CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A?

agentk7 · 26-01-2005

I'm in a bit of a quandary. I'm trying to decide between buying the Plextor Premium, PX-716a or the new PX-230A (assuming reviews are good) mainly for CD DAE and CD burning.

I have a NEC 3520 DVD Burner, and I'm not worried about DVD burning so much because that suffices. However, I do a lot of DAE and CD writing. I currently have a Plextor 48/24/48A which does a superb job. However, I like the additional features of the Premium and PX-716A drive for detecting errors, etc.

For CD DAE and CD burning would it make more sense to get a PX-716A? I'm not worried about the speed difference (52x vs 48x). The main thing that worries me is that Plextor may have stopped developing new firmware for the Premium. Obviously, they are doing a lot of work with the PX-716A currently. Do they ever make any updates to the CD media or new CD copy protection schemes on the PX-716A?

How about this new CD-RW they are coming out with the PX-230A? Does anyone have any info on this drive beyond the blurb on their website? I know it may not be available for another couple of days but it looks interesting. Is it just an upgraded version of the 52/24/52A drive?

Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

*eltranquil* · 26-01-2005

I don't think that the Premium is something like a "discontinued" product. Some months ago a firmware upgrade for drives older than the Premium appeared, so I think that a new firmware would appear if needed. Clearly, newer DVD burners have more room for improvements and the firmware upgrades are far more frequent.

I don't know anything about the new 230, but the lack of the advanced functions (Giga/Vari/SecuRec, Q-Check) makes me think that the Premium will remain their top-class CD-RW drive.

ET

Quote:

Originally Posted by agentk7

The main thing that worries me is that Plextor may have stopped developing new firmware for the Premium. Obviously, they are doing a lot of work with the PX-716A currently.

*drpino* · 26-01-2005

like ET said, i don't think the Premium is considered a legacy product yet and FW could possibly still be released. that being said, the premium is still considered the top dog CD burner (and for good reason).

the PX716 isn't as capable a CD burner as the premium (i.e. doesn't handle copy protection schemes as well). that being said, i haven't had much trouble with copy protections with my 716s.

agentk7 · 26-01-2005

Well Plextor hasn't released an update for the Premium since November 2003 (1.05). I don't think that bodes well for any new updates since it's now January 2005. With the release of the PX-230A drive I wonder if it will be harder and harder to find a Premium....

They did release a bugfix only firmware update to the 48/24/48A drive back in August 2004 but at this point I'm not sure that means much.

Is the PX-716A considered to have the same excellent DAE as the Premium? I know it might not rip as fast, but as long as the quality is there that's all that would matter to me....

*drpino* · 26-01-2005

716's DAE capabilities are great, on par with the premium to my knowledge...several official reviews have it at 100%.

sTisTi · 26-01-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by agentk7

Well Plextor hasn't released an update for the Premium since November 2003 (1.05). I don't think that bodes well for any new updates since it's now January 2005.

Why are you missing Firmware upgrades if the present 1.05 does all it needs to do and gives EXCELLENT write quality on nearly any disc you throw at the Premium? With the rise of DVD+-R, development in the CD-R area is practically dead, so any Firmware upgrades for DVD burners will probably mainly affect DVD writing capabilities.

agentk7 · 26-01-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by sTisTi

Why are you missing Firmware upgrades if the present 1.05 does all it needs to do and gives EXCELLENT write quality on nearly any disc you throw at the Premium? With the rise of DVD+-R, development in the CD-R area is practically dead, so any Firmware upgrades for DVD burners will probably mainly affect DVD writing capabilities.

I agree that CD-R development is definitely terminal if not dead already (with the possible exception being Lightscribe).

Maybe it's possible the Premium is perfect, but I am tempted by the "continuing development" of the PX-716A. Perhaps that is the best choice at this point.

*drpino* · 26-01-2005

do you care at all about DVD burning? if so, 716 is the obvious choice. if not, i'd go with the premium.

edit: well, i don't know...even if you don't care about DVD burning now, it's always nice to have it if you ever decide you want it.

*Arrow* · 26-01-2005

They even released a Firmware Update for 4012 in 2004. I am sure there will be one more for Premium.

agentk7 · 10-02-2005

Well I went ahead and bought the Plextor PX-716A. Got it for US$116.50 shipped from New Egg, with the $30 rebate Plextor US is currently running, it should definitely be worth it.

