Buying CDRs

[Use3D]

Actually I have found the duplication speed to be a bigger issue than the

disc being used.  Anything faster than 8X is looking for trouble and I generally

use 4X.

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Heh, welcome to 1998. Burning at high speeds is fine, but if you're talking about audio quality I seem to remember b3-er saying something about faster burns being less like the original in terms of sound quality. However, if your drive supports VeriRec, a method of increasing laser strength for faster burns and greater compatibility with older units, I would go with that. i think only Plextors have this feature, and i like it, fast burns even play on my old original Discman from '93, whereas discs from my Benq (acer) and LITE-ON would be flakey.

[Indestructible!]

Hi All,

Another vote here for the Fuji and/or TY CD-R's... they always work great for me! And, I always check the packaging just to make sure they are made in Japan. Got burned once with a stack of Fuji's made in Taiwan.

Cheers,

Shane

[Chuck Nessa]

Heh, welcome to 1998. Burning at high speeds is fine, but if you're talking about audio quality I seem to remember b3-er saying something about faster burns being less like the original in terms of sound quality. However, if your drive supports VeriRec, a method of increasing laser strength for faster burns and greater compatibility with older units, I would go with that. i think only Plextors have this feature, and i like it, fast burns even play on my old original Discman from '93, whereas discs from my Benq (acer) and LITE-ON would be flakey.

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My experience in the "pro arena" says many times 1x burns are too hot and deliver many digital errors. The preferred "balanced" burn is 4x. Anything higher is problematical.

[Daniel A]

Heh, welcome to 1998. Burning at high speeds is fine, but if you're talking about audio quality I seem to remember b3-er saying something about faster burns being less like the original in terms of sound quality. However, if your drive supports VeriRec, a method of increasing laser strength for faster burns and greater compatibility with older units, I would go with that. i think only Plextors have this feature, and i like it, fast burns even play on my old original Discman from '93, whereas discs from my Benq (acer) and LITE-ON would be flakey.

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My experience in the "pro arena" says many times 1x burns are too hot and deliver many digital errors. The preferred "balanced" burn is 4x. Anything higher is problematical.

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I read about this issue a few years back, when I was still using an old 4x burner. It appeared from tests (just don't ask me who made the tests) that burning today's high-speed optimized CDRs too slow increased the nuber of errors just because the laser became too heavy, as Chuck says, and caused some sort of "bleeding". If I remember correctly this problem was measurable also at 2x, 4x and perhaps even 8x when 52x CDRs were used.

[sheldonm]

How about for digital photography? I've heard gold is better; any confirmation on this?

Thanks!

Mark

[Chuck Nessa]

How about for digital photography?  I've heard gold is better; any confirmation on this?

Thanks!

Mark

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They charge more, don't they?

[Chalupa]

I use Taiyo Yuden for my most prized projects.

I get them through American Digital in CT:

American Digital - Taiyo Yuden CD-Rs

They only cost about 30 cents each in spindles of 100.

I figure the minimal premium you pay vs. the brandless

discs is well worth it in the long run. 

One caveat, the surface of the TYs is shiny silver and not the

greatest if you plan to write on them.  However they are ideal

for those how like to affix stickers to their discs.

For my less than critical projects I have used Mitsui, TDK, Fuji and

Imation with excellent results.  This past week I picked up

100 of the Phillips discs at a great price.  They seem to work well

but as another member mentioned there is no place to write on the

disc that isn't obscured by the graphics so I doubt I would purchase

them again.

Stay away from the bargain basement and brandless stuff;

they are generally unreliable in the long run. 

Actually I have found the duplication speed to be a bigger issue than the

disc being used.  Anything faster than 8X is looking for trouble and I generally

use 4X.

  My 2 cents.

                      Don

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I use TY's too but I prefer the white ones....

http://www.american-digital.com/prodsite/product.asp?p=640

I use TDK's only if I run out of TY's(or like Don for the "less than critical" stuff). Never had a problem w/ them. I use to be one of those "Japanes only" snobs but it's getting harder and harder to find discs that say "made in Japan" in the local shops, so I've lowered my standards a little Seriously, the only discs I've ever had trouble w/ are Maxell's and Memorex. I can't get them to play on anything. If someone sends me one I just extract the music and reburn onto something else. Oh just remembered - I've had some Imations that had the silver peel off of after 4 or 5 years.

[sheldonm]

How about for digital photography?  I've heard gold is better; any confirmation on this?

Thanks!

Mark

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They charge more, don't they?

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I was just wondering if the gold discs are really better for the storage of digital photographs?

[Chuck Nessa]

I was just wondering if the gold discs are really better for the storage of digital photographs?

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The storage issue (as I understand it) isn't the "metal" but the "security" of the "sealing surface". So, who knows 'til a bunch of them fail. I would not invest in them, but would make all kinds of copies.

