CDRLabs.com

After a ton of looking into the audio CD-R burning process I'm left with one question. Do black CD-Rs sound better than other CD-Rs for audio?

Evidence that says no:

- There don't seem to be ANY Audio-only CD-Rs available and I would think someone would make them if they're so great for audio.

- In http://www.johnvestman.com/digital_myth.htm the author says black CDs sound harsh and he's a CD mastering professional.

Evidence that says yes:

- some people here think so http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/15634

- some people here think so http://www.cdfreaks.com/document.php3?Doc=51

A search on Google brings up nothing except for the links above. What do you guys think?

No, the black you see on the CD is just black plastic instead of clear plastic which is used for most CD's. Underneath the black plastic is still a recording surface using either pthalocyanine or cyanine dye. These are the same dyes used for non-black CD-R's. Conclusion: The color of the disc plastic makes no difference to the "sound" quality of the burn. There are many other variables to "sound" quality; the type of media you use is important (i.e. don't use media that does not perform well in your burner) and the quality of the audio files being burned also attributes to the "sound" quality. If you burn MP3's recorded at 56kbps and 22kHz then it's not going to sound as good as an MP3 recorded at 128kbps and 44kHz.

I agree with TheWizard that the black CD-Rs are nothing but hokum. I haven't heard any technically sound explanation offered for why they should be better than a regular CD. However, that shouldn't stop you from buying them if you like them, even if just because you think they look nicer. Try them yourself and see if you can hear any difference. If you think you do and you think the difference is worth the extra cost, then go ahead and buy them. It is your money and your choice.

cfitz