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

- ABEX TCD-721R

Very good performance from the Samsung drive with the specific test disc. The total error count is very low and the maximum error loudness is below the Redbook Limit. There were no skipped samples reported and the total test result of 76.9 out of 100 is very good.

- ABEX TCD-726

As with most drives, the 726 media test disc, is an easy task for a drive's reading capabilities. A perfect total result of 100 points, indicates the good CD error correction capabilities of the SH-W162C.

- 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 more difficult tests. These tracks are referred to as Check Level-1 through Check Level-5.

The tracks are reproduced through a software multimedia player (i.e. Windows Media Player). Each level is considered as passed, if the tone is smooth, continuous without interruptions, skipping or looping. The higher the Check Level passed, the more reliable the sound reproduction of the tested drive.

Average outcome, neither good nor bad. Most drives available today manage to read up to the 3rd level with only a few exceptional drives managing to read the 4th or even the 5th level.

- Summary

Overall, good CD Error correction capabilities.