[sheldonm]

....probably not a bad idea. At this time, I have the disc that I make prints from and another stored in a dark, dry place.

[Saint Vitus]

I read somewhere that Taiyo Yuden manufactures Fuji CD-Rs with the Made-in-Japan tag.

[Quincy]

I read somewhere that Taiyo Yuden manufactures Fuji CD-Rs with the Made-in-Japan tag.

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They certainly used to and maybe still do, but a couple of years ago I started seeing Made In Mexico instead. For kicks I once posted a question on the Grateful Dead newsgroup that if Japan discs are good and Taiwanese are bad, what are Mexican? Didn't get an answer, not even from a troll.

I gave up with hunting in stores and just do mail order for TYs. If you live on the east coast American-Digital is good. I'm on the west so I use Cascade Media. They're out of Portland so I get my discs within 2 days of ordering. I've also used Rima.com out of L.A. too. It's easier to get Tyvek sleeves from such places too than trying to find them in person - at least in this town.

[king ubu]

I use Sony, mostly. Never had a bad burn on many a hundred CDRs. Before that I used to have TDK, but they don't always have them anymore at the stores I frequent.

Prize: 20 Franks (roughly 15$) for a 50 spindle.

As for Japanese stuff: never saw any here, and I reckon prize would be *at least* twice as much as the Sonys (remember, this is Switzerland...)

I had extracting problems with Maxells (received in trades - extractions taking up to 4 hours, some I didn't have enough patience to complete... when the remaining time went up to 20 hrs with EAC on "secure"-settings... gets pretty frustrating).

With Memorex (I got 100 of those when I bought blanks for the first time) I had 10+% gone bad while burning, so I stopped using them...

Burning speed: 8X. The Sonys I buy say 48X, but maximum speed I could choose usually is 24X.

How about burning speed for DVDs? I use Verbatim +Rs at 8X.

[couw]

After noticing that my DVDrw could no longer read some of the DVDs it had burnt itself, I burn my DVDs at a slow rate of x2. No problems since. Other players can still read the fast-burnt DVDs, just that I cannot access them at my own computer which sux of course.

[king ubu]

After noticing that my DVDrw could no longer read some of the DVDs it had burnt itself, I burn my DVDs at a slow rate of x2. No problems since. Other players can still read the fast-burnt DVDs, just that I cannot access them at my own computer which sux of course.

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So next time I burn some for you I should burn at 2.4X?

[couw]

After noticing that my DVDrw could no longer read some of the DVDs it had burnt itself, I burn my DVDs at a slow rate of x2. No problems since. Other players can still read the fast-burnt DVDs, just that I cannot access them at my own computer which sux of course.

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So next time I burn some for you I should burn at 2.4X?

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may be worth a try

[Guest akanalog]

i get my discs at staples and get what is on sale-

however this time only staples brand discs were on sale so i bought them.

i am a bit nervous. should i be?

or they any different than the fuji/phillips/sony i have been using?

[Guest akanalog]

let me add, i am more concerned with is the sound quality the same for all discs than how long they will last. i have been burning 10-12 discs worth of music a day and i dont like all of it so what i things is worth keeping i can burn onto a better disc at a later time i guess when there is a deal on better discs. but i want optimum sound quality. i guess data is data?

[makpjazz57]

http://www.meritline.com/taiyo-cd-r-52x-bulk.html

I believe this website has a sale on Taiyo-Yuden CDRs. $21.99 for 100? A friend just provided me with the link.

Marla

[Soulstation1]

i bought 200 Imation cdrs @ a buy 1, get 1 free sale

Can't get them to play on my disc-man, which is hooked up to my main stereo or my boom box....

They'll play in my car and on the computer

My main cd player is on the DL, maybe for the last time........

I need a new cd player more than i need the Ray Charles Box Set...

[mr jazz]

i bought 200 Imation cdrs @ a buy 1, get 1 free sale

Can't get them to play on my disc-man, which is hooked up to my main stereo or my boom box....

They'll play in my car and on the computer

My main cd player is on the DL, maybe for the last time........

I need a new cd player more than i need the Ray Charles Box Set...

Imations were the first cdrs I bought and half of them failed. I've used TY unbranded for years with virtually no problems. I wait for a sale and buy 500. With all the shows I'm downloading, I'll be buying another round before too long..heck..I've almost filled a 250gig (233 actual) external drive

[kinuta]

Here in Tokyo we have access to an incredible variety of cdr and dvdr. From my experience Taiyo-Yuden are the best with a near zero error rate. I've tried all the other Japanese manufacturers with mixed results.

I avoid Maxell, they are unreliable. I now use BenQ for everything and am more than pleased with the results. I've never had an error on a cdr and have had one error on a dvd. That's from hundreds and hundreds of burns. My strong recommendation is BenQ. I pay about $17 for a 100 spindle of cdr and the same for a 50 spindle of dvd-r.