Kenwood 52X TrueX CD-ROM

The CD-ROM has become somewhat of a commodity in this era of multimedia computing. Drives continue to get faster and faster, and it's become increasingly difficult for manufacturers to differentiate their products in the marketplace.

Today, we see CD-ROMS selling for as little as $10 after mail-in rebate, CD-ROMs at 40x, 50x, drives with "true speed" and "max speed," and even thoughtful computing acronyms such as CLV and CAV. Quite frankly, there was little new technology for advancing the CD-ROM, and with DVD-ROM dropping drastically in price, the compact disc appeared to be a dying breed.

Enter Kenwood and Zen Research. Touting an innovative new approach to reading CDs, Kenwood's new 52x "TrueX" CD-ROM is making some very bold claims - "fastest CD-ROM drive on earth" standing out in our minds. What's so new about this technology, and does it live up to its own hype?