52x Roundup Vol. 1 - Page 12

Conclusion

While most users now have the chance to buy a 48X recorder, the need for faster recording may change their mind to wait until the next generation of 52X recorders arrive. Certainly we can say that the 52X recording platform has not much to offer compared with the existing 48X recorders, only few lesser seconds with the use of specific media. As the test showed, in most cases even 32X media cannot be used for 48X/52X recording, but shortly expected most media manufacturers to ship 52X media to the market. In our tests, we used mostly 48X media, since till today, no 52X media exists or sold, at least to our knowledge...

On the other hand, the 24X US-RW format has something to offer mainly to users that use re-writeable media to everyday storage. The increased re-writing speed will lower the burning time. However the implementation of US-RW that both drives follow, doesn't offer much higher performance than existing 16X CLV re-writers (CyberDrive CW088D, ASUS CRW4816A). The Plextor PX-W4824A and Yamaha CRW-F1 series are the only two tested drives that offer near to 24X CLV re-writing speeds due to their 24X P-CAV recording technology.

Lastly, the 52X reading speed, may give faster results but also produces high noise and vibrations compared with the 40X reading speed that may trouble user. Both the AOpen and SONY 52X drive face that problem by offering the 52X reading speed only under the 'Turbo' mode.

We hoped this (p)-review showed users what should expect from two 52X upcoming drives. As soon as, the retail versions arrive, we plan to re-test and post our final thoughts. Stay tuned for more 52X reviews in the near future. Who ever thinks his recorder is the fast, may reconsider it. 52X recorders are just around the corner... :)