1. Introduction
TEAC
CD-W548E IDE CD-RW - Page
1
- Introduction
At
last, Teac decided to support the 48X recording speed with the CD-W548E. The
previous CD-W540E series deserved our "Editors Choice Award" given
for the widely media compatibility, the high recording speeds and the low seek
times. In the CD-W548E series, TEAC moved from SANYO to MediaTek chipsets and
we will try to examine the possible effects and changes in the drive's performance.
As usual we compare the drive with competitor drives from ASUS, Plextor, CyberDrive
and SONY.
- Features
As we mentioned in the previous CD-W540E series review, the CD-W548E also
supports the Fine Focus Control technology:
"
The
required strength of the laser varies greatly with writing and reading processes.
With the movement of the write head with conventional CD-R (W) drives, faults
often occur when writing and reading. TEAC has made a breakthrough with the
new "Fine Focus Control" technology, in that the laser always remains
constant and never enters a "jitter mode". The laser remains precisely
in the same position on the track, regardless of the speed. This key CD writing
technology from TEAC enables the high recording quality with very high speeds
"
The top left picture shows the solution from most manufacturers. Below is
what TEAC proposes:
The "Intelligent Speed Control" technology sufficiently tests the
status of the CD before the writing process and uses various parameters in order
to determine the highest writing speed with the best possible quality. For example,
the number of tracks, the disk balance, the power strength of the laser, the
type of disk and any possible vibrations with higher rotation speeds are all
tested.
- Specifications
The original press release from TEAC claimed that the drive supports the Zone-CLV
recording method "...In order to achieve the high writing speed, the new
TEAC drive works with Zone Constant Linear Velocity as recording technology.
With Zone-CLV the CD is divided into three zones, internally and externally,
in which the write speed varies. In more simple terms, the drive is able to
automatically synchronize these three zones when burning and consequently can
always achieve a linear speed..." However the drive that arrived in our
labs supports CLV and P-CAV for the various recording speeds!
The drive's features according to Nero Info Tool are the following:
The drive supports 48X maximum reading / writing and 16X re-writing speeds.
The buffer is 2MB and the reading of CD-Text and CD+G is supported. Nero Info
Tool also reports that retrieving of C2 error information is supported but its
accuracy would be examined later. Mt. Rainier format is also supported. The
following pictures show the drive's supported reading/writing speeds:
- Recording/Re-writing speeds
The drive supports the 48X recording speed with the use of P-CAV recording
technology. As Nero CD Speed revealed, the drive starts writing at 22.82X and
gradually reaches the 47.69X speed at 66mins and keeps this speed until the
end of the disc. That gives an average of 38.56X, making it probably the fastest
48X recorder. The actual recording results confirmed these CD Speed results.
With other CD-R media, the drive's average writing speed can be lower down
to 38.22X:
- The package
The
supplied package is the retail European version and contains: the drive, one
TEAC 80min 52X certified blank disc, a printed operation manual in 7 languages,
mounting screws and audio/IDE cables. The main software is Nero 5.5.x, and InCD
v3.2.x. The drive has a 2-year warranty (only for Europe) and can be found at
the retail price of less than Euro 99.
The TEAC 12X-52X CD-R media is based on Mitsui chemicals
The front panel of the drive is not different than all previous TEAC CD-RW
drives. You can see the usual eject button, the headphone input jack/volume
selector and two operation led:
The indicator Leds light in Seek, Play, Read, and Write operation. In the
following table you will find a brief description of the different drive states
and their associated indicator states
Operation
|
left LED
|
right LED
|
At tray loading/eject
|
OFF
|
Green LED flashes (0.24sec interval)
|
During write
|
Green LED flashes (1.48sec interval)
|
OFF
|
During Audio Play
|
OFF
|
Green LED flashes (1.48sec interval)
|
During Seek/Data transfer
|
OFF
|
Green LED lights
|
At start
|
OFF
|
Green LED flashes (0.48sec interval)
|
Self-diagnosis error / Start error
|
OFF
|
Green LED flashes (0.24sec interval)
|
On the rear panel of the drive you will find the usual connectors (IDE interface,
power), the jumpers for setting the drive to Master/Slave option, three un-used
jumpers on the right and the analogue and the digital audio output connectors.
