1. Introduction
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W - Page
1
- Introduction
Plextor
is one of the most important manufacturers of optical storage devices. Many
times in the past, Plextor has kept up with the writing race, behind Sanyo,
and now a new proposal comes up. Plextor's latest model with the codename PX-W4012A
is the first ever recorder that supports 40x writing race and leads the writing
race. At the same time frame, where the majority of other manufacturers have
already or are about to ship their 32x writing proposals, Plextor moved ahead
and presents a recorder that supports the faster recording speeds at both CD-R
and CD-RW formats. Our review plans to examine if Plextor's 40x writing speed
brings up any major performance differences from the already tested 24x/32x
recorders and how the new adopted technologies by Plextor can affect to the
overall drive's performance.
- Features
Plextor
continues to use Zone-CLV as the main recording technology. In our question,
"why P-CAV is not adopted" Plextor answered "...CAV recording
can never be better than CLV recording. The drive sets a certain write strategy
depending on the disc type and the speed. For CLV, these are kept the same throughout
the disc. For Z-CLV, they stay the same within a certain zone. But for CAV,
the speed constantly changes. So in theory you need millions of write strategies.
It's as if you have thousands tiny Z-CLV zones. So you have to compromise, probably
on quality and accuracy..."
Plextor's answer has one correct point. P-CAV is very hard to accomplish without
sacrifice of quality. Only Yamaha uses P-CAV for now and their future CAV writers
would be probably faster than the Zone-CLV recorders.
Plextor PX-W4012A includes the already known "Burn Proof" buffer
underrun protection, and "PoweRec II", media quality control mechanism
but also introduces a new system that promises higher quality AudioCDs.
comes from the "Variable Recording" words and allows the change of
the laser power when writing CD-DA or CD-R at 4X. (TAO or DAO). Users are allowed
to make slight adjustments to the default value (0). This will change the quality
of the sound and will also increase the playability or compatibility (or in
extreme cases in-compatibility) with the existing players. Plextor says that
the default setting (0) already reflects to the optimised laser power with the
lowest jitter.
Users may compare Plextor's "VariRec" towards Yamaha's "AudioMASTER"
system. We asked Plextor the same question and the answer was that "...VariRec
is not an answer to any technology of any other manufacturer. The write quality
of Plextor recorders is already much better, several tests have proven this.
However, the idea that VariRec is more an option to 'tune according to personal
taste'..." doesn't seem to un-veil the whole truth. Both "AudioMASTER"
and "VariRec" uses 4x-recording speed, and both technologies promise
a reduction of jitter and better AudioCDs.
As it is already known, Yamaha's proposal is to increase the pit length,
and has earned the industry's respect. We will have to see how easily Plextor's
"VariRec" technology will be accepted from users. A good question
here is whether if we can listen to such slight changes of the sound, since
the sound digital signal is processed through many DA/AD processes and circuits
before the analogue audio playback. Some people claim that they can hear to
such changes, probably with high-end systems, but we don't seem to agree. The
addition of such specialized technologies for AudioCD recording is reasonable
for user who may needed them. I think most of you have forgotten how many minutes
it takes to write a full CD at 4x ;-)
There
are also other major improvements over previous models, with the concept to
produce better quality CDs. Plextor PX-W4012A uses a black tray to reduce the
jitter and to increase the quality of the burned CD. In addition an optimised
PCB (power circuit board) circuit is used to reduce noise and to get a higher
quality of CD. Both of those systems are found in Plextor's PLEXMASTER-01 recorder
that costs over $10.000, and is used for PS2 mastering proposes.
Plextor says that "...We found from tests that a black tray reduces the
number of C1 errors. This improves the write quality of course. At the same
time we improved the PCB circuit to avoid spark noise. Our test equipment showed
serious improvement for deviation and especially jitter over the whole range
(3T-11T)..."
Let's now pass over the recording specifications. The drive supports the following
writing modes: Track-at-Once, Disc-at-Once, Session-at-Once, Multisession, and
variable/fixed packet writing. The Plextor PX-W4012A drive supports: 4X, 8X,
16X, 20x (CLV) and 24X, 32X, 40X Zone-CLV writing speeds.
When writing AudioCDs, the maximum speed is reduced to 16x-24x (Z-CLV). The
main reason is that Plextor believes that others speeds (32x/40x) would have
a cost of writing quality. Most other manufactures allow users to record AudioCDs
at 32x speed. The PX-W4012A also supports 4X, 10X and 12X (CLV) re-writing speeds.
The buffer of the drive is 4MB, Sanyo 40x also includes 4MB, TEAC CD-W540E 8MB
and LiteOn LTR-40125S 2MB. Lastly, there is an improvement of "Seek Times"
down to 120ms. Even Plextor hasn't announced it officially, the drive expected
to support the Mt. Rainier format - as soon the format will be finalized
- with a new firmware upgrade.
The
drive's maximum reading speed is still 40x (CAV) and if you are wondering why
Plextor hasn't supported the 48x, here is the answer "...For the same reason
as why our CD-ROM drives would go 40X max: when you go higher, the forces become
so strong that certain CD's may break (influence of speed, temperature, aging
and tiny damages around the hub ring). And we don't want to take the risk of
damaging our customer's property..." However, our experience with two specific
recorders (AOpen CRW3248, CyberDrive CW058D) that support 48X reading speed
didn't showed such problems.
2. Installation/Package
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W - Page
2
- The package
We
got the European retail package which contains: the drive, an electronic PDF
manual in 16 languages, an RMA request form, a registration card, a quick installation
guide, 6 blank CDs - five 40x recordable (made from Hitachi Maxell) and one
4-12x HS-RW media (actual manufacturer Ricoh), an IDE cable, an audio cable
and mounting screws. The attached CDR software comes from Ahead (Nero 5.5.7.3/InCD
3.20) and a separate CD with "PlexTools" v1.12. The drive has a 2-year
guaranty (only valid in Europe, Middle-East and Africa) and Plextor's "on-site
collect and return service" (EU countries + Norway and Switzerland). The
retail package is expected to cost 180Euro.
