CompuServe Messages

I thought I was about to purchase Sony 535 CDROM for $380 and was waiting for one to arrive at a dealer. All I knew at the time was it was a Sony CDROM with an access speed of 325ms, it interfaced with a SoundBlaster Pro, it used a disk caddy and it was $379. Well the unit came in was a Sony CDU31A-02 with no manual, no installation instructions and it doesn't use a disk caddy. I was told it was better in one way because it has a 64k cache vs a 8k cache on the 535 but its access speed was 480ms. I deferred wanting to wait for the originally advertised unit. In looking at a magazine I find that the CDU31A-02 is 550ms and is considered a entry level unit… marginally ok. Originally, I thought $380 for a 325ms CDROM that interfaced with my SBPRO was reasonable, even though at best it would be a case of hardware in search of a solution. Now I'm not so sure any of this is worth it. Can anyone tell me if a Sony 535 for $380 is hard to find… better yet is this unit worth getting if all that is desired is to start with something that isn't the worse, isn't the best and is around $400 or less? Any guidance is appreciated. chuck