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what's the cons of ltr-52327s

PostPosted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 9:25 pm
by fl0
hi guys,

i just lost my liteon ltr-40125W 40x12x48 CDRW nearly 1 hour ago (after some mechanical high pitch noises came from the writer watching a divx movie, it never again read anything - just flashed it's led a few time trying to load a cd but cannot read ) before this post and now considering buying a new ltr-52327s :)

but although i heard the good things about this driver, what are the negative sides of choosing this product (ltr-52327s) - i heard that newer versions have no flash mems to store calibration data & risky to flash these models ?

also as an alternative, @ the mainpage of cdrlabs i see the hardwarezone.com's latest review of MSI CR52 which they gave this writer 5/5.

i couldn't see this new MSI's review in cdrlabs.com's list so if you have any ideas regarding MSI CR52 i also appreciate a lot :)

thanx 4 all your answerz :D

PostPosted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 9:48 pm
by BurninMan921
Good drive, so long as you have the right firmware in it. Skip the latest firmware and use QS0B!!

This is the first Lite-On writer (CD or DVD) that I've owned that actually has good write quality & hasn't died quickly.

It is a bit loud, however! And that's being kind!

PostPosted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 9:55 pm
by fl0
BurninMan921 wrote:Good drive, so long as you have the right firmware in it. Skip the latest firmware and use QS0B!!

This is the first Lite-On writer (CD or DVD) that I've owned that actually has good write quality & hasn't died quickly.

It is a bit loud, however! And that's being kind!


so you tell me not to flash to "R52QS0C.zip Windows 328 KB 2003/11/25 Enhances readability of Sub-Channel data" ?

can i ask why ? what's the catch of this version ?

what's the cons of ltr-52327s

PostPosted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 10:24 pm
by Zeke
The only problem I've had with mine is with ripping scratched audio CDs.
It seems to be more prone to errors than my old Sony CR-195.
It has somewhat of a flimsy tray but if you don't use it as a cupholder
then there shouldn't be any problems with it.

PostPosted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 10:30 pm
by BurninMan921
Write quality with the QS0C firmware is HORRIBLE! It does fix the sub-channel read problem at a few people have had w/CD Speed.

However, QS0B has MUCH, MUCH better write quality. I couldn't get a usable disc out of QS0C, and was ready to return the drive. CDRecoder suggested using QS0B instead, so I tried it. Works great! I hate to say this, since I really don't like Lite-On's, but this is one of the best burners I've ever had.

A second opinion:
integspec wrote:I always tried to stay out of giving my opinion on 7S because it's a FREAKIN SNAFU of a drive. I got it replaced but the second drive is behaving the same. This thread has started in a very auspicious time for me because I just cleared my last remining doubt about this drive; Fixed it on a friend's pc today but the behaviour didn't change a bit.

My both 7S' had been very unpredictable and have written coasters at free will. They never liked my RWs - 411 as the slave doesn't complain but 7S as the master in the same channel either fails or writes them at 4x and fails.

This opinion derived from my own experience (so, if you don't like it, ignore but don't flame me). My all time favourite drives are LG and Liteon but unfortunately 7S is a miserable drive which I feel nothing but reputation spoiler for Liteon.

Edit - Typos

Re: what's the cons of ltr-52327s

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 12:31 am
by tlotz
fl0 wrote:hi guys,

i just lost my liteon ltr-40125W 40x12x48 CDRW nearly 1 hour ago (after some mechanical high pitch noises came from the writer watching a divx movie, it never again read anything - just flashed it's led a few time trying to load a cd but cannot read ) before this post and now considering buying a new ltr-52327s :)

but although i heard the good things about this driver, what are the negative sides of choosing this product (ltr-52327s) - i heard that newer versions have no flash mems to store calibration data & risky to flash these models ?

also as an alternative, @ the mainpage of cdrlabs i see the hardwarezone.com's latest review of MSI CR52 which they gave this writer 5/5.

i couldn't see this new MSI's review in cdrlabs.com's list so if you have any ideas regarding MSI CR52 i also appreciate a lot :)

thanx 4 all your answerz :D

I got a new beige retail Liteon LTR-52327S for Christmas (purchased from newegg.com). The drive was made in October 2003 and came with the QSOB firmware. Since I researched which firmware was best for this drive, I knew that the QSOB firmware was the best and therefore I didn't upgrade the firmware. So far, I am quite impressed with this drive. I can burn TY made Maxell CD-R Pro 40X certified made @52X with incredibly low C1 error rates (for a 78:31 disc, a Max of 6 C1 errors and an average of 0.169). Also, my testing with this media indicates that the drive burns *this media* @52X with better write quality than burning the same media @40X or @48X! This drive is no louder than my TDK 5200B drive (rebadged Liteon LTR-52246S) --or at least, I can't tell the difference. The drive's fast 24X P-CAV rewriting is cool too. So, bottom line, the Liteon LTR-52327S is a great drive. Try to get one that is made in October 2003 (this isn't necessary, but great if possible)--there is a signficant chance that if you get one made in this month, it will come with the QSOB firmware and you won't have to find the QSOB firmware on the Internet.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 1:05 am
by BurninMan921
I *think* I still have the QS0B firmware lying around if you need. I'll have to check, though. If not I know where to get it :)

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 2:07 am
by tlotz
I managed to find (*not* easy) and download the R52QS0B.zip file before I installed my new Liteon LTR-52327S and I realized that I didn't need to update the firmware. If anybody needs it, I can send it via email.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 2:17 am
by rdgrimes
there's nothing in particulr wrong with QS0C, it's certainly not "horrible". Minor differences in error rates on various media.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 5:09 am
by dodecahedron
rdgrimes wrote:there's nothing in particulr wrong with QS0C, it's certainly not "horrible". Minor differences in error rates on various media.

isn't QS0B generally (with most media?) better i.e. lower error rates?

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 5:35 am
by fl0
thnx folks for your comments, they are very helpful.

i think i'll go with lite-on since i was happy with old one (ltr-40125w was served me well for nearly 2 years) & there's no big cons for the new one.

btw thanx 4 the advice about not to flash to the new firmware, i stick with what writer comes with.

after today i got the new one, i hope i'll post my own experiences as a feedback :)

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 6:57 am
by dodecahedron
fl0 wrote:btw thanx 4 the advice about not to flash to the new firmware, i stick with what writer comes with.

only if it comes with QS0B.
if it comes with an older firmware than QS0B, you definitely should flash it (to QS0B).

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 7:13 am
by RJW
the only con I found so far compared to my old Lite On 48246S is the quite worse reproduction in K-probe. This 52327S will sometimes give a high spike of C1 errors somewhere on a disc which isn't there the next time you meassure the same disc. I never encountered this behaviour with my old Lite On 48246S untill it got screwed.Then it would not be reliable at all. However ussing 3 measurements you most times can determine if something is just a glitch or a real error.
The pro. Contstruction doesn't feel as cheap as the 48246S which allways have given me some second thoughts from the start. Still it's nothing compared to my good old Plextor 24/10/40A.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 9:57 am
by fl0
i just got & installed my brand new 52327s and thanx to my friend in computer shop i bought an October manufactured writer.

it came with QS0B so there is not any problem about that.

my first impressions are:

- Tray is really crap ! while it's opening, it's vibrating towards both sides and the plastic is not good as my old 40125w but opening & closing faster

- Reading sound is slightly less than 40125w but not so different

- I wrote a DivX Movie to test with a local branded media which is a rebranded Princo if you know @ 24x and got avg C1: 0.4 (nero cd-speed virtually give the same result) - smartburn says max 40x for this media btw

i'll extend the tests later.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 3:11 pm
by CDRecorder
RJW wrote:This 52327S will sometimes give a high spike of C1 errors somewhere on a disc which isn't there the next time you meassure the same disc.


That's interesting; my old 48125W does that, but neither of my 52327Ss have that problem. It was a documented bug in the 48125W, though.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 5:57 pm
by vinnie97
I never encountered this behaviour with my old Lite On 48246S untill it got screwed.

:o What happened? Mine simply stopped reading discs after a year of light use and attempting to read/burn to a semi-scratchy old cd-rw.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 6:53 pm
by rdgrimes
dodecahedron wrote:
rdgrimes wrote:there's nothing in particulr wrong with QS0C, it's certainly not "horrible". Minor differences in error rates on various media.

isn't QS0B generally (with most media?) better i.e. lower error rates?

