Error Correction Tests

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

- ABEX TCD-721R

The 721R test disc is generally difficult to read with most drives. The LiteOn drive however, managed to finish the error correction test successfully and the software awarded the drive with a total score of 77.1 points out of 100. Throughout the test, there were muting samples and an average loudness of -73.8 dB(A) but there were no skipped samples, meaning that the drive managed to read all the defective areas. The total number of errors is also quite low.

- ABEX TCD-726

Since the LiteOn received a very good score with the 721R test disc, it was expected that it should do well with the 726 Abex test disc, which somewhat easier for most drives to handle. The test finished quickly and the drive was awarded with a total score of 100.0 points (perfect).

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

The tracks are reproduced (played) through a software multimedia player (i.e. Winamp, PowerDVD, Windows Media Player). Each level is considered as passed, if the tone coming out from the speakers is clear and continuous without interruptions, skipping or looping. The higher the Check Level passed, the more reliable the sound reproduction of the drive.

The performance of the external LiteOn drive was satisfactory. The drive managed to read the first three tracks of CD-Check Test Disc without problems. The last two tracks were played back but there were many audible clicks, so these levels could not be considered as passed.

- Summary

The overall performance of the external LiteON SDW-431S with the CD error correction tests is very acceptable. The average score for the drive with the Abex discs is 88.55 points, and could be considered among the best.