Your PC CDROM does matter. Read on to find out why.

[003]

Well I've known this for quite a while but never decided to sit down and make it known. Basically, your CDROM does matter and will influence the quality of burns and rips. So do the actual blank CDs you use. And no folks, Plextor is not the king. Now I am not going to sit down here and type everything out, that would be way to long. Instead, you can visit the cdfreaks forums, which is pretty much just like head-fi, except it concentrates on CDROMs instead of headphones. Link:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=61

I personally have the BenQ DW1640 CDROM.

[SayNoToPistons]

What would you recommend? To be honest. I still have an old Lite-On 16x CD-rw drive from YEARRRS back (when "burners" started becoming popular). I have an LG DVD-ROM. I'm looking for a good budget but with good quality and reliability (unlike my dvd -rom drives). Speed wouldn't matter (unless quality depends on it). Thanks.

[003]

I'm not sure what would be best for you, like us head-fiers, many of the people there have more than one CDROM, each better for different tasks. I just went and made a thread saying what I was looking for in a CDROM and asked for suggestions. The DW1640 was highly recommended. I suggest you make your own thread.

[infinitesymphony]

I've looked around CD Freaks for a while, and it seems to me that the real difference between a "good" and "bad" burner is the quality of its ability to write at high speeds on a large variety of media.

Even with a cheap drive, if you burn at a slow enough speed with good media (or media that is known to work well with the drive), the burn should relatively be of the same quality. Sure, the timing might vary between drives, but with data this doesn't matter, and with redbook audio it's subtle. I'd wager most people couldn't tell the difference in burns between two drives burning at 1x.

[003]

No, speed has nothing to do with it. I have seen them talk about people who go out to buy a drive and get the one with the fastest rated speed. Just like we talk about and degrade people who buy bose. There is all kinds of things to look out for, including things like bitsetting, riplock, and many others that I cant remember.

[aphex944]

As far as extracting audio, EAC(exact audio copy), which I'm sure you know of, has a Secure Mode which re-reads each sector several times to ensure a good copy has been made. Hundreds of different drives can produce the exact same rips from the same CD. Using the correct software goes a long way. Sure, there are features that will speed this up(proper C2 error detection), and drives that have better reading/burning capabilities, but the results using the right software can be the same across a wide variety of drives.

[Jahn]

is this the one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827101664

supercheap! looks like it has reliability issues and is loud tho - have you found any of this to be true, 003?

[CSMR]

Some CD ROM drives are better at reading CDs in bad condition. And some are faster than others. A better CD drive will mean you don't spend as much time and maybe that one or two CDs that can't be extracted can be.
Plextor is good not only because some of their drives are good but because of their software. Otherwise you have to use EAC.

[003]

Thats not the one. The DW1640 was unfortunately discontinued and a lot of the newer benq drives are not very good from what I have read on cdfreaks. I was lucky to get mine, I found a small online shop that was liquidating them. But they are all gone now. There are many other good drives though, just browse the forums, look at the stickies or make your very own thread

[Konig]

u mean u guys didnt know?

I thought its a very well established fact
dedicated CD recorders are being designed and manufactured for a REASON!

but i believe only the most experienced audiophiles can hear they difference.

[Konig]

You just love computers so I have to say "there is no difference". But since
you are a genuine audiophile, I have to say "There is a world of difference
between CD-R media, CD-R drives, power cables going to your computer,
vibration control, the angle at the outer edge of the CD-R.

This thing provides a HUGE upgrade in CD sound. I can attest. I have heard
it and it really works wonders.

http://www.audiodesksysteme.de/index.php?kat=10_17_6

Attached are pictures of the best CD-Roms we've ever heard. They are not
manufactured any more. Do not confuse them with other Verbatims which are
not dark blue on the underside, but a green color. The green sound worse.
The packaging is the same!

Best wishes,
Liudas
----
LessLoss Audio
www.LessLoss.com

[Jahn]

003, you are such a ROM-Pimp. I just bought a NOS BenQ 1650V for $28.76 shipped. I'll update it with the latest firmware when it comes too. The draw for me was that i have two drives right now, my newish sony dvd burner, and my stock dell dvd drive which clanks like a mofo. guess which one i'm tossing for the BenQ the ancient Dell PC Tower of Power limps on with frankenparts!

[003]

I know the DW1650 is pretty good, never heard of the 1650V though, I dont know if they are the same thing. Anyway the newest firmware is usually not the best. Read up on cdfreaks for the best one for the 1650, and if need be make a thread.

[Jahn]

oh, that's because the 1650v is a read-only DVD-ROM, not a writer.

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread....ighlight=1650v

it's one of the latest and greatest and not bogged down with any lightscribe stuff. apparently the latest firmware for it is very stable and can do some nifty things, there are only two firms for it right now, the stock and the newest firmware. goodbye crap dell DVD-ROM!

[003]

So, that won't write CD's either? I see.