Compact disc recorders are all the rage these days — with good reason. They enable you to deliver your creative efforts in a medium that is widely available. While DAT is still the preferred mixdown tool and is likely to remain that way for some time, its failure as a widespread consumer medium meant that you couldn’t count on a DAT machine being readily accessible to the managers, agents, and others you intended to shop your recordings to. This situation forced many creative people to dupe their material to the trusty old (and I do mean old) compact cassette. So before your artistic efforts even made it out the front door, your precious material was compromised.

CD-R and CD-RW have changed all that. Nowadays, the biggest challenge when purchasing a CD recorder is determining whether a dedicated unit such as the HHB CDR-850 reviewed here or one for your computer represents the best choice.

The purple-faced CDR-850 is a 2U rackmountable device weighing in at a substantial 15.4 lbs. The unit is supplied with an owner’s manual, a wireless remote, power cord, a pair of stereo RCA terminated audio cables for analog I/O, a supplemental sheet on the proper handling of CDs, a very useful guide to digital audio recording media, and one HHB (you were expecting otherwise?) CDR74 CD-R disc.

The CDR-850’s rear panel provides everything necessary for integrating the recorder into a professional environment. For analog I/O, you’ll find XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced connectors. Digital connections include an XLR AES/EBU input and both optical and coaxial S/PDIF inputs and outputs. There is also an 8-pin DIN connector for parallel remote control. The manual provides the pinouts for the jack, enabling a studio tech to easily access the unit. The port’s implementation, however, lacks support for Play tally, Pause tally, Rec-Pause tally, Rec-Play tally, and Stop tally. A 15-Pin D-sub connector would have been a better choice, as the additional pins could make tally information accessible. The 8-pin DIN connector takes priority over the wireless remote. If desired, the recorder’s infrared capability can be disabled.

The unit’s front panel has a clean, straightforward layout. The most noteworthy item here is the Input Selector, which offers the following choices: AES/EBU, optical or coaxial (S/PDIF) digital input, XLR +4 dBu, XLR –8 dBu, or line level analog input. Interestingly, if the desired input selection is already set to that position, it must first be changed to another setting and then returned in order to activate the Input Monitor facility.

Throughout my work with the CDR-850, all the controls felt solid and the disc tray opened and closed with a smooth motion — thus inspiring professional confidence.

At power on, the unit’s display cycles through a series of "CD?, CD-R?, and CD-RW?" messages as it seeks to determine what form of media is in the drive. After recognizing that the drive is empty, it settles into a conventional display. Upon inserting a disc, the unit once again cycles through the aforementioned messages before recognizing the media, at which point it reads the disc’s Table of Contents or identifies it as a new disc and then enters standby.

Playing a CD on the machine is like using any standard CD player. The unit provides all of the expected consumer playback features, several of which must be accessed via the remote. I could execute digital synchro recording with my DAT machine, search for specific tracks, have one track (or all tracks on the disc) repeat, program upwards of 24 tracks in any order, modify or clear the program and fade into or out of a track.

In a broadcast environment, the CDR-850’s Auto Pause mode enables the operator to play a single track, at which point the unit stops. There’s also a thoughtful touch whereby the digital outputs can be disabled. This feature is useful for preventing signal loops. The unit supports Selectable Copy ID, facilitating free copying, a single copy, or no copies of a disc. With a recordable disc, the CDR-850 also provides a Skip ID function that is essentially identical to that of a DAT recorder. When recording from a digital source other than 44.1 kHz, the CDR-850 provides automatic sample-rate conversion to the 44.1 kHz CD reference standard.

I recorded to the CDR-850 both digitally and via analog in order to get a good sampling of its capabilities. Some material was from a commercially available CD, while other tracks were produced in my own studio.

Analog source recording frequently requires attention not only to the placement of Start IDs, but also to the unit’s Auto Detect level. The CDR-850 provides settings of –66 dB, –60 dB, –54 dB, –48 dB, –42 dB, and –36 dB. The default is –60 dB. The challenge can occur if a program has dramatically fluctuating levels — perhaps a pianissimo string passage at the opening or close of the selection. If the Auto Detect setting isn’t sensitive to these levels, the Start ID can be misplaced, causing the track numbers to be incorrectly written. For this reason, the CDR-850 provides both Manual and Automatic numbering. (See the sidebar on Start IDs.)

