Customer Reviews

Philips CDR800 3-CD Integrated CD Recorder

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Once I purchased this product I said bye bye to recording on my Sony tape deck much like I did about watching vhs tapes versus dvd movies ! So far I have not encountered any major recording drawbacks or electronic malfunctions using this recorder. Both 3 disc tray well and single recording/playback well have smooth sounding and operating mechanisms. The only timelag I've encountered is using the remote to get, oh let's say from track 1 to 10 by numerically pressing the corresponding key tracks; response is not quick enough within changing track numbers from the same disc. However, strangely enough the random play and program functions are quite rapid ! Honorable mention for Philips in designing a well lit and highly readable digital function display with brightness adjustment.In fact, I have found this recorder to be a breeze to use for burning cd track compilations and understanding the instructions versus using my tape deck (don't have to worry about unmatched sound levels, Dolby noise reduction, metal or chrome tape, high bias, yadda yadda yadda...)The Philips CDR800 is aesthetically pleasing on the eyes. The price is quite acceptable and reasonable when compared to other competetive brands that only offer single or dual recording playback trays at higher cost. However, must keep in mind that this recorder can record 1x or 2x speed. This is acceptable since I have no desire to copy full length pre-recorded cds versus single various track compilations. If you enjoy copying full length cds in their entirety then the Philips CDR820 will do the trick by recording 1/4 the time (4x)...Keep in mind that before you can contemplate between 2x and 4 x recorders some manufacturer will come along and build a better mouse trap for audio disc recorders that can do 8x or 10x, even faster times to cut down on recording times of whole discs !

I have this same model, but without the MP3 addition. Trust me, no MP3 feature of any kind will make this CD recorder worth the purchase. I had mine for only a few months before it simply stopped recording on CDR's I'd been using all along. So it had to be shipped back to the factory (where it stayed for 5 weeks), so they could "look at it." Over a month later, I got a call from them saying that "Philips CD recorders are only designed to work with Philips exclusive CDR blank media." My first problem with this is that apparently nobody who sells Philips recorders knows this--or they just don't tell you-- and Philips consumer electronics, themselves, don't tell you in the instructions, on the box, or even at their helpline 1-800 number. Secondly, good luck trying to find any Philips brand CDR blank media out there, much less at a reasonable price. And even when the unit is functioning the way it should, the record-times are sporadic and the computer inside the unit is fickle at best. Please use my unfortunate experiences with Philips CD recorders for your own benefit. Do not spend your hard-earned money on this product. I'm sure there are other quality CD recorders out there, but I just blew my money on the wrong one.

I received my Phillips CDR 820 7/1/02. I read the Instructions and had it up and recording in no time. The unit is very user friendly and makes superb recordings. I used Imation AUDIO discs and had no problem with them. The controls are nicely laid out. I like the feature using my computer keyboard for inputing the titles. The ps2 jack is up front and not in the rear. I am converting all my old 33 1/3 records to CD's and it easier to do it with this unit than drag all my components into my computer room. Thanks Phillips for this well designed easy to use product

This is a real good set, easy to use, very user friendly and with a quite good users manual, very easy to follow. Have been working it about 6 month, and recordered in all modes and with all possible sources, both digital and analog without problems and superb results.
Just 2 tips: dont use cheap blank CD's (I mean less than a buck ok buck fifty the piece, they fail by shure. I use some japanese ones rating [$$$] each and works fine) and when recordering from old or noisy cassettes, record song by song if you dont want to have 15 songs in a single track.
If you like editing your own CD's, or have lots of tapes and LP's to save, this is a must.

This unit is super! Very easy to record tapes, just hook it up, push record and the easy to read display tells you when to start your cassette!. If you have a big cassette tpe collection at home that you don't wnt to throw away, buy this recorder, you will love it.

I have experienced nothing but frustration and disappointment with this equipment. It has been a problem from day one and is not very intutitive to use, either. I will be packing it up and returning it for repair this week after only having it for 5 months, plus I have used it very little. It now will not open the CDR tray no matter what I do. When playing it in shuffle mode with 3 CDs in tray, it stops after about 15 minutes of music and I have to unplug it to get it to reset and do anything. When inserting a cd in tray to play it will not read the cd until I press play a couple of times and reopen and close the tray a couple of times. Previously, I had a Sony 5 tray cd changer for 12 years and never had one problem! Too much technology for a cd player recorder?

I have the Phillips CDR-820 model cd recorder and I have no problem using ANY brand of blank CDR or RW discs. I just used a Memorex Cool Colors CDR and it works just fine, I had no problem with finalization and it plays in all other cd players. I don't know what these people are talking about when they say you can use only Phillips blank media. I would suggest that you do not use these cheap, no-name CDR's, after all, you get what you pay for and this goes for all blank media. I love this cd recorder, it compliments my Sony mini disc recorder very well, they work well together. I would recommend the Phillips cd recorder, maybe some of the earlier models had problems, but this latest model works very well. I have never even used a Phillips blank CDR, Maxell works very well and is a good choice. Buy the Phillips 800 cd recorder and enjoy!!!

This review is probably moot, since Philips seems to be phasing out their cd recorders, but here goes. I purchased one of these from the "Scratch and Dent" section of my local Circuitous City, and I experienced the exact problem that others had, were the unit locks up during recording (extremely irritating!). So, I returned this unit and went to Best Buy and bought another CDR800 and this one seems to be ok. I haven't experienced the same problem and I've had it for nearly a year.

I need this unit because I still have a ton of vinyl and I wanted to commit some of my older LP's to cd. In this capacity it has worked wonderfully! The feature I really like best is the Track Increment button on the remote that allows you to break up the songs on an LP into individual tracks (I looked at a bunch of recorders and this one is the only one that I found that on). The 3 tray cd makes compilations easy to put together.

I hope this one lasts a while!

This product has excellent features but my unit will not finalize most discs after recording. Most of the popular blank audio CDR discs such as Maxell, Memorex, Fuji, Verbatim, etc. are not compatable with this machine. However, it will usually function with TDK discs.

I contacted Phillips about repairs (unit is still under warrenty). ...

If you buy this machine, be VERY careful to QUICKLY and thoughly test its operation using several varieties of blank audio CDRs. ...

I first got interested in the Phillips CDR through a firend who had one, but after reading several reviews was reluctant even though my friend had no problems.
However I decdided to take a chance on a used machine and have never regretted my decision. I did have the problems of OPC error and Update, but an e-mail to Phillips solved my problem which was using Memorex and TDK tapes. They sent a list of others and I now use Sony or Pengo without any problems.
I have been able to copy cassette tapes I had compiled and old LPs without any further problems.
I am a satisfied customer