For years I made CDR backups and copies, and didn't really notice anything different. Now that I have a more revealing system (having been shown the error of my lo-fi ways), the difference is quite aparent. While I'm not going to argue with anyone about "how" they sound different, I WILL say that CDR degradation is a fact, and I have witnessed it with some particular brands more than others. It starts with a pop here and there and gets progressively worse until most cd players won't play it. Not only is this a problem for music, but I've also lost data discs to the same fate. (Over an elapsed time of approx. 5 months) Granted, there could have been something terribly wrong with that set of CDRs, but... And lastly, copying a CD to hard disk, I can't help but notice the pops and clicks that are present even before it's burned to the CDR. (Using headphones and classical) Perhaps it's a problem within MY system. This makes me think that maybe some of the problem of CDRs lays not only in the medium itself, but also in the path which the data takes to that destination. While I haven't tried every method of improving the sound here, I have been writing at 1X, reading from source at 1X, copying disk images to HD 1st, etc. Sound still isn't up to snuff. Happy Listening