I'm currently running some PI/PO tests on some old burns just to see how they've held up.....

*G@M3FR3@K* · 10-02-2005

Good luck with your purchase agentk7

agentk7 · 11-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by G@M3FR3@K

Good luck with your purchase agentk7

So far so good. Burned 4-5 DVD discs without incident. DAE seems to be right on par, if not better than my 4824A.

The tray seems a little flimsier then my 4824A, but maybe that's just my imagination with the way it ejects.

I'll still be looking forward to hearing about how the PX-230A compares against the likes of the Premium...

*drpino* · 11-02-2005

post some scans!!!

*G@M3FR3@K* · 11-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by agentk7

So far so good. Burned 4-5 DVD discs without incident. DAE seems to be right on par, if not better than my 4824A.

The tray seems a little flimsier then my 4824A, but maybe that's just my imagination with the way it ejects.

Thanks for letting us know your experiences, good to hear that the drive is working as it should.

About the drive's tray: I have the same feeling as you. The new drive trays seem flimsier but they are also much quieter than the old Plextor drives. I remember the first Plextor CD-RW burners and their trays. When you opened it, it sounded like the drive was complaining. It was a great sound though

yogiB · 14-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by agentk7

I'm in a bit of a quandary. I'm trying to decide between buying the Plextor Premium, PX-716a or the new PX-230A (assuming reviews are good) mainly for CD DAE and CD burning.

Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

I'm in a similar quandry. I'm trying to decide between the Premium and the 716SA (SATA version). I, too, don't care much for DVD burning at this point. But chances are I might get into it in the future. Then again, when I DO get into it, there may be far better DVD burners to choose from. No?

So, purely for CD burning (at this point), which would you recommend?

Any ideas much appreciated.

*eltranquil* · 14-02-2005

IMHO, the Premium.

ET

Quote:

Originally Posted by yogiB

So, purely for CD burning (at this point), which would you
recommend?

*JeanLuc* · 14-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by agentk7

I'll still be looking forward to hearing about how the PX-230A compares against the likes of the Premium...

The 230A is no real Plextor AFAIK ... the 522452 wasn't a real Plex as well.

yogiB · 14-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeanLuc

The 230A is no real Plextor AFAIK ... the 522452 wasn't a real Plex as well.

Well, the Premium is the 523252, isn't it?

*JeanLuc* · 14-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by yogiB

Well, the Premium is the 523252, isn't it?

Exactly ... problem is, the new 230A is rated 52x32x52x as well ... that will lead to some confusion in the future.

*Arrow* · 15-02-2005

5224 was a real Plextor. The mechanics of the drive look very much the same as those of 4824.

*G@M3FR3@K* · 15-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeanLuc

the 522452 wasn't a real Plex as well.

On what information do you base this on

agentk7 · 15-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeanLuc

The 230A is no real Plextor AFAIK ... the 522452 wasn't a real Plex as well.

I was under the impression that the 230A was a real Plextor. Apparently, they are marketing this drive pretty decently (for a CD-RW drive in 2005) and it's hard to believe they'd stand behind another product. Plus, they're charging twice what other OEMs are selling CD-RW drives for, so they either got extremely greedy or they're producing a nice high quality drive....

I thought Plextor stopped using third party drives after their bad experiences with the hybrid CDRW/DVD-ROM drives from a few years back....

The 230A is currently available at newegg, so somebody should buy it (although the price difference with the Premium is VERY small)

GeoN · 16-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeanLuc

... the 522452 wasn't a real Plex as well.

It's misinformation.

See PCB compare of PX-W5224 and Premium (in Czech): http://cdr.cz/a/6566/2
PX-5224 PCB: http://cdr.cz/picture/7639/large
Premium PCB: http://cdr.cz/picture/6212/large

Just try to find some differences.

*JeanLuc* · 16-02-2005

Hmmm ... just checked EAC settings for the PX-W5224A ... looks like typical Plex specs indeed

*Arrow* · 16-02-2005

In my opinion 5224 is a REAL Plex. See the pics above. It also "behaves" like a real Plex in everyday use.

