i am recording to a polaroid DVD recorder with
hard drive. cost at walmart $200 . 80 gig hard drive. 160 available. I have opened mine and just pop in a 500 gig drive if you want I understands it is automatically formatted correctly. I record to dvd hi res format on the hard drive or DVD. if yu record to hard drive yu can dub to DVD. take the DVD to computer and strip out audio with a program. ( i use DVD audio extractor) i can record 7-10 records on one DVD. I filled up the hard drive with 125 vinyl. you have to put in video feed to do this ( i use vhs at SLP lately i stop the vhs and as long as the blue screen is there it keeps recording with no video. i just records the blue screen.) Dvd audio extractor can rip the audio out to commanw formats ( inlcluding wave and mp3 and flacc and also the mpeg audio dvd format!. ( the mpeg audio sounds better than mp3 according to my tests) play back from the dvd hard drive or DVD itself compared to a vinyl playback of the same record (in real time) sounds identical to me. There is even option (i have not used yet) bring the polaroid machine to your computer and hook sound in direct via digital inputs-(if your sound card has the digital inputs) i dont know if mp3 players will play the mpeg audio file. my dvd player will not!! here is test file of 1950s urania opera stars made using my rega turntable XLO Interconnects and acurus phono state. Stanton 681 EE cartridge. http://www.mediafire.com/?1sfsx9jx6zf |
Hi - The Alexis Masterlink is a hard-disc based CD recorder that sells for around $1000. You must first record to the hard disc and then burn the CD - in real time this can be 1 1/2 to 2 hours for ONE LP! Also, at 24 bit resolution it only has enough storage capacity for 95 minutes of audio. So, each LP transfer would be its own project - then you would have to erase the disc to do another, AFTER burning the CD of your last "project." I personally find this a laborious redundancy (total waste of time!) when you can do a very creditable job with any of the Tascams for a lot less money. With all of its features the Masterlink is probable very good for studio mastering, but for home use to transfer LPs to CDs for casual and automobile listening I think its drastic overkill. HEY! No one here is thinking of transferring their LPs to CDs to get rid of their LPs, are they?? No one here thinks the resulting CDs will sound better than the LPs, do they?? Just checking.. :-) If so, I'll take your LPs, thanks.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Ed |
Have anyone heard the Alexis Masterlink yet as CD Recorder/Player? I read a review by Micheal Fremer of
Stereophile which said that this was a excellent player/recorder. I am in the same boat as Ossorosso in that
I am looking for a player to record vinyl and I have read reviews that said that the Masterlink was excellent. I wonder how it compares with Tascam CD-RW4U. |
Ditto the Tascam CDRW700 as botha recorder and player. Great machine, excellent sound. Produces Redbook CDs that play on all my players without fail. |
Hi again - Sorry to be late getting back to you. I do think that the CD-RW4U might satisfy you as a primary CD player/recorder. Very little top end glare, realistic mids, and decent bass. It has proven itself more than the equal of quite a few more expensive players I've tried - actually embarrassing a few. My advice would be to pick one up and try it. It does a really nice job recording vinyl, and might give your Roksan a run for its money as a player in your setup. If it does, you could sell the Roksan. If it doesn't, you still have the Roksan. :-) By the way, the CD-RW4U is a half-size unit, doesn't take up much space, and can be used horizontally or vertically! If that's not enough, it comes with a USB interface and software so it can be used as a PC CD burner! It works with Macs and Windows PCs. Extremely versatile, truly surprising sound - and it's quite inexpensive. Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions. |
You should check out the other threads on this subject in this forum. I have used the NAD C660 with great success for CD dubbing as well as recording from vinyl and other sources. It has 24 bit DAC's, HDCD, and also plays MP3. I cannot give you any comparison to other players but it is an excellent recorder and stand alone cd player. Good Luck, |
OSSOROSSO-What is it that makes the roksan superior. what are the specs that you are looking for to make an educated decision on what to buy |
I USE THE HARMON KARDON 80 AND AS LONG AS YOU USE A FLAGSHIP RECIEVER WITH GOOD DAC'S IT DOES A WONDERFUL JOB |
Gracias Jayboard. You are probably right and I suspected as much. I'm now leaning toward hanging on to the Roksan and picking up a good CD recorder sometime down the road. I really appreciate all the insights from everyone thus far. Happy Listening!
Jerry |
Osso, I have a Tascam CDRW700 -- a very capable recorder, does a very nice job with vinyl, and a pleasure to use. It's a pretty good CD player, but probably in the class of a good mid-fi player. When I use it in place of my Linn Karik, I am initially surprised by how decent it sounds, and I enjoy music on it. Still, in terms of listening involvement, it isn't the same. It doesn't offend, but it's flat and threadbare compared to the Linn. I wouldn't advise going this route if you're hoping that after a short period of adjustment, you won't notice much of a difference from your Caspian. IMO, only do it if you really can live with a downgrade. |
Howdy, Egoss. Thank you for your input. How well do you think the Tascam CDRW4U records vinyl? Is its playback solid enough to be my main digital source? I know the last question is most certainly subjective. The thing is, and this may horrify many, I am looking to replace my Roksan Caspian CD player with a solid recorder/player (I'm not sure if you are familiar with the Roksan's sound-it is splendid). I listen more to vinyl than CD and I have a cheap yet sound Pioneer 25 disc juke box job for entertaining. I don't expect to find a recorder/player whose player side is as good as the Roksan, and that's OK. I am, however, looking for one that performs admirably. $300-$400 price range sounds good. Sorry if I'm a bit long winded. I do appreciate your time and thoughts. Jerry |
HI - Do yourself a favor and don't overlook the Tascam line of audio CD recorders. The CDRW4U is a 20 bit recorder that really surprised me as to how good it sounded as a player. You can usually pick one up for $300-400. The next step up is the CDRW700, which is a 24 bit unit with Optical & Coax inputs & outputs. The top-of-the-line is the CDRW2000 - which is a 24 bit recorder and adds an AES/EBU interface. They are superb recorders, and are bargains compared to most of the "name" models. E-mail me if you have any questions, I've used all 3 models & can help with features/questions/etc. Good Luck, Ed |
There is also a newer model, CDR631, which is essentially the same. I have not seen one of these for sale used, but you may want to keep an eye out for it also. The website that I mentioned is www.superscopetechnologies.com. I should also mention that these machines record one-to-one, and an appropriate disc will need to be used. I have been using the Maxell CD-R Music 80, which is the one with the gold colored insert and gold labeled disc. The record/play surface has a bluish coating. This disc will play in any player that I have tried. |
Thanks, Jependleton. I heard Marantz has produced some pretty decent ones, I've never been able to catch the model numbers, though. Appreciate your thoughts. |
I have just bought a Marantz CDR630, and have had good results using it as a recorder. It seems to be as correct at what it does sound-wise as you could expect on CD. CD's that I have recorded from original CD's come out sounding 99% the same. However, it is not a very good player. To explain that, it is run back directly to the tape loop of my preamp, whereas my CD player goes through an interface processor and D/AC first, so it may not be a fair comparison. These are one generation removed recorders and show up occasionally on AudiogoN at around $300.00. They were manufactured by SuperScope for professional studio use and sold with the Marantz name. There is a little information about it at the SuperScope website. Hope this helps. |
