Customer Reviews

Yamaha CRW2200EZ 20x10x40 CD-RW Drive

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

....the added speed of the Yahama and the software bundle that comes with it might be worth buying. And I was right! The package says that this product is recommended for a "high performance PC" -- P2 300 or better, so make sure you have a fairly new computer. I wasn't sure with my computer since it is a Celeron 466 with 256MB, but the installation was a snap and my computer hasn't had any problems. (In fact it boots up faster since I removed that horrible Philips drive). The manual is well detailed with lots of pictures and easy instructions to install your burner. I was able to burn almost 75 minutes of music onto a CD-R disc in just about 5 minutes at 16x speed! You can create a CD two different ways-- I chose to save my music to my PC as a .wav file, which in turn the CDRW drive wrote to the CD-- it takes up a lot of memory on your computer, so make sure you have at least 1GB free on your hard drive. I saved 15 different songs, and the Yahama took less than 30 seconds to save each song's image to the hard drive. The whole process was relatively fast and easy to make an audio CD, which is my primary use. That said, the only complaint I have is with the Nero software that comes with it. The Easy Creator software that came with the Philips is MUCH more user friendly and straightforward. The Nero's interface is confusing when you get down to creating images to "burn" to disc. The part of Nero's Burning Rom that I dislike and haven't found a solution to (yet) is that you have to continually close up the last window that has the CD that you used to "drop and drag" tracks to create your playlist and open a new window BEFORE you can drop and drag new tracks from a different CD. (And if that sounds confusing, wait till you try and do this with the software-- you'll see what I mean!) Plus, I can't get to preview any of the songs before I drop and drag, so I have to make sure I am consulting my CD covers and verify I am getting the correct songs onto disc. If you can live with that quirk (or if the software gets a much needed update) then this drive is a great buy, despite the high price. Newer 24x10x40x drives are out that are about $75 more than this one. But for 4x more speed, I don't think that's worth it. For the price and features, I would say that you can't go wrong with this one. It's gotten rave reviews from different magazines I've consulted, and I would absolutely recommend this drive. Go and buy one!

You won't catch me running this drive down!Ive never pulled the hood off my computer until I bought this drive.I unplugged my internal zip drive plugged in the drive and set the jumper on cselect(my computer supports cselect).Started my computer,went to the control panel(windows 98)clicked on system then device manager and there it was,shinning like a beacon in the night!! Burned a copy of Dicks Picks vol.18(over 700mb)in just over 10 minutes and a copy of Allman Bros.Live at Ludlow garage disc2(44 minute mountain jam)in under 8 minutes.A faster hard drive,Im sure, would only improve on those times.Couldn't tell the difference between the masters and the copies...I am not sorry at all about purchasing this drive!

I'm using one under Windows 2000 and another on a machine with Windows 98se. It is awesome! Super-fast burns and no incompatibilies with anything that I've ever used. Nero is a great piece of software, and I've also tried Roxio CD Creator 5 and they both work like a charm (but don't install both at the same time, they will fight with one another). I highly recommend it!

CD-RW drives should be a commodity by now, but there seem to be lots of problems surrounding them still. This drive is easy to set up and use; I haven't had any problems with it, the advertised speeds seem to be easily achievable, and there haven't been any glitches yet.

The box is full of software for both Windows and Mac, I happened to be setting it up on Linux, so I didn't need this, but everything needed to install and use the drive was there, including a sample disk, labels, a label positioner, and all of the cables and screws you need.

Great value for the price.

After performing a moderate amount of research on CD Writers, the information I obtained pointed favorably in the direction of the Yamaha CRW2200EZ...True to the literature, the unit was easy to install (though I have do have some limited experience adding hardware to my aging Gateway 300). Though initially I experinced several computer freezes(probably because of my Gateway), I overcame these problems. The "Nero" audio software is great for CDR's. It is relatively easy to use and includes the ability to construct semi pro looking CD labels. I found the ability to transfer my business data files from my old computer to new one worked well using the Nero data transfer Wizard. However, while the "IN CD" software for drag & drop data transfer on to CDRW's appears to work, it will only transfer the data copied on the CDRW discs to computers which recognize this ("IN CD") software. My experience has shown that Windows XP does not as yet recognize the "IN CD" software. While "Reader" software is apparently available to overcome this problem, my experience with the offerings from the Nero web site (Tech downloads) as of early March 2002 failed to alleviate this problem. Presumably one must continue to check for "Updates". That problem aside, I recommend the Yamaha. By the way --- Tech support timely returned my weekend call with helpful advice. Yamaha missed 5 stars due to the "IN CD" software incompatibility with Windows XP. Other than that, a solid performer!

I got this burner for Christmas, I used to have a 4x/2x/24x and this is like a dream. =) It runs perfect and the buffer underrun protecion is extremely useful. I recomment this burner to everyone.

The installation was simple (installed in a ancient artifact that still works great, a Dell Dimension Pro XPS200n using Windows 98se). I took out the original five year old CD Drive and plugged in the Yamaha, no adapters or anything required. There is no comparision to the speed of the Yamaha over the old factory drive. The software is so complete, that I am still learning how to take advantage of everything that it is capable of. I have done several data back ups, audio CD's and photoghaphic slide show CD's without a hitch. It is quiet, fast and great value for the money.

It is faster and superior to the Sony that came installed with my Dell Dimension 4100 Pentium 4 using Windows XP.