Do quiet DVD-ROM/DVD+-RW drives exist?

modman · Post by **modman** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 8:20 am

I recently purchased a couple of DVD combo drives for an HTPC setup with the hope of replacing my aging stereo components. I have so far been dissapointed with the noise levels of the latest fast drives. I would like the drive to be as quiet as my not-so-cheap DVD player.

Who makes the quietest DVD drive?

How quiet are the new DVD-+RW drives?

I currently have two combo drives: Samsung SM-348 and a SM-352. I am also considering a DVD-+RW with the Sony DRU510 and Pioneer A05/A06 at the top of the list. Are these quiet?

EDIT: Quiet operation when playing movies being more important than when burning.

Thanks in advance for your help!

bonzichrille · Post by **bonzichrille** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 9:05 am

The Sony DRU 510 is said to be very quiet. It is highly recommended in this area, over at avsforum.com(htpc forum) it's number one!

aphonos · Post by **aphonos** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 9:29 am

Have you searched the forums (especially Storage) for CDROM, CDR, Optical and/or DVD? There are multiple threads on this topic.....not sure if they will answer your specific question, but worth a look, just in case it was already covered.

modman · Post by **modman** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 10:06 am

aphonos wrote:Have you searched the forums (especially Storage) for CDROM, CDR, Optical and/or DVD.

I haven't but will for DVD. I didn't mention that I also have a Plextor Premium. My search is over for a quiet CD writer; this is it.

Thanks,
-O

modman · Post by **modman** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 10:41 am

bonzichrille wrote:The Sony DRU 510 is said to be very quiet. It is highly recommended in this area, over at avsforum.com(htpc forum) it's number one!

I searched the site for DRU510, DRU 510, Sony, 510, but can't find mention of it being quiet, or number one. Could you guide me a bit?

ps: Thanks for the link!

miTchy · Post by **miTchy** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 11:10 am

I built a system with a pioneer A05 in it and it was very quiet compared to my dvd and cdwriter drives but it also seemed alot slower

Lockheed · Post by **Lockheed** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 12:21 pm

Post removed

tragus · Post by **tragus** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 12:34 pm

Radeonman wrote:I wrote up a thread on the NEC 1300a (around somewhere, I don't feel like digging it up). It's damn quiet and supports both the + and - formats. Plus, the NEC is way cheaper than the sony.

Unfortunately, last time I checked, NEC does not have an external/portable version (USB/Firewire), which our lab really needs. If an in-case solution suffices, the NEC looks like a nice possibility right now.

LushMD · Post by **LushMD** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 2:51 pm

tragus: consider buying an internal drive and putting it into an enclosure (i.e. this one). I am not quite sure how this will affect the economics of purchasing an internal drive (it has been some time since I've been in the market for one). However, considering that several online retailers carry the well regarded Pioneer DVR-A05/105 for ~$170, the cost of an internal drive and an enclosure will probably be less expensive than a comparable retail external drive. Take care.

modman · Post by **modman** » Wed Jun 25, 2003 6:13 am

Radeonman wrote:I wrote up a thread on the NEC 1300a (around somewhere, I don't feel like digging it up). It's damn quiet and supports both the + and - formats. Plus, the NEC is way cheaper than the sony.

I found your thread. I also found this one complaining about Nec's "policy of not releasing the bios" firmware. Is this still true?

I used to have a Nec Versa laptop that wouln't take a memory upgrade, after trying different brands for the third time I paid $700 to NEC for their memory. After much denial, it turned out to be a firmware problem, that is, after I shipped my laptop to them and they felt like erasing the harddisk.

Lor · Post by **Lor** » Wed Jun 25, 2003 8:53 am

I don't know if this is what you are interested in, but the Toshiba 1712 is very quiet when playing movies on DVD. When it's running, I can barely hear it over the noise made by my other components (a PSU modded with a Panaflo at about 6V and a Barracuda ATA IV 40GB).

modman · Post by **modman** » Wed Jun 25, 2003 11:15 am

Lor wrote:I don't know if this is what you are interested in, but the Toshiba 1712 is very quiet when playing movies on DVD.