The attached five pieces of 80min come from Hitachi Maxell
ATIP start of lead in: -02:34:46 (sector: -11596)
ATIP start of lead out: 79:59:74 (sector: 359999)
Manufacturer code: 97 25 29 - Hitachi Maxell, Ltd. (Type: 9)
Disc subtype: Medium Type B, low Beta category (B-)
Target writing power: 4
The front of the PleXWriter PX-W4012A is the same as the previous IDE models.
The drive contains the "40/12/40", "BPRec" and the "High
Speed" logos.
In the back of the drive, you will find the power connector, the IDE cable
connector, jumpers for setting up the MASTER/SLAVE/CABLE select status and finally,
the analog/SPDIF connectors. There is also 2 jumpers which represent "DMA"
status, in case you need forcing DMA working mode:
- Installation
The Plextor PX-W4012A was installed as a Master in the primary IDE BUS. The
drive worked in UDMA-33 model. After booting, it identified itself as a "PLEXTOR
CD-R PX-W4012A". WinXP activated DMA without our interfearance.
The drive was a January 2002 model with firmware revision v1.00 and TLA#0000
hardware revision. We used Nero v5.5.7.3 Plextor Version, CloneCD v3.3.4.1 and
Ahead InCD v3.21 for the recording tests. The unofficial project name of Plextor's
PX-W4012A is "Windsor" in case you don't know ;-)
3. Data Tests
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W- Page
3
Data Tests
- SCSI Mechanic v3.0x results
The AOpen CRW3248 is the definite winner at the SCSI Mechanic tests, since
it has the highest performance of the competitor drives. The drive has an average
of 5514Kb/s when reading pressed CDs, due to its increased 48x maximum reading
speed. The CyberDrive CW058D follows with 5367Kb/s and PleXWriter PX-W4012A,
LiteOn LTR-32123S, Mitsumi CR-480ATE and Philips PCRW3210 follow. At the random
I/O tests, the LiteOn LTR-32123S holds the first position with 895Kb/s. AOpen
CRW3248 follows with 889Kb/s, PleXWriter PX-W4012A comes third with 856Kb/s.
- Pressed CD results: (Click to see the CD Speed graph)
At the Nero CD Speed test, the AOpen CRW3248 drive keeps holding the first
place with 37.71X average reading speed. CyberDrive CW058D follows with 36.83X,
PleXWriter PX-W4012A comes third with 31.78X, LiteOn LTR-32123S is fourth with
31.64X, and Mitsumi CR-480ATE, and Philips PRCW3210 follow. Even if both AOpen
and CyberDrive have 48x maximum reading speed; AOpen is faster due to its increased
start/end speeds.
AOpen CRW3248 continues to perform very well and gives the lower random
seek times. The drive has a 89ms random seek time, while LiteOn LTR-32123S comes
second with 93ms. The rest of the drives (Plextor, Mitsumi, CyberDrive and Philips)
gave seek times higher than 110ms.
- CDR Media: (Click to see the CD Speed graph)
All drives improved their reading performance when CD-R media were used.
The AOpen CRW3248 continues to take the first place with 37.77X and CyberDrive
CW058D follows with a very low performance gap (37.6X). The LiteOn LTR-32123S
comes third with 32.18X, PleXWriter PX-W4012A forth with 31.59X, Mitsumi CR-480ATE
fifth with 31.45X and Philips PCRW3210 comes last with 31.2X.
- HS-RW media: (Click to see the CD Speed graph)
For the RW tests we used the Ricoh HS-RW written at 10x. The AOpen CRW3248
is currently the faster drive when HS-RW media were used with a 38.42X average
reading speed. PleXWriter PX-W4012A comes second with 31.59X, Mitsumi CR-480ATE
gets the third position with 31.35X CyberDrive CW058D follows with 30.61X and
LiteOn/Philips last with 25.93X/25.43X respectively:
4. CloneCD reading Tests
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W-
Page 4
CloneCD Tests
- Procedure
We used CloneCD (v3.3.4.1) and 5 original CDs - Euro 2000 (SafeDisc 1), No
One Lives For Ever (SafeDisc 2), Rally Masters (LaserLock 1), Desperados (LaserLock
2) and V-Rally 2 Expert (SecuROM 2) - in order to test the reading time of the
drives. We also tested the reading performance with backups of the original
CDs, since the reading speed varies between original and backup media. The following
pictures show the drive's reading/writing capabilities as CloneCD reports:
- PSX Pressed Media
For this test we used the PSX game 'NBA Jam Extreme' and we ripped the image
to the HD with CloneCD. The PleXWriter PX-W4012A is the fastest reader with
just 54 seconds. The LiteOn LTR-32123S follows with 138secs. The AOpen CRW3248
comes third with 174secs, Mitsumi CR-480ATE holds the fourth position with 263secs,
Philips PCRW3210 follows with 272secs and CyberDrive comes last with 499secs:
- SafeDisc 1/2 Results
PleXWriter PX-W4012A is the winner here, with the very good performance
of 2546,42 sectors/sec for both original/backup titles. Mitsumi CR-480ATE can
only compete the Plextor drive, as it closely follows.
The same scenery with the SafeDisc v2 protected CDs, with Plextor to lead
with in the original CD test. With the backup medium, Mitsumi is slightly faster
than Plextor with a 2049,43 sectors/sec reading performance.
- LaserLock 1/2 Results
With LaserLock 1 protected CDs, the LiteOn LTR-32123S performed good enough
to get the first place. PleXWriter PX-W4012A had hard times with the original
cd, but gave a very high performance with the backup title.
