Playback quality is fantastic., Highly detailed and involving however can sound a little cold somtimes blew my Denon DCD 685 out of the water however my Marantz CD67 MKII sounded fuller. Make sure you dont use bright sounding equipment with this CD Player as you might be a little bit overwhelmed by the slighlty splashy treble. The detail is amasing very impressed however it can sound confused on times

Recording is true to source and recording from vinyl gives the recording a bit more oomph. The auto track doesent work that well on Vinyl so be warned.

This player is very much you give what you get.

Well built unit.

Doesn't do everything you think it can.

My computer has a Digital Optical Output, which I have connected to my 5.1 home theater receiver. Sounds GREAT!
I bought this recorder to record some of the things comming over the internet, that sound so good through my 5.1 home theater system. So,after seeing all of the rave reviews "...just connect a good toslink..." , and you should be able to record almost anything, I found a nice one on ebay, and bought it. I read the booklet that came with it, and easily connected it up within munites. So I should be good to go. Right? Oh, no... As soon as the toslink was connected to the computer's digital output, I got a message from the recorder, which said "Cannot Rec". Cannot record?! I hadn't even started playing anything yet, I had just connected it up. I checked the connections to make sure I had everything connected properly. Yes, one end of the 1st toslink was secure in the computer's output, and the other end was connected snugly into the Pioneer's optical input. The 2nd toslink went from the Pioneer's optical output directly into my 5.1 receiver's optical input. Everything was perfect - except for that message. Maybe it would recognize the connection when I got some audio going through the system. . I started streaming some internet audio. The audio came right through the receiver into my speakers, and sounded as great as ever, so I knew everything was connected correctly, since the sound had to travel through the Pioneer recorder before it ever got to my receiver. Great. Maybe I could record now..... Nope. It just kept up scrolling its little message "Can Not Rec.... Can Not Rec..Can Not Rec" . I then realized that this highly touted box would not do what I expected it to do. It did not matter what audio was comming from my computer's optical output, or if NO audio was comming out. The Pioneer 509 would simply NOT recognize the optical output from my computer.PERIOD. Yes, I found that if I used the tiny analog Audio Out plug on the back of my computer and connected it to the analog Line In on the Pioneer, it would let me record. But it sounded like what it was. An absolutely sh*tty sounding analog recording. Garbage in, garbage out. Kind of defeats the purpose of buying an expensive digital optical sound card for the computer, and a CD recorder with a Digital Optical Input and Output, doesn't it??!!

Numerous but i should add BUILD QUALITY...close to Elite standards,burr-brown ad's etc,nice finish.Great tape dub's if you can use a meter.

none so far but please read manual.

Simple and simply perfect in over 3 years of use.I use a rega planet run analog with silver vampires.To record run a good toslink to 509 and never a problem.If you can find a good used one snap it up!A minor drawback fot those of you with less than 4 minutes of patience, no high speed dubs.

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none

Just about everything...very well constructed and the digital copies are flawless. Analog recordings (from a good source) also sound great. Fade ins and outs and manual tracking are great, and the cd synchro is fantastic whether you're recording an entire disc, one track, or many tracks from different discs.

None....but I sure would have liked a volume leveler!

This was the first Pioneer product I had ever bought and after seeing an ad for it and doing some research, I decided to purchase the PDR-509. I have had this cd recorder since it first appeared on shelves and all I can say is that it is one great product. Having both coax and optical inputs is a great plus and I recommend using the coax if you can. CD reproductions are flawless, with tracks input automatically even on discs where songs fade into another song. The analog recordings i've done have been steller as well, especially when recording dvd concerts. Plugging a cd changers digital cables into this recorder with your tracks already programmed in will leave you with free time on your hands while your compilation of tracks is recorded. When in auto mode, the cd recorder will halt during stopped playback and continue when a digital track is played. I also like the fade in and fade out functions on this unit, which helps alot when recording live tracks and helps eliminate the dead stop ending of live recordings. You can adjust the recording levels on both digital and analog recordings, but the digital mode is alot less forgiving if you go to far over the set peak level. It's too bad that this unit cant have a set recording level for all tracks, giving recordings the same level throughout the disc. As others have stated, some discs actually sound better than the originals and some of that may have to do with the type of blank discs used. I've had success with Maxell, Memorex, and Sony blank discs, with Maxell being the brand i've used the most. One last thing on analog recordings.....once you've completed your copy, you are now free to make a digital copy from your analog disc, giving you a great digital copy! I paid top dollar for this unit at the time it came out and if you can find one at a cheap price and in good shape, then I highly recommend this unit to you. You wont be sorry!

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Awsome recording, easy to use, well worth the price

Many CDs are 'Pro Disk' s And dont record on this recorder

Well at first I loved this thing. I read the intire manual and used almost every feature on the darn thing. I never have any problems. Only one minor thing that frusterates me though.........I have looked all over for blank media, and I have never seen any that say "for consumer use" on them. Did they stop making these or what I had some when I first got the thing but several years later I cant seem to find any CDs that will work with it. I found some that work, but they dont have that exact icon on them.......Maybe if someone could tell me what other recording CDs I could use, I could get my money's worth (would be very appreciated)

1.Solid Build 2.Applicable Features 3.Easy To Operate When You Read The Manual 4.Makes Accurate And Sometimes Better Copies Than The Source Input 5.Provides Digital Connections

I wish Pioneer will get rid of that indent in the fascia.

