My 596 ate another DVDROM drive recently (a modern SATA drive interfaced via an adaptor - didn't last long).

A few months ago I bought a DRL-200 from Germany for £11 (on eBay) in the (foolish) expectation of obtaining the firmware update that added support for it. Never did (sob). Once I'd got the 596 case open, I gave it a try anyway.

Despite the fact that it's not officially supported by my current firmware (v1.32) it works quite well. It doesn't recognise the disk when I load it, but if I turn off and on again it does. I've only watched one DVD and listened to 4 CDs so far, but those have been rock solid and very nice once it recognises the disk. Early days.

So, if you can get a new DRL-200 drive, maybe it's worth a few quid after all. But I know other posts have suggested otherwise.

Your mileage may vary! I may be heading for a cliff, but I'm enjoying the ride. I'll probably buy another if I see one for £10; PATA drives are getting hard to come by.

-Ed

SB Touch, 596, 551, Monitor Audio Silver 9is,
SB Touch, Arcam DV79, Arcam AVR350, A500s
Sennheiser HD595 cans