Plextor has a well earned reputation for their drives capability at DAE and audio writing. Their DVD writing is reliable and consistent. I have a 708 that's worked perfectly for me.
I added a LiteOn drive that I RMA'ed immediately, they sent me a brand new one that's now used as a doorstop.
I replaced the LiteOn with the NEC 3520 that got off to a rocky start, but seems to be OK with new firmware. I found that both the LiteOn and the NEC were both REALLY particular about the brand of media used.
I have a Pioneer 108 that I use at work, and it's been extremely reliable for data burns. Doesn't care what kind of media it sees, and burns DVD video very well. Haven't done any audio work with it.
http://www.cdfreaks.com forums are a really good place to research this.
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