Your review has got me interested in the DD-RW drive from sony and I wanted to know if my 52x cd drive will read these discs and do I need a special type of disc?

You do need a special type of disc, and your existing CD-ROM drive won't read them. If the idea catches on, it'll be a few months before CD-ROM drives capable of reading the new discs come to market. Obviously the DD-RW writers will read them OK.
Alex