Philips CDR-950

Author's product rating:   

Sound Quality	Excellent
Ease of Use	Very Easy
Look & Design	Good
Range of Features	Diverse
Value for Money	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Easy recording and blinding features !
Disadvantages:	Make 1 mistake and you have a metalic frisbee

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Well, here I am back in the world of review writing. It is a hard life but one that delivers much satisfaction, very much like the product I am about to review.
So sit back and allow the wow’s of the CD creation world to wash over you.

CD Recorder?

Yep, its not complicated at all. It takes CD’s and records on ‘em, meaning no more tapes, with it’s hissing sounds like a gas leak and more warping than Tupperware left in the baking sun.
To anybody who owns hi-fi separates, it’s a great way of compiling your own CD’s for home or car, depending on the age of your CD player. Away with the tape deck and a big smiling hello for the CD recorder.

Philips CDR-950

Before I launch into song about the features and quality, let me give you a lowdown on the market.
The Philips CDR-950 was the top of the range CD recorder from Philips about 3 years ago and by today’s standard, it still cuts the mustard. Although you won’t find this baby brand new, equivalent recorders are available (such as the CDR796)
The CD recorder market has been around for a while and most computers have this ability, so you are investing in well grounded technology with plenty of support.
The discs are cheap (50p each) and hold 80 minutes, which is about 15 decent length songs.

CONNECTING AND RECORDING

The pre-requisite of this machine is that you must already own an amplifier and CD player, as this is a single deck only. You can play back on this unit but you must already have a CD player to record from. It connects just like a tape deck through the Tape Monitor feature on most amps, allowing you to record audio from any source including DVD, VCR, TV, Vinyl, Tape, CD and anything else you can plug into an Amp. The best thing of all is it’s optical and digital link, enabling you to plug directly into your CD players, as long as it has Digital or Optical output. All plugged in? Good, lets go.
The 950 makes recording laughably easy, with a one touch recording system that offers powerful recording modes quickly and efficiently. The record button offers 3 modes, Complete Disc copying, Track copying and Manual Copying, which I will explain below.

Complete Disc copying - Shove a music CD in your player, a blank disc in the recorder and press play. The recorder will automatically start and won’t stop until the disc is copied. Fantastic!

Track copying - Program in certain tracks on your CD player and press play, the recorder will start automatically and stop once all the programmed tracks are completed.

Manual Recording - Just like a tape, press Record when your ready and stop when your done. How much more simple would you want it?
Of course, each song is one track and you can name and shame it with CD text if you choose.

Sounds like?

Playback is what you would expect, with a crisp tonality and plenty of detail. The bass is slightly flat but still sounds firm through the Amp.
The recordings are stunning, capturing all the original details and bringing it back to life on the copy.
In a nutshell, the copies are just the same as the original and you can’t really ask for more. With total control over the recording volume, you can probably beat the original by having power over the input level.

Get a load of them features…

Ok, I don’t have the remote control for this machine and I expected to come a cropper with many of the features but no! The fascia is loaded with the buttons but not cluttered and I’m sure it only gets easier when you have the remote. All the record buttons (two of them!) are on the front display and nice and easy to use. You have the usual CD control buttons such as Play, Stop etc but also random, repeat and all those seldom used but much appreciated features.
It works well as a standard CD players, as it should for the price but is even better for recording, with all the functions you need.

Looks and Build

Simple, stylish and sleek. Yep, it looks like a million dollars! The front is simple but effective and nicely laid out, without too many cluttered buttons. The display is bright and clear, without any flashing lights you expect to find on cheaper systems.
The finish is black and can seem a little flimsy, with the thin metal and plastic front. This is now a bit of a trade mark when it comes to black finished equipment.
Otherwise it appears to be durable and holds itself well with a little button bashing.

Value?

At new, this baby cost 250 pounds and probably worth every penny. Nowadays I would expect to pay around 200 pounds for it but things have moved on. The dual deck machines from Philips range between 200 and 300 pounds but the single decks are often better, offering more features and better build.
Philips are the leaders in CD recorders and deservedly so, delivering powerful and versatile machines at good prices.
I would say if you could pick up a 950 second hand, do so, they are cracking machines and any music lover shouldn’t be without one!