recorder cd mp3

1. Posted: Aug 13 2008

   I just received my TEAC unit today and I put the return paperwork on it and sent it right back to Amazon without opening it. Nothing was wrong with the unit. I have nothing against TEAC as I own a reel-to-reel and a cassette deck and both are outstanding. I had debated this for well over a year and sure enough as soon as I ordered it I found a better alternative - one that is way less money, does not require an engineering degree nor runs through your PC's soundcard. Check it out on Amazon - "Xitel INport Deluxe". Xitel INport Deluxe [Record From Your Stereo to Your Computer] It comes with cords and everything. Check out all the reviews on Amazon and especially on Xitel's site. Sony uses Xitel products. You can even download and print the manual (I was unsure about Vista). It shows you how simple it is and the cost is 70% less than the TEAC alternative. It works as advertsied. I found it locally, but Amazon has it $10 less than retail. A Best Buy! If you're missing equipment like a computer, the TEAC is the way to go that's not too complicated.

2. Posted: Jul 4 2008

   Great product with price and service to match. Contacted seller with what I thought was a problem and received almost an instantaneous reply.

3. Posted: May 18 2008

   When the product arrived I plugged it in and the door for inserting the |CD did not open. I returned the product for a refund.

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1. ( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Apr 15 2008

   The Crosley Composer is bit pricey, but it is possible to find a decent deal online. I bought this rather than the Songwriter because it has a few more bells and whistles for the same price. Who will like the Composer: If you are MP3-literate, or you have a decent stereo and your computer is up to date, chances are you will not need the Composer as you can just get the software to run on your PC. If you are an audiophile interested in cleaning up and restoring/recording your LP's to perfection, this probably isn't for you either, as the "cleanup" is limited to a pre-set equalizer with five options (flat, classical, pop, jazz, rock). BUT - if you are, like me, someone who doesn't want to shell out for a whole new computer and/or needed a new turntable anyway, I can't recommend the Composer highly enough. It is easy to use, and in my opinion the results are extremely satisfying. Aside from the PC/turntable issues, my LP collection is extensive and eclectic enough that it would have cost a fortune to replace it on CD's and 75% of the stuff is not, and probably never will be, available on CD; hence the Composer came out as the most practical & affordable option. A friend has this unit so I was able to hear a sample before buying. I'm not a high-end audiophile but I wanted proper stereo recording, good clean sound quality & easy operation. The turntable accommodates 33, 45 ad 78 speeds. The sound quality of the CDR's is as good as, if not slightly better, than that of the albums. Let me be clear: if you treated your LP's badly or your cassettes are starting to sound muddy, their faults will not be erased, but they won't sound any worse, and the results may pleasantly surprise you. The pre-set equalizer settings do a nice job of adjusting the sound for the requirements of each style. There is a "track skip" button to make the machine recognize the breaks between songs so you can have a separate track for each one, or you can just let the whole album side record as one track. If you use the skip feature, you will definitely need to practice with it to get the hang of the timing and when to push the button so you don't cut off the end or beginning of a song. When recording LPs I found that the "track skip" delay matched the gap on the album 8 times out of 10, so I usually stay nearby and lift the tone arm just a little and just for a second, to give the CDR recorder time to adjust. If you have two songs that blend together with no break, it's best to let them record as one track. You can also stop the unit to turn over an album or cassette and resume recording in a new track. Lastly, there is a simple "Finalize" button which completes the writing of the file to the CDR (don't forget this step!). The Composer model also records from cassettes via a built-in unit. Some reviews warn that this component "breaks after a few uses"; I have done about 40 cassettes so far with no problem. My experience is that the open/close mechanism is a mediocre plastic door and it does stick a little sometimes (no worse than other cassette players I've had), but with a minimal amount of patience and finesse rather than force, you can resolve this problem when it happens. Even so, since the unit has an AUX input, you can probably plug in an external tape deck so it really isn't an issue. As with LP's, if you are transferring a commercially pre-recorded cassette, there may be ample time between tracks for the "track skip" to register. If not you can either stop the tape for a second or just let Side 1 be Track 1 and Side 2 be Track 2. If you made a few favorite old "road mix" tapes and crammed every available mm of tape with sound, chances are you did not leave enough time for "track skip" to work, so let the side run. I strongly urge you to get a few cheap CDR's with which to practice using the unit and its features - at least practice two or three times with the timing on the "track skip" with both an LP and a cassette before you attempt a recording on an archive-quality CDR. It will take about four minutes to read the user's manual. Replacement parts are also available from Crosley. Once you get the hang of using this unit, you will have an absolute blast getting reacquainted with your LP's. Enjoy.

2. ( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 17 2008

   This is a great piece 0f electronics. The turntable has great sound, your records will sound as good as a CD. Transferring from records to CDs is very easy, and the quality is wonderful. The styling is also very attractive.

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1. Posted: Jul 1 2008

   I have two of these, earlier models. Bought second one to try to fix first one ; I am an EE , first one died, (says no disc when there is a disc) I liked it , top end at the time, almost a grand, a few years old . When I tried to get repair, there is no factory repair depot in US at all!!! Only "authorized repair shop", which means a guy with a geek kid in back room trying to fix stuff. In desperation tried to find one (dealer) with good rep; referred to Illinois somewhere by sales guy , "no guarantee we can fix it, you pay whether we fix it or not, I think it was 75$ an hour. "I'd advise you to buy a new one" ("from me?" ) . Attempts at prints etc through Marantz led to zero. I took apart, nothing in it, weighted to feel heavy. What BS . No repair depot, no support simple answer: don't buy one.

2. Posted: May 4 2008

   For the last couple years, I've been playing my CDs through my Denon DVM-1805 DVD changer. (By the way, I think this DVD changer was recalled because it would spontaneously show the subtitles on DVDs, but since I always found it funny when it occurred, I never turned it in.) Well, the Denon has been on its last legs for a while and finally died. Since I had already purchased another DVD player, I looked for a dedicated CD changer. I use a Denon AVR-3803 receiver and appreciate the aesthetics of matching components so I considered the Denon DCM-390. However, I read the reviews about the slow and loud changer. Since that was my biggest complaint with the Denon DVD changer, I decided to go for the Marantz. It arrived double-boxed (so it seems the complaints about poor packaging have been addresses) and in pristine condition. I removed the two transit screws, plugged in the digital optical line and was ready to go. I've had a set of Paradigm reference speakers for about 7 years or so and with this CD player, they now sound better than they ever have. Perhaps I was losing something by playing CDs through my DVD player or perhaps the Marantz player is just better, but I'm glad I made the purchase.

3. ( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Apr 3 2008

   I ordered this when my old Denon CD player started dropping the left channel out at random. It was a DCM-370 that I bought refurbished many years ago. I figured that was a good excuse to upgrade my amp as well, and I have been wanting to hear some Marantz equipment for a while. So I was pretty excited when the CD player and amp arrived. I thought I would start off with one of my favorite (and amazing sounding) CD's, Shady Grove by Garcia/Grisman (HDCD). It is an old copy that is pretty beat up, so I used it as a test disc to see what the Marantz could handle. Well, what came out was muffled digital mess...oh well. I opened up the player to put in a new disc, and the disc tray would make a loud noise and rotate very slowly. Okay, i thought, but let's try another disc anyway. The second disc was in pristine condition and sounded excellent. However, the tray kept making the loud noise and eventually quit working altogether. I had to force it by hand to get my CD's out!! 3 calls later, I had an RMA and back to OneCall it went. They cross shipped me another one, though. Cross shipping did no good, since the player mysteriously got stuck in Montana on a jet with a blown engine (???). Thanks, FedEx. 2 weeks later (and another 5 phone calls to get a straight answer from OneCall and FedEx), I finally got it. I popped in 5 CD's (including Shady Grove which played this time), listened for a while and went to reload....I only got 4 CD's back--two of which were sitting on top of each other, and one other was out of it's tray! Removed them and tried to close the player, hoping the other one would appear, and the darn CD was stuck behind the tray and it wouldn't close! I had to unplug the unit and shake it upside down to get my CD out. I took a deep breath and tried again (but kept my favorite CD's out!) and the incident repeated itself. So after a few MORE phone calls, the CD player and amp both went back, and I was out a 15% restocking fee and $50 shipping for the amp. $150 bucks later and I'm still stuck with my old broken CD player. I have since ordered a Denon DCM-390 from Crutchfield, which is working like a charm, sounds equally great, has HDCD, and did I mention it works? Sorry Marantz and OneCall (more accurately 10 Calls), I won't be doing business with either of you again.

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1. ( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: May 14 2008

   I had checked at Wal-mart & Big lots for a radio that would utalize a tape plus a disc. The prices were quite a bit higher than Amazon. With the free shipping, it definitely was a savings. The quality & mechanics of this radio are good. Would definitely recommend this product.

2. ( 0 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 24 2008

   Very pleased, especially with the dubbing ability and that it plays mp3 CDs.

3. ( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Sep 18 2007

   I bought this to play my mp3's out on the porch. The size was perfect. The sound is a little hollow but good for the price and the use I put it to.

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