Kenwood’s 72X Zen CD-ROM Rocket
72X? That number appears very high, but just over 3 years ago, I recall envying the 8X units available. The "full motion, full screen, 30 FPS" claims caught my attention as well. Kenwood initiated their Zen technology or at least the "TrueX" nomenclature when the 40x40 CD-ROM hit the shelves in the not too distant past. That drive was supposed to have an even 40X (6MB/s) transfer rate across the band, no ifs ands or buts. The yellow and white retail 72X box, provided by our friends at Advanced Design Of Kentucky, has TrueX but no mention of the older 72x72 type terminology. Does Kenwood have anything to hide from us wary consumers? Do you even need anything close to "72X" performance in a CD-ROM drive? For those answers, including mondo graphs, keep reading.
Specifications
The
fastest CD-ROM drive on earth just got faster!
Kenwood's third generation of award-winning TrueX CD-ROM drives, the 72X
TrueX CD-ROM Drive, has shattered speed barriers once again, creating the fastest
CD-ROM drive on earth. By blending innovation and technology; Kenwood has created
the 72X TrueX CD-ROM Drive offering even higher transfer rates at significantly
low rotation speeds; thus a FASTER, QUIETER, MORE RELIABLE CD-ROM drive! With
transfer rates ranging from 6,750 to 10,800 KB across the entire disc, the Kenwood
72X TrueX CD-ROM Drive is more than 80% faster than the average 50X Max CD-ROM
drive available today. The Kenwood 72X TrueX CD-ROM Drives have a rotational
speed of 5,100 to 2,700 RPM, which is half the rotational speed of the average
50X Max CD-ROM drive.
Equivalent to a 100X Max drive-- if one existed! *
The Kenwood 72X TrueX™ CD-ROM is made with Zen's TrueX technology
and Kenwood's patented 7-Beam pickup, which illuminate multiple tracks simultaneously,
read them in parallel, and process the data through a custom ASIC. By reading
multiple tracks at once, the 72X TrueX CD-ROM drive actually spins the disc
slower than conventional single-beam drives, resulting in extremely precise
readability and very quiet operation.
The Kenwood 72X TrueX CD-ROM drive is faster, quieter, and more reliable than
the average 50X Max drive. The 72X TrueX CD-ROM drive provides high performance
data throughput across the entire disc making it ideal for graphic-intensive
applications such as 3D games, multimedia, and other reference content.
Once again your CD-based applications and data get the highest performance possible
from the beginning of the disc to the end. Innovative technology powered by
Zen, available only from Kenwood.
FASTER: 
High transfer rate delivers 6.75MB to 10.8MB/sec. across the entire disc
QUIETER:
Lower rotation speeds minimize noise and vibration
MORE RELIABLE:
Lower rotation speeds enhance precise disc readability
*Based on the estimated average transfer rate since a 100X Max drive is not
available.