- Inside the drive
After removing the bottom screws we can see the internal of the drive. The
drive is based upon MediaTek chipsets, a big change from all previous TEAC recorders
that mostly used SANYO chipsets:
- Installation
The TEAC CD-W548E was installed as a Master in the primary IDE BUS. The drive
worked in UDMA-33 mode. After booting, it identified itself as a"TEAC
CD-W548E". We used Nero v5.5.9.17, CloneCD v4.1.0.1 and Ahead InCD
v3.51.61 for the recording tests. The drive is an October 2002 model with firmware
revision v1.05 installed.
The drive will automatically reduce the maximum writing speed (48X) when it
detects that the inserted media cannot be burned in the selected writing speed.
Teac does not offer any way through software/hardware to overpass this feature.
The pictures below come from Nero when a non-supported blank media was inserted
(maximum speed dropped at 40X).
2. Data Reading Tests
TEAC
CD-W548E IDE CD-RW -Page
2
Data Tests
- Pressed CD results: (Click to see the CD
Speed Graph)
The faster drive is the ASUS with an average reading speed of 37.29X. The
TEAC CD-W548E gets the forth position with an average reading speed of 36.28X.
The seek times of the drive were good compared with other drives, except
from the Plextor PX-W4824A, which was the fastest drive. The CyberDrive CW088D
gets the last position with a 104ms random seek performance. The previous CD-W540E
series was faster by a 72ms in random seeks mode.
- CDR Media: (Click to see the CD
Speed Graph)
With CD-R media, the TEAC drive still gets the forth position. Its reading
performance was improved but is still slower than the other drives. The main
reason is that the drive starts reading in a quite low speed (20.86X).
The seek times with CD-R media, were the high with a 117ms in
the random and 210ms in the full stroke. The Plextor PX-W4824A still holds the
first place.
- RW media: (Click to see the CD
Speed Graph)
The drive supports the 32X (CAV) maximum reading speed for HS-RW format.
That drops the average reading speed down to 25.64X, slower than the competitor
drives.
3. CD Error Correction Tests
TEAC
CD-W548E IDE CD-RW - Page
3
Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we examine the reading error correction capabilities
of the drive.
- EAC CD-R Test Disc
- Test Results (Max Reading)
Errors total
|
Num: 3130389
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 15631
|
Avg:-21.8 dB(A)
|
Max: -6.2 dB(A)
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num:1881
|
Avg:774.3 Samples
|
Max:3584 Samples
|
Skips Samples
|
Num: 2
|
Avg: 408 Samples
|
Max:408 Samples
|
Total Test Result
|
59.7 points (of 100.0 maximum)
|
The average level of errors is high and mainly produced from the scratched
areas of the test disc. Many samples were also muted, and it seems that the
most of them were long enough. The performance is low and the score is evaluated
to 59.7 points out of 100.
- ABEX TCD-721R
- Test Results (Max speed)
Errors total
|
Num: 20918090
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 144656
|
Avg:-42.0 dB(A)
|
Max: -5.7 dB(A)
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 34620
|
Avg: 92.6 Samples
|
Max: 3584 Samples
|
Skips Samples
|
Num: 52
|
Avg: 81.8 Samples
|
Max: 1129 Samples
|
Total Test Result
|
52.7 points (of 100.0 maximum)
|
The ABEX 721R test disc is very hard for many drives and the Teac W548E doesn't
seem to be an exception. The amount of total errors is higher than in the previous
test, and the average level is -42 dB(A). But the main problem seems to be the
error muting samples that are present in a high amount among with some skip
samples. The performance is very low and the total score is only 52.7 points
out of 100.
- ABEX TCD-726
- Test Results (Max Speed)
Errors total
|
Num: 0
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 90
|
Avg:-29.3 dB(A)
|
Max: -17.9 dB(A)
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 0
|
Avg: 0 Samples
|
Max: 0 Samples
|
Skips Samples
|
Num:1 0
|
Avg: 326.4 Samples
|
Max: 468 Samples
|
Total Test Result
|
75.9 points (of 100.0 maximum)
|
The ABEX 726 test disc was easier for the TEAC drive to read. There were less
errors loudness and some skip samples. The overall score is 75.9 points.