With the LaserLock2 protected disc, the Philips PCRW3210 gets the first place
(with pressed disc). Again PleXWriter PX-W4012A strikes again in the backup
cd test with a very good result.
- SecuROM Results
All tested drives can read SubChannel data from Data/Audio tracks. The LiteOn
LTR-32123S gets the first place, Mitsumi CR-480ATE come second, CyberDrive CW058D
third and Philips/Aopen/PleXWriter get the last places.
5. DAE Tests
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W - Page
5
DAE Tests
- Test Method
We used CD DAE 99 v0.3 beta and EAC v0.9 beta 2 softwares in order to check
the DAE performance of the drive with various AudioCDs (both pressed and CDR).
The posted DAE results are the average of both applications. We made a full
CD Rip starting from the first to the last track of the CD. The Average DAE
reported speeds are displayed in the test graphs.
- DAE features
We
used EAC v0.9 beta 2 to examine the drive features. The drive does "Caching"
data, supports "Accurate Stream" and includes "C2" error
info.
- Pressed AudioCD results
AOpen CRW3248 supports up to 48x DAE ripping. The drive's average DAE speed
was 35.3X outperforming the competition. PleXWriter PX-W4012A comes second with
30.1X, CyberDrive CW058D follows with 29.5X and LiteOn LTR-32123S is very close
with 29.3X.
- CDR AudioCD results
AOpen CRW3248 doesn't have any problems ripping with the very good 35.4X
from CDR media. The LiteOn LTR-32123S improves its reading speed and now reaches
almost 30X (29.7X) while PleXWriter PX-W4012A gives exactly the same performance.
CyberDrive follows with 29.4X and Mitsumi/Philips has the same performance (28.4X):
- EAC Secure Extract Ripping mode
After many requests from numerous visitors we have added the EAC's secure
extract ripping mode results, which ensures maximum produced WAV quality. Note
that for each drive we used the build-in detection function:
Tested Drives
|
Average DAE Speed (X)
|
Pressed
|
CDR
|
LiteOn LTR-32123S
|
4.4
|
5.0
|
Philips PCRW3210
|
11.6
|
11.5
|
Mitsumi CR-480ATE
|
11.0
|
11.1
|
AOpen CRW3248
|
20.1
|
20.3
|
CyberDrive CW-058D
|
11.2
|
11.3
|
Plextor PX-W4012A
|
7.3
|
7.0
|
- Advanced DAE Quality
All tested drives got a 100 score (best) in the Nero CD Speed Advanced DAE
test. None of the five drives produced any errors during the Nero CD Speed Advanced
DAE test. Aopen CRW3248 was faster with 35.32X and PleXWriter PX-W4012A gets
the second position with 29.89X.
- Ricoh 74min 24x certified (made with Plextor PX-W2410A)
With Ricoh 74min 24x certified media, Nero CDSpeed Advanced DAE test showed
that Plextor PX-W4012A produced data errors while simulating an on the fly copy.
Also, the software stated that Plextor couldn't read CD Text
We decided
to repeat the test with different media (Taiyo Yuden 74min 24x certified), as
shown below, with better results:
- Bad CDR Media results
Despite the fact that Nero CD Speed Advanced DAE test stretches drive's mechanism
to the max, we decided to do real life tests with a scratched disc. The disc
was dirty, and with some light scratches, enough in order cause problems to
most of the tested drives. We used CD DAE 99 software to rip the whole disc
(756539616 sectors) and the results were very interesting:
|
Average Speed (X)
|
Errors
|
Errors Of Total Disc (%)
|
LiteOn LTR-32123S
|
14.4
|
906044
|
0.12
|
Philips PCRW3210
|
8.0
|
23302
|
0
|
Mitsumi CR-480ATE
|
10.9
|
353411
|
0.05
|
AOpen CRW3248
|
8.4
|
313
|
0
|
CyberDrive CW058D
|
27.2
|
17617
|
0
|
Plextor PX-W4012A
|
22.6
|
86674027
|
11.46
|
The best reader for this test comes from AOpen. The drive lowered its reading
speed down to 8x and managed to produce the lower reading errors at this roundup.
The CyberDrive CW058D comes second with much higher errors but a low overall
error rate. Plextor PX-W4012A was also fast but it produced a high amount of
errors (11.46%)! We must note that the drive had problems recognize the test
disc. After several re-tries the drive did managed to read the disc contents
so we completed this test.
- Ripping 90 and 99mins AudioCDs
The drive recognizes both 90/99min AudioCDs without any problems. However
it will stop reading at around 94mins.
- Reading/Ripping Protected AudioCDs
For the test procedure we used 3 protected AudioCDs, which we
tested in both recognition and ripping (with CD DAE v0.3b/EAC v0.9 beta2) processes:
* Pressed AudioCD with Sony Key2Audio
* Pressed AudioCD with Cactus Data Shield 200 (Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies
Island)
* CDR AudioCD protected with Cactus Data Shield (CDS100) - made with Clone Audio
Protector v1.1 (adding 30 secs lead-out)
|
Key2Audio
|
CDS200
|
CDS100
|
CDDAE
|
EAC
|
CDDAE
|
EAC
|
CDDAE
|
EAC
|
AOpen CRW3248
|
Cannot recognize disc contents
|
Rips up to 91%
|
Rips entire disc without problems
|
Reads all tracks as Data tracks - ripping
impossible
|
CyberDrive CW058D
|
Rips entire disc without problems
|
Rips entire disc without problems
|
Problems recognize 1st track
|
Rips entire disc without problems
|
LiteOn LTR-32123S
|
Cannot recognize disc contents
|
Problems recognize 1st track, cannot
rip
|
Recognizes tracks, cannot rip
|
Mitsumi CR-480ATE
|
Recognizes disc contents cannot rip
|
Rips entire disc without problems
|
Cannot recognize Audio Tracks
|
Cannot recognize Audio Tracks
|
Philips PCRW3210A
|
Rips entire disc without problems
|
Rips entire disc without problems
|
Recognizes disc contents cannot rip/PC
Halts
|
Rips all tracks exept 1st one
|
Plextor PX-W4012A
|
Rips entire disc without problems
|
Rips entire disc without problems
|
Cannot recognize Audio Tracks
|
Rips entire disc without problems under
special settings
|
The Plextor PX-W4012A can "handle" protected CDs with the right software/settings.