I recorded via the unbalanced line inputs using my DAT as the source. After selecting line on the CDR-850’s Input Selector and pressing the Record key to place the machine into Record-Pause and Input Monitor, I adjusted my signal level. When I was satisfied, I pressed Play and the unit immediately entered Record mode as indicated by the red LED over the tray. I then pressed Play on the DAT machine. Upon completion of the program, I pressed Stop on the CDR-850. Playback (indicated by a green LED over the tray) was perfect. The unit’s converters sound very good [1-bit A/D converter on input side; multi-level Delta-Sigma D/A on output side]. There is absolutely no reason for avoiding the analog inputs if a digital path isn’t an option.

I automated the mix of two small projects in Steinberg’s Cubase VST and mixed them digitally to the CDR-850 using my sound card’s optical S/PDIF output. The entire process could not have been easier. After correctly identifying a new CD-R disc, I pressed the Record button, which again placed the unit into Input Monitor. Since my levels were carefully set in Cubase, I checked to see if the CDR-850 was accurately reflecting them — it was. At this point, I pressed Play, and immediately thereafter, commenced playback in Cubase. The results were excellent.

When I was ready to mix my second project, I placed the same disc into the unit and pressed the Record key. The CDR-850 was ready to create track #2, and after checking all my levels while in Input Monitor, I pressed Play on the CDR-850, followed by Play in Cubase. Again, my recording was perfect, and each of the two programs on the disc was correctly identified as tracks #1 and #2.

Finalization is a function whereby a CD-R disc is processed in order to make it compatible with standard CD players. With my disc in the tray, I pressed the Finalize key. The CDR-850 informed me the process would take just over 4 minutes, at which point I pressed the Pause key. The recorder displayed remaining time as it processed the disc, and, upon completion, my CD-R disc became a regular CD. It is important to note that while CD recorders like the CDR-850 work with CD-RW media, these discs are not compatible with conventional CD players.

HHB’s CDR-850 is a well-made, good sounding recorder that has most of the features you’re likely to need. Operation is quite intuitive, and, for the few functions that you can’t quite grasp, the manual is perfectly adequate. The unit’s tepid support for remote parallel control is its biggest shortcoming, and this is only an issue if you require tally information as part of a larger system environment. While I would certainly prefer a wired remote as opposed to the consumer-style infrared variety, the unit functions well — but it feels rather "dinky" in your hand. All in all, the HHB CDR-850 is a fine recorder that will serve the overwhelming majority of facilities very well.

HHB were selling professional digital audio equipment back when DAT was a new-fangled technology and the pro-digital lobby used pseudo-video recorders such as the Sony PCM 1610 and PCM F1. The company has grown dramatically since then, with offices in London, Los Angeles and Toronto - a far cry from its distant origins as the 'Half Human Band', a group the company's founders used to provide PA for.

Whilst HHB may not be the cheapest 'box-shifter' in town, their professionalism, expertise, and experience of digital audio technology is second to none. And they are not just distributors, either - HHB began manufacturing and marketing a few of its own branded products several years ago with a 'professionalised' version of a Casio portable DAT machine, and a range of recording media. These were followed by the highly regarded HHB PortaDAT machines, a CD recorder and, more recently, a range of loudspeakers. To provide more technical support for its growing and loyal customer base, HHB also invested heavily in its own, extremely well-equipped, service department which commands an excellent reputation.

The subject of this review, the new CDR850, is the result of HHB's continuing partnership with Pioneer in Japan, who also built the CDR800 for them in 1997. Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that versions of this machine are also available under the Otari and Fostex badges and the same will be true for the CDR850, although the new machine has largely been designed to HHB's own requirements and specifications.

The earlier HHB CDR800 could only record on standard write-once CD-Rs, as the newer rewritable discs employ incompatible reading and writing processes. The CDR800 will continue to be available, as it is still a very good CD Recorder with some unique features (such as the 'stable platter' disc support mechanism), but the new CDR850 offers the capability of recording on both conventional CD-Rs and CD-RW discs. As a professional machine (it must be because it says so on the front panel!), the CDR850 can use the cheaper 'pro' CD-R and CD-RW blank discs instead of the more expensive 'consumer' versions. Although the machine is more expensive than typical consumer recorders from Philips or Marantz it has lower running costs because of the saving made on blank media, and so will work out cheaper in the long run. It also provides the kind of interfacing and operational facilities expected of a professional machine.

