HHB CDR 830 BurnIT
A two-rack-space standalone CD recorder that got the sound right first and the professional I/O second. That is why the original and the PLUS version are two different machines to know.
Overview
The CDR830 BurnIT is a 2U rack-mount standalone CD recorder from HHB, built around a single drive that handles CD, CD-R and CD-RW media. HHB's own advertising in the trade press billed the conversion chain as precision 24-bit A-D converters paired with 24-bit, multilevel Delta-Sigma D-A converters, plus an advanced laser assembly. The company's copy insisted there were "no short cuts, no gimmicks" in the sound-quality department. Marketing is not a verdict, but the independent press largely backed the claim up. Studio Sound (October 2001) described the 24-bit Delta-Sigma D/A as having a beautiful, warm, balanced sound, clear in the highs with excellent stereo separation. Mix (November 2001, p.75) said much the same: sonically the 830 excels, with that same warm, balanced character and strong stereo separation.
The feature list is long for a machine of this class. Studio Sound (November 2000) catalogued the essentials: phono analog I/O, coaxial and optical S/PDIF digital I/O, an on-board sample rate converter accepting frequencies from 32-48 kHz, auto track increment, four synchro-recording modes, and a 2x finalize feature that fixes a disc in two minutes. CD Text support is included, along with digital record gain and balance control, input monitoring with track increment rehearsal, fade in/out adjustable from 1-12 seconds, five CD-RW erase modes, track skip ID recording, track index search on playback, and program, random and repeat playback modes. The sample rate converter does the quiet heavy lifting. A 24-bit/48 kHz session can come in over S/PDIF coax and land on a CD at 44.1 kHz without a separate converter box.
Then there's the I/O question, and it's the one that trips up buyers of used examples. The original BurnIT carries unbalanced analog RCA ins and outs plus coaxial and optical S/PDIF digital I/O. It has no balanced analog, no AES/EBU and no word clock. HHB addressed that with a separate model, the CDR830 BurnIT PLUS. It adds balanced XLR analog I/O (mic/line adjustable), balanced digital I/O on XLR, a word clock input on BNC, and a parallel remote port, with a switch to select between S/PDIF and AES/EBU input. Pro Audio Review (August 2002, p.27) noted that when the original BurnIT appeared, many users were disappointed it lacked the I/O and synchronization options needed for professional use. The PLUS answered those complaints and, at the time of that review, sold for $649, or $50 less than the original had. The two machines are externally similar and the model names differ by one word, so confirm which version is in front of you before money changes hands.
The two share a lot. Both are two-rack-space, single-drive decks with a full-function remote, a substantial display window, and the same transport-and-menu layout. The front panel carries traditional transport controls, digital and analog level controls, a headphone jack with its own level control, scroll, display (elapsed track time, remaining track time, total disc playing time), title/mode, monitor, erase, synchro, finalize, auto/manual track ID, and input selector controls. Pro Audio Review (August 2002, p.27) singled out the Sync-1 setting as a useful feature for assembling compilations. It also noted the BurnIT family's appeal across recording studios, radio stations, sound companies, learning institutions and worship houses.
A few notes on media and workflow. The deck records on conventional CD-R and on CD-RW, and HHB gave owners five separate erase modes to work with, so a bad take on a rewritable doesn't cost a disc. The 2x finalize means a disc is fixed in about two minutes. CD Text support means disc and track titles travel with the recording. And SCMS is under user control rather than locked down.
The CDR830 has no balanced analog I/O unless you have the PLUS. For a home or project studio running unbalanced gear and S/PDIF, the standard BurnIT does everything asked of it, with converters the period press rated highly. For a broadcast or post room patching through a balanced bay, the original is the wrong tool and the PLUS is the right one. The two are separate products with separate values, so check the version on the back panel rather than the auction title.
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