The drive will rip contents of Key2Audio/CDS200 discs with EAC 0.9beta 2. In
order to rip CDS200 discs, you will have to use EAC's "Detect TOC Manually"
option, "Burst" reading mode and "Read Command D8". If you
use the "Secure" mode, the drive rips contents at almost 0X.
6. CDR Tests - Page 1
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W - Page
6
CDR Tests
- Page 1
- Procedure
We tested the drive with latest version of Nero/CloneCD. We used various media
for our tests: Mitsubishi Chemicals 74/80min 24x/32x certified, Mitsui 74min
24x certified, Taiyo Yuden 74/80min 24/32x certified, Ricoh 80min 24x certified,
Hitachi-Maxell 80min 32x/40x certified and Ricoh 4-10X HS-RW media.
Plextor currently supports 40x-writing speed with the following media:
- Mitsubishi Chemical CR74/80 VA1
- Hitachi Maxell CDR 74/80 MIX.1P (Must indicate 32X)
That means you can forget low priced media written up to 40x. For the 32x
writing speed, more media are supported:
- Taiyo Yuden CDR-74/80 TYN/TYSBN (Must indicate 32X)
- Ricoh CDR74/80-32X CW10
- Mitsubishi Chemical CR74AA1N
- Mitsui Chemical CDRQ74MG
For a complete supported media list visit Plextor Europe website.
We burned CDs at almost all recording speeds from 16x up to 40x using the SAME
amount of data for all the drives. The drive will not warn you if a medium cannot
be burned at 40x or 32x recording speed. Other manufacturers automatically drop
recording speed when media cannot handle maximum recording speed. The good in
that case is that user can understand which media can be used for each recording
speed. With PX-W4012A you just select the 40x recording speed, and the drive
chooses automatically, through PoweRec II system, the appropriate burning speed.
The posted recording times are the best we had from our test results. Using
other media can increase the final burning time.
- Comparison
Before starting the recording tests, let's see how the drives are compared
in the writing/rotation speeds:
As we can see the Plextor PX-W4012A starts writing at 20x CLV, same as Philips
PCRW3210, shifts up to 24x at 10mins, up to 32x at 30mins and up to 40x at 58mins.
That gives Plextor PX-W4012A a theoretical average writing speed up to 29.91X
when using an 80min CD. The Philips PCRW3210 has an average writing speed of
26.85X and CyberDrive CW058D 26.85X As we can see the incensement
of the average writing speed, compared to the 32x recorders is not such high
as we might expected. The main reason are the drops of writing speed, during
the various speed shifts:
CDR-W drives
|
Average Writing Speed with 80min CD
(X)
|
AOpen CRW3248
|
25.49
|
LiteOn LTR-32123S
|
26.23
|
Mitsumi CR-480ATE
|
26.34
|
CyberDrive CW-058D
|
26.41
|
Philips PCRW3210
|
26.85
|
PleXWriter PX-W4012A
|
29.91
|
Plextor PX-W4012A starts writing at very high rotation speed (9800rpm), which
is gradually reduced towards 6mins. The drive keeps its rotation speed high
in order to be able to write at such high recording speeds. The Philips PCRW3210
drive keeps its rotation speed below 9000rpm. This must be the noisest Plextor
recorder ever tested.
- 74min CD-R Tests
We created a "DataCD" job with data slightly more than 74mins (74:03:65).
We burned the same job with all five tested drives:
The faster drive at the 16x writing speed comes from AOpen. The drive ends
the task at 310 (JustSpeed disabled). The Philips PCRW3210 comes second with
311, CyberDrive third with 312secs, Mitsumi CR-480ATE forth with 314 and LiteOn
LTR-32123S follows with 315secs. Plextor PX-W4012A comes last with 319 seconds
Mitsumi CR-480ATE doesn't support 20x writing speed option
The faster recorder at the 20x writing speed comes from CyberDrive with 257secs.
Plextor PX-W4012A comes second with 259secs, very close to the LiteOn drive
(260 sec).
At the 24x writing speed, we have a few surprises. The faster recorder comes
from CyberDrive with the incredible time of 224secs. Plextor PX-W4012A comes
second with 227 seconds, LiteOn LTR-32123S third with 236 seconds. Even the
Plextor PX-W4012A supposed to be faster, due to its 20x CLV starting writing
speed, the final recording time is higher than CyberDrive's CW058D.
Philips PCRW3210 doesn't support 20x writing speed option
At 32X writing speed, Plextor PX-W4012A was the fastest drive with 201 secs,
followed by CyberDrive CW058D with 203 seconds. Here the 20x CLV writing speed
of Plextor drive does make a difference.
At last we hit the maximum recording speed of 40x. At this time Plextor
PX-W4012A has no competition. The task was finished after 3:18 seconds. As you
can see the writing time is very close to the one the drive has given when writing
at 32X. (3:21 secs). This probably happens, because the drive shifts up to the
maximum writing speed 40x just at the 58 minutes spot (74 min entire CD), and
so the max writing speed is applied for a limited time frame. The same results
are expected to be better with higher capacity media, i.e. with 80 min CDs.