The Tour
The CDR850 is a 2U rackmounting machine sporting a distinctive 'HHB Purple' paint job with clear white legends on the panel and buttons. Weighing 7kg and measuring 393mm front to back, the machine features a central CD drawer above a large fluorescent display panel, with controls arranged on either side. The first thing to strike me about the CDR850 was an impression that it had been designed by someone who uses CD recorders regularly. It is hard to think of a feature or facility which is not available on the machine, yet it remains reasonably simple to operate. Better still, there is no need to scrabble around the back for anything because all operational modes and conditions can be controlled directly from the front-panel buttons and switches, or via a simple menu system (see box).

The rear panel is awash with connectors - the upper of two rows consisting mainly of XLRs providing AES-EBU digital in, electronically balanced left and right analogue line in, and the balanced stereo analogue lines out (there is no AES-EBU digital output, sadly). There is also an 8-pin DIN socket facilitating a wired remote control option. The lower row of connectors provides both TOSlink optical and co-axial S/PDIF inputs and outputs, plus unbalanced domestic-level analogue in and out on phono sockets. The machine contains a switched-mode power supply accommodating mains voltages between 120 and 230V, 50 or 60Hz. Power is connected via the usual IEC socket and there are no external fuses.

The front panel is largely self-explanatory, although a few extra legends concerning the menu operations, and the odd feature here and there, wouldn't go amiss. Starting on the left, the large power switch is sufficiently far away from the other buttons to avoid expensive accidents! A group of eight black push buttons fills the remaining space towards the central display and CD drawer, whilst the transport buttons, input selector, and record level controls are over on the right-hand side.

Of those eight buttons on the left, the four lower ones are slightly larger than those above. They provide facilities to select automatic or manual mode for writing track numbers, the track number Write button itself (with a small LED above to indicate when it is available), Finalise (ie. writing the final table of contents to make a Red Book-compatible disk, in the case of CD-Rs), and Erase (only for CD-RW discs of course). The upper row of buttons caters for setting and clearing Skip IDs (also used for confirming menu selections and resetting the peak level margin indicator, respectively), accessing the machine's menu functions, and the rather confusingly labelled 'Skip Play' button. Normally, if the machine detects a disc programmed with Skip IDs, a legend in the display illuminates and tracks marked with Skip IDs are automatically bypassed during playback. Pressing 'Skip Play' turns the legend off, allowing all tracks to be played in their original sequence. Skip Play sounds more like an auditioning mode to confirm that the correct tracks have been identified for skipping to me, and perhaps 'Skip Off' might have been a more intuitive legend for this key. An equally bizarre piece of non-labelling is the inclusion of an unmarked LED above the Menu button. One might assume this has something to do with the menu facilities, but no, reading the manual eventually revealed (in a paragraph on page 70) why it illuminates and flashes. The LED indicates the SCMS status of the disk, remaining dark for 'copy once' discs, illuminated for 'copy permit' and flashing when 'copy prohibit' is indicated.

Moving to the CD drawer, a large rectangular LED catches the eye. This 'function indicator' illuminates green during playback, red on record, and flashing red during record mute, or when updating the PMA (programme memory area where the temporary Table of Contents is stored). It also flashes orange when preparing to erase CD-RW discs and a steady orange when actually erasing part, or all, of the disc. The large fluorescent display panel includes a fairly crude signal level bargraph meter with only eight steps between -40 and 0dBfs (with the top three being 0, -3 and -6dBfs). Above the meter is a nine-character alpha-numeric section which displays, amongst other things, track numbers, running and elapsed times, and various operational and setup messages.

The right-hand section of the display contains illuminated legends identifying the disc type (CD, CD-R, or CD-RW), 'Finalise' process, the sample rate (32, 44.1 and 48kHz), and the 'Skip On' mode. To the left of the alpha-numeric section are icons for play, pause, record and fader (the last blinks when the auto fade-up/down mode is active). There are also further illuminated legends when playing a programmed selection, track repeat, sync recording (when copying from suitable digital sources), and Auto Track numbering modes.

The controls to the right of the drawer consist of eight transport keys: play, pause and stop in a row along the bottom with search forward and back immediately above. Record, record mute (four seconds) and open/close drawer employ circular buttons and are alongside the drawer itself. One of the two remaining buttons (above the pause and stop keys) cycles the display around the various timer modes - elapsed, remaining (track and total), and total disk duration - and the level margin figure. This indicator displays the highest signal level for each channel, in decibels below 0dBfs, and is reset with the Skip ID clear button. The last button, labelled 'Digital Synchro', activates the digital synchronisation feature whereby the recorder copies either a single track, or all tracks, from a domestic digital source, automatically inserting the track increments to match the original. This facility only works when receiving digital inputs via the TOSlink or S/PDIF inputs (not AES-EBU), and only when the data originates from another CD, Minidisc, DAT or DCC machine. If the source IDs are late with respect to the audio (eg. were made with a level-dependent auto ID mode), they will be copied in the same way.

