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Has anyone used these CD recorders? I know they are one of the cheaper units, but they do have balanced in/outs which is what I'm looking for to replace my useless HHB burner.
I just need something that is good enough to mix to from my analog 24 track, that I can take to a mastering studio.
Perhaps I'm being a bit fussy about using balanced in/outs, but they are there for a reason.
The Fostex has a selection of formats that I can select for optimum quality too. I could also take the whole unit to the mastering house if need be.
Are there any other sugestions?
I don't want to buy another pig in a poke! Thanks, Dave.

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AudioGaff Mon, 09/03/2007 - 22:00

For a period of time, Fostex and HHB had the same CD recorder (made by Pioneer) with a few minor firmware differences. So if you did not like the HHB, you may not like the Fostex any better.

I have had and used the HHB 850 for many years and it has performed near perfectly with the exception of coasters when using bargin brands of CDR. Then I have read others who have had a nightmare with the HHB 850. I have also heard the same kinds of stories both positive and negative with the Tascam units with the exception of the newer DSD units which is what I would be looking at and considering if I needed to replace my HHB 850 at this time.

anonymous Tue, 09/04/2007 - 16:31

Sometimes I wonder whether it is a media problem with my 850 unit, what brand of discs do you use?
My pal has 3 850 units and all of them are eratic in behaviour. He has been using Sony discs.
HHB have identified a problem with a leaky capacitor on some earlier units, which apart from not doing it's job, gradually corrodes the whole circuit board. They won't replace the cap alone, so they put in a complete new board which will cost about £300 UK! AND if the laser is affected it costs for a new one of those too!
Mine will work about 60 percent of the time, so I think the board is still OK, but I'm wondering if I find better discs will it increase the odds.
At the moment I've been using JVC cdr's. I haven't risked trying any cd-rw's, for fear of corrupting any previous successful burns.
Media seems to be a problem for many makes of burners, so why is the spec so different from one brand to another?
It's almost like a new form of the old tape bias spec but rather than sounding flat or too bassy, the whole thing is gone.
Any reccomendations? Dave.

AudioGaff Wed, 09/05/2007 - 17:30

I have always had good results using HHB and Apogee. TDK and Maxwell have also done well for me for the most part, but them like other brands they can be batch to batch dependant. I use anything other HHB or Apogee, I don't feel safe. And since you can't do real time read monitoring from the CD-R until after it has been burned, I usually also burn to hard disk or even DAT tape at the same time.

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