Yes, quiet when playing movies is my primary concern. I am adding it to my list. Thanks.

modman · Post by **modman** » Wed Jun 25, 2003 11:52 am

Radeonman wrote:If it ain't broke I ain't gonna put time into it to fix it.

There are other reasons to flash a drive. For example, flashing the SM-348 added Mt. Rainier support. I should not have to loose the drive for days or longer, and risk the drive being damaged during shipping just for a firmware update. What if there really is a problem? Why should it cost money (shipping at least) to get it fixed?

Radeonman wrote:Also, do you really want to read all of your movies in your $200+ drive? That sounds like a good way to burn around the drive. And I know you don't want to do that.

Yes, the tought has crossed my mind. I am also considering quiet DVD-ROM drives, but I still need the DVD writer, and I've yet to find a DVD-ROM with a large cache.

modman · Post by **modman** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 5:21 am

Radeonman wrote:Well, I would never use Mt. Rainer support.

You don't have to use it, but you might reconsider.

CD-MRW (CD Mount Rainier ReWrite)
In Yamaha's own words
This one at CDRInfo is a good read.

I buy a drive knowing it comes supprting everything I want - to buy otherwise is risky beyond belief.

Unfortunately, I learned about this after I purchased the drive, but I am glad that Samsung stands behind the product and added this feature at no extra cost for the consumer.

I have NEVER had to flash a drive...I think the whole firmware debate is paranoia winning over common sense, but that's just me.

Like software, hardware is not bug free. It is cheaper for a manufacturer to add features to a drive in software than to R&D a new piece of hardware. I think is a win-win for both consumers and manufacurers.

A large cache on an optical drive wouldn't do much for speed - they are only present to prevent errors during burning.

Yes, and I do a ton of other things at the same time. I admit that the error management feaures of the burners I have do work, and the extra memory cache will have little effect if any in burning performance. I think of it as extra insurance while the machine is busy.

I have yet to find a DVD-ROM that isn't quiet. And for $35, you can prevent overuse on that $200 drive.

I agree. IMO one cannot be paranoid about these things. After all, the hard disks are taxed many times more, and we sacrifice cooling for peace and quite, but that doesn't stop us.

EDIT: spell

modman · Post by **modman** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 5:28 am

To sum up what we have so far, the contenders are:

Sony DRU-510A (DVD+-RW)
Pioneer A05/A06 (DVD-RW)
NEC 1300a (DVD+-RW)
Toshiba 1712 (DVD-ROM)

I am hoping for a review

Lockheed · Post by **Lockheed** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 11:47 pm

Post removed

Galvin · Post by **Galvin** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 1:00 pm

modman wrote:To sum up what we have so far, the contenders are:

Sony DRU-510A (DVD+-RW)
Pioneer A05/A06 (DVD-RW)
NEC 1300a (DVD+-RW)
Toshiba 1712 (DVD-ROM)

I am hoping for a review

Umm, the A06 does DVD -+ RW, thats the big difference between the
A05 and A06. Check the spec sheets

pingu666 · Post by **pingu666** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 8:48 am

ive flashed drives to get em to work better and new features

modman · Post by **modman** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 9:43 pm

Galvin wrote:
modman wrote:To sum up what we have so far, the contenders are:

Sony DRU-510A (DVD+-RW)
Pioneer A05/A06 (DVD-RW)
NEC 1300a (DVD+-RW)
Toshiba 1712 (DVD-ROM)

I am hoping for a review
Umm, the A06 does DVD -+ RW, thats the big difference between the
A05 and A06. Check the spec sheets

Yes; quick post from work.

I remember reading the A06 is meant to alleviate phone support costs from the confusion with the +- formats.