To the right of the transport controls are a headphone socket and volume control, whilst above is a dual-concentric record level knob and a rotary input selector switch. The selector offers AES, optical and co-axial digital inputs, and balanced XLR analogue inputs at either +4 or -8dBu (-10dBV), plus the unbalanced line inputs (also at -10dBV).

A small infra-red remote control is supplied with the CDR850, providing the usual transport and direct track access facilities. It also provides access to functions that cannot be controlled from the front panel at all. These include the fader up/down operation, track or disc repeat mode, and programming, clearing or checking a track playback list. The wired remote control (via the 8-pin DIN connector on the rear panel) takes priority over infra-red commands.

In Use
The CDR850 is, in the main, a joy to use - my only hesitations being the lack of intuitiveness over some functions, poor labelling in places and some cryptic menus. However, once familiar with the machine it is easy to use, reliable, and predictable. As with all CD recorders, the quality of the end product is very dependent on the source material, with badly produced masters inevitably causing problems. For example, copying single tracks from a DAT where the Start IDs were generated automatically caused the expected clipped starts and snatches of the following track at the end. However, on material which was created more carefully, and when copying from commercially released material, the machine performed flawlessly and accurately.

Most of the menus were treated as a 'set and forget' function, although I found myself adjusting the auto fade up/down feature on occasions. At six seconds, this sometimes proved to be far too slow, particularly on the fade-up cycle, but the longer times worked well for fade-outs on suitable material. The other two menus I changed frequently were the auto-stop delay setting - usually between 'never' and 'immediate' - and the threshold setting for the auto track increment. I found it very useful to check this by adjusting the threshold and watching to see if the Track Number legend illuminate and at the relevant points.

I checked the performance of the built-in sample-rate converter with a varispeeded CD source and found it tracked extremely well, as it also did with both 32 and 48kHz stable signals. I also made several test recordings of familiar material copied from commercial CDs, both with and without the SRC in circuit (on adjacent tracks in some cases), but could not hear any significant difference. To my ears, and those of my friends and colleagues, all of the copies made on the CDR850 were indistinguishable from the source material when played back on the source machine (material was copied mainly from a Meridian 508 CD player using the optical or co-ax connections, co-ax giving the best results).

The playback side of the HHB recorder was not quite as detailed and revealing as the Meridian, but it was to a generally very high standard and, more to the point, the information was all recorded to the disc! Analogue source recordings were also handled quite well (the delta-sigma A-D converters have a claimed 92dB signal/noise ratio). Better performance can be obtained with external A-D converters: for the digital input, HHB claim a signal/noise ratio of 108dB, matching the playback figures.

All in all, this machine is a strong performer with a good range of professional features and facilities. Aside from a few gripes about some of the obscure or absent labelling and intuitiveness, I liked the CDR850 a lot - it is certainly the best CD-R/CD-RW recorder I have used to date. Not as quick and easy as a SCSI drive integrated with the workstation, but quite possibly the best standalone professional unit to have reached the market.

Menus
Most of the specialised facilities of the CDR850 are accessed through its menu system, although many of the menu status messages are rather cryptic thanks to the restricted size of the display. The first menu sets the SCMS status of the disc between 'permit', 'one copy', or 'prohibited' although, as a professional machine, it ignores the SCMS data on an incoming digital source! Once a selection has been made, pressing the Skip ID Set button stores the new setting. The second menu determines the auto-stop delay time which has troubled Paul White on some CD recorders reviewed in recent months. Most automatically stopped after a few seconds of silence, which he found frustrating when trying to create discs with artistically lengthy silences between tracks! The CDR850 offers three choices: zero seconds (ie. pauses immediately when silence is detected), 10 seconds, or never, which will please Paul. I would have also preferred a fourth option of, say, three or four seconds which would be more appropriate when compiling original material a track at a time.
The automatic fade up/down setting contained in the next menu can be set to 6, 9, 12, or 18-second durations, and the threshold for the automatic track increment facility in the next menu can be set anywhere between -36 and -66dBfs, in 6dB increments - if the signal falls below the set level for more than two seconds, the track is incremented. An unusual feature for a CD Recorder is an Auto Pause mode on playback which can be activated in another menu. Common enough on professional players, this facility automatically pauses playback when the next track ID is detected, preventing the machine from starting the following track, but cueing it up ready for the next press of the Play button.

