Sony RCD-W500C 5-Disc CD Changer / Recorder

Pros: Solid quality, easy to program, lots of features on remote control
Cons: No high speed copying available for single track.

Sony have a winner here. The 5-disc changer works smoothly and faster than others I've used. Overall I like the quality of this machine. By comparison I recommend a "pass" on Philips models. Sony have added "manual track advance" to their more recent ...

Pros: Good sound and recording level features.
Cons: See my main review.

This was a replacement for my JVC recorder which died after only three years (I certainly did not overwork it). First, let me say that I have had no problems finalizing disks. The last one done was 79 minutes and 9 seconds. Also note, I do not use ...

Pros: the price
Cons: cannot make digital copy

I have CD Recorders from 2 other manufacturers and have enjoyed using them the past few years. I have noticed however this Sony is one of the few makes still on the market and bought it as a spare recorder. Most people use their computers for recording ...

Pros: Functions fine as a CD player.
Cons: Very unreliable recording; high loss rates; must use Sony disks.

I have had the RCD-W500C for 8 months now, and have lost dozens of disks from 'C14 Recording errors'. For reasons no one at Sony can explain, the recorder is unable to write the CD table of contents for a block of songs or for a whole disk. The CD is ...

Pros: lots of cool features
Cons: does not work

a friend of mine bought this unit and i thought it was very nice with all the extra features it had but after only one month he had to take it in for repair because it would not record properly,once he got it back all was fine for about another month ...

Pros: I guess it makes a nice CD player, with the 5 slots for CD's.
Cons: Too unreliable to use to burn CD's from analog sources (tapes and albums).

I was horribly disappointed with this equipment. I have over 100 great old albums from the 60's and 70's that I wanted to put onto CD's. I used the SONY Music CD-R's, so there would be no compatibility issues, but in 9 attempts I burnt 7 coasters and 2 ...

Pros: Cheap
Cons: Terrible product. Unreliable.

I first tried to pick up a used one of these and it did not work so I figured it was just a bad buy. Then I bought one new and had to return it for another new one. They all have the same problems. You will record a whole CD and then it will not finalize. It will register as a blank CD. After spending an hour recording something it turns out to be a waste of time. However this only happens maybe one in ten times, which keeps you trying and hopeful. But on that 10th time it is so frustrating you want to smash the thing. Pay an extra couple hundred and get a Denon. This is the worst piece of home electronics I have had. Remember, I have been through at least 3 of these!

Pros: High-speed dubbing, optical in, easy to operate
Cons: Unreliable recording

I've been using my recorder for more than a year. It is very unpredictable. Sometimes it records beautifully; other times it looks like it's recording only to give you a "blank disc" read-out. It seems to only like Memorex CD-R Music discs.
As crazy as this sounds, I've gone and purchased a second unit, hoping the one I got was a lemon.
Sony seems to be the only company offering a stand-alone CD recorder. I'll let you know how the second one works.

Pros: easy programming, 5 disk changer
Cons: awful quality recording from vinyl; glacial TOC read

I purchased this device primarily to convert vinyl to CD. The manual is good, but not great in the "manual recording" section. Time to read TOC (30 seconds to two minutes) is totally unacceptable. Unable to record FROM commercially computer burned original CD, which original PLAYS just fine. (If this is to be expected, the manual should day so). Recording from vinyl source was totally unacceptable in quality--flutter and dropouts made result unlistenable. After recording a test of exactly one track, record deck refused to finalize (reported a TOC error). Changer is OK, easy to program, but those don't make up for failure to perform basic function. Don't pay attention to my "sound" score below--there was no way to select "unable to judge." I have returned the machine to the retailer.

Pros: speedy, efficient, intuitive
Cons: I just wish it had more space for more CDs.

This recorder is great! It cut down my time of copying CDs from days to hours. Invaluable to small software developers, starting musicians, and others. Easy-to-use, very intuitive. Enjoy!

Pros: Stacked five disc changer works better than a carousel
Cons: No power button on the remote control

A great CD Player for a semi-high end component system. I've had problems with carousel changes in the past so I was really looking for a multi-disc CD player that was not a carousel. A real bonus is that this plays five discs stacked so not only did I avoid the carousel, I can still change other discs while a CD is playing. With a 4x burner and CDR/CDRW recording, you can't ask for much more.

Pros: Ease of use, Sound quality, and overall versatility.
Cons: None

I got this recorder as an alternative to my computer burner that was infrequently breaking down. I have had it for 3 months now and so far it is excellent! It is very easy to learn, and even easier to use, and in spite of other commentary on this product the manual is not really all that difficult to understand.

Programming a CD is extremely easy and the player tells you the time length of the program as input each track - especially important when filling out an eighty minute blank. Otherwise the High-Speed Synchro-dubbing is very fast and automatically finalizes (finishes) at the end of the recording process - normally an additional manual function required for all other (normal speed) recording.

I have been recording my surviving collection of older CD's (the ones I never listen to but still can't let go) and the recorded sound quality, it turns out, is far superior to the original, actually sounding commercially remastered. I recommend this player/recorder for the ease of use, the sound quality of the recordings, and the considerable features that facilitates a more automated recording experience (no more counting song times or guessing recording lengths).