26-01-2005	#1
agentk7 CD Freaks Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: East Coast, USA Posts: 127	CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? I'm in a bit of a quandary. I'm trying to decide between buying the Plextor Premium, PX-716a or the new PX-230A (assuming reviews are good) mainly for CD DAE and CD burning. I have a NEC 3520 DVD Burner, and I'm not worried about DVD burning so much because that suffices. However, I do a lot of DAE and CD writing. I currently have a Plextor 48/24/48A which does a superb job. However, I like the additional features of the Premium and PX-716A drive for detecting errors, etc. For CD DAE and CD burning would it make more sense to get a PX-716A? I'm not worried about the speed difference (52x vs 48x). The main thing that worries me is that Plextor may have stopped developing new firmware for the Premium. Obviously, they are doing a lot of work with the PX-716A currently. Do they ever make any updates to the CD media or new CD copy protection schemes on the PX-716A? How about this new CD-RW they are coming out with the PX-230A? Does anyone have any info on this drive beyond the blurb on their website? I know it may not be available for another couple of days but it looks interesting. Is it just an upgraded version of the 52/24/52A drive? Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

26-01-2005	#3
drpino CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: nYc Posts: 4,916	Re: CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? like ET said, i don't think the Premium is considered a legacy product yet and FW could possibly still be released. that being said, the premium is still considered the top dog CD burner (and for good reason). the PX716 isn't as capable a CD burner as the premium (i.e. doesn't handle copy protection schemes as well). that being said, i haven't had much trouble with copy protections with my 716s. __________________ AMD A64 Clawhammer 3200+ / TT Venus 7+ / ASUS K8V Dlx / Corsair TwinX 4000PRO (2x512) WD360GD 236GB Raptor (RAID0) / WD800JB 80GB PATA / IBM Deskstar 25.4GB PATA ASUS R9800XT / VX900 19"CRT / Boston Acoustics BA7500 4.1 Plextor PX-716A / Plextor PX-Premium / Samsung SD-816B ROM / OCZ 520ADJ PowerStream / Kingwin KT424SWM AMD A64 Winchester 3200+ / Thermalright XP-90 / ASUS A8V Dlx r2 / OCZ PlatR2 (2x512) WD740GD 274GB Raptor (RAID0) / WD2500SD/JD 2250GB SATA / Seagate 2160GB PATA / Maxtor OneTouchII 300GB Ext (Firewire) ATI X800XL / Viewsonic VP201s 20.1"LCD / Creative SBAudigy2ZS Plat / Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Plextor PX-716A / Plextor PX-708UF / BenQ 1640 / OCZ 520ADJ PowerStream / Lian-Li V1000B

26-01-2005	#4
agentk7 CD Freaks Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: East Coast, USA Posts: 127	Re: CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? Well Plextor hasn't released an update for the Premium since November 2003 (1.05). I don't think that bodes well for any new updates since it's now January 2005. With the release of the PX-230A drive I wonder if it will be harder and harder to find a Premium.... They did release a bugfix only firmware update to the 48/24/48A drive back in August 2004 but at this point I'm not sure that means much. Is the PX-716A considered to have the same excellent DAE as the Premium? I know it might not rip as fast, but as long as the quality is there that's all that would matter to me....

26-01-2005	#5
drpino CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: nYc Posts: 4,916	Re: CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? 716's DAE capabilities are great, on par with the premium to my knowledge...several official reviews have it at 100%. __________________ AMD A64 Clawhammer 3200+ / TT Venus 7+ / ASUS K8V Dlx / Corsair TwinX 4000PRO (2x512) WD360GD 236GB Raptor (RAID0) / WD800JB 80GB PATA / IBM Deskstar 25.4GB PATA ASUS R9800XT / VX900 19"CRT / Boston Acoustics BA7500 4.1 Plextor PX-716A / Plextor PX-Premium / Samsung SD-816B ROM / OCZ 520ADJ PowerStream / Kingwin KT424SWM AMD A64 Winchester 3200+ / Thermalright XP-90 / ASUS A8V Dlx r2 / OCZ PlatR2 (2x512) WD740GD 274GB Raptor (RAID0) / WD2500SD/JD 2250GB SATA / Seagate 2160GB PATA / Maxtor OneTouchII 300GB Ext (Firewire) ATI X800XL / Viewsonic VP201s 20.1"LCD / Creative SBAudigy2ZS Plat / Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Plextor PX-716A / Plextor PX-708UF / BenQ 1640 / OCZ 520ADJ PowerStream / Lian-Li V1000B

