Sony DDU1621

The drive came in an OEM version. The drive is unusually small: its length is only 176 mm against standard 198-203 mm. Such dimensions solve a problem of housing a drive inside a system block. No secret that some cases like minitower have only two (out of four or six) 5" bays for drives of a normal length (203 mm), and others are partially covered with a mainboard. This drive excellently suits such "deprived" bays. The front panel has a rubber pad to reduce noise during operation and provide dustproofing. There is only one button on the front panel - Load/Eject.

Test results

Quality of operation with CDs

CDWinBench 99

Nero CD-Speed

The following information on the drive is obtained with the Drive check utility:

The drive supports a wide range of speeds and all functions necessary for accurate capture of audio tracks.

	SONY DDU1621
Average Speed	28.50x
Start Speed	16.53x
End Speed	37.79x
Random Seek	92 ms
1/3 Seek	111 ms
Full Seek	146 ms
Reading type	CAV
CPU usage 1x	1%
Accurate stream	Yes
DAE quality Score	10
SpinUp Time	3.48 sec
SpinDown Time	4.33 sec
Disc Recognition Time	5.86 sec

CD-ROM Drive Analyzer

Advanced DAE Quality(Nero CD-Speed)

Offset	2256 bytes (564 samples)
Sequential Read Test	Average Speed: 21.79 X Data Errors: 0 Sync Errors: 0
Harmonica Read Test	Average Access Time: 121 ms Data Errors: 0 Sync Errors: 0 Total Data Errors: 0 Total Sync Errors: 0 Quality Score: 100.0
On The Fly Copying Simulation	Copying at 1 X OK Copying at 2 X OK Copying at 4 X OK Copying at 6 X OK Copying at 8 X OK Copying at 10 X OK Copying at 12 X OK Copying at 16 X OK
CD Text	Drive is capable of reading CD Text information
Subchannel Data	Test 1 Track (01): 01 Relative position (01:05.00): 01:05.40 -> incorrect! Absolute position (01:07.00): 01:07.40 -> incorrect! Index (5): 5 Test 2 Track (17): 23 incorrect! Relative position (01:33.00): 01:51.40 -> incorrect! Absolute position (33:35.00): 51:53.40 -> incorrect! Index (1): 1 Test 3 Track (36): 53 incorrect! Relative position (00:00.00): 02:30.40 -> incorrect! Absolute position (70:02.00): 112:02.40 -> incorrect! Index (1): 1
Leadin	Drive cannot read data from the Leadin
Leadout	Drive cannot read data from the Leadout

Soundtrack extraction from audio CDs (CDDAE 99)

	Licensed CD	Pirated CD
Average extraction speed	19.4X	18.6X
Total errors	0.00%	0.00%

Direct copying of data from a 780 MBytes CD-R onto a hard disc.

The drive read the 780 MBytes disc quite good, though there was an error during reading the last files, but when we pressed "Continue" the reading was resumed. The time of full copying is 6 min. 55 sec.

Quality of operation with DVD discs

Nero DVD Speed

	SONY DDU1621
Average Speed	7.93x
Start Speed	4.33x
End Speed	5.57x
Random Seek	109 ms
1/3 Seek	118 ms
Full Seek	177 ms
Reading type	CAV
CPU usage 1x	11%
SpinUp Time	2.61 sec
SpinDown Time	3.14 sec
Layer Change Time	235 ms
Disc Recognition Time	9.60 sec

DVD-Video playback with the Cyberlink PowerDVD 2.55

The DVD-Video was played without any problems; no artifacts were noticed. During changing the layer the DVD quality didn't get worse.

Noise characteristics

At the maximum speed the noise level was acceptable. The most noisy was operation of starting the engine. But no whistle could be heard (obviously due to the rubber pad). The reduction is possible only by means of exterior programs (CDBremse, Nero DriveSpeed). The programs allow settings any specified speed. I think it is the quietest drive I've ever seen.

Vibration

When the drive worked with badly balanced CDs it didn't shine. The vibration was quite noticeable. The drive also vibrated when it read normal CDs. However, it didn't prevent from successful reading of the disc at a high speed.

Thermal conditions

There are no any complains about its thermal conditions. The data were read after an intensive 2-hour operation:

T inside the case - 35°C
T of the upper surface - 37°C
T of the lower surface - 39°C

According to www.firmware.fr.st, the drive can become a multizone one by changing its firmware version.