- Conclusion
Test Disc
|
Reading Speed
|
TEAC CD-W548E
|
Score
|
EAC CD-R
|
Max
|
59.7
|
ABEX TCD-721R
|
Max
|
52.7
|
ABEX TCD-726
|
Max
|
75.9
|
Average Score
|
62.3
|
TEAC W548E did not showed the accuracy we expected in these tests. The average
score is less than average and hardly reaches the 62.3 points out of 100.
- C2 Information accuracy
- Test Results (MAX Speed)
Below is the CDSpeed DAE quality test result of Teac W548E. As you can see,
there were many unreadable areas and many compare errors. The drive looses control
and produces many sync error after a specific scratch width. The quality score
cannot be -5 as the software indicates, but is certainly low. The C2 accuracy
is also very low, reaching the 41.24% only.
The C2 accuracy of the Teac W548E seems to be very low. The ABEX 726 test did
not gave a C2 accuracy result, since no errors were returned. The overall accuracy
score is only 52.1%. Both results from CDSpeed and EAC software show a similar
behaviour for the drive.
Test Disc
|
Reading Speed
|
TEAC CD-W548E
|
Score
|
EAC CD-R
|
Max
|
51.00
|
ABEX TCD-721R
|
Max
|
53.2
|
ABEX TCD-726
|
Max
|
-
|
Average Score
|
52.1
|
Below are the C2 error graphs as produced by EAC analyser software...
4. CloneCD Reading Tests
TEAC
CD-W548E IDE CD-RW - Page
4
CloneCD Reading
Tests
- Procedure
We used CloneCD and 4 original CDs - Serious Sam 2 (SafeDisc 2), Desperados
(LaserLock 2), V-Rally 2 Expert (SecuROM 2) and NBA Jam Extreme (PSX) - in order
to test the reading times of the drive. We also tested the reading performance
with backups of the original CDs, since the reading speed varies between original
and backup media. The following picture show the drive(s) reading/writing features
as CloneCD reports:
- PSX Pressed Media
For this test we used the PSX game 'NBA Jam Extreme' and we ripped the image
to the HD with CloneCD. The TEAC drive is the fastest drive and first place
with only 45secs!
- SafeDisc v.2 Results
The TEAC drive performed quite well and gets the second place behind the
ASUS CRW4816A. The drive needs 4:11mins to finish the task.
- LaserLock v.2 Results
The TEAC drive was slower with LaserLock2 media, as was expected.
With the original disc it needs 11mins, while with the backup one only 5mins.
- SecuROM v.2 Results
All drives can read SubChannel data from Data/Audio tracks. The faster drive
comes from CyberDrive. The TEAC CD-W548E performed quite well and gets the second
position with the CD-R media.
5. DAE Tests
TEAC
CD-W548E IDE CD-RW - Page
5
DAE Tests
- DAE features
- Pressed AudioCD
The TEAC CD-W548E was a fast performer, but there are faster drives from
SONY and CyberDrive. However, the difference is not that important (0.4X-0.5X).
- Audio CD-R media
With CD-R media, the TEAC drive is close to the top, but the ASUS CRW4816A
is faster by a 0.3X. The slowest drive comes from SONY with a 29.6X.
- EAC Secure Extract Ripping mode
EAC's secure extract ripping mode results, which ensures maximum produced
WAV quality. Note that for each drive we used the built-in detection function:
Tested Drives
|
Average DAE Speed (X)
|
Pressed
|
CDR
|
TEAC CD-W548E
|
10.9
|
11.0
|
- Advanced DAE test
All the drives got a "100" score. The DAE speed for
the TEAC CD-W548E drive is 26.71X. The drive can also read Leadin information,
CD-text and Subchannel data.
- Bad CDR Media results
We used CD DAE software to rip the whole disc (756539616 sectors) to the
hard disk.
|
Average Speed (X)
|
Errors
|
Errors Of Total Disc (%)
|
TEAC CD-W548E
|
Drive halts, you need to re-start the
PC
|
The condition of the disc can be considered as very bad, so the purpose of
this test is not to get the best results with any read errors, but to estimate
the capabilities of the drive. The drive could not recognize the disc contents
and PC a reboot was unavoidable in order to eject the test disc from the tray.
