Home > Consumer Reviews > Philips CDR600 CD Recorder

I thought long and hard before buying this machine. So far, though, it's worked perfectly. I'm using it exclusively to convert LPs, tapes and VHS to CDs, so I can't comment on the CD copying features. It does a beautiful job converting analog to digital however.

So why only 4 stars? Primarily because you MUST use CD-Rs labeled "digital audio" which cost about $1 apiece (in contrast, to make CD mixes on my computer, I use Maxell CD-Rs, which cost about 20 cents each these days). I've been using TDK CD-Rs with this machine with no problems--yet. Given the other comments, I'm also a little concerned about reliability, which is the other reason I took off a star.

Tip: Read the manual carefully. I even watched the hilariously cheesy video twice before attempting to use this machine.

I will repost if this machine malfunctions. Otherwise, thanks to the other users for their comments.

I own a recording company in the Cincinnati area that records various concerts throughout the tri-state area. All off our recordings are done to DAT and we also rely on a backup unit in case the DAT malfunctions. We were initially using cassette recorders as backups but recently decided that CDR backups would be a better idea. In the case of Philips CDR-600s, we were dead wrong.

We purchased 3 of the Philips CDR600 CD recorders to act as backup units. 2 of them failed during major remote recording sessions. Both would stop recording when they felt like it, had trouble reading discs (NO EXCUSE! We use the best CDRs on the market: Taiyo Yuden & Mitsui), had trouble finalizing discs, and got stuck on "UPDATE." We tried to use them again at two additional concerts and again they both failed...

Other poor features include: no dB indicators on the volume meter, no way on the unit to manually ID each track (you have to do it from the remote), and every time you manually ID a track, you can hear a glitch in the recording...

honestly, for the money I don't think I could have done better. And I read the negative reviews of this model and the other Phillips products, also seemed like other brands had their share of problems as well but although I've only had this unit a week, I've burned maybe 20 CD's and so far, knock on wood, there have been no problems. Take your time, don't hit any buttons before the cue and I think all is well....if the unit fails I will post another note here.

HAVING USED A MINI DISC RECORDER IN MY HI-FI SET UP FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS I INVESTED IN THIS MACHINE WHAT A DIFFERENCE THE SOUND IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL WHEN RECORDING FROM CD. I HAD SPENT A LOT OF TIME READING REVIEWS OF RECORDERS BEFORE DECIDING TO BUY. PRICE OF COURSE WAS A MAJOR ISSUE BUT (...)THIS MACHINE WAS A STEAL RECORDING MY OLD VINYL TO CD WAS A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED THAN STRAIGHT CD RECORDING. WITH ALITTLE PRACTICE THIS WAS SOON NOT A PROBLEM AND AGAIN THE SOUND ON PLAYBACK ON MY MAIN CD PLAYER WAS SUPERB. I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS RECORDER HIGHLY ENOUGH.

I bought one of these, and it's defective. I'm sending it back. Considering that other customers have posted similar complaints, it seems like Philips has a problem with getting these things to actually work. I recommend not buying.