26-01-2005	#8
drpino CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: nYc Posts: 4,916	Re: CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? do you care at all about DVD burning? if so, 716 is the obvious choice. if not, i'd go with the premium. edit: well, i don't know...even if you don't care about DVD burning now, it's always nice to have it if you ever decide you want it. __________________ AMD A64 Clawhammer 3200+ / TT Venus 7+ / ASUS K8V Dlx / Corsair TwinX 4000PRO (2x512) WD360GD 236GB Raptor (RAID0) / WD800JB 80GB PATA / IBM Deskstar 25.4GB PATA ASUS R9800XT / VX900 19"CRT / Boston Acoustics BA7500 4.1 Plextor PX-716A / Plextor PX-Premium / Samsung SD-816B ROM / OCZ 520ADJ PowerStream / Kingwin KT424SWM AMD A64 Winchester 3200+ / Thermalright XP-90 / ASUS A8V Dlx r2 / OCZ PlatR2 (2x512) WD740GD 274GB Raptor (RAID0) / WD2500SD/JD 2250GB SATA / Seagate 2160GB PATA / Maxtor OneTouchII 300GB Ext (Firewire) ATI X800XL / Viewsonic VP201s 20.1"LCD / Creative SBAudigy2ZS Plat / Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Plextor PX-716A / Plextor PX-708UF / BenQ 1640 / OCZ 520ADJ PowerStream / Lian-Li V1000B

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26-01-2005	#9
Arrow CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Austria Posts: 774	Re: CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? They even released a Firmware Update for 4012 in 2004. I am sure there will be one more for Premium.

10-02-2005	#10
agentk7 CD Freaks Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: East Coast, USA Posts: 127	Re: CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? Well I went ahead and bought the Plextor PX-716A. Got it for US$116.50 shipped from New Egg, with the $30 rebate Plextor US is currently running, it should definitely be worth it. I'm currently running some PI/PO tests on some old burns just to see how they've held up.....

10-02-2005	#11
G@M3FR3@K Senior Moderator Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Utrèg, The Netherlands Posts: 10,654	Re: CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? Good luck with your purchase agentk7 __________________ CDFreaks.com - Independent CD and DVD recording news around the clock! I do not provide support via PM or e-mail, use our Forum instead. Need some help? Please use our search function first. When asking for help, please detail your problem! Become a member of this forum, it's free! Register here!

11-02-2005	#13
drpino CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: nYc Posts: 4,916	Re: CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? post some scans!!! __________________ AMD A64 Clawhammer 3200+ / TT Venus 7+ / ASUS K8V Dlx / Corsair TwinX 4000PRO (2x512) WD360GD 236GB Raptor (RAID0) / WD800JB 80GB PATA / IBM Deskstar 25.4GB PATA ASUS R9800XT / VX900 19"CRT / Boston Acoustics BA7500 4.1 Plextor PX-716A / Plextor PX-Premium / Samsung SD-816B ROM / OCZ 520ADJ PowerStream / Kingwin KT424SWM AMD A64 Winchester 3200+ / Thermalright XP-90 / ASUS A8V Dlx r2 / OCZ PlatR2 (2x512) WD740GD 274GB Raptor (RAID0) / WD2500SD/JD 2250GB SATA / Seagate 2160GB PATA / Maxtor OneTouchII 300GB Ext (Firewire) ATI X800XL / Viewsonic VP201s 20.1"LCD / Creative SBAudigy2ZS Plat / Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 Plextor PX-716A / Plextor PX-708UF / BenQ 1640 / OCZ 520ADJ PowerStream / Lian-Li V1000B

15-02-2005	#20
Arrow CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Austria Posts: 774	Re: CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? 5224 was a real Plextor. The mechanics of the drive look very much the same as those of 4824.

16-02-2005	#24
JeanLuc MyCE Resident Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Cologne, Germany Posts: 696	Re: CD Writing/DAE : Premium, PX-716A or new PX-230A? Hmmm ... just checked EAC settings for the PX-W5224A ... looks like typical Plex specs indeed __________________ Rig 01: Core i7 920 on ASUS P6P Deluxe V2 12 GB Corsair XMS 1x 128 GB SSD 3x 1 TB HDD ASUS GTX560Ti ESI Juli@ Win 7 64 Ultimate - SATA as AHCI on Intel ICH10 BenQ DW2010 5B33 External USB2 LG BE06LU10 YE05 External USB2 Plextor PX-716A 1.11 IDE LiteOn LTR-52246S 6S0F IDE Pioneer BDR-206DBK 1.06 SATA2 Samsung SH-B123L SB04 SATA2

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