Designed for uncompromising individuals willing to pay a few extra dollars for state-of-the-art performance, Yamaha's amazing new CRW-F1 CD-R/RW drive is quite simply one of the slickest internal CD burners currently on the market. Apart from its striking blue/pink LED that changes color and blinks or glows steadily depending on the unit's operational mode, the CRW-F1 looks no different from any other internal CD drive. Inside, however, Yamaha's top-of-the-line burner packs a serious punch. Rated at 44x write, 24x rewrite, and 44x read, it posts sizzling numbers across the board, and especially during CD rewrites, where it outperforms virtually all its peers.
Yet the CRW-F1 is no mere speed demon. The unit features a variety of convenient amenities, including the latest edition of Yamaha's buffer underrun prevention utility, SafeBurn. We tested the system long and hard and not once created a useless CD "coaster." Of greater interest to those who regularly access and modify their data CD-RWs is the enclosed version of Ahead Software's packet-writing tool, InCD, which now includes full Mt. Rainier support. By accessing InCD, you can format your CD-RWs and thereafter treat them as you would a regular diskette or hard drive--transferring, deleting, copying, and reading files and directories quickly and easily through Windows Explorer or any other file browser.
Two of the CRW-F1's most intriguing perks are geared strictly to the audio enthusiast. The first and arguably most innovative is Yamaha's new DiscT@2 system, which allows users to burn laser images directly on the surface of their CDs. A futuristic alternative to traditional labeling, DiscT@2 delivers crisp, impressively professional images that unfortunately tend to be quite faint and may be etched only on the unused portion of the disc. The second, Yamaha's Advanced Audio Master Quality Recording (AMQR) system, burns larger "pits" and "lands" into the disc surface, theoretically resulting in a better-sounding, more durable CD. In our listening tests, we noticed slightly superior dynamics in the AMQR-recorded CD, but only by the slimmest of margins. In any case, we appreciate any technology that will extend the life of our discs. --Gordon Goble
Pros:
- Etches custom-designed laser images directly to CD surface
- AMQR recording mode offers theoretically superior audio CDs
- Includes the latest version of Nero InCD
- Integrated Mt. Rainier support offers diskette-like CD-RW operation
Cons: - More expensive than most internal CD burners
- DiscT@2 images are quite faint
Note: This review is for the white version of this CD-RW drive.
