CD-R writing quality

In CD writing tests below, we will use Nero CD-DVD Speed to write CDs at the maximum speed supported by BenQ DW1800.

We will then test their quality using a Sony CRX230EE CD-RW drive (a Sony-branded version of Lite-On SOHR-5239S). Quality scans will be conducted at the maximum scanning speed of 48x, our standard speed for Lite-On CD scanning. (Note that using different scanning drives and speeds may dramatically alter results obtained in quality tests.)

In CD quality tests, the testing drive reports two types of errors: C1 errors and C2 errors.

In practice, a pressed or recorded CD will always have some C1 errors, but they are easily corrected by the drive's error correcting decoder.

C2 errors are the next level of errors. While C2 errors can also be corrected by drive, they are not wanted in a good quality disc. A good disc should not contain any C2 errors, and have an average C1 error amount below 2.0 to be considered a best-quality disc, or at least below 10.0 to be considered a good-quality disc.

Beyond C2 errors, there are uncorrectable errors that make a disc unreadable.

In the tests below, we will explore CD-R writing speed and quality of BenQ DW1800 with media from several manufacturers.

Verbatim 52x CD-R

Verbatim 52x CD-R

Quality test

Excellent quality with this Verbatim media.

Memorex 52x CD-R

Memorex 52x CD-R
(Thanks to Memorex USA for providing this media)

Quality test

Excellent burn quality.

Memorex Cool Colors 48x CD-R

Memorex Cool Colors 48x CD-R
(Thanks to Memorex USA for providing this media)

Quality test

Excellent burn quality, again.

Memorex Black 48x CD-R

Memorex Black 48x CD-R
(Thanks to Memorex USA for providing this media)

Quality test

Yes, this CD is indeed black, on both sides. We don't know what chemical compound was used to make it look black to humans, but the black dye apparently provides laser beam reflectivity sufficient for reading. The point is, these CDs work well and manage to look cool at the same time.

Memorex 40x Music CD-R

Memorex 40x Music CD-R
(Thanks to Memorex USA for providing this media)

Quality test

Impressive burn quality.

Office Depot 52x CD-R

Office Depot 52x CD-R

Quality test

No C2 errors but elevated C1 error levels. A good burn that should have no problems.

Summary

BenQ DW1800 is a very fast CD-R writer. It created high quality CD-R discs with all media types we tested.

CD-RW writing quality

In the tests below, we will explore CD-RW writing speed and quality of BenQ DW1800 with media from several manufacturers.

Verbatim DataLifePlus 32x CD-RW

Verbatim DataLifePlus 32x CD-RW
(Thanks to Verbatim USA for providing this media)

Quality test

A remarkably good burn for CD-RW media.

Memorex 24x CD-RW

Memorex 24x CD-RW
(Thanks to Memorex USA for providing this media)

Partial quality test

Transfer rate test (Sony CRX-230EE)

Transfer rate test (Lite-On SHM-165P6S)

This is what we call a coaster. Our reading drive, Lite-On SHM-165P6S, appears to be quite resilient to the onslaught of C2 errors, failing only around the 30-minute mark, while the CD-RW drive also used in this test (a Sony CRX230EE) gives up at around 12 minutes.

To be fair, some drives can burn this media but with very high C1 error levels (4+ million) and C2 error totals in the hundreds, so the failure above appears to be due to shortcomings of both the drive and the media.

Memorex 12x CD-RW

Memorex 12x CD-RW
(Thanks to Memorex USA for providing this media)

Quality test

Transfer rate test

Rising C1 error rates at the end may be a concern but they do not affect the readability of the disc. A good quality burn otherwise.

Memorex 4x CD-RW

Memorex 4x CD-RW
(Thanks to Memorex USA for providing this media)

Quality test

An excellent quality burn.

Summary

BenQ DW1800 is a fast CD-RW writer, capable of excellent burns with the right media.

One of the CD-RW media we tested consistently failed to produce a readable disc, with similarly ugly results in three trials with two different discs. Because this media (Memorex 24x CD-RW) has performed acceptably in other drives, we have to conclude that BenQ DW1800 lacks a proper writing strategy for it.

CD and DVD reading performance

DVD+R and DVD+RW writing quality