One small blip is enough to make me MAD!!! (TDK CD Media)

Member Name: aebone

Product:	TDK CD Media
Date:	28/08/01 (430 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: superior sound, great price (7.99 for 10), they come in different colours!

Disadvantages: none

WARNING!!!
Some people have been overwhelmed with my vast technical knowledge (I have none by the way!!!) So if you want to skip that bit, flick to the end where there are some very handy bullet points...but you will miss my comparisons with other brands!!!
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What a wonderful idea the CD writer was. It enabled many of us computer owning souls to do a whole host of things such as recording data to CD, and of course create our own music CDs! So which CD-R do you go for? Are there really any differences? Does cost matter? In short the answer is yes, and no.

I write this review from a music point of view. For any of you that don’t know me, I am a music maniac. I love music and have quite a collection to my name. So, I am always concocting new CDs to listen to. (I, of course, never copy albums for friends or indeed myself…) I hate it if the sound is not good, I moan and whinge if there is the slightest blip. I will only use the best for my compilations!!!

Since I have been making my own CDs, I have tried out all sorts of CD-R brands. This was a quest for the perfect sound, so I did try a few out. From the 39p specials to other well known brands of CD-R such as BASF, Maxell and Traxdata.

You wouldn’t expect a 39p CD-R to perform well would you? It didn’t, it was awful, but I was curious. I expected more of such brands as Maxell and Traxdata however. The sound was just not right though, and I often ended up with some pronounced clicks between tracks. Then I stumbled across some little gems. TDK CD-Rs are everything they claim to be, and more! The sound is fantastic, and the annoying little clicks disappear. Best of all, they are very affordable. (£7.99 for 10 discs at my local store!!!) The TDK CD-R performs better than many other more expensive alternatives.

So we have established that yes, there truly are differences between different brands, but that cost
is not necessarily important. Now to the little TDK gems!!!!

I usually buy the TDK CD-R Reflex. Most of you are probably wondering what the hell Reflex technology is. I don’t understand all the technical stuff, but basically it makes the recording process more accurate and guarantees data ‘integrity and compatibility’ with all standard CD-R hardware. Hmmm! (Did you know TDK CD-Rs also use isopure recording dye technology? This utilises some chemical called metal-stabilised cyanine to make the CD-R more sensitive and thus recording more accurate). The completed CD-R has a double-layer protective coating system, which makes it that little bit more durable. TDK say a 100-year shelf life can be expected!!! They sound impressive eh? Well let me tell you they are.

Enough of that technical stuff, I am scaring myself with my semi-knowledge of CD-R technology. Here is what you really want to know.

*These particular CD-Rs are compatible with all types and speeds of CD-R writing systems.
*You can fit 74 minutes of music on one disc (80 minute discs are now available too!!!).
*They produce superior sound to anything else I have tried and tested.
*For those style conscious people they also come in a variety of colours. There are red, green, blue and metallic discs available. This is a nice idea.
*You can buy them individually (98pence last time I bought one) or multiply (£7.99 for my last 10 pack)

So I hope you are now convinced that these really are good. My Traxdata discs (and especially that 39p QD special) now have another use as coasters for my coffee cups. TDK is staying firmly in my CD rack!!!!!

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