Verbatim 43888 and 43889

[MartyMcNuts]

Yes, that could be the case that the BP55EB40 is older. I know the place that has them in stock is not a computer place, they sell a lot of other things so the small amount of electronics they have they keep for a long time. If it only has that older mini USB3 connector I guess the Verbatim is a better option because of USB-C connector.

The only reason for trying to get a Verbatim 43888 with a Pioneer is that I prefer that brand, on the other hand I might try and hold out for another XD08 drive. I have tested the XD08 I have today with CD, DVD and I also manage to burn a Traxdata BD-RW 2x disc without any issue. I don't remember but I bought them on sale a long time ago, I think 2010 or something like that but never had any use for them. Printed on the cover that they are made by ritek.

Hello Again Denis,

I was offered 200 of the old type Verbatim 43888 with the BDR-UD04 two weeks ago, and I refused because of the issues we have experienced with this drive and also the issues customers have had on the DB poweramp forum. Out of every hundred drives, we had 10% that went faulty within 30 days of purchase, which is poor. On the other hand,d the Pioneer retail drives never really go faulty, unless Pioneer send you a box of BDR-XD08EMB-S faulty lol.

Asmcom

Do you know when they were manufactured?
My Verbatim 43888 drive with Pioneer BDR-UD04 from June 2024 works perfectly. Maybe you got a defective batch. BTW, these Pioneers don't read C2 errors, maybe that's why people complain about them on the DB poweramp forum? I have no problems ripping CD-Audio to flac in Exact Audio Copy.

Yeah, I believe it was a bad batch of Verbatim enclosures. Nothing wrong with the BDR-UD04 drive itself at all.

[DennisOlof]

@boguslecina does it have that late production date 2024, sounds fishy to me. The units I have seen are 2015-2020 of both UD03 and UD04.

My XD08 is from July 2023

Or did they do a specific production run for the Verbatim units only, perhaps that is why the date is later. Is there a FW version on the sticker, I have seen v1.20 on the UD04 and most UD03 seem to have v1.14 FW on the sticker.

Do the UD03 and UD04 have AACS2 chip ?

[boguslecina]

BDR-UD04 has an AACS 2.0 chip, Pioneer BDR-UD03 hasn't.
1.20 FW I see in BDR-UD04D, in BDR-UD04 I have 1.14. What are the differences between them? I don't know.

[asmcom]

Yes, that could be the case that the BP55EB40 is older. I know the place that has them in stock is not a computer place, they sell a lot of other things so the small amount of electronics they have they keep for a long time. If it only has that older mini USB3 connector I guess the Verbatim is a better option because of USB-C connector.

The only reason for trying to get a Verbatim 43888 with a Pioneer is that I prefer that brand, on the other hand I might try and hold out for another XD08 drive. I have tested the XD08 I have today with CD, DVD and I also manage to burn a Traxdata BD-RW 2x disc without any issue. I don't remember but I bought them on sale a long time ago, I think 2010 or something like that but never had any use for them. Printed on the cover that they are made by ritek.

Hello Again Denis,

I was offered 200 of the old type Verbatim 43888 with the BDR-UD04 two weeks ago, and I refused because of the issues we have experienced with this drive and also the issues customers have had on the DB poweramp forum. Out of every hundred drives, we had 10% that went faulty within 30 days of purchase, which is poor. On the other hand,d the Pioneer retail drives never really go faulty, unless Pioneer send you a box of BDR-XD08EMB-S faulty lol.

Asmcom

Do you know when they were manufactured?
My Verbatim 43888 drive with Pioneer BDR-UD04 from June 2024 works perfectly. Maybe you got a defective batch. BTW, these Pioneers don't read C2 errors, maybe that's why people complain about them on the DB poweramp forum? I have no problems ripping CD-Audio to flac in Exact Audio Copy.

Over all, we have had so many issues with these drives that we would not touch another batch. They really are hit & miss.

[asmcom]

Aha.

Any guess to how old a Verbatim 43888 with a UD04 drive would be at least to contain that drive. When did they start switching over to LG drives.

I will assume the only way to get one is if someone is selling a drive second hand (used) one. If I remember there was or is someone on the forums that has one but it was not fun to buy stuff overseas. I did get my XD08 drive and shipping was not that bad, DHL was resonabla fast. The real pain was the tax, that alone set me back 70 GBP, if you ship something outside a business the value is much higher before you have to pay tax on it. But then most people don't ship overseas

From what I heard the Verbatim with Pioneer is a better drive but perhaps the LG is not that bad unless you want to rip UHD. If you are only reading or burning regular BluRay discs both brands should be similar in performance and quality. Even though the Pioneer over all it better, at least that is what people here in the forums say.

We were offered 200 units of the older Verbatim 43888 drives with a Pioneer BDR-UD04 inside, supplied with no warranty due to Pioneer ceasing trading. We declined the offer, and have since been told the entire batch has now been scrapped.

These drives were simply not worth the risk or hassle compared to the superior Pioneer retail models. From every 100 drives tested, around 10 were faulty, despite being thoroughly checked using the official Pioneer diagnostic engineering tools to test all laser assemblies.

It’s genuinely unfortunate that Pioneer ceased trading, as their products were consistently superior to competitors’ offerings. Even their Kuro TVs were exceptional.

Asmcom

[boguslecina]

Hello Again Denis,

I was offered 200 of the old type Verbatim 43888 with the BDR-UD04 two weeks ago, and I refused because of the issues we have experienced with this drive and also the issues customers have had on the DB poweramp forum. Out of every hundred drives, we had 10% that went faulty within 30 days of purchase, which is poor. On the other hand,d the Pioneer retail drives never really go faulty, unless Pioneer send you a box of BDR-XD08EMB-S faulty lol.

Asmcom

Do you know when they were manufactured?
My Verbatim 43888 drive with Pioneer BDR-UD04 from June 2024 works perfectly. Maybe you got a defective batch. BTW, these Pioneers don't read C2 errors, maybe that's why people complain about them on the DB poweramp forum? I have no problems ripping CD-Audio to flac in Exact Audio Copy.

Over all, we have had so many issues with these drives that we would not touch another batch. They really are hit & miss.

I recently bought a Verbatim 43890 with a Pioneer BDR-UD03, supposedly “new after return,” at a bargain price. Unfortunately, the tray and USB port are very loose and look worn out. Maybe it's just a matter of the particular unit, but it's possible that there really is something wrong with the quality of Pioneer products made for Verbatim. Of course I return it.

[zittrig]

The only issue I'd with the Verbatim drives is the problem with the power hunger in combination with "only" USB-C-to-A cable with the 43888 / 43889. Solution: USB-C-Connector on the MB or active hub 30+ and/or change the USB power saving settings ..... hmpf .... (And the courioucity that the 43890 has a (Micro-B) Y-power-cable in combination with a power supply .....)

I use generally with a 43888 / 43889 an USB-C-to-A Y-power-cable and all is fine. Ok, costs a few Euro more but it's worth it.

Defective enclosures or connectors I had not so far but I havn't so much Verbatims in my hands like pros or the sellers here.