Another Review Of the Best Drive Available on the market.
Reviewed with the 1.0d Firmware, and manufactured in April 2002
http://www.cdfreaks.com/document.php3?Doc=77
Intro...Full review is on the site
The Yamaha CRW3200E (24/10/40) is Yamaha's latest CD-RW drive and has been around for a couple of months now. The drive we're going to review however, has been manufactured in April of this year (2002) with the latest firmware (1.0d). Therefore this review will give you a fresh new look on this 'old' writer. We asked Yamaha why they haven't released a new (read: faster) writer yet and we received this reply:
"..Our opinion is that the speed of CD-writers isn't any longer an argument. The advantages between a 24x drive and a 32x drive are not so big. Unfortunately speed is still the main criterium in press reviews of cd-writers. For us it is more important to offer the best quality. Our drives are working with the Partial-CAV writing method which offers the best possible writing quality without "links" due to the constant increasing of speed while writing. Other manufacturers using Zone-CLV writing method are producing links everytime when the laser has to pause in order to increase the speed (by the way: in some reviews, editors found out that our 24x P-CAV drive is faster than a 32x Z-CLV drive of a competitor). Furthermore we created with "Audio Master Quality Recording" a feature which is the perfect solution for users which want to have the best possible sound-quality of home-burned Audio-CDs.

In summer 2002 we will launch the successor of CRW3200, which will offer higher speeds (faster than 40x), the feature which can print graphics on the unused part of the data-side on a CD (see picture on the right) and improved Audio Master Quality Recording.."
So big things are planned for this summer... Faster than 40x writing probably means that Yamaha will introduce a 48x recorder but of course we're speculating here. Like mentioned this future drive will also have the option to write images on the unused part of the CD-R as introduced during the CeBit conference this year. Very interesting!
Now let's continue with our review. The Yamaha CRW3200E, like mentioned before, is a 24/10/40 drive and it's the first writer that we're going to review that writes in the so-called P-CAV mode. In this review we'll take a look at if the drive can compete with other drives using the more popular Z-CLV writing method and if it's indeed faster. We'll of course also test the drive's abilities to read discs and its claimed supported technique's (and this drive supports quite a few). Read on to see what we have to say about this drive.

Just as I thought Yamaha have kept out of the speed race until they perfected the 48x what is the point of making 24x Then 32x then 40x and then 48x with hardly any difference except a few seconds, Why not make the best 24x around which blows most of the 32x away and then go for 48x with features that most Brands have never heard of never mind thought of adding such as writing images on the unused part of the CD-R . When they release it will surely will take the CDR World by a storm as long as they keep their Prices reasonable. I for one can't wait.

It's Nice to be Importent But is more importent to be NICE!!!

(in reply to megod)

Laffin Assassin, I am getting one when It comes out so my Yamaha CRW3200E and Yamaha USB CRW 70 wont get Lonely.Plus Yamaha has the best Support and Quality Of all Manufactures of Writers. I and cannot Wait to be able to Write print graphics on the Disc.
Cheers
Megod

Long Live Yamaha

(in reply to megod)

Yeah I will agree with you on that megod you cannot beat their products or their Service. But I bet you get them in Australia before we do in the Uk we tend to get everything last and if you do I will be dead sick.

PS I wonder who will be the first to post a photo of a CDR they have made with pictues in the blank spaces? That will be some race won't it.

It's Nice to be Importent But is more importent to be NICE!!!

(in reply to megod)