[Clay]

I have good luck with the Maxell. I think I will return the hi-val before I open them. Have never tried audio discs - bits is bits.

 

[dokebi]

Lately, nothing but Taiyo Yudens. They are the ones being sold with vanilla and black colored screw on caps on top. This coming from trying almost every cdr on the market except those exotic lookings one sold on audio cubes.

 

[frankclone]

I posted earlier that a 25-pack (actually a 15-pack) of Maxell
Gold Brand was unusable....I played around with them a bit &
noticed if I give my PC a little jiggle at start of burn that my
burner will recognize the disk(it may take 2 or 3 attempts)!!! & burned disk plays flawlessly !!!

 

[Tweertinelle]

As I understand it, Quantegy discs are reliable not only because they can be burned on computers as well as dedicated recorders, but also because they're said to outlast other brands (hence their common use by music professionals). The problem I've had with Sony, Maxell, Memorex and TDK is that discs can become unreadable after a few years. If you're archiving original material, that can be a problem.

I should also mention that Hi-Space gold CDs are absolutely worthless. Beautiful packaging, but absolutely unreliable media -- the ones I bought had visible imperfections on the CDs' surfaces. I'm glad those things aren't about any more to confuse people and pollute the market.

 

[Clay]

Quote:

Originally posted by frankclone a good site--if it hasn't been posted already--is www.cdrfaq.org www.cdrfaq.org -though this whole cdr area seems vast & murky

Wow! I never knew I had to worry about all my photography archives. This site has has great information. It also linked to ...this site. This site also has an incredible amount of information about CDRs.

Thanks for the link. I am learning soooo much from Head-Fi

 

[grancasa]

Taiyo Yuden CDR's all the way. I've been using them in my 48x Lite On Burner and they've been great. The name on the case/spindle doesn't really matter, since most makers (TSK, Maxwell, Ritek) use different CDR's in different packages. The only way to tell is by either looking on the discs themselves, buying from a place that specifically sells Taiyo Yuden, or finding spindles with the creme or black screw on tops. For some incredible deals on CDR's, check out this store. This sale ends on Tuesday, but they're selling 32x certified (works fine at 40x speed for me, haven't used these discs at 48x yet) IN JEWEL CASES, 100 74 min for $42. That's an incredible price, 42 cents a CD in a jewel case, for probably the best CDR out there. Or, pick up 100 80 min on spindle for only $29. I've ordered from these guys and they were great. Check them out.

 

[Zurg]

I have just purchased some Kodak Ultima 80 CD-Rs for archiving my digital photographs. They are 700MB/80 minutes and are rated for 1x-24x recording speed. Unlike many manufacturers Kodak adds a layer of real gold. Most other brands simply apply a gold colored layer. The Kodak Ultima discs are specifically made for archival usage. In addtion to the gold layer they also contain a fingerprint/scratch resistant layer, an ultra-stable dye, and a high-quality polycarbonate substrate. At least, this is what I have read off their website. Kodak claims that if properply stored, these discs will provide a data lifetime in excess of 100 years. Kodak also claims that these discs are compatible with all the leading readers and writers.

OK, that is some of the marketing hype. I have not used these discs myself yet so I can't give you any personel experience. I have, however, read lots of positive reviews about these discs on the web. I have seen these discs advertised on several websites for about $1.00 US each. You can, however, buy them for much less directly from the Kodak online store. I bought the 40 Pack for $28.00. Right now they have a "buy one pack get one free" deal going so that works out to 80 discs at 35 cents apiece, plus tax and shipping. They also come with a half-thickness jewel case.

Also, NEVER use a CD-RW ( a rewriteable CD-R) for important archived data. They can drop data in just a couple of months!!!! They are best used as only a temporary scratchpad when testing out different burn scenarios.

P.S. I have NO affiliation with Kodak!

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/stor...tml?CATID=6398

 

[Tweertinelle]

Thanks for the heads up, Zurg. Since others on this thread seemed to be interested in maximum cheapness and relative longevity, I'd stopped paying attention.

I've been looking for 700-MB gold CDs for pro audio applications and hope the Ultimas prove to be exceptionally suited to that purpose. Don't be afraid to post your experience with them after they arrive.

 

[badtz]

are there any other places that reviews these?

i've heard mitsui silver for audio applications.......

??

 

[Zurg]

Well I did a little more research on the web. It turns out that Kodak HAS discontinued the Gold Ultima CD-R due to irregular deliveries from Mexico where they were manufactured. Apparently, the archival dye they used in the Ultimas was licensed from Mitsui. My guess is that Kodak is clearing out old stock from their website which accounts for the very low price. So once their stock is gone, there will likely be no more Kodak Ultima gold CD-Rs. This leaves Mitsui as the only manufacturer of real Gold ( as in the metal, not just the color) archival CDs. I just ordered another 320 CDs from Kodak. If you want some Ultima Archival CD-Rs at the 35 cents apiece price versus the Mitsuis, which I have seen at >$1.30 apiece, you might want to move fast. Again, I have NO affiliation with Kodak. I'm just passing on info that seems like a good deal to me. YMMV.

Z