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CD Recording FAQ
4. CD-R media
4.8. "Audio Only" media
Apart from regular cdr media, there are also media marked as "Audio Only", which always come at a higher price. This doesn't mean that you have to use them for audio, or that they will give better results, but that they are intended for use with stand alone AudioCD recorders.
Stand alones can use only this kind of media (except some older models like Philips CDR 870 which could be fooled to use regular media as well). The reason for this is that copyright and royalty agreements oblige manufacters of stand alone AudioCD recorders to put restrictions so that their products can use "audio only" media, which come at a higher price because of royalty taxes which are to compensate the recording industry for the loss of income due to use of recording devices.
All blank cds come with a byte written in the pregroove (wobble track) which qualifies the cd for appropriate use. This flag can't be altered, since it is pressed at the factory, and in the case of "audio only" media is appropriately set so that stand alones can use only them.
You can use "audio only" media on a computer based recorder (if its firmware allowes their use), but you will not get better results and the cost will be significantly higher.