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Burning the midnight (CD) oil
The Philips CDR-778 CD-Recorder.
By Max Christoffersen
November 2000
Philips CDR-778 CD-Recorder. $1099
One new audio product has had me intrigued longer than any other. I've
even gone down to audio retailers and appliance stores just to see what
it looked like in the flesh. To say the least, the promise of this exciting
new box is tantalising.
Having seen the reviews, and talked to owners about this flash toy I
had to see if a review sample was available. I sweet talked the Ed into
sweet talking Philips and next thing you know there she was gleaming and
gold and ready to go.
The Philips CD-R 778 dual deck CD recorder was sitting at my place as
tantalising as ever.
Like many others I hadn't really expected recordable CD to ever be viable
at the right price - but suddenly there it was. Could I really make my
own CD copies of everything from old vinyl to video tapes from CD to DVD
soundtracks? Yes I could and it could be done at a price unheard of in
the '90s.
When they first emerged, CD recorders were at the cutting edge of all
things digital. The promise of making your own CDs was a major achievement
for domestic audio. Magazine reviews in the early 90s tell the story:
The Marantz Professional CD-R sold at $US7000 (yes seven thousand) with
discs at $US80 a pop.
Enter 2000 and Philips is onto at least version 3 of their dual deck
CDR. And yes, you can do even better price-wise with computer based CD
burners, but for me and others, bringing computers into audio is like
bringing league into rugby - the two just don't mix.
I've never been a big taper of music. It never seemed I could get the
fidelity and convenience I wanted rolled into one. Hi-Fi video was great
but searching for stuff was always a time-consuming task compared to CD.
So could the CD-R do it all? Yep.
Right out of the box the Philips looks a somewhat daunting machine with
two CD trays left and right and buttons with new commands saying 'Finalise'
and 'Record type'. You can record analogue or digital signals. Cosmetically,
the Philips is simply gorgeous in its champagne finish. But where to start?
I really wasn't sure.
Well
this time I read the manual. After 30 minutes or so reading I was
a lot more relaxed about it all and I was confident enough to have a crack
at making my first CD copy. And the manual suggests (and I did what it
said) to experiment with a rewriteable CD first.
It's a good idea because there a few mistakes first-timers make, like
not checking recording levels (if it's in the red you're in trouble) and
forgetting to push the 'Track Increment' button on the remote (when recording
from analogue sources, digital-to-digital recordings being automated).
So a quick trip to Bond and Bond and I had my first CDs ready to record.
One rewriteable one and a record once-only disc.
And be warned! These are not your everyday computer recordable CDs. These
discs are stamped with Digital Audio For Consumer under the familiar CD
logo. Prices recently dropped from $50 to $25 for the rewriteable CD,
and down to below $7 for the record-once only CDs.
First up a CD of guitarist Craig Chaquico. I wanted to make a compilation
of two of his CDs and after following the very clear step-by-step instructions
on the Philips display I was done and the disc was being cooked to my
specifications.
Simply incredible - a minor miracle. It was so intriguing that the Good
Lord himself could have stopped me mid-stream, knocked on the front door
and I would have said, "Look mate, can you come back in half an hour.
I'm making my first CD.."
Nothing short of stunning. I caught myself shaking my head in disbelief
and laughing out loud as this minor digital miracle took place.
Overall, the Philips deserves some big points because it makes what is
a relatively complex job very simple. It really is no more difficult than
using a cassette to make a finished CD. You do have to do a digital thing
called 'Finalize CDs' which creates the table of contents but that is
done with the push of a single button. And that's it.
I listened to the Philips CDR-778 primarily through the digital output
linked direct to the Yamaha DSPAX-1. Both decks go through this output
making the random play possible.
So how does it sound? Careful comparison between digital copy and original
source uncovered some interesting results: I could tell the recorded version.
Not once but every time.
I hooked up my 1988 Philips CD via digital out to the digital-in on the
Yamaha DSPAX-1 thereby using the Yamaha's on-board DA converters. I made
sure the cable going from the CDR was identical to the cable going from
the digital out on my old Philips. In short I made sure everything was
the same. Then I tested the same song (from different studio albums) on
both players to see if I could tell a difference - no.
But put in the CDR recording and the original and yes I could tell one
from the other. Swap them between players and yes the difference is there.
The original CD had more body and bottom end substance than the recording.
Still the copies were perfectly listenable and I could easily live with
it as a copy for the car or for the second system elsewhere.
BTW a quick warning though: The Philips has the fastest trays in the
west - stand back, they move quick and get your fingers out of the way.
The Philips is everything it says it is and it is virtually klutz-proof
if you experiment a little, get familiar with it and follow the display
prompts. Do experiment with a rewriteable CD first and it'll be like baking
biscuits in no time.
So a Christmas wish to Santa: can I have the Philips CDR please? Word has it you're in the business of minor miracles and the Philips CDR fits the bill!
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