Tascam CD-200 CD Player / CD-RW900SL CD Rewriteable Recorder
Last Update 07/26/2026
These CD tools serve in my stage FOH system (CD-200) and in my
studio (CD-RW900SL). Both have pitch control, headphone output,
analog and digital (SPDIF coaxial and TOSLINK optical) I/O, and can
play back commercial CDs, CD-DA discs, and CD-R/CD-RW discs
containing digital audio or mp3 (ISO9660 Level 1 or Level 2 format,
or Joliet format) audio/libraries. Playback can be continuous,
random (shuffle), or programmed. When rackmounting, the manual
recommends leaving 1U empty above the unit to dissipate heat.
CD-RW900SL is my studio tool for capturing master stereo recordings
which can record to CD-R, CD-R-DA, CD-RW, or CD-RW-DA discs. It has
no mp3 encoding or authoring feature for recording. If a digital
signal is a sample frequency other than the standard 44.1Khz for
audio CDs, the digital stream is routed through a sample rate
converter for recording to disc. A mini DIN 6pin jack accepts a PS/2
computer keyboard for building titles for tracks and discs. The bar
meter includes an OVER indicator whenever the audio exceeds the
digital DBFS maximum level; I typically start with a headroom of
~14dB while testing levels, then gradually increase the input levels
until I am near zero DBFS. Once all the tracks have been recorded,
the FINALIZE button builds the table of contents (TOC) which is the
final step to a playable audio CD. CD-R discs can only be finalized
once; CD-RW can be rewritten. A SYNC feature can automatically
start/stop recording when the input signal exceeds a user selectable
threshold. An interesting feature is key change - you can select
playback key changes in plus or minus six semitones in half semitone
intervals (does not work with mp3s).
CD-200 is playback only with no recording or authoring features. I
use it in my stage FOH system for soundcheck and "break tunes". I
never had "skipping" issues from vibrations at high audio levels.
One major difference is mp3 rates. The CD-RW900SL only plays back
mp3s at 44.1Khz sample rate and 128kbps or higher bit rate; the
CD-200 can play back mp3s at sample rates of 32Khz, 44.1Khz, or
48Khz and bit rates from 32kbps to 320kbps.
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