Best/Worst blank CD's

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Titanship

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I'm going to be dubbing a bunch of cd's for a project of mine. Can anyone tell me what brand of cd's to stay away from? Conversely, which ones are good? I've had good luck with the MAXELL'S at Wal-Mart, but the print on the disc bleeds through when I put my label on the cd. I'd like a cd that has no, or very little, print on it.

Thanks, Titan
 
Mitsui is usually considered best, however I use ink jet printable media from I/O products that runs $69 per 100 in jewel cases shipped to my door. I print directly to the CDR with a Super Image printer (modified Epson) and the results are very professional in appearance.
 
I really had some problems with my TDK's lately. Everytime I burned an audio Cd there were lots of crackles and buzzes on the background. First I thought my writer was going bananas, but when I burned it on Philips CD-R's, the buzzes where gone.
 
OK, I'm really cheap. I buy the cheapest I can find regardless of the brand. I really like the ones with no writing on them, just the silver foil (such as K Hypermedia). I've been doing this for a year and typically will have one or two bad out of 50. Worse so far? Verbatim. I had a pack of 25 at work and had 4 bad ones. I've found that even though my burner will go to 12X I never burn faster than 8X. Couldn't tell you the last time I had a bad one at home at this speed.

DD
 
I've actually had good luck with some cheap brands like Dysan, Prime Peripherals, etc., but if you want definite quality, I'd go with Kingston Hypermedia, Sony, TDK, Philips, Kodak, etc. Its actually a better indicator to identify the manufacturer than the name brand, or buy the manufacturer's own brand. Taiyo Yuden and Mitsui are probably the most respected manufacturers, so as long as you know the CD-R's were made by them, you can safely buy whatever name brand. Stay away from anything made by Ritek.

You can use various CD-R identification programs to determine the manufacturer, BTW. Keep in mind that not all drives can read the data that identifies the manufacturer, though.

BTW, titan, here's the Mitsui site:

http://www.mitsuicdr.com/
 
I have had no problem whatsoever with Imation CD-Rs. I've been using them for two years now.
 
The "best" are Hhb, Apogee, Quantegy...

The best "affordable" ones are TDK, then Maxell.. IMO


Stay away from Verbatim... I wouldn't even save a word doc to a verbatim. they suck....

What do I use you ask?

TDK...

Any problems...??

Never...



(I love having my own little dialog.) :D
 
BrettB said:
I really had some problems with my TDK's lately. Everytime I burned an audio Cd there were lots of crackles and buzzes on the background. First I thought my writer was going bananas, but when I burned it on Philips CD-R's, the buzzes where gone.
Click to expand...

I would hazzardly guess that your burner "doesn't like" TDK's....

I have used them for years in al my burners, and I have never, and I mean NEVER had a problem... 4 different burners, and probably been through 1000 discs...
 
problems???

"TDK...

Any problems...??

Never... "

I donno Vox. I listened to one of your CD's and noticed this HORRIBLE sound............

















............ah shit!! That's you singing!!!! ;)

Sorry man - couldn't resist!

(Vox and I go way back so cheap shots between us are all in jest)
 
I do duplication work in addition to studio work,so I burn between 100-500 cd's per week,depending on business,and the Taiyo- Yudens have been the most reliable.I tried some others,but when I'm popping out 7 at a time with a replacement guarantee,I like to know they are good.
 
A well known Swedish audiophile claims that a CD-R called Black CD-R, is way better than the others (soundwise).. It has a black surface.. that's all.. I've never tried it.
 
Meshuggah said:
A well known Swedish audiophile claims that a CD-R called Black CD-R, is way better than the others (soundwise).. It has a black surface.. that's all.. I've never tried it.
Click to expand...

How can that be?..

I can understand better materials making the storage more stable and longer lasting, but how can one media sound better than another when they are both limited to 16 bit?...

By the way meshuggah, im not challenging you on this... Im seriously asking out of my own curiousity..

I have been told that digital is digital and there are no variances in sound quality between cdr's... the only sifferences is ability to play on lots of machines and longer more stable storage with the better cd's
 
Re: problems???

zip said:
"TDK...

Any problems...??

Never... "

I donno Vox. I listened to one of your CD's and noticed this HORRIBLE sound............


..........ah shit!! That's you singing!!!! ;)

Sorry man - couldn't resist!

(Vox and I go way back so cheap shots between us are all in jest)
Click to expand...

You Suck Zip! :D
 
911 Vox! 911!!

That was your 911th post! :eek:

"How can that be?..

I can understand better materials making the storage more stable and longer lasting, but how can one media sound better than another when they are both limited to 16 bit?...

By the way meshuggah, im not challenging you on this... Im seriously asking out of my own curiousity..

I have been told that digital is digital and there are no variances in sound quality between cdr's... the only sifferences is ability to play on lots of machines and longer more stable storage with the better cd's"

Vox...

Meshuggah is correct in one respect. CDR's with different dye types have different sonic profiles...

There are 4 dye types which come to mind. Cyanine, Phthlocyanine, Azo and this new black type. All do have slightly different responses because of the way the laser burns the dye layer. I haven't read much about the new black dye but of the other 3 - Phthalocyanine is the best sounding. The reason is melting point of the dye. Azo and Cyanine types have higher melting points and therefor are actually melted. This leads to higher error rates and slightly effected sonic response due to rounded edges the laser must interpret during reading.

Phthalocyanine dye on the other hand has a lower melting point and is actually burst vs melted. This yields square edges which are better read by the laser during playback.

I know it sounds strange but it is true. Burn a cyanine type and a Mitsui (phthlocyanine) and listen on a high end stereo. You will hear a slightly more pronounced - warmer low end.

I shit you not.

zipah >>

ps - Bite me dough boy... ;) :D LOL
 
I chose not to read all of that, but I use Mitsui for computer, and Imation for my Stand alone Philips.

Memorex black discs: BEER COASTERS!!!! But they suck at that too because of that damn hole in the middle.....
 
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