- Ripping 90 and 99mins AudioCDs
Tested drives
|
Ripping up to
|
TEAC CD-W548E
|
Can read up to 99 minutes
|
- Reading/Ripping Protected AudioCDs
For the test procedure we used 2 protected AudioCDs, which we
tested in both recognition and ripping (with EAC BURST mode) processes:
* Pressed AudioCD with Sony Key2Audio (Celine Dion - New Day Has
Come)
* Pressed AudioCD with Cactus Data Shield 200 (Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies
Island)
|
Key2Audio
|
CDS200
|
TEAC CD-W548E
|
Cannot recognize disc contents
|
Rips entire disc without any problems
|
The TEAC CD-W548E was able to rip the CDS200 protected Audio discs, but it
failed to recognize the Key2Audio protected Audio disc.
6. CDR Tests
TEAC
CD-W548E IDE CD-RW - Page
6
CDR Tests
The drive supports 4X, 8X, 12X, 16X (CLV), 24X, 32X, 40X, and 48X (P-CAV)
writing speeds.
- Recording Tests
The amount of the data we burned was 704MB (80:01:26), for all the drives.
The TEAC CD-W548E finished the task first in only 152secs (2:32mins)! The current
52X recorders are faster by only 3 secs, so the performance is really good.
The second place is shared between two drives (SONY CRX-210E1 and CyberDrive
CW088D). The ASUS CRW4816A comes third with 161secs and PleXWriter PX-W4824A
follows with 167secs.
The above graph shows the differences of the recording performances for the
three tested drives in all the supported writing speeds. The results are the
best we had for each speed. As we can see the Teac drive takes the lead at the
48X and 40X speeds. At 32X the drive is only three seconds slower than ASUS
CRW4816A.
- TEAC CD-W548E recording results
- Overburning Tests
The drive can overburn up to 99mins with specific media. However, when we
used 99mins media from Disc4You the drive halted at the lead-in area. The below
picture is the procedure result with a 99min disc from Unitech.
- CD-Text Results
Both drives can read/write CD-Text without any problems.
- CloneCD Writing Tests
The CloneCD software reports that the drive supports the DAO-RAW feature.
With the use of proper media, DAO-RAW writing can be performed at 48X (CAV).
For checking the drive's EFM correction status, we used 3 different game titles
with different SafeDisc 2 versions with the latest software patches installed.
We used the drive as reader/writer at maximum reading/recording speed. Two discs
were burned for each game. One disc was burned with PadusDJ and the other with
CloneCD (Amplify Weak Sectors On). The results are posted in the following table:
Game Title
|
Tested Drive
|
SD2 Build
|
Settings
|
CloneCD (Amplify Weak Sectors On)
|
PadusDJ
|
Max Payne v1.05
|
Creative 52X
CD-ROM
|
v.2.50.020
|
Ok
|
TEAC 40X
CD-ROM
|
BTC DV316
DVD-ROM
|
Serious Sam - The Second Encounter v1.07
|
Creative 52X
CD-ROM
|
v.2.60.052
|
Ok
|
TEAC 40X
CD-ROM
|
BTC DV316
DVD-ROM
|
The Sims - Unleashed
|
Creative 52X
CD-ROM
|
v2.80.010
|
Ok
|
TEAC 40X
CD-ROM
|
BTC DV316
DVD-ROM
|
Shifting from Sanyo to MediaTek chipsets affected the drive's performance with
the SafeDisc 2 protected discs. The drive can now backup them without the need
of any special software...
7. Writing Quality Tests
TEAC
CD-W548E IDE CD-RW - Page
7
Writing Quality Tests
We used various media and burn them at the maximum allowed writing speed.