The reference-level output from the balanced analogue XLR connectors can be set to either +4dBu or -10dBV (-8dBu), although the factory setting is for -10dBV - which is not what you might expect from XLR outputs when there are also domestic phono sockets present! Thinking of applications in duplication rooms, the infra-red remote sensor can be deactivated via another menu as, although it may be useful to control several CDR850s from a single IR remote, it could also be rather embarrassing, and a wired remote control system may be the preferred option in such cases.

The digital outputs can also be disabled from a menu, ostensibly to prevent the possibility of digital howlrounds. Being able to perform this from a simple menu instead of unplugging leads from the back will be appreciated by many users. Finally, saving the best until last, the CDR850 incorporates a sample-rate converter to automatically correct the incoming sampling rate to a precise 44.1kHz. It accepts any input between 32 and 48kHz, including varispeed replay from CDs or workstations - a handy feature for mastering engineers or DJs compiling their own mix selections. For the purist, the SRC can also be disabled via a menu when stable 44.1kHz sources are connected.

HHB CDR850
pros
Five flavours of input.
Sample-rate converter.
Auto-Track increment threshold adjustable.
Auto-Stop delay adjustable.
cons
Some obscure labelling and displays.
summary
A CD-R/CD-RW recorder with sensible features for the professional. Some obscure labelling lets it down slightly, but it is solid, reliable, predictable and dependable - everything a professional demands.

While the arguments rage for and against sending CDs as masters to the duplicator, CDR machines have continued to evolve. In fact, with media prices tumbling as well as the price of the machines themselves, the disadvantages of CDRs (such as the lack of verification) have become more of a fact of life than a problem. Duplicators are investing in systems that will register errors from CDs, like the KOCH units, thus becoming a safety net for the increasing number of people who bypass specialist mastering studios and burn CDs themselves.

HHB's first CDR unit, the CDR-800, was a badged Pioneer product but brought with it an ease of use that HHB recognised would strike a chord with users who may previously have been reluctant to a buy a rackmount unit. The unit offered a pro spec and a choice of recording methods; at about £1200 it was a very desirable product. Nearly two years on, enter the CDR-850 which looks like less of a MkII, and more of a second-generation machine. For a start, the 850 carries the purple HHB corporate colours and has a 1U size. The CD drawer is still central but doesn't feature the reverse platter of the first model, presumably allowing for the decrease in the size of the faceplate. So all CDs go in as normal - that's label up.

The controls are quite similar to those of its predecessor, obvious changes include the record levels being on one pot with the right channel as a separate ring. This rationalisation makes room for a comprehensive input selector knob. Selections are digital (AES/EBU, Optical, Coaxial) on the left; analogue (Line, XLR -8dBu, XLR +4dBu) on the right. The CDR-800's selection was screen-based.

Initial handling reactions were very positive; the unit feels solid and built to last. Even with its smaller size (in comparison to the CDR-800), all the buttons were accessible and firm and the dial clear with a good build quality. A good deal of thought has obviously gone into which feature is where, with 'ease of operation' being the watchword.

Recording Modes
Most of the use of the 850 would be in the digital domain - copies from DATs and other CDs. With an in-built sample rate converter, the 850 makes this type of recording very simple, allowing one- and two-touch synchronous dubbing in three ways: to copy an entire programme of tracks, to copy one track at a time for compilations, and to copy an entire programme with automatic finalising or fix-up. The last option is perhaps the easiest way there is to make a Red Book CD, ending with approximately four minutes of fixing up. Digital Synchro doesn't work with the AES/EBU or analogue inputs; with Digital Synchro the 850 will automatically enter record mode when sensing a signal or a DAT ID.

Analogue recording is as straightforward if not as automatic. Obviously the record level comes into play here, and the analogue inputs are clearly marked. The Auto Track feature is adjustable and defaults to two seconds before placing a new track number. The signal level threshold is adjustable from the initial -60dB level in steps to -36dB. You can, of course, turn off the Auto Track and place the track numbers yourself.

Other recording features include the standard ones of adding to a CD before fix-up if the track number is below 99 and, of course, if there is room, adding blanks at the end of recordings. One feature that may not have been in the previous model is creating a fade-in at record start and a fade-out at record end. Default level time is six seconds with three adjustments to 18 seconds, the type of fade is non-adjustable.

