Audio Systems: Cd recorder/cassette combo units, cartridge stylus, philips cdr

Question
Hello ! Kevin, I am interested in a Cd recorder unit that has a built in cassette player. I want to transfer my cassette music to Cd format. Also some vynyl lp's to cd format. It needs to be able to let me record my own favorite songs from one cd to another blank cdr etc. I do not want to use my computer for this purpose because I do not want to have to unhook and move my cassette player/turntable to where my computer is.

Can you suggest a Cd recorder/cassette combination self contained unit that will serve my purpose ?
Have you transfered music yourself on a unit of this type ? {Without using the computer}
How good will the copy's be from cassette to cd and Lp to cd ?
Any suggestion as to which models are the best would be greatly appreciated ! "Thanks" For taking time to answer.
Have A Good One !
Ron

Answer
Dear Ron,

I've never seen or even heard of a combination cassette recorder/player and CD recorder. In fact the only CD recorders I've seen are stand-alone units. I use a Philips CDR 788, which dual-well CD to CDR recording. But since it's a stand-alone unit, you must use "Music CDRs" with it. Garden variety PC CDRs won't work.

Depending on the configuration of your sound system, I can walk you through how to connect a stand-alone CD recorder like the Philips unit.

The copies are only as good as the source material. You're going to get pretty much what you hear now. However, I suggest (1) cleaning the tape heads of your cassette player before trying to record from a tape; (2) cleaning all LPs before recording; and (3) cleaning your turntable's cartridge stylus with a good cleaner and stylus brush. These measures are not going to take wear, pops, and ticks out of the source material, but getting dirt out of the sound path is always a good idea, recording or not.

I've copied casette tapes, LPs, and CDs (for complilations), and have found the Philips CDR 788 to be a very flexible unit. The 788 is no longer manufactured. In fact Philips discontinued its entire line of CD recorders, because now all they make are DVD/CD recorders. However, if you shop around a bit, you can still find their CD recorders on various web sites. Models include the 600, 788, and 950. You shouldn't pay more than $200 for any of these.

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin