Customer Reviews

LaCie d2 52x32x52 External FireWire CD-RW Drive includes EasyCD Creator and Toast lite ( 300566 )

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought and starting using this drive about 2 months ago, on the advice of a techno-wizard at an all-Mac dealer. As it's the first "burner" I've owned, I can't compare it to others, but I have owned other LaCie products and this one seems to be in the same tradition of solid construction and easy installation and use. It should be -- it's a lot pricier than the ones I see at the big box stores.

Setup was a plug-and-play breeze via my Mac's Firewire port and the user-friendly instructions that came on LaCie's CD (what else would they come on?).

Some reviews brag about the quiet operation of their drive; actually when this one really revs up, it sounds like a little tornado -- an experience I kinda like.

So far, no problems. Everything it's read or burned has been flawless and has played on other CD players.

(Fellow Beginners: I had to learn that high-powered RW drives like this work best with top-speed CD's, which are not easy to find and cost a little more. LaCie pointed that out in their User Guide, a long with many more tips. Another techno-wizard clued me into the fact that good RW CDs cost so much more than regular read-only ones that you're better off to just burn a fresh one when you've had enough "sessions" to fill one up.)

LaCie has hit a towering home run with its line of plug and play d2 FireWire CD-RW drives. While not as sporty as some drives on the market, the d2 is a fleet and tireless workhorse with priceless cross-platform compatibility, and that's what counts. Documentation is plainly written, installation is a breeze and usage is an unqualified pleasure. The d2 comes with simple to use recording software (Easy CD Creator for PC, Toast Lite for Mac) that makes burning CDs an almost brainless operation involving dragging desired files into the program window, selecting a few options and letting the d2 do its magic. (Mac users wanting to push the envelope can upgrade to the scarily powerful Toast Titanium.) As a small business owner on Mac platform, the ability to share data with my PC colleagues via hybrid format CDs is a godsend. And as a music lover, I'm amazed and overjoyed to be able to burn audio CDs in a veritable trice.

The solid performance of the d2 is a testament to the Mac-savviness for which LaCie has long been hailed. In all likelihood, the drive will perform just as flawlessly for PC users. The d2 has increased my business productivity a hundred-fold, and I regard it as my most essential peripheral.

I bought this as a way to archive my hundreds of digital photos stored on my hard drive - I knew I was tempting fate. My old reliable system: Pentium III at 500 MHz, Windows 98SE, previously equipped with an IEEE 1394 card with two Firewire ports (for video capture). I followed the suggested PC installation instructions and my system recognized the drive within 20 seconds an gave it a drive designation. I used it to load the Roxio EasyCD Creator software and all went perfectly. I used the preformatted CD-RW that came with the drive and burned 400 MB of digital photos in 5 minutes! The software is easy to use: drag and drop files to the CD icon that stays on your desktop and it's done! The CD I burned worked fine in my computer's main CD/DVD drive. While I have nothing to compare this drive too, I have absoultely no complaints!

As one who has limited time, patience and techno-understanding, this is one easy-to-use little workhorse. I use a iMac (OS 9.2) and within 5 minutes of installation and plugging it in, I was burning CDs. In fact, you really don't need to consult the users guide; the operation is totally intuitive. Highly recommended, especially for those who are a bit techno-shy.

I was a little concerned because a previous review said this device did not work with iTunes 4.01. Since it has been a while and a couple releases of iTunes since that review, I contacted LaCie support. They responded overnight and said it does work with iTunes, so I ordered. Happily, it did indeed work. Rather easily, I might add. Just plugged it in, started iTunes, and burned a cd.

Great product. Nice metal case, works perfect with windows xp pro. don't waste your time with the Iomega.

Good luck getting iTunes 4.0.1 to see this drive. This is a major deal if you want to burn a music CD from Apple's new AAC file format (as opposed to a MP3) because you can only do that from within iTunes. Aside from not working with iTunes and the fact that the unit is very loud when it has spun up, the unit seems to do its job and Mac OS X recognized the burner without having to install any software. I will be returning this drive.

This is one of the sturdiest, most reliable, easiest-to-use peripherals i've seen! Within minutes of hooking it up i was burning CDs -- no small feat for this technophobe!

This product has become indispensable to me. I've used it to back up my hard drive, archive my digital photos and transport files to and from work, and it's performed without a hitch. And wow, is it fast!

Although this drive may cost a bit more than similar models, its ease of use and sturdy construction make it well worth the investment.

Perfect and absolutely seamless with Mac OSX Panther. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

First the good bits:
Installation (on a MacG4) a breeze. No problems with burning although I've not burned at the maximum speed. Has worked seamlessly with Final Cut Pro, Toast, iMovie and iTunes. Quite quiet.
Then: The power on button is a lovely blue semi-circular wedge along one of the inner edges of the casing. Looks beautiful but requires use of the thumb rather than the the index finger one pushes a standard button with.
My Macs system sees the device easily, but sees it as a LiteOn-- not a LaCie-- device.
Finally: can't rate durability because it's just a month or 2 old.
Years later: Still working, still cool.