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

- ABEX TCD-721R

Errors total	Num: 6485532
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 83263	Avg: -50.1 dB(A)	Max: -10.7 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 30973	Avg: 1.1 Samples	Max: 12 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 1827	Avg: 8.8 Samples	Max: 588 Samples
Total Test Result	55.0 points (out of 100.0 maximum)
C2 Accuracy	56.0 % (out of 100.0% maximum)

The SOHW-1213S performed poorly with the ABEX TCD-721R. The total error count of over 6 million is one of the highest we have seen.The maximum loudness error of -10.7 dB(A), and muting errors are all very high and there were a lot of skipped samples, so the total score of 55 points is not surprising. We must also note that the C2 accuracy reached 56%, a really poor performance.

- ABEX TCD-726

Errors total	Num: 1635402
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 7996	Avg: -28.0 dB(A)	Max: -4.9 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 296	Avg: 3572.2 Samples	Max: 3584 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 2	Avg: 318.0 Samples	Max: 318 Samples
Total Test Result	60.9 points (out of 100.0 maximum)
C2 Accuracy	50 % (out of 100.0% maximum)

The analyzing software awarded the drive with 60.9 points total and 50 % for C2 accurancy. The LiteOn offers poor error correction, even with this easier test disc, the ABEX TCD-726.

- 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 to read music and reproduce it completely. Five tracks on the disc contain a sequence of progressively difficult tests. These tracks are referred as Check Level-1 through Check Level-5.

The files are reproduced (played) through a software multimedia player (i.e. Windows Media Player). Each level is considered as passed, if the tone coming out 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 device.

Error Level	1	2	3	4	5
LiteOn SOHW-1213S	5/5	5/5	5/5	0/5	0/5

The drive passed the first three Check Levels of the test. The performance is average for this audio teest disc. The fourth and fifth levels are generally only read by the better drives. The fifth level includes an error size of 1.500mm and here the drive produced many audible clicks.

- Conclusion

The LiteON SOHW-1213S offers rather poor CD error correction with a final average score of 57.95 out of 100. The drive's capabilities so far seem lower than previous 2nd generation mediatek chipsets drives...