Hi All :) OK, after having read the reviews and although I know this is a late addition, I feel the need to come to the rescue of the PDR 509 CD Recorder itself and not Pioneer. This is because I'm not a Pioneer fan but I do believe in offering credit when it's earned. I've owned this player for about 3 years (with initial mixed opinions) and have only used it in a studio application to make personal CD copies for home and work as I am a Club DJ. As it was initially connected via Analog, the recordings were accurate replicas of the original. So that's a fair expectation of this CD recorder, I should think. Now that I have it connected via a 'High End' Digital Coaxial cable in a direct connection between the Source CD Player (Marantz CD4000) Output into the PDR 509 Input, the results are simply fantastic. This just goes to show the age old rule of HiFi ... the end result being you will get what you invest and the quality of every bit of equipment and connection cable matters. Like many, I found it to be problematic in it's initial stages because I was guilty of: 1. Being Impatient By Not Reading The Manual, 2. Not Being Bothered Enough To Source The Specified Compatible CDRW & CDR Discs, and 3. Using Analog Instead Of Digital Connections. And now that I have realised the error of my ways (3 years later), I must honestly report that the PDR 509 really delivers superb copies and performs immaculately as compared to some other CD Recorders I've used. Every copy is a perfect and sometimes BETTER replica of the original, and I've yet to burn another coaster. Admittedly, the coasters I created were solely the result of my not reading the Manual and expecting the unit to perform just like the ole tape deck we all know. Well, trial and error has taught me that lesson. Don't blame the unit, blame yourself. Where end results are concerned, it does pay to try out different brands of compatible CDRW and CDR just like how you would've decided to use Brand A over Brand B of Blank Cassette. This is because different companies do have their own formulations in CD manufacturing, just like cassettes. Personally, I prefer Verbatim's Vinyl CDR for computer copies and TDK's XA80 Audio CDR and Philips's TQ74 Audio CDRW for use with the PDR 509 as a result of trying various brands. Coming to the various complaints where noise etc is an issue, maybe there might perhaps be a problem with your particular unit and not with the entire line of 509's as suggested. For those who unwittingly bought this unit thinking that any ole CDR/CDRW is compatible, I think it's only fair to conclude that you did not do enough homework as to the requirements of this unit and/or the Salesperson was irresponsible by not providing you with the information you had the right to know. All in all, this unit gets 5 stars from me as it does what the Manual says and it accepts 80min discs even though Pioneer told me it was released before 80min CDs came about. Oh, and I'd also recommend investing in a DECENT Lens Cleaner (that is less prone to scratching) as the maintenance does make a difference. Price paid is in Oz Dollars.

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make perfect copies, good playback

plasticky built

Make excellent copies. Mine is gold finished and is also able to record from a data cd. Plays well too and is comparable with a good budget cd player. For those of you who have problem with the 509, do spend some time to read the manual

Recording perfect

Replay

this machine records perfect, optical, coaxial or analog, the recordings made from a Marantz cd63ki by optical conexion sound as the original, I have made more than 100 recodings without any problem since 2 years

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Low price, excellent record quality, both digital and analog rec. level controls, digital synchro recording

Making your own CD-Rs are a snap with this unit. The digital synchro recording automatically does most of the work for you. Plus having adjustments for BOTH digital and analog record level is very nice. Every CD-R I've burned so far has turned out great and has worked on every home and car CD player I've thrown them at (with the exception of some DVD players). I highly recommend this unit if you're new to the arena of creating your own music CDs. The only advice I have to give is if you are indeed a newbie at it, READ THE MANUAL FIRST! If you screw up with a CD-R disc it becomes an instant coaster. However, if you take it step by step and read the manual, you'll do just fine.

Excellent recordings! Easy to use!

Having to use "special" "consumer-only" CD-R and CD-RW media..with the CD format getting ready to die, is it worth it?

As far as recording quality goes, I've got no complaints. The machine does what it says it does. I mainly use this unit now to produce digital copies of my master recordings done on Minidisc format (minidisc is much more convenient, easier to edit and has excellent sound quality)instead of using a tape deck. I almost never use the disc editing features this thing has. CD is an old format compared to Minidisc or DVD, and I really only have it because Minidisc isn't as popular as it should be. My only (and major) beef about this unit is the requirement to use the specially-encoded "consumer-only" or "music only" CD-R discs. This is a PITA for me, especially since most of my recordings are of my own and others' original material, and I resent the fact I'm paying copyright fees for someone else's music on my own recordings! I first wanted to use the unit to do short production runs for customers (I have a small portable live recording studio) but discovered quickly that these special CD's are NOT cheap. The unit also doesn't allow you to daisy-chain more than one machine together, further wiping out its usefulness to me. If you are thinking of getting this unit for "pro" usage, forget it...better to spend the cash and get a pro CD-R recorder and make up the difference (the "cheaper" Fostex deck is somewhere around 3-4 grand) by using the regular CD-R discs (which are up to 8 times cheaper) In time, IF the CD format survives the next couple years, I'll upgrade to a Fostex or Tascam pro unit....HOWEVER, for the money, it wasn't a wasted purchase, as it certainly allows me to hand out a "finished" product direct to the customer, sometimes within hours of doing a recording! It is certainly much easier to set up and use than a computer-based CD-R recorder, and eliminated alot of extra cables and junk compared to what I used to use for the same end. Certainly, this is a better investment than a cassette deck by any stretch of the imagination. Minidisc still beats the format though, in my opinion, although I'm sure MD is doomed along with everything else hi-tech we buy these days... :-)

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