Need help choosing a DVD drive.

[Bovinicus]

I think I am going to use some of the money that I get for Christmas to purchase a DVD drive. I wanted some recommendations as to which drive I should pick. Yes, I am interested in good DVD playback, but more importantly I want it to read CD's well. I would like the seek time and noise to be fairly low. I have my eye on the Pioneer 16 slot load drive. That slot load is just so enticing. If there are any other drives that you guys think are better than that, or close to it at a better price point, let me know. Or, if you agree with my prospect, let me know about tha too. Thanks for your help.

 

[John]

Check this thread out and pay close attention to the last reply.


nuk nuk nuk

 

[Adul]

so which is it john?

 

[John]

I have (2) DVDROM's in my rig;Toshiba & Pioneer. I heard that the Liteon has the best DAE.

 

[NotoriousJTC]

The usual suspects are almost always Toshiba, Poineer, and Lite-On..... I've heard Lg makes some decent ones, but never researched them. I'd also like to out in a good word for Sony. I've never had any problems with any of thier optical drives (owned a burner and cd-rom, can only assume DVD-rom just as good).

 

[arynn]

I've got a pioneer slot load and I love it. However, one time it "ate" a CD and I had to send it back to the vendor for a new drive and removal of the CD. I had the first drive for about two months. I've had the current one for about six with no problems. The slot is very convenient.

I don't used it much for DVD playback. It seems to read CDs fine. When I burn CDs though I usually burn from my Plextor back to itself - it's a little slower (ok a lot slower) but I had problems ripping an audio CD once from the Pioneer but the Plextor was able to do it.

So may be the Pioneer isn't the best option for you. I think a couple of other manufacturers make slot load DVD drives.

You have plenty of time to research before you buy.

 

[Shooters]

Please go here and see the test results and comments.

Basically, here are the important points.

The LiteOn is the fastest ripper both for audio and DVD, the Pioneer is second, and the Toshiba is the slowest.
The Toshiba and LiteOn both have the ability to read subchannel data. The Pioneer doesn't.
The Pioneer is loud (my roommate has one, and it's pretty noisy when spinning at full speed). I have the Toshiba and it's very quiet. I've never used the LiteOn, so I don't know how noisy it is.

 

[JDubya]

Basically, you cannot go wrong with Toshiba, Pioneer, Lite-On, or Sony. I have not worked with the Toshiba yet. I like the Pioneer and the Lite-On drives, but they were a little loud for me. I have the Sony in my rig, and the drive is silky smooth and very quiet.

 

[veryape]

I have an AFreey and have nothing but good things to say about it. It's two years old, I paid 50 bucks for it and the thing plays DVDs and CDs like a champ, never with any problems. I don't know anything about their newer drives but I know the 10x model I have is great and will definitely play your CDs well.

Good Luck whatever you purchase.
John-Paul AKA veryape
[EDIT]Here is a link to a review on the Afreey 12x DVD Drive