Yamaha CRW2200EZ 20x10x40 CD-RW Drive

by Yamaha

Product Details

Product Manual [1.78mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005LP3I
• Item model number: CRW2200EZ
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best one by Yamaha yet, December 23, 2001

By 

"iwluttdid" (Burtonsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yamaha CRW2200EZ 20x10x40 CD-RW Drive (Personal Computers)

My old writer died, and I did some extensive research before I decided on this unit. Here are the factors that made me shell out my hard earned money for this brand.

The Pros:

Hardware/Technology:
Prevents buffer underruns (bad copies/coasters). Yamaha calls it Safeburn buffer management system, and it's just as good as burn-proof/justlink used in other non-Yamaha drives. Actually, it might be better because there is no linking (no gaps) in data due to the use of P-CAV writing technology (as opposed to Z-CLV used by all the other brands, which does leave links). Having no gaps is preferable (better quality burn). It has 8 MB of buffer memory as opposed to 2 MB offered by most other brands.

The drive also does write speed control. It tries to evaluate the condition of the media and adjust the writing speed to match its condition.

Yamaha is also the only company that's using the CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) writing technology. In CAV, maximum speed can be reached by smooth acceleration without any links, which is not possible in CLV without making links. From the reviews I've seen, the RPM of the drive stays below 6000 RPM. Lower RPM translates into less noise and vibration. Because there is less noise and vibration, it's not subject to as many errors. In general, it'll ensure high-quality (and linkless) write.

It's also Flash upgradable. It also supports DAO-RAW and Subchannels (as well as other modes, Track at Once, Disc At Once, CD-Text, etc... read the description). It also has great re-write performance compared to other drives of similar caliber, and probably the best packet writing performance (CAV is better at it than CLV). It also supports UDMA-33. Oh, it also has one of the fastest DAE (digitional audio extraction).

And if you've heard in the past that Yamaha drives are noisy, then you'll be glad to know that Yamaha has listened to their customers because this drive is a WHOLE LOT quieter than previous Yamaha drives.

Software:
It comes bundled with Nero 5.5.2.8. I can tell you from YEARS of using Nero that this is a quality software. The design and user interface may have a bit higher learning curve, but you'll be glad Yamaha didn't bundle it with EZ CD-Creator because Nero is a far more powerful package.

The cons:

These are the reasons that I didn't gave it 4 stars and not 5. If you make backup copies of games which has safedisc2 protection on it, this drive won't do it. The P-CAV writing technology it uses is a little bit slower than the Z-CLV (albeit better quality), but it's not so much slower that you'll really notice in practical use. But I'd go for better quality burns over faster burns (and not by that much!) any day.

Bottom line:... It seems like a quality unit. It took me less than 3 minutes to install it, and my computer detected it right away. I've burned 10 CDs (dreamcast games, mp3s, audio, regular data cd) as soon as I got it without a single problem. While I was burning the CDs I started and ran many programs -- no buffer underrunds... the drive kept going and going. By the way, before I finally decided on this drive, I also tried the TDK VeloCD 12x (which is really a Plextor 12x -- but no support for subchannel), TDK VeloCD 24X, and the Yamaha 2100 (2200's predecessor). If you read this review and think you like the Yamaha, and you decide to buy the 2100 instead of the 2200 due to the price difference, I would recommend you not do that. The 2100 is really noisy, vibrates too much, and it lacks the Safeburn technology.

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 10-Star Product!, October 10, 2001

By 

Leslie (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yamaha CRW2200EZ 20x10x40 CD-RW Drive (Personal Computers)

The most difficult/challenging part of installing this drive was getting the cover on my tower (IBM Aptiva) to securely close afterward.

Great instructions and flawless install. Just read over the instructions and lay out in front of/around you what you'll need (the washers and screws that come with the burner, as well as a Phillips screwdriver), and you'll install it in no time.

I've wanted CD-RW for some time, but had some *very* bad luck with USB burners about a year and a half ago (three locked up my computer or just didn't function, and I got a nasty virus from updating the drivers of one), so I was a bit wary. Fortunately, the CRW2200EZ works like a charm from the get-go.

Within ten minutes of completing the installation, I burned my first full music CD -- and did so in what seemed like warp speed.

The Nero software was a bit tricky at first (and the directions that were so helpful with the installation were a bit "fuzzy" on using Nero), but now that I got it down, it's SO easy.

So far, I've only burned two coasters and both were my fault -- and here's how to avoid the same fault:

*Make sure that the burn speed is not faster than the blank can handle. IOW, I wasted the two CDs by trying to burn at 16x on blanks that were labeled as 12x max.* Buy blanks that can handle high speeds and watch that the speed you select for burning isn't higher than that.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top-notch Product!, November 4, 2001

By 

Matt "mattfl1" (FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yamaha CRW2200EZ 20x10x40 CD-RW Drive (Personal Computers)

This drive is excellent. You can rip a full length CD in about 5 minutes. The software package it comes with is great (Nero is far better than the Adaptec software most companies ship with). The overburn technology really works--I have yet to mess up a disc due to buffer underrun. Installation was a snap--Yamaha includes the cables you need, it runs under all popular operating systems. I don't have one bad thing to say about this drive; If I had to buy another one today, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Yamaha. Highly recommended.