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Back in 1997, long before MP3 was anything more than a concept, I was serving in the Air Force and frequently deployed overseas. Some guys on the squadron introduced me to a strange format for making music portable. MiniDisc. I soon got to learn that those tough little discs survived the rough-and-tumble of life in a kit-bag. We each bought portable players, and would ‘pool’ our discs together to make little music libraries, would trade discs with one another, and would copy CD’s for one another back home. No matter where we were in the world, AA batteries were easy to obtain, and just a handful of batteries would literally last weeks. It was a pocket-sized bit of luxury that we could carry with us, and I loved it. ......then, along came MP3 players and the ubiquitous ‘iPod’. Suddenly we could carry all of our music in a small space, and it seemed that the MiniDisc was dead. Within about 3 years everyone I knew had ditched the format and were literally giving away their discs and players, as were oil-rig workers, fishermen, and other locals who worked away from home for extended periods. I too, confined my MiniDisc collection to a box in the loft, and bought an iPod Classic. Fast-forward to 2005, and I deployed for a 4-month tour to Iraq. My iPod came with me, and I had the small luxury of my music collection to fall back on, OR SO I THOUGHT. By the second week I had the sickening ‘Sync Reset’ display (which of course was impossible without my PC) and in one fell swoop I lost my music. Other guys had problems with the portable power-generators cooking their wall-plug chargers, and soon quite a few of us had lost the use of our players, just when we would have appreciated them the most! Back home, and I was quickly falling out of love with my iPod. It seemed that whenever I updated my collection there would be issues with mixed/missing title-tracks and artwork. Any albums entitled ‘Greatest Hits’ would become an amalgamated mess, and whilst the battery-life seemed to get ever shorter, the demands for a ‘sync reset’ increased. The love was fading. I noticed something else, too. My listening habits were changing. My seemingly endless access to music made me a lazy listener, and I would frequently jump from album to album, track to track, and would often skip mid-way through a track. My days of listening to an album the way that the artist intended, had gone. This wasn’t music enjoyment. ....and so, by 2008 I was back to my MiniDisc, and what I revival it was! Equipment that had previously been prohibitively expensive was now dirt-cheap, and I was living the hobby like a millionaire! I soon had units for every occasion with Sony JA20ES and JA50ES decks for hifi use, numerous portable players, and a Pioneer MEH P9000 head-unit for the car. I could afford to be extravagant with discs, and my well used dozen or so swelled up to over 1,000. That was 10 years ago, and nothing much since then has changed. I still indulge in the childhood enjoyment of putting a ‘mixtape’ together in real-time, copying music from my CD’s and vinyl to Type-R SP to listen to in the car, or out walking the dog. Because space is at a premium my playlists are more carefully considered, and I listen to each track in full. My listening-habits are back to where they should be. In 20 years I can count on one hand the number of corrupted discs I’ve suffered, only ever having to re-copy one album. I keep discs and a spare player at work, in the summerhouse and in the car, and I have a physical, tangible connection with my music collection again. MiniDisc as a commercial format is dead, and I’m OK with that. It continues to live on in my household, and probably will do for years to come, maybe even for another decade or more. I continue to love the ‘forgotten format’, and those robust little discs give me everything I need.

For sure, Enzo Heavenly LOVE the Hi-MD format... so you have some king of Alibaba"s cavern for him, Fox Gabanna

Or that ;>)

Damned good ! Thank you Hmmm Music Lover.

Hello fellow Minidisc lovers, I have a MZ-NH3D for sale. I currently have two of these and I can't use them both at the same time so I figured I'd let one go to be apart of someone elses collection. The unit comes with a Short USB cable, Cradle, Remote and AC Adapter. Everything works great and it has minor wear on it due to it being 13yrs old. It's a phenomenal player and it is considered a "Downloaoder" So you can put songs onto it, but you can't upload to a PC. It's a rare item and it was only released in Japan only. I'd be willing to take some offers on the device so feel free to PM me with questions or answers! Here is an enclosed video of all the devices I currently have. Just a disclaimer: I cannot part ways with the EH1 as it has sentimental attachment to a late friend I went to Japan with. Tried selling it earlier and just couldn't do it. So don't inquire about it. The RH1 is off limits too. MZ-N707 (Both of these devices are recently new. I have original packaging and the included car kit to go with them) MZ-NH1: This came from Holland, Netherlands! It is a EU spec so if you want this model you will need a power converter MZ-N10 Recently new as well. Original box and battery works great! (My favorite NetMD) MZ-M10: Mac Compatable recently new as well with original box. (Not shown in video as it didn't make it to my mailbox in time)

Instead of searching for an AA case only on eBay, most of the time for less than the double price you can find a cheap unit which include the AA external case plus some MD discs. This is how start a new collection (it begin with a good knowledge of the minidisc.org browser and FAQ). Try also to get a good MDLP type S deck, And in case Hi-MD format interested you, the first Hi-MD generation (NH600-700-900) is the cheapest and is more reliable (durability) than the next one. This my opinion.

There are "cleaning MD discs" but any gentle & smooth use of a Q-tip with isopropilic alcool will do.

Prices fron Buyee are similar to what I get in Vietnam for those ES decks. I am happy.

Sorry. Don't know what I could have been thinking. The really, really weird part is that I was looking right at that linked page when I said what I said. I'm embarrassed but will persevere anyway. And actually, not all Type R recorders record equally well. I have proof! :-) Thanks for pointing that out, Stephen...I should just be quiet when it comes to questions about portables.

I haven't visited this forum in years, but driving home today I felt a sense of yearning for years gone by. I got home, popped in a frozen pizza and dug out my Sony MZ-NF610. I dug through an electronics drawer and found the RM-MC37LT remote that came with it, popped in Pink Floyd Animals and MARVELED....ABSOLUTELY MARVELED at the experience. What sound quality, I didn't even have to look at the buttons on the remote, they were intuitive like shifting a 5 speed. I swapped through headphones, first the efficient Koss and Grado RS-2, then the Senn 650's. Not quite enough power from the Sony to run the Senn's so I dug out another relic...a CMOY Penguin Amp made by Robert Gehrke in Germany. What a great experience tonight! I would not sell my gear for anything! A night to cherish really.