The best time came with Mitsubishi's Chemical media.
7. CDR Tests - Page 2
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W - Page
7
CDR Tests
- Page 2
- 80min CD-R Tests
In our normal burning tests the 80min CD contains slightly more than 80min
data (80:01:47):
With 80min CDs, the CyberDrive CW058D holds the first place with 324secs.
The drive doesn't write exactly at 16.00X but at 16.33X, which gives an advantage
over the competition, producing lower recording times. AOpen CRW3248 comes second
with 334secs, Philips PCRW3210 third, the Mitsumi CR-480ATE forth and LiteOn
LTR-32123S/Plextor PX-W4012A last with 339/340 secs, respectively.
In the 20x write test, Plextor PX-W4012A finished the writing task faster
than the other drives after 276 secs, and the LiteOn/Philips drives follow closely
with 280/278 secs results.
Mitsumi CR-480ATE doesn't support 20x writing speed option
At the 24x writing speed, the CyberDrive CW058D holds the fist place with
239secs. The Plextor PX-W4012A is approximately 2 seconds slower. The LiteOn
LTR-32123S comes third with 251secs, Mitsumi CR-480ATE forth with 255secs and
AOpen CRW3248 last with 265secs.
Philips PCRW3210 doesn't support 20x writing speed option
In the 32X test, Plextor PX-W4012A gave the best performance with 213 seconds,
followed by CyberDrive with 218 secs. Philips gave the third best performance
with 222 secs.
The Plextor PX-W4012A wrote a 80 min CD at the maximum 40X speed after just
206 seconds. By the time we write this article, we have not any other 40x drive
in our hands to compare this performance.
8. CDR Tests - Page 3
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W - Page
8
CDR Tests
- Page 3
- Comparison of different writing technologies
The above graph shows the main differences between the 24x Z-CLV, 24x P-CAV,
32x Z-CLV and 40x Z-CLV recording technologies. The above recording times are
the best you can have with the tested recorders. The PleXWriter PX-W4012A is
the faster recorder at 40x (Z-CLV) writing speed and with 74min CDs the drive
is:
- 32secs faster than PleXWriter PX-W2410A
- 27secs faster than Yamaha CRW3200E
- 13secs faster than Philips PCRW3210
- 5secs faster than CyberDrive CW058D
With 80min CDs, the time differences with the rest of the recorders are different:
- 43secs faster than PleXWriter PX-W2410A
- 34secs faster than Yamaha CRW3200E
- 16secs faster than Philips PCRW3210
- 12secs faster than CyberDrive CW058D
The above results show that, the 40X recording performance is close to the
one you have at 32X and of course worth to experience if you currently use the
24X writing speed. The Plextor PX-W4012A is 5-12secs faster than CyberDrive
CW058D and 13-16secs than Philips PCRW3210 recorders (both 32x recorders).
- Overburning Tests
Using Nero, we saw that the drive can overburn up to 95mins
- CD-Text Results
We created several AudioCDs with CD-Text enabled. The Plextor PX-W4012A supports
read/write CD-Text AudioCDs without any problems.
- 8cm Media Tests
For this proposed we used a 8cm RW media and we burned up to 185MB. The Plextor
drive didn't have problems to write/read when 8cm discs are inserted.
- CloneCD Writing Tests
The
CloneCD v3.3.4.1 reports that the drive supports the DAO-RAW feature. We performed
our usual tests and we confirmed that both drives support the DAO-RAW writing
mode at the following CD protections: SafeDisc 1.0, LaserLock 1/2 and SecuROM
2. Under DAO-RAW mode, the drive uses the 32x speed, not the maximum 40x:
- SD2 Support
For the SD2 test we used the "No One Lives For Ever", "Max
Payne" and "Serious Sam - The Second Encounter" game titles.
We used the Plextor PX-W4012A both as reader/writer at the maximum reading/recording
speed and at 4x reading/maximum recording speed. The produced backups were tested
with various DVD-ROM and CD-ROMs.
* No One Lives For Ever
The No One Lives Forever has the SD2 v2.05.030 build protection. Plextor
PX-W4012A doesn't have any problem to produce a perfect backup. The produced
backup worked without any problems with the following drives:
Drive
|
Worked (Yes/No)
|
Plextor PX-W4012A CD-RW
|
Yes
|
Plextor PX-W40TS CD-ROM
|
Yes
|
LiteOn LTD163 DVD-ROM
|
Yes
|
ASUS DVD E616 DVD-ROM
|
Yes
|
Creative CD5233 CD-ROM
|
Yes
|
TEAC 540E CD-ROM
|
Yes
|
* Max Payne
The Max Payne has the SD2 v2.30.033 build protection. The produced backup
with maximum reading/writings didn't work so well since the game failed to be
installed (crc errors during setup process). The produced backup at 4x reading/maximum
writing speeds worked without any problems with the following drives:
Drive
|
Worked (Yes/No)
|
Plextor PX-W4012A CD-RW
|
Yes
|
Plextor PX-W40TS CD-ROM
|
Yes
|
LiteOn LTD163 DVD-ROM
|
Yes
|
ASUS DVD E616 DVD-ROM
|
Yes
|
Creative CD5233 CD-ROM
|
Yes
|
TEAC 540E CD-ROM
|
Yes
|
* Serious Sam - The Second Encounter
The Max Payne has the SD2 v2.51.021 build protection. The produced backups
either at the maximum reading/writing or at the 4x reading/writing speeds worked
in some drives and failed in others:
Drive
|
Worked (Yes/No)
|
Plextor PX-W4012A CD-RW
|
Yes
|
Plextor PX-W40TS CD-ROM
|
Yes
|
LiteOn LTD163 DVD-ROM
|
Yes
|
ASUS DVD E616 DVD-ROM
|
No
|
Creative CD5233 CD-ROM
|
No
|
TEAC 540E CD-ROM
|
No
|
We also tried the Amplify Weak Sectors (AWS) setting of CloneCD and also
second software that is capable of RAW reading/writing (PadusDJ v4.0x) but the
results were more or less the same.
