What are the best CD/DVD-ROM drives for disc imaging?

Question

Test questions, but one that came up on Twitter, thus reminding me to revisit this project and test the platform.

Answer 1

Alex Duryee (@archivetype) says "Real (pre-2006 or so) Plextors tend to be very well regarded"

Comments

To this question, originally asked by Euan Cochrane on der twitters.

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I acquired two of these drives for disk imaging (it was my question on twitter I believe) and they are performing well. Specifically I acquired Plextor PX-W4284TU external USB connected drives. The same drives can be found in internally-mountable form.
Unfortunately they do not make these any more and I had to acquire new-old stock. I would be interested in recommendations for new drives that perform as well.

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From the 2014 AccurateRip Drive Accuracy List[1]: "Probably all these drives are no longer manufactured, ebay is your best bet in finding one of these drives."

There's no real demand for high-performing CD drives anymore, so no manufacturer makes them.  This problem will exacerbate over time, as optical media becomes less and less commonly used.

[1] http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?34019-CD-DVD-Drive-Accuracy-List-2014

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That is really helpful thanks Alex