CDR-W
To pursue the analogue cassette analogy even further, the 850 offers recording and playback of re-writable media as well. This is a great way of dubbing something off and taking it home for a listen and replacing it or adding to it the next day. You have to finalise the disc but the erase function allows you to rub out the TOC (Table of Contents), effectively 'un-finalising' the disc. The erase function has other modes too, including Last Track Erase and All Disc Erase, the last operation taking about five minutes to achieve.

Conclusion
The unit delivers a wide range of features at a great price. The purple look isn't as bad as it sounds and cleverly reminds you where to buy your new media from. The unit comes with a couple of the new Silver HHB CDRs. The unit was very easy to use and only a couple of non-HHB CDs failed - not a bad ratio.

YOU MAY REMEMBER the stir that HHB's first own brand CD-R, the CDR800, caused when it was announced and you will recall how it set something of precedent for what could be realised and expected in a standalone dedicated audio machine for not a lot of cash. There was little wrong with the original CDR800, indeed I still consider it to be class leading in its time and functionality, but things move along, much as it has in Marantz's CD-R range, and the new CDR850 adds extra features, CD-RW handling and a more elaborate interface over HHB's first attempt. But first politics and fact. The observant will have noticed great similarity between the CDR850 and the Fostex CR300 CD-R machine, which was shown for the first time at NAMM, in much the same way that HHB's CDR800 had a great similarity to CD-Rs from Fostex and Otari that followed it and that is because they are, apart from cosmetic differences, extremely similar if not identical. Both sets of happy coincidences can be traced back to two different generations of Pioneer originated machines.

The CDR850 is a significant development in functionality over the CDR800 and employs the traditional business side down orientation of the disc rather than the upside down platter found in the CDR800. I-O interfacing is better with balanced analogue XLR I-Os, phono I-Os, AES-EBU input, plus optical and coax digital I-Os. There's also an 8-pin parallel remote control port. A small infra red remote control, extremely similar to one supplied with the CDR800, is provided and for the most part duplicates the central functions of the front panel and adds the sort of programmable and direct access track playback functions with repeat that you might expect. However, most significantly the remote allows you to activate fixed rate fade in and fade out recording on a single button press. Both are selectable to 6s, 9s, 12s and 16s times and their are instances where this could be useful on record once media.

Other than this, the machine works very nicely from the front panel which centres around a large and very informative display and the tray, which opens and closes with reassuring deliberation and smoothness, has a large led above it to indicate record, pause, erase or playback status.

Analogue input levels pots are ganged while input selection is made from a 6-position rotary switch. Nice. Other features worth mentioning include pause mute, which is preset at 4s but can be extended indefinitely by simply holding it down for longer, and a time/margin switch. Repeated presses of the latter cycles through elapsed time, remaining recording time, total recording time and a margin indicator in recording which shows remaining headroom on the two channels independently and can be reset. Marvellous.

During playback you get to view elapsed and remaining time on tracks and the disc and the margin indicator.

You can also enter Skip IDs and fix these with the finalise process although I am not sure whether all CD machines will be able to recognise them.

In addition to manual analogue and digital source recording, the CDR850 gives you single-track digital sync recording, which stops when the next ID from the source is detected, and an all-track synchro mode. This second mode has the option of instigating automatic finalisation when completed.

The menu button accesses set up options such as setting SCMS, analogue input auto track ID marking level, and auto stop delay (the length of silence in digital recording required to flip the machine in to record pause--0, 10s and off). The SRC can be fully bypassed.

In terms of CD-RW erasing you're offered, last track, TOC, all tracks and all disc erasing options. Playback features that add value to the total CDR850 package include auto pause at the end of a track, fade in start from pause and fade out to pause. Clever stuff and smarter that many standalone CD players. A&endash;Ds are 1-bit and D&endash;As are multilevel sigma-deltas. I felt immediately at ease with this machine as it exudes capable confidence and feels solid and chunky. Operation really is very simple although I'm still not happy with the remote's size and ineffectual squidgey close-clustered buttons and you are required to use it if you want to perform certain operations as there is no equivalent available on the front panel. I still want to be able to enter track indexes and it's perhaps strange that with all the extras piled in to the unit that a delay function has not been included for those tight manual track number entry moments.

But I'm attempting to split hairs here and these complaints are more than compensated for by the simple inclusion of a margin readout alone. It sounds good and the headphones circuit is loud and clean. This is a very, very good audio CD-R that has raised the ante yet again on what can be expected for the money. You have to consider it if you're after the best. Recommended.