As the test results showed, Plextor PX-W4012A can backup earlier builds of
SafeDisc 2 protected CDs but not the latest v2.51 builds (and possible future
builds too). Reading at 4x won't help with the latest SD2 versions, but probably
will create accurate backups of earlier v2.3x builds. We don't know if this
"problem" can be fixed with a newer firmware update..
9. Writing Quality
PleXWriter
PX-W40120A IDE CDR-W - Page
9
Writing Quality Tests
We used many media ,mostly 24x certified, and burned them at various recording
speeds with AOpen CRW3248. We used Nero 5.5.7.3 (Plextor Version) as the CDR
software. The produced CDs, were measured from DigitalDrives
and results are illustrated in the following tables:
- 20x writing speed
Brand
|
C1
|
Average Burning Time (mins)
|
Max
|
Average
|
Taiyo Yuden 74min (24x)
|
28
|
1.8
|
4:26
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 74min (24x)
|
54
|
4.0
|
4:19
|
|
|
|
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 80min (24x)
|
56
|
6.3
|
4:36
|
Taiyo Yuden 80min (24x)
|
65
|
4.2
|
4:42
|
The best result comes with Taiyo Yuden 74min (24x) and the drive produced an
average 1.8 C1 error rate. The Plextor drive seems working faster with Mitsubishi
Chemical media as it gave lower recording times at both 74min/80min tasks.
- 24x writing speed
Brand
|
C1
|
Average Burning Time (mins)
|
Max
|
Average
|
Taiyo Yuden 74min (24x)
|
15
|
0.2
|
3:53
|
Taiyo Yuden 74min (32x)
|
13
|
0.2
|
3:54
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 74min (24x)
|
14
|
1.4
|
3:47
|
|
|
|
|
Ritek 80min (24x)
|
19
|
1.3
|
4:09
|
Ricoh 80min (24x)
|
29
|
0.9
|
4:06
|
Taiyo Yuden 80min (32x)
|
15
|
0.7
|
4:08
|
Taiyo Yuden 80min (24x)
|
20
|
0.2
|
4:08
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 80min (24x)
|
17
|
3.5
|
4:01
|
Again, the Taiyo Yuden 24x/32x media are recommended for more quality results.
However with Mitsubishi Chemicals media the drive will burn faster.
- 32x writing speed
Brand
|
C1
|
Average Burning Time (mins)
|
Max
|
Average
|
Taiyo Yuden 74min (24x)
|
14
|
0.3
|
3:28
|
Taiyo Yuden 74min (32x)
|
13
|
0.2
|
3:28
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 74min (24x)
|
17
|
1.6
|
3:21
|
Mitsui 74min (16x)
|
15
|
0.5
|
3:46
|
Mitsui 74min (24x)
|
18
|
1.3
|
3:46
|
|
|
|
|
Taiyo Yuden 80min (32x)
|
20
|
0.8
|
3:40
|
Taiyo Yuden 80min (24x)
|
18
|
0.6
|
3:40
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 80min (24x)
|
25
|
3.7
|
3:33
|
Ritek 80min (32x)
|
42
|
4.8
|
3:41
|
At the32x recording speed, the C1 error rate are really low with TaiyoYuden
media. The Mitsui 16x worked very good but again the Mitsubishi Chemical media
produced faster results.
- 40x writing speed
Brand
|
C1
|
Average Burning Time (mins)
|
Max
|
Average
|
Hitachi Maxell 74min (40x)
|
27
|
1.9
|
3:20
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 74min (32x)
|
38
|
1.8
|
3:18
|
|
|
|
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 80min (32x)
|
64
|
1.4
|
3:26
|
Hitachi Maxell 80min (40x)
|
27
|
2.2
|
3:27
|
For this test we used the Hitachi Maxell 74/80 min (40x) and the Mitsubishi
Chemicals 74/80min (32x) media. The overall quality with all the media was adequate
and the drive seems to be slightly friendlier to Mitsubishi Chemicals CDs.
10. RW-Packet Writing Tests
PleXWriter
PX-W4012AA IDE CDR-W - Page
10
RW Writing Tests
We used Nero 5.5.7.3 for writing CDs at the maximum RW speed for all the
tested drives. Plextor PX-W4012 supports 12x re-writing speeds, and among the
drives above, Philips PCRW3210 supports 10x-writing speed:
The CyberDrive CW-058D continues to be the faster re-writer at 12x writing
speed. The Plextor drive needs 402 seconds to end the task, while CyberDrive
CW058D 394secs. Plextor supports 12x re-writing only with the Ricoh CDRW74/80-10XCW
media. If you use other HS-RW media, the recording will be automatically lowered
at the 10x writing speed.
- Packet Writing Tests
We used Ahead InCD v3.21 for the packet writing tests with the Plextor's
HS-RW media bulked in the retail package. The formatted disc had 534mbs of free
space. We copied a 403 MB file (403.147 kbs) from a Hard Disk (on the same PC
as the writers) to the formatted RW media using Windows Explorer (we dragged
and dropped) and we completed the test twice to eliminate any possible time
measurement faults and user errors:
The Mitsumi CR-480ATE and CyberDrive CW-058D are the two faster re-writers
under the packet-writing mode with 8.81X. The LiteOn LTR-32123S follows with
8.55X, AOpen CRW3248 with 8.35X and Philips PCRW3210 and Plextor PX-W4012 come
last with 7.1X / 7.02X respectively. AOpen CRW3248 takes the lead over the reading
part with 23.17X. Plextor PX-W4012 gets the third place with a 17.35X average
reading speed.
