Got|Apex? Review: 40x Burning: Lite-On LTR-40125S vs Plextor PX-W4012TA/SW 03/18/2002

[Leon]

Thanks for reading the review. Please post any questions or comments in this thread.


http://www.gotapex.com/reviews.php?rev=40x/index.html

[THC]

Don't you just love the rare occasions when "you get what you pay for" doesn't hold true :)
Great review!

[TommyBoomfiger]

great review lp, i really want one now.
im wondering about one thing, did you try burning the copy protected audio cd using clonecd? even if a cd shows each track as 0kb, clonecd might be able to copy the cd by reading the raw data. i know this isnt real important for ripping, but maybe for backups.

[Cantacuzene]

I imagine clonecd would work. Clonecd is made by ereet german h4x0rz. They are good at confounding american businesses.

[TommyBoomfiger]

yeah, but even clonecd cant copy safedisc2 on all burners. i know it wont on my plex 12/10/32.

[modena]

i just bought the liteon 40x12x48x on saturday, it was like $115 with shipping....i am thrilled to hear it is a good deal, seeing as i have been getting some gasps from people when i say "40x burner", "liteon", and "$115" in the same line.:D

[LPMiller]

Originally posted by TommyBoomfiger
yeah, but even clonecd cant copy safedisc2 on all burners. i know it wont on my plex 12/10/32.

Well, that's not Clone CD's fault, that is due to the emf encoding on the plextor/sanyo chipset, which can't properly decode the errors Safedisc 2 introduces.

You could make a clone CD copy of the music, but that doesn't change the copy protection - you make an image of it, and you still have to get a program that can rip it out.

I was actually Surprised Feurio couldn't perform the rip, because it's one of their selling points. I didn't try CDex, I didn't even think to.

[zero2dash]

HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY NOW!!!!!!!

I happen to LIKE that CD. :thumb: I like it SO MUCH that I BOUGHT the CD cause I couldn't download it (in my spite towards the RIAA I'm download'n'burn EXCLUSIVE these days unless it's an artist I've bought everything from and love to death). I really liked the movie The Fast And The Furious and I really like the mix of techno and hard rock on the "More..." CD. (Granted, I like rap but I hate the first CD 'cause the only decent song is the closing song in the movie which is Ja Rule.)

ANYWAY...
can all of y'all quit dissin' the CD?!? :heh: LOL

...

I can also tell you that while you can't rip the CD by itself (ie by traditional methods, just a straight rip using generic mp3 conversion softs), it's already something that can be done (trust me I've done it and I've posted about it in the Off Topic forum, linkage (http://www.gotapex.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=38998). All you need is a drive that reads the disc, CloneCD, and Daemon Tools. I have a Plextor 12x (W121032A drive) that I've ripped it on...so trust me when I say that copy protected CD's aren't really an issue in CD burners, IMHO at least - but it's interesting seeing what drives choke while trying to read *goofy* discs.

I love my Plextor also...but I'm buying the LiteOn 40x drive after I get my LCD later this week. Regrets to Plextor...I'll pay $50+ less and get a crooked logo :heh: (which I could care less about and I think 99% of computer users would rather save $50 bucks and get a crooked logo that you're going to look at for 1 minute when you install the drive :D) and a no-frills brand name and take my left over $50 and buy 3+ spindles (depending upon sales that week) on CDRs. :P

I also wanted to mention that my 12x Plextor has the most sloppy, poorly constructed tray I've ever seen. If it's budged AT ALL from the side, it pops out. It's been knocked out of the drive a good 6 or 7 times total now and my friend thought he'd even broke my burner when it popped out on him.

[LPMiller]

well see, my plextor 12x is still fine at what, close to however old it is...and I've managed to drop that sucker a few times.

Yeah, I read your post, but I more wanted to point out some of the easier ways that sometimes workd. Feurio for instance can actually beat the copy protection used on MF&F, just not on that disk right now. More and more software is working on defeating those protections, because it does violate redbook standards.

And me? I buy my CDS used now :D

[DoPeY5007]

I read somewhere that they use a black try because it helps with the laser in some way... I can't remember where or what it said, I will keep looking though...



edit...

it was in the cdrlabs review


Using a black tray reduces the amount of jitter that might be created when writing by absorbing some of the reflected laser light. Plextor also uses an optimized PCB (Printed Circuit Board) with cleaner electrical characteristics

[zero2dash]

Originally posted by LPMiller

Yeah, I read your post, but I more wanted to point out some of the easier ways that sometimes workd. Feurio for instance can actually beat the copy protection used on MF&F, just not on that disk right now. More and more software is working on defeating those protections, because it does violate redbook standards.

And me? I buy my CDS used now :D

Really? I didn't know that Feurio could beat the copy protection itself. Hmm...methinks I'm gonna check that out.

Thanks for the heads up on that :thumb: (dude this thumb smilie rocks)

[Dartman]

Well I just registered here after reading this review and the replys in this forum.
You got the 40 to rip More Fast and the Furious 'eh. I couldn't get either my new LiteOn 32 or the 163 DVD to do it. I have a lot of different gear lying around here after all these years of playing with puters and burners.
My Plex 40wide will do it in EAC if I let it reread it a bunch of times till it picks up the tracks, OR manually detect TOC.
Both the Liteons detect it fine but no read. My old burner, a TDK 24 will detect snd rip but it's slow and has errors. A toshiba 1202 DVD detects and rips aparently but it's medium slow, but supposedly error
free.
Also if I do a 1to1 copy with Clone it will then be ripped by even the Liton drives, fast and clean too.
I bet they have a copy inhibit for audio built in to the Liteons, but it only works on the original disk I guess.
If somebody could hack the bios and see then it would be the perfect all around drive.
Anyhow if that thing can also rip the disks I might have to buy another burner. :D