Do CD-R's sound the same as originals

That's your opinion, and it most certainly isn't fact. CD-R's aren't simple numerical copies at all. You need to brush up on the basics of digital audio, and pulse code modulation. And THAT is fact, and we ALL recognize THAT. I am neither closed minded, nor do I "not like" digital. I am simply telling it like I hear it. If you don't hear it that way, please do not tell me what I hear, or don't hear. That is the epitamy of arrogance, insolence, closed-mindedness, and shows a lack of any civility. I AM NOT TELLING YOU WHAT YOU ARE HEARING, so kindly refrain from telling me what I hear. I have an imagination, but I can also hear at least as well as the best human ears in the world can.

Madisonears to say that it doesn't matter if it's burned, stamped, gold or silver implies to me that you have either never tried to resolve the diffrences or don't have a resolving system. I have tried all sorts of angles and they all make diffrent sounding CDR recordings, especially CDR brands. The digital cable, the source player, even the shelf material that the CDR recorder is placed on contributes to the sound of a CDR. I bet a lot of guys who say that a copy is a copy period are just echoing what they read or heard someone else say, not from actually comparing the copy to the original on their own systems. To me music and science are two different things.

Ryan, thanks for shedding some more light on this! I am still comparing that CD-R you lent me, besides making lots of my own.

Carl, thanks for the charming compliments. Hearing as well as a dog must truly be a curse. Barking like one, even more so. I guess there are differences to those who can hear them. To others, probably most humans, there are not significant enough differences to bother with. Those who obsess over the tiniest of variations after extensive and excruciatingly close observation are neurotics who cannot grasp the importance of music over mechanics. Sometimes I want to just chuck the whole business and buy an AIWA rack system at Sears so I can just listen to the music.

You ought to do that. Actually, even my brother who isn't an audiophile heard the difference immediately. And this wasn't some half ass copy either, this one was made by a Tascam CDRW5000 with a Meridian 506.24 as the transport. I am not seeking to put machinery before music...NEVER HAVE, NEVER WILL. And thank YOU for THAT kind compliment, along with the continuing judgemental attitude. If you have such a problem with all of this, you ought to refrain from commenting in this thread, since you can't control your emotions, and aren't bringing anything even remotely objective to the table.