Note that even we tried several media (including Plextor's HS-RW) we didn't
managed to increase the drive's writing speed from 10X to 12X (under packet
writing mode).
11. VariRec
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W - Page
11
VariRec
We
explained in the first page, the basic use of VariRec (Variable Recording).
This page has the propose to exposure how this technology works and if really
does bring anything new to user.
Most users may have noticed differences between the playbacks of the various
recordable media. The different manufacturing process, the different precision
during manufacturing, the coating material of media and the differences between
polycarbonate material and thickness are the main reasons. The "VariRec"
function can adjust the way each CD is listened back to various playback sources
by fine adjusting the laser power - already optimized at that writing mode.
That is the VariRec is about.
Through
the recording software, user can fine adjust laser power and change the record
state to the CD-R media. The final effect can be sound different to each user
ear. When you adjust the slide bar of the VariRec plus, minus and you are giving
a more delicate phase impression of sound. For high end users this could mean
adjusting the sound quality of "hardness vs. tenderness" of the playback
sound, even it would be very hard to hear the difference... With the VariRec,
the sound quality differs with every equipment where the media is played back.
User through his personal verification will decide which values should be use
for the specific playback device.
- Technical Background
- The write strategy of a drive is the list of parameters that are used for
writing on CD-R/RW media.
- For every disc type, and every possible speed, an optimised laser power
value is chosen from a database that is the result of thorough tests in the
lab.
- At the start of writing, the OPC (Optical Power Calibration) will retrieve
the necessary information from the database and set the parameters.
- The most optimised write strategy will result in the lowest jitter.
VariRec can change the value of the laser power. The resulting
effects are:
- change of sound quality of recorded disc (there should be a slight change,
some kind of effect when VariRec is used on the different settings)
- change of playability or compatibility with Home CD Players or Car CD Players
(some players need a slightly higher or lower laser power)
- Most audio professionals have a personal preference for higher/lower laser
power (some even say they can hear the difference between a recording at high
speed and at 1X)
Warning:
- when VariRec is used to the most extreme settings, there is a chance that
the playback device cannot read the disc properly. In this case, use the
default setting or switch VariRec off.
Q & A
Q: How much reduction of Jitter is noticed when VariRec is enabled?
A: As you can see from the graph, the jitter is already at minimum. Therefore
we don't allow the offset to be changed too much as this might cause the jitter
to increase.
Q: In which cases users should use the -1/+1/0 values?
A: The values will depend on the system that is used. '0' is the default setting
and will deliver the optimised laser power. Increasing or decreasing the setting
will affect the writing, but the degree of improvement depends on the playback
system.
Q: In which cases users should/or not use those values?
A: VariRec can be used if a person would like to change the sound according
to his preferences (although the changes are minimum, but there are people with
a 'trained' ear who claim they can hear the difference) or in environments where
the playback of standard devices is difficult (like cheap CD systems, some car
CD players, etc). In most cases, the user will not want or need to change the
default setting, but for most people it's reassuring that 'the option is there
in case they want to use it'.
12. VariRec Tests
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W - Page
12
VariRec - Tests
So far Nero and PlexTools support "VariRec" function. In order to
activate "VariRec" you need to select the AudioCD project and over
the "Write" tab you will find a new button "VariRec" options.
If we press it, a new window "Options for VariRec" will show up, giving
us some information about VariRec and the slide bar to select between -2,+2
values:
After pressing "Ok' the writing speed dialogue disappears since VariRec
works only at 4x (either TAO or DAO). The BURN-Proof function is still enabled
when VariRec is selected. Note that VariRec cannot be used with RW media. If
you try so, Nero will prompt you that:
At the PlexTools v1.12, VariRec function can be found under the "Drive
Settings" tab:
In case you need more information about VariRec, PlexTools will give you a
short description of this new technology:
- Tests
In order to test VariRec, we used a high quality AudioCD with classical music.
We ripped the contents of the disc with EAC v0.9 beta 2 using the Plextor PX-W4012A
under the secure mode (with C2 error information option enabled). The extracted
tracks were tested two times in order to ensure maximum quality.
For all burns the same media was used - Noname based upon Plasmon Data and
Acer. Both media are low X speed rated (12x). This would give us the chance
to see if VariRec technology produces higher quality CDs as Plextor claims.
We made 6 discs with the same Audiotracks at various recording modes and VariRec
values (-2, -1, 0, +1, +2) and at 4x, 16x and 24x recording speeds. For comparison
levels we burned the same task with Yamaha's 3200E "AudioMASTER" technology.
Plasmon Media
ATIP start of lead in: -02:32:56 (sector: -11456)
ATIP start of lead out: 79:59:74 (sector: 359999)
Manufacturer code: 97 27 19 - Plasmon Data systems Ltd. (Type: 9)
Disc subtype: Medium Type B, low Beta category (B-)
Target writing power: 5
Recording Mode
|
C1
|
C2
|
Max
|
Average
|
Max
|
Average
|
4x recording
|
49
|
12.8
|
0
|
VariRec (-2)
|
62
|
13.4
|
VariRec (0)
|
43
|
13.3
|
VariRec (+2)
|
50
|
13.5
|
Yamaha's AudioMASTER
|
35
|
8.7
|
16x recording
|
58
|
21.2
|
As the results show, the Plasmon based media produces lot of C1 errors at 16x
recording speed. At the 4x recording speed, the PX-W4012A produces much lower
C1 errors. When user activates VariRec function the C1 error rate seems increased.
The various (-2, +0,-2) values doesn't seem to affect the C1 error rate. On
the other hand, Yamaha's AudioMASTER does produce better quality CDs with lower
C1 error rate.
