Sony DW-U14A

This is an OEM version of the DRU-510A drive. The tray is absolutely bare, while the class-denoting symbols and the eject button and the LED are placed below it. The back side of the case carries power and interface connectors, analog and digital audio outputs, and a jumper set for setting the drive’s status on the IDE channel.

This multi-format drive has the following maximum speeds: 12x DVD and 32x CD read (the manufacturer makes a stipulation that DVD-Video discs are read at 2x speed only), 24x CD-R and 16x CD-RW write. DVD±R and DVD+RW media are written at 4x, and DVD-RW discs are burned at 2x. The amount of cache memory is 8MB; the access time is 200 and 160msec for DVDs and CDs, respectively.

The OEM version of the Sony DW-U14A comes without accessories. Its average retail price is $105.

Sony DW-U18A

This drives sells under the Sony brand, but is actually a SOHW 812S model from LITE-ON. The look of the face panel doesn’t practically differ from the previous model – it only contains an eject button and a LED. Judging from the snapshot on LITE-ON’s Web-site, the Sony DW-U18A differs from its original in the lack of a headphones socket and volume control on the front panel. The case is rather short, so you can use this drive in “cramped” system cases. At the butt-end you see power and interface connectors, analog and digital audio outputs and a jumper for defining the drive’s status on the IDE cable.

This multi-format drive allows reading DVDs at 12x and CDs at 40x. It can burn DVD±R at 8x and DVD±RW at 4x. CD-R and CD-RW discs can be written at 40x and 24x, respectively. The access time is 160msec for both CDs and DVDs. The buffer is 2MB big.

The Sony DW-U18A features a bunch of exclusive technologies for better operation. SMART BURN (Smart Monitoring & Adapting Recording Technology for Burning) helps avoid buffer underrun errors, selects the burn strategy and performs Optimum Power Calibration for the best burn quality. SMART-X technology (Smart Monitoring & Adjusting Read-speed Technology for eXtraction) allows selecting the maximum acceptable speed of reading CD-DA/VCD/DVD discs depending on the quality of the media (to minimize read errors). The Vibration Absorber System innovation lessens the vibration and noise from the device.

The OEM version of the drive comes without accessories at $110.