its performance. Otherwise, I don't use this to copy CDs as it is too slow. But for analog recording this has been excellent.
I did not use this to insert tracks; most of my recordings were made unattended. It automatically stops recording when input volume drops (after tonearm pickup). For unattended recording I do recommend the B&O 8000 or similar turntable; it mutes signal prior to tonearm pickup and it also automatically shuts off if a stick is encountered. If I want tracks, I rip the CD-R, break tracks and edit noise on the computer, and then burn back to CD-R.

Strengths:
High quality analog recording.

Weaknesses:
Digital recording too slow. Recording volume difficult to set because signal meters do not have visible 0db reference.

Similar Products Used:
None.

Price Paid:  $450.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
Well, first let me say that all the other bad reviews that I have read seem to be misleading. I got mine when it first came out. And let me tell you, it is THE BEST BURNER I HAVE EVER USED, period. It's audio quility is amazing. Seems to me a perfect 1:1 copy almost every time. I have to admit though that I have had some errors. The biggest error would have to be when you copy a cd, it will seem to finish but when it's done, it will say the disc is full even if you only recorded a 4 min. song. Weird but not that bad when it happens about once every 100 discs. It is much more reliable than any computer burner I have seen to date (July 26, 2003). I have a $500.00 dollar DVD burner that I just got that also does cds and it ruins 1 cd out of every 25. Very bad. But DVD is a new technology, I will give the critics that. So I will also tell you I have a brand new $250.00 dollar "pre-mastering" recorder and it also ruins 1 out of every 40. Still worse. Audio quality, doesn't compare to the CDR775. Bottom line: Go buy it while they still make it. You WON"T regret it. P.S.- I have had it for about 4 years now.

Strengths:
Audio quality and reliablity rate.

Weaknesses:
Only 2x recording. Not the best now but will maintain that quality.

Similar Products Used:
Sony DVD/CDR/CDRW burner and a Pioneer CDR/CDRW recorder. I have used others, but I own these.

Price Paid:  $450.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
Well, first let me say that all the other bad reviews that I have read seem to be misleading. I got mine when it first came out. And let me tell you, it is THE BEST BURNER I HAVE EVER USED, period. It's audio quility is amazing. Seems to me a perfect 1:1 copy almost every time. I have to admit though that I have had some errors. The biggest error would have to be when you copy a cd, it will seem to finish but when it's done, it will say the disc is full even if you only recorded a 4 min. song. Weird but not that bad when it happens about once every 100 discs. It is much more reliable than any computer burner I have seen to date (July 26, 2003). I have a $500.00 dollar DVD burner that I just got that also does cds and it ruins 1 cd out of every 25. Very bad. But DVD is a new technology, I will give the critics that. So I will also tell you I have a brand new $250.00 dollar "pre-mastering" recorder and it also ruins 1 out of every 40. Still worse. Audio quality, doesn't compare to the CDR775. Bottom line: Go buy it while they still make it. You WON"T regret it. P.S.- I have had it for about 4 years now.

Strengths:
Audio quality and reliablity rate.

Weaknesses:
Only 2x recording. Not the best now but will maintain that quality.

Similar Products Used:
Sony DVD/CDR/CDRW burner and a Pioneer CDR/CDRW recorder. I have used others, but I own these.