Acer Media
ATIP start of lead in: -02:37:09 (sector: -11784)
ATIP start of lead out: 74:25:00 (sector: 334875)
Manufacturer code: 97 22 66 - Acer Media Technology, Inc. (Type: 6)
Disc subtype: Medium Type B, low Beta category (B-)
Target writing power: 5
Recording Mode
|
C1
|
C2
|
Max
|
Average
|
Max
|
Average
|
4x recording
|
28
|
1.7
|
0
|
VariRec (-1)
|
44
|
2.7
|
VariRec (0)
|
26
|
1.8
|
VariRec (+1)
|
23
|
1.5
|
Yamaha 's AudioMASTER
|
20
|
1.0
|
24x recording
|
88
|
5.4
|
With Acer media, the Plextor drive worked better. We now were able to write
up to 24x writing speed and the C1 error rate is higher than with 4x recording
speed. Again the VariRec doesn't improve much the C1 error rate. Last Yamaha's
AudioMASTER continues to produce very good quality CDs with the lower error
rate at this test.
The above tests showed that in general Yamaha's AudioMASTER produces slight
better quality AudioCDs. Of course the withdraw of that technology is the lower
recording time ,due to larger pits. The VariRec doesn't seem to offer any major
difference than normal 4x recording speed of PX-W4012A at C1/C2 error rate...
- Compatibility
Drive
|
VariRec (-2)
|
VariRec (-1)
|
VariRec (0)
|
VariRec (+1)
|
VariRec (+2)
|
Denon DCD-950 (stand alone)
|
No problems during playback
|
Cannot recognize disc contents
|
JVC XL-P31 (portable)
|
No problems during playback
|
AIWA LCX-257 (midi system)
|
No problems during playback
|
Our tests showed that in general the VariRec function creates compatible AudioCD
with CD Players as Plextor claimed. However when the maximum values are being
used (+2,-2) you might get partial working AudioCDs. The Denon DCD-950 standalone
CD player didn't recognized the CD that burned with VariRec (+2) value. It is
possible that other CD players cannot be able to recognize CDs with VariRec
(-2) even we didn't witnessed that that in our tests.
What about hearing differences? Even we tried we couldn't saw any major quality
difference between various values of VariRec. The correct testing method would
be to have two identical high-end CD players side by side to make such tests.
If someone got such equipment, we would be glad to send our test discs for such
"hearing" tests.
13. Conclusion
PleXWriter
PX-W4012A IDE CDR-W - Page
13
Conclusion
Positive (+)
|
Negative (-)
|
- Supports 40x writing, 12x re-writing
speeds
- "BURN-Proof" anti-coaster technology
- "PoweRec II" quality monitor system
- "VariRec" recording mode
- Plextor promises Mt. Rainier support with firmware upgrade
- 4MB of Buffer
- Very Good DAE ripping speed
- Very good CloneCD reading performance
- Supports DAO-RAW writing mode
- Can read/write SubChannel Data from Audio/Data tracks
- Supports CD-Text (read/write)
- Supports Overburning (up to 95mins)
- Supports Ultra-DMA 33 connection interface
- More than complete retail package(Nero 5.5x, 5 pieces of 40x CDR media
and PlexTools)
- European retail package offers 2 years of warrantee
|
- Writing at 40x isn't as fast as you
might expect
- AudioCD authoring is limited to 24x
- Limited media support for 40x writing speed
- Maximum reading speed is only 40x. Drive is slower than competition
in several tests
- High seek times
- Cannot produce perfect SD2 backups/ DAO-RAW writing only at 32x
- Some problems recognize our bad CDR Audio test disc
- Packet writing only at 10x (?)
- Price ($180-$200)
|
Some months ago, the first 24x recorders appeared. Many people thought that
recording speeds had begun to reach their speed limits. Reality now shows us
that not only are these thoughts incorrect, but boundaries are being pushed
further and further. Never say never when it comes to CD writing speeds! Most
manufacturers have already introduced 32x speed recorders but along come Plextor
to leap frog the competition and introduce the first 40x CD writer!
The PX-W4012A drive supports 40x recording, 12x rewriting and 40x reading.
The "PowerRec II" feature automatically adjusts writing speeds whilst
the 4MB of buffer and built in "BURN-Proof" eliminate buffer underruns.
Plextor promises that the new "VariRec" technology, the "black
tray" and re-designed PCB will create higher quality Audio CDs. Plextor
promises support for "Mt. Rainier" format with future firmware upgrade.
The European retail package comes complete with Nero and five 40x CDR blanks.
Plextor's two-year warranty (only available in Europe) and the on-site collection
service will also please the discerning buyer.
Our tests show that the PlexWriter PX-W4012A has very good DAE performance,
and is a very fast reader for protected CDs. The drive does support DAO-RAW
writing and can read/write SubChannel Data from Audio/Data tracks. If you need
to overburn, then the drive will let you write up to 95 minutes, on the appropriate
media. The reading/writing of CD-Text AudioCDs present no problems at all.
However there are some points should users be made aware of:
- At the moment there is very limited media support for 40x speed writing.
This of course will change in time.
- 40x writing speed isn't actually as fast as you may think. When writing
to a 74 minute CD the speed difference is negligible compared to the faster
32x writer from CyberDrive (around 3 seconds on average).The speed differences
only start to appear when writing to 80min CDs.
- The PX-W4012A cannot produce accurate backups of SD2 v2.51x protected CDs.
This may make the odd buyer or two unhappy :)
Finally, the PlexWriter PX-W4012A will not disappoint any user who wants to
keep up with the latest recording technology. We did expect a little more from
the quoted 40x write speeds, especially when compared to some other 32x recorders
we have reviewed previously. We do have questions about the actual effectiveness
of the "VariRec" technology and we do wonder whether audio quality
is actually improved upon...Despite that PlexWriter PX-W4012A definitely earns
our "Safe Buy" Award.