Customer Reviews

PIONEER DVR-A09XL Internal Double Layer DVD Writer - Black Bezel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have owned this drive for five weeks now and have been very pleased with it. I have burned dozens of DVDs so far, and the only coasters (ruined discs) I have turned out I would attribute to using inferior media. I ordered what I thought was 16x premium brand DVD-Rs from another online store and I received some generic 4x media. I tried the discs anyway and the results were poor.
However, I have had 100% success with Verbatim, Memorex, and Staples store brand 16x and 8x media. The 8x Memorex discs even burn at 12x.
I have not found a 16x disc yet that will actually burn at 16x speed. Pioneer recently released another firmware update, though, and I am hopeful that support for this speed will begin to become more common. That said, this drive is fast. I have burned full DVDs (single layer) in five minutes.
I also appreciate how quiet this drive is. My machine also has a 52x Samsung CD-RW drive in it, but I find I am not using it anymore because the new Pioneer drive's motor is so much quieter.
Anyway, I do recommend this drive. My hope now is that it lasts a long problem free life.

Just recently purchased the A09XL (first dvd player/writer for my PC) and it's great. It runs so quiet, the fan in my tower actually makes more noise. No trouble whatsoever in reading/writing, very fast at that (using 8x DVD+R at this moment).

The one problem I ran into, and you may want to check into this first, is that it didn't quite fit in my case. The way that the tray is setup on the writer (width is the entire width of the writer itself instead of leaving 1/4" or so on each side), my case wouldn't allow the tray to clear each side of the face on my case. When I had the writer in the top bay of my case, it wouldn't clear the top either (the tray is at the top of the writer). So I had to move it down to the second bay and also use my Dremel to make some "modifications" to my case so that it would clear the sides. The actual width of the tray (and the unit itself) is 5-27/32", so make sure your case can handle this unless you plan on doing some "modifications" of your own.

No stars taken away since I think it's a Dell thing, this model probably really isn't meant for upgrading.

FYI, the PC I'm referencing is a Dell Dimension 2400, so your results may vary depending how your case is setup.

After that was all cleared up though, it's been smooth sailing.

I have had this drive a week now and have ripped DVDs in many different modes for PC backup data with not one failure. I purchased a 50-pk of off-brand DVD+Rs and have yet to have a problem. I have yet to burn a DVD in dual layer mode (or copy a movie). As mentioned though, the drive is rather large and had to move my Yamaha CD-RW because the back of the Pioneer would hit motherboard components in a lower bay and not go all the way in. I build my own PCs, so it wasn't a big deal for me. The silver finish looks great in the Thermaltake Silver case.

If you can get it in your system, this is the best drive to get. The quality is top notch and it appears it will last for many years. Also, the software to burn and backup is easy to use as well.

I returned the first drive I ordered thinking it was defective because the drive was not recognized by the bios using Cable Select and the Slave setting. The second drive behaved the same exact way. I got it to work by setting it to Master and my IDE drive to Slave. Burnt a few disk already with no problem. It seems to tolerate inferior media much better than my Plextor drive.

If you're a Windows user you may ignore this posting. This drive costs quite a bit more than the equivalent DVR-109 model due to the extra "features" - an impressive software package, and not least QuietDrive, which slows down drive speed for playback of CDs and DVDs. Not on Macintosh it doesn't. For a start, the entire software package is Windows-only. You cannot use it. And worse, QuietDrive is also windows-only. My DVR-A09XL sounds like a leafblower when playing audio-CDs - really disappointing. You are much better off buying the more reasonably priced DVR-109 or DVR-110/110D.

did anyone else know that the bezel comes off?
i have a G4 and it's the OEM SuperDrive, but if bought separately, it has a different tray bezel which is .5mm too big to fit through the drawer. just slip it up and off. not pretty, but it works just fine...

Just completed my first home movie DVD with this device and I have the following observations:

1. Very quick
2. Very simple to use
3. Software easier to get started with than Nero
4. BUT software did not work until patched twice from Pioneer's website
5. AND firmware needed updating
6. And software dates back to 2004!!!

Cheap is the impression the last few things convey combined with the fact that they include the screws for attaching to the runners but no runners for inserting it into the PC

Lastly, as others have commented, it fits barely, I had to open and close the PC five times to get it in the right bay with the right combination of plastics and the old non-burner is having to stay out

I bought this burner In July 2005. Has worked great, fitted perfectly in my ATX case. I've used it to burn delicate info and has never failed when used with relatively high quality media. Cheaper disk tend to fail at high speeds, but it can be blamed to the disk itself, not the drive.
To my understanding, it has standar dimensions. I'm comparing it to my old HP Cd burner and both are the same size, both in height and width.
Before I got this burner, I bought a cheaper no-branded one, that was awfully bad. I got the Pioneer, and now I'm happy.

Who ever designed this drive doesn't know anything about computer cases. I ended up having to take a Skillsaw and cut out my computer case front, just to fit the thing in. CHECK THE SIZE FIRST, it will only fit a select few cases.

I bought this drive after having some issues with a Sony DRU-720A. This drive performs wonderfully. It runs very quietly. I have not had any issues burning CDs or DVDs with it. Dual-layer DVDs have burned just fine. Also, the tray eject motor sounds strong and very much up to the task. (It really bothers me when a drive sounds like it barely has enough power to eject the tray.) The only complaint I have is that I had to do some trimming to the plastic fascia on my computer case to accomodate the drive's wide tray. There isn't much more to say: it just works great.