The writing quality scores are in the following table:
Brand
|
Maximum Writing Allowed speed
|
C1 Errors
|
Average Burning Time (mins)
|
Comments
|
Max
|
Average
|
CMC Magnetics
80min 48X
|
48X
|
26
|
1.1
|
2:32
|
|
Prodisc 80min 48X
|
48X
|
37
|
1.3
|
2:32
|
|
Postech 80min 48X
|
48X
|
72
|
12.9
|
2:33
|
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals
80min 48X
|
40X
|
17
|
0.6
|
2:40
|
Allows 48X but the recording is performed
at 40X!!
|
TEAC 80min 48X
|
40X
|
19
|
0.6
|
2:41
|
That is the included retail package media,
but drive allows only 40X not 48X
|
Imation 80min 48X
|
48X
|
35
|
2.8
|
2:32
|
|
TDK D-VIEW
80min 24X
|
48X
|
36
|
1.7
|
2:34
|
|
Plextor 80min 48X
|
48X
|
12
|
0.8
|
2:34
|
|
ASUS 80min 48X
|
48X
|
19
|
1.2
|
2:33
|
|
RITEK 80min 48X
|
48X
|
44
|
1.2
|
2:33
|
|
The TEAC CD-W548E showed a very good writing quality. The drive's writing policy
is rather strict with the inserted media, but it produced very good results.
The lowest C1 error rate at the maximum speed came with Plextor 80min 48X media,
while the absolute recording times came with CMC Mangetics based media. The
only problem was noticed with Postech 80min 48X media, where a 12.9 average
C1 error rate was reported. The drive will not allow 48X writing on Mitsui and
Mitsubishi Chemicals based media.
The following media was allowed burning only at 16X
- CibaPlasmon 80min 48X
- FUJI 80min 40X
- SKC 80min 48X
- C1/C2 Error rate from ASUS 80min 48X @ 48X
- C1/C2 Error rate from CMC Magnetics 80min 48X @ 48X
- C1/C2 Error rate from Imation 80min 48X @ 48X
- C1/C2 Error rate from Postech 80min 48X @ 48X
- C1/C2 Error rate from Prodisc 80min 40X @ 48X
- C1/C2 Error rate from Plextor 80min 48X @ 48X
In the following table you can see the manufacturing details of the media
we used for our tests.
Name
|
Real Manufacturer
|
ID Code
|
Capacity
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 80min 48x
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals
|
97m34s23f
|
79:59.73
|
Intenso 80min 40x
|
Prodisc
|
97m32s19f
|
79:59.74
|
Mitsui 80min 40X
|
Mitsui
|
97m27s58f
|
79:59.74
|
Taiyo Yuden 80min 32X
|
Taiyo Yuden
|
97m24s01f
|
79:59.73
|
Ciba Plasmon 80min 48X
|
Plasmon
|
97m27s18f
|
79:59.74
|
Imation 80min 32X
|
CMC Mangetics
|
97m26s66f
|
79:59:74
|
RITEK 80min 48X
|
RITEK
|
97m15s17f
|
79:59:70
|
ASUS 80min 52X
|
ACER
|
97m22s67f
|
79:59:74
|
CMC Magnetics 80min 48X
|
CMC Mangetics
|
97m26s66f
|
79:59:71
|
TDK D-VIEW 80min 24X
|
RITEK
|
97m15s17f
|
79:59:73
|
That's 80min 48X
|
Taiyo Yuden
|
97m24s01f
|
79:59.72
|
Hitachi Maxell 80min 40X
|
Hitachi-Maxell
|
97m25s29f
|
79:59:74
|
Fuji 80min 40X
|
Fuji Photo Film
|
97m26s45f
|
79:59:73
|
- Compatibility with WSES software
The drive can work with the WSES software.
Unfortunately the drive does not work either with the C1/C2 measurement test
or the Read C1/C2 error count
8. RW/Packet Writing Tests
TEAC
CD-W548E IDE CD-RW - Page
8
RW Writing Tests
The supported writing speeds for the HS-RW format are the 4X, 8X, 10X, 12X
and 16X (CLV).
For the burning tests, we burned a full 74mins disc with all the drives.
The results are showed in the following chart. We used the maximum supported
speed for each drive.
The TEAC CD-W548E ends the task at 5:00mins. The same time is needed from
the ASUS CRW4816A. The Plextor PX-W4824A is the faster drive due to its US-RW
re-writing speed. The SONY CRX-210E1 is the slowest drive since it supports
the 12X speed.
- Packet Writing Tests
We used Ahead InCD v3.51.61 for the packet writing tests. The formatted disc
had 534 MB of free space. We copied a 403 MB file (403.147 kbs) from a Hard
Disk (on the same PC as the writers) to the formatted RW media using Windows
Explorer (we dragged and dropped) and we completed the test more than once,
to eliminate any possible time measurement faults and user errors.
