IMac :: How Good Is Cd Burning Capability?

while the drive in my macbook pro a few years ago was just plain terrible, i've had no issues with the one in my 24" imac. however, i'm looking to burn some audio cd's for my little record label.
so how good is the cd burning capability? i've made some discs in the past, when i was still using a PC and i bought a very high quality external burner for $80 or so canadian, and when i checked the errors it was comparable to a pressed cd. unlike the homemade ones i used to do before that didn't play on some systems.

i'm looking for a cheap way to do batches of twenty or so discs that will play on everybody's computers and cd players. however since most people these days rip them to mp3, i don't want to make a big investment. i will however be buying high quality cd-r stock and printing attractive images to the tops.