Error Correction Tests

In the following tests we check the drive's behavior when reading scratched / defective audio discs. The test discs are the ABEX series from ALMEDIO.

- ABEX TCD-721R

Errors total	Num: 1114555
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 54122	Avg: -73.7 dB(A)	Max:-34.9 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 3512	Avg: 1.1 Samples	Max: 40 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Total Test Result	76.6 points (out of 100.0 maximum)

Memorex proved to be a stable drive on the CD error correction tests. Although Abex 721R test disc is hard to be read by most drives, both Memorex and Pioneer returned very good scores, 76.6 and 76.4 respectively. As far as it concerns Nec, Almedio awarded the drive with 65.0 points on the part of the 721R CD error correction test.

- ABEX TCD-726

Errors total	Num: 231
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num:12	Avg:-57.8 dB(A)	Max: -50.4 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Total Test Result	93.5 points (out of 100.0 maximum)

The 726 Abex test disc is easier to be read by most drives. The total score of Memorex for this test is 93.5 points out of 100. During the test, no errors such as muted or skipped sequences were reported and only the -57.8dB(A) noise spike was reported. The total errors pending the reading process were only 231.

- CD-Check Audio Test Disc

The CD-Check Test Disc is a very useful tool for evaluating the Sound Reproduction / Error correction capabilities of a CD player. The disc offers a signal combination with disc error patterns to rate the drive's abilities in sound reading and reproduction. Five tracks on the disc contain a sequence of progressive difficulty tests. These tracks are referred to as Check Level-1 through Check Level-5.

The tracks are reproduced (played) through Winamp, Windows Media Player and Power DVD. Each level is considered as passed, if the tone reproduced from the speakers is smooth, continuous without interruptions, skipping or looping. The higher the Check Level passed, the more reliable the sound reproduction of the tested drive.

Error Level	1	2	3	4	5
Memorex DVD+/-RW True-8x	5/5	5/5	5/5	5/5	1/5

The drive successfully passed the first 4 check levels for this test. During the playback of the fifth level the sound of the track playback was smooth not more than one time. We repeat the test four more times and only one click was audible. That click was enough to consider that the drive failed on the that level.

- Summary

Test Disc	Reading Speed	Score
ABEX TCD-721R	Max	76.6
ABEX TCD-726		93.5
Average Score		85.05

The average score of Abex tests is 85.05 points for the Memorex True-8x. The average score of Pioneer DVR-107D was 83.25 while Nec returned only 73.1 out of 100.