>is the yamaha drive the best drive out there? no, it's expensive because it supports disc t@2
i think this is a bit of oversimplification. the f1 goes about $150+ on the street. it's predecessor (which did not have t@2), the cdw3200 when it first came out, was about the same price $135-140. so the current generation yamahas typically will cost around $140-$160. then gradually they'll come down in price but $120 is probably the bottom. that's just the way yamaha prices them.
also, let's not overlook the amqr feature. i bought the yamaha (cdw3200) primarily because i will be using it exclusively for audio mastering.
i don't have any interest in the t@2 although i can see it as a nice attention getter if you distribute your own discs commmercially.
let's face it, the yamaha will never compete against the lite-on based on price alone. in fact, i recommend the lite-on to all the posters here and to my friends and co-workers. for data cd's and general mp3 burning, it can't be beat.
but if you're a serious audiophile, i think the yamaha is worth consideration even with its higher sticker price.
i should point out that i was walking thru a best buy today, and i saw a plextor 40x ($150) priced about the same as the yamaha f1 ($160 not including a $20 rebate). if you want to talk about an overrated name, it would be plextor.
And it wasn't even over anything important, just silly crap like cars and CD writers. But, FWIW it was slightly entertaining.
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