The TEAC drive performed quite well with a 12.16X writing and 12.3X reading
speed under the packet-writing mode. The PleXWriter PX-W4824A gets the first
place; due to increased 24X US-RW supported writing speed, while the SONY CRX-210E1
leads in the reading process with 20.45X.
- Mt. Rainier Tests
For testing the Mt. Rainier performance, we used was InCD v3.51.61 by Ahead
Software. After the format process, we immediately started the recording process
(drag & drop). When the drive finished, we started the reading process back
to the HD. While we could perform the writing/reading tasks, the drive couldn't
eject the media and locked. We had to reboot in order to remove the disc. This
should be looked from TEAC engineers and fixed with a future firmware upgrade.
Drive
|
Average Writing Speed (X)
|
Average Reading Speed (X)
|
PleXWriter PX-W4824A
|
10X HS-RW
|
6.36
|
16.60
|
24X US-RW
|
12.80
|
16.13
|
SONY CRX210E1
|
12X HS-RW
|
8.27
|
19.75
|
ASUS CRW4816A
|
16X HS-RW
|
1.35
|
22.46
|
TEAC CD-W548E
|
16X HS-RW
|
9.58
|
11.56
|
- EasyWrite tests
The Philips Easy Write tests checks the quality level of the Mt Rainier implementation.
The drive accepted the EasyWrite test suite commands however failed to eject
the media, as with the tests with the InCD software...
9. Conclusion
TEAC
CD-W548E IDE CD-RW- Page
9
Conclusion
Positive (+)
|
Negative (-)
|
- The faster 48X recorder ever tested
- Supports "SuperLink" and Fine Focus Control technologies
- Supports Mt. Rainier format
- Very good 16X HS-RW writing performance
- Very good writing quality
- Very fast DAE ripping speeds either with pressed/CD-R discs
- Can rip CDS200 protected Audio discs
- Good CloneCD reading performance
- Supports DAO-RAW writing and can backup SafeDisc v2.80.010 builds
- Supports reading/writing of SubChannel Data
- Supports CD-Text (reading/writing)
- Supports Overburning (up to 99mins)
- Supports UDMA33 connection interface
- Low price of <$99
|
- Supported media for 48X writing speed
needs improvement
- Low CD error correction capabilities
- C2 error information is present but with low accuracy
- The drive won't eject written media under Mt. Rainier format
- Cannot rip Key2Audio protected Audio discs
- Cannot recognize our BAD DAE test disc
- Retail package doesn't include 16X HS-RW media, while the bulked 52X
media cannot be burned at 48X!
|
The TEAC CD-W548E possibly comes a little late since nowadays the 52X recorders
are already sold in the market. The TEAC name ensures the optimum writing performance
with good writing quality and of course high CD error correction capabilities.
The CD-W548E completes the two of the three mentioned abilities since it is
without any doubt the faster 48X recorder we have ever tested. The recording
result of 2:32 mins for a full 80min disc is absolutely amazing if you consider
that the faster 52X recorder needs 2:29mins for the same task. The writing quality
remained at high levels with 24X~ 48X certified media. Of course we would like
to see a higher media compatibility for the 48X media, since several 48X branded
media was allowed to written only at 16X...
Continuing mentioning the positives, the drive had very good re-writing performance
due to the 16X writing speed, increased DAE speeds (34X) either with CD-R or
pressed media, it can rip CDS200 protected Audio discs, its reading performance
with protected discs under CloneCD was good (!) and due to the change of used
chipsets it can backup SD2 discs without the need of any special software. Lastly
the drive's price of <99 Euro makes it an attractive recording solution.
On the negative side we could mention that the drive is picky with the inserted
discs at the 48X speed, the CD error correction is low and even C2 error information
is present cannot be retrieved with high accuracy. The drive also has some problems
under Mt. Rainier, halted when inserted our BAD DAE test discs and cannot rip
Key2Audio protected discs. Last, the retail package doesn't include any16X HS-RW
media (!) while the bulked 52X media are allowed to be burned only at the 40X
speed...