#Mitsumi v Phillips
3 messages in this thread
Actually, the 3401 uses a caddy. That's fine by me because I found a cheap
source of caddies ($4.50) and I like the convenience so just slapping the thing
in there. Per the stats on the 3401b, 200ms access, 330k transfer, SCSI 2 port,
multisession and XA compatible, audio features 4x oversampling, self cleaning
lens and dustproof enclosure. Oh yeah, it's built like a tank.
The mail order guys who offer good deals on it that I know of are: Megamedia
reachable at 1-800-634-2633. They offer the 3401b with a trantor T-130b
controller, caddy, cables and "San Diego Zoo – The Animals" for $479. They also
have a deal with the 3401b, a PAS16 sound card and a couple of titles okay
titles but nothing SPECTACULAR) for $599. Both prices are good, as much as $100
less than other mail order houses. They offer a 30-day money back guarantee
(with no restocking fee if the memory serves). I like that in a mail order
house. They also sell the Texel drive, though I don't know what the price is.
The other place for a good 3401b price is MPS Multimedia in San Francisco.
Their phone is 1-800-533-4677. They say they'll meet anyone's advertised price.
I like these guys and bought my drive from them. They met the Megamedia price
on the 3401b when I told them about the ad in CD-ROM Today, even though they
hadn't seen the ad. I don't know about their restocking fee and return policy.
I do know that when I had to send back a drive that wasn't quite what I wanted
they exchanged it without a blink. Ask for a guy named Jeff, he's the most
knowledgeable on the staff.
Also, and I don't know it they'll meet these prices, there's a little outfit
called Softec Plus (1-800-779-1991) that carries the 3401b and also claims
they'll beat anyone's price. I include them because they're a local company
(local here being Tucson, AZ) and I've done business with them. A smallish
outfit, they've been in the business for 4 years. Sweet folks really. All other
things being equal (and I'm sure you'll ask about policies, et. al.) you might
consider them. At the bare minimum, get them to send you their catalog of
CD-ROM titles because their prices for a single title are as good as some
companies bundle prices.
Sorry for the length of this, but I wanted to give you as much detail as I
could. If you need anything else, ask. And Happy Hunting!
BBob
Robert
Thanks for the mail order info! I have yet to contact the vendors you
mentioned, been procrastinating actually. I still will be looking at the texel
drive, but if I can get the 3401 for say only $50 more then I'll probably go
for it.
I will keep you posted on the prices I'm given. Guess I have a problem with
paying more for the better performance when we're still talking .2 sec access
(oops 200 ms <g>) and only 300k/sec. Well its better than 150k/sec, anyway!
What I know for sure is that I'm looking for xa/multisess photo-cd capability,
sub .4 sec access and at least 150k/sec. And it appears I can hardly do better
than the toshiba.
Thanks again! -Roger
PS did you see Rich's cddriv.txt? Great info but 19.5 inches wide? Oh geez…
Roger, Glad to be of service. Per the Texel vs. Toshiba question, I agree the
difference in performance is less than 10 percent at the speeds these guys are
operating at. And since we're talking about milliseconds here the 10 percent
ain't much.
I haven't used the Texel so I can't really speak about it. I can say the
Toshiba's workmanship is superb. It's built like a tank. In fact it has a more
solid feel than most peripherals I have.
Whichever drive you end up gettinmake sure you don't get taken on the caddies.
The best price I've seen are for caddies from the Tucson outfit I mentioned to
you, Softec Plus. Good luck and let me know what you end up with, Bob