Reviewed: September 23, 2003
Reviewed by: John Carswell
Manufacturer
Dacal
Distributor
The CD Manager
Type: CD Organizer
System: PC/Mac
Rating: 9.2
Specifications
System Requirements
Also supports Macintosh system running OS 10.2 or higher
MSRP: 139 pounds for UK
159 pounds for North America
(About $200 US - includes Delivery)
Ah sweet mystery of life, at last I found thee! Well, perhaps a bit dramatic but as someone who has seen more CDs destroyed by spilt coffee, random grit, and the various ravages of being owned by someone who cannot be bothered with cases, Dacal’s CD Library II is now my most cherished peripheral.
Basically, the CD Library II is an enclosed turntable for CDs. You pop in a CD and, when you want to retrieve it, it pops it out at you. For those of you whose desks have been made bulletproof with a layer of CDR’s, or for those who have an extensive gaming/software library but would rather avoid shelves of geeky bragging, the CD Library II is exactly what you need.
Aesthetics - 9
On an aesthetic level, the CD Library II has something of a retro look working in its favor. Owners of “egg chairs” will be ecstatic as Dacal’s machine looks like something out a late ‘60’s or early 70’s Sci-Fi movie. A white box with rounded corners; a large LED display; sizable, rounded buttons; and circular window on top, the CD Library II is part UFO, part Toaster Oven, and 100% cool. No one that I’ve shown off my new toy to has failed let out a Keanu Reeves-like “Whoa!” when seeing the CD Library II in action. Giving out a satisfying “whir”, the numbers on the LED display fly until finally stopping at the right CD. Then, in classic UFO style, a bridge lowers and, presumably in the name of “Peace”, out pops the CD.
Durability - 9
Dacal’s CD Library seems solid and built to last. The engines driving both the “gate” and the spinning mechanism are on the loud side but are apparently quite powerful. In fact, I called up a disk with glasses and mugs blocking the gate but bridge pushed them aside without an obvious signs of strain. The buttons are large, bulbous things that are solid yet quiet when pressed in. As with the rest of Dacal’s CD Library II, the buttons gives off the impression that they are quality and will not be falling off or sticking. In the end, the CD Library II is built to be stackable so that alone should tell you that it will put up with whatever paltry abuse you may put it through.
Performance - 10
The CD Library II runs in two modes. The first is for those that won’t be connecting it to a PC in which case you use the telephone-like pad to “dial-up” the right CD. This is useful for someone, no doubt, but for the purposes of most reading this review, is only needed when you’ve just reinstalled Windows and are briefly without the CD Library’s software. No doubt some off you just realized that having sensitive software like driver disks and whatnot in the CD manager may be a bad idea incase a fresh format is required. However, I’ve simply stored those disks in the order that I will need them in slots 1-5 which will actually make fresh installs a bit more pleasant. The only way that this could be improved upon is if the LED screen showed some basic information on the disc. However, the CD Manager does come with a little booklet to jot down what CD is in which slot.
The second mode that the CD Library II runs in (and the one most people will be using) is software mode. The CD Library II can attach to a PC (Mac’s included) via a USB port and then managed entirely through the included software. The software has a very straight forward, Windows ’98 look to it which was a bit of a disappointment but it terms of functionality it is flawless.
To take full advantage of the software, first choose the slot you want the disc to reside in. Then you assign it a category (Music, Software, Game, etc.), enter in a title for the CD (“Nforce Driver Disc”, etc,), and then add any notes that you’d like to be associated with the CD. Best yet, you can then place the CD/DVD into one of your drives and the software will take a snapshot of what is on the disc. You then eject the disc and plug in the correct slot into the CD manager and hit enter twice. This process is very quick and by the time my PC had ejected the CD/DVD, the CD manager had lowered its deck and was ready to receive the new disk.
To retrieve a disc, you can either browse your entire catalog of stored discs, or do a search for various criteria. Once you’ve found the right disc (only takes a few seconds), double click on its name and the CD Manager II will pop it out for you. It is as simple as that and works flawlessly. Lastly—and this should help combat an issue mentioned earlier—you can print out a list of the discs currently being stored so you always have an up-to-date hardcopy.
A few final points should also be made. For one, up to 127 CD Managers can be hooked together for a grand total of 19,050 slots to store discs. Secondly, the unit is lockable should that be something useful to you. Lastly, the CD Manager II can act as a standalone unit for those who would rather make it part of you entertainment system.
Value - 8
Costing roughly $200, the price of admission is hardly something to scoff at. However, considering the amount of money you’ll save from scratched/lost/cracked disks, the sheer convenience it provides, and its one-year warranty, I’d say the CD Library II’s price tag is reasonable.
Overall - 9.2
If you’re willing to pay the price and the CD Manager II sounds like something you could use, then grab one. It’s a solid, highly useful piece of hardware with an intuitive interface. In the end, Dacal’s CD Manager II is one of those devices that you never knew you needed but, once you have one, you can’t imagine how you ever lived without it. Now if it could only clean up old cups of coffee I might be able to find a pen on my desk in under a minute…