Reality check: Error rates are excellent in both firmware versions. Some types are lower, others are higher. US RW may be a bit higher too.

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 7:26 pm
by RJW
CDRecorder wrote:
RJW wrote:This 52327S will sometimes give a high spike of C1 errors somewhere on a disc which isn't there the next time you meassure the same disc.


That's interesting; my old 48125W does that, but neither of my 52327Ss have that problem. It was a documented bug in the 48125W, though.

The reading glitch is sometimes there. I have seen it befor on my friends drive. It can happen that we don't see it for months. But sometimes it just occurs. It seems it reads less stable as the old 48126S. However it is not like the old models were it allways was a spike at the same place.
There is just sometimes a spike and it can happen anywhere.
Now if a measuremant has a suspicious spike I would just read it 2 extra times which most times solves the problems.

The old 48246S first started screweing arround with the burn quality. Since it was Mitsubishi AZO media. First idea was oh it's probally a badge with a small difference in dye which isn't good support by Lite On (This problem has been seen before). However when I tried switching to TY it resulted in the drive not even being able to burn a disc. Well since I also had some AOD(plasmon technology),Ritek and Fuji media arround I tried some difference. The Fuji's it would sometimes start burning but the burn failed closseing and was kind a slow when it came to burning the lead in. (It took most time 3 minutes befor it even started burning it) The others it wouldn't even burn.
So the only disc it would really burn was the old Mitsubihi Metal AZO disc's but there quality was horrible. My plextor 24/10/40A could read the disc's back but a lot of other drives failed. Also very high C1 errors on this media and C2 errors.
Still no real problem for me if it still was reliable for meassureing media. Since that was the main reason I bought it.
However it was reporting crap for anything that wasn't burned on aPlextor 24/10/40A or 16/10/40A which is really strange. Measurements with some other Lite On models (which now also have stopped working !)and a Plextor Premium showed that my
48246S wasn't reporting any more reliable. So I brought it back
So now the question that still is going through my head. How the Hell is it possible that the disc's burned on these 2 plextor drives didn't show the weird behaviour I did see with other media. Can anybody explain this ?
I allready know that there excellent drives when it comes to burn quality still it doesn't make sens that for these disc's only the error levels slightly increased and the rase could still put back on a statistical error while on other media it would go nuts. Anyone a idea about that one ?

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 7:30 pm
by Alejandra
CDRecorder wrote:
RJW wrote:This 52327S will sometimes give a high spike of C1 errors somewhere on a disc which isn't there the next time you meassure the same disc.


That's interesting; my old 48125W does that, but neither of my 52327Ss have that problem. It was a documented bug in the 48125W, though.


I though that error was from CDSpeed. :o

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 7:41 pm
by CDRecorder
Alejandra wrote:I though that error was from CDSpeed. :o


It happens in KProbe, too. :(

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 10:00 pm
by UALOneKPlus
Is K-Probe far better than CDSpeed?

I've been lucky with my 7 - it works great. I've been lucky in general with my Lite-on's.

Even my 12x10x32 Lite-On from 3 years ago still burns well, and reads okay (a hic up every once in a while).

PostPosted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 10:04 pm
by rdgrimes
UALOneKPlus wrote:Is K-Probe far better than CDSpeed?.


Apples and oranges.

Too good to be true?

PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2004 6:47 am
by edwardc84
I just recently ordered the LTR-52327 from newegg , and everything was fine I even got the burner the next day. I crappy samsung one broke only after using it for a year... So I needed to get a new one. I searched around for three days, and then founf the lite on for 36.00 and free shipping!!! I saw it at best buy for 60.00. Anyhow the box clearly states you can mount it hor. or ver. Then I'm reading the user manual and in the caution section its states: (Do install ver. this cd drive is designed to be installed hor. ONLY) I mean it's not biggie not, but wouldn't you wanna get a cd burner from a company who knows that info their giving out? So should I return it? I dont really trust the company.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2004 7:05 am
by RJW
My box states only horizontal mounting on the side. Not vertical !
Hmm wonder if Lite On now also is screwing arround with packageing.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2004 12:37 pm
by CDRecorder
I used to have a Lite-On mounted vertically, and it worked fine that way.