In Detail: Accessories And Features
| Model | Yamaha CRW 2200E | TDK CDRW241040X | Yamaha CRW 2100E | Aopen CRW 1232A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revision (Bios) | 1.0c | 6.34 | 1.0g | 1.01 |
| Price | 469 Mark | 599 Mark | 299 Mark | 229 Mark |
| Supported Features (Tested) | ||||
| Automatic Write Speed calibration | yes | yes | yes | no |
| RAW-DAO | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| CD+G RAW-DAO | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Write CD-RW | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Write CD-Text | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Write subchannel data | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Write multisession | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Burn Proof (Buffer underrun protection) | yes | yes | no | yes |
| Specifications | ||||
| Writing-/CD-RW-/Reading speed | 20x/10x/40x | 24x/10x/40x | 16x/10x/40x | 12x/10x/32x |
| Write Cache | 8192 kB | 2048 kB | 8192 kB | 2048 kB |
| Writing Speed | 1x/2x/4x/8x/12x/16x/20x | 1x/2x/4x/8x/12x/16x/20x/24x | 1x/2x/4x/8x/12x/16x | 2x/4x/8x/12x |
| Digital Audio Extraction (DAE) Speed Test | ||||
| Xing Audio Grabber | max. 6000 kB/s (40x) | max. 3000 kB/s (20x) | max. 6000 kB/s (40x) | max. 4800 kB/s (32x) |
| Seek Time Test | ||||
| Random seek | 131 ms | 128 ms | 125 ms | 125 ms |
| 1/3 seek | 163 ms | 140 ms | 161 ms | 148 ms |
| Full seek | 233 ms | 258 ms | 238 ms | 217 ms |
| Transfer Speed Tests | ||||
| Average speed | 3895 kB/s (25,97x) | 4366 kB/s (29,11x) | 3661 kB/s (24,41x) | 3537 kB/s (23,58x) |
| Start speed | 2505 kB/s (16,7x) | 2569 kB/s (17,13x) | 2475 kB/s (16,5x) | 2155 kB/s (14,37x) |
| End speed | 3381 kB/s (22,54x) | 5772 kB/s (38,48x) | 3327 kB/s (22,18x) | 3013 kB/s (20,09x) |
| Transfer Type | CAV | CAV | CAV | CAV |
| Spin up time (seconds) | 4,12 s | 1,55 s | 4,0 s | 2,46 s |
| Spin down time (seconds) | 3,51 s | 4,71 s | 4,08 s | 3,9 s |
| Disc eject test (seconds) | 1,7 s | 3,31 s | 1,65 s | 1,55 s |
| Disc load test (seconds) | 1,94 s | 10,75 s | 1,75 s | 5,95 s |
| Disc recognition time (seconds) | 6,02 s | 0,88 s | 6,27 s | 0,01 s |
| Error correction | middle | very good | middle | good |
| Burning Speed Tests | ||||
| Overburn test (705 MB CD image) time | 5:05 minutes | 4:08 minutes | 5:51 minutes | 7:14 minutes |
| Copy CD-ROM (506 MB) time | 3:20 minutes | 2:51 minutes | 4:07 minutes | 5:02 minutes |
| Burning 650 MB | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Burning 700 MB | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Burning Audio CD (80 min) | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Other | ||||
| Row 39 - Cell 0 | switches to 8x speed with many recordables | Row 39 - Cell 2 | Row 39 - Cell 3 | Row 39 - Cell 4 |
Summary: TDK For Speed-Mongers, Aopen For Bean-Counters
This test of four high-speed burners clearly shows that the TDK, with its maximum burn speed of 24x, is definitely the favorite when it comes to speed and short burn times. In just 3 minutes, a complete CD-ROM can be written - none of the other test subjects can do this. However, the write cache that comes with the device shows deficiencies: 2 MB are decidedly too scant for a burner in this speed class. But with maximum use of the available resources (24x) it has a sustained data flow of 3.6 MB per second. The cache is thus emptied in less than one second.
Those who place less importance on burn speed and are looking for a good all-around burner should go for the AOpen CRW 1232A. It combines short access times with very good error correction. However, it makes less points for the features offered: There is no laser calibration and no burn-proofing function. But on the other hand, the burner can be had for $ 85.
Both Yamaha writers offer by and large equally useful features - but regarding error correction, they are less attractive. The CRW 2200E shows anomalies when writing to certain CD-Rs: In operation, the device shifts down from a 20x to an 8x burn speed.
