Dar, I just purchased a Pioneer PDR-W839 for $399 on ebay. The design looks very close to the JVC that was reviewed and compared to the Marantz pro model in Stereopyle last month. Their consensus was that digital to digital the "consumer" model was just as good. I am unable to hear a difference in my copies. The better "pro" models will have superior A-D converters, I am sure. I will use mine to copy my irreplaceable (OOP) cds and also for auto use. The cassette is dead. This thing is fun, and practical too, considering the cost to replace 10-12 of my OOP cds pays for it. There are many past threads to read up on cd recorders, you should look them up. Good luck, Charlie.
CD Recorders--Audio vs. Music Stores
I have been having a hard time making any headway with a cd recorder purchase decision. Audio stores sell one group of brands, while the musical instrument/professional recording stores sell almost entirely different product at very similar price points. The local musical instrument store is poorly set up for in-store auditioning of their cd recorders, and its sales "help" hasn't been very useful. The build quality looks better on the music store entries, but that may just speak to a preference for industrial design over walnut side panels. If anybody has experience using a tascam, one of the Sony pro audio units, or something similar in a home system, I'd appreciate hearing from them. My main interest is archiving material on digital that isn't going to last forever (and may not get supported forever) on vinyl.