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Windows 10 installation (Net MD): 1) Download the files in description 2) Double click on "SS43_Ultimate.exe" and install the "SonicStage" program. 3) Go to Program Files (x86) -> Sony -> Personal Audio Drivers -> Sort by type -> Highlight all the ".inf" files, right click on one of them and hit install. 4) Unzip the second attached file "sony-net-md-drivers-win764.zip" and open up the folder "Sony Net MD Drivers". 5) Right click "NETMD760.inf" and hit install. 6) Go to Program Files (x86) -> Sony -> SonicStage-> Right click on "Omgjbox.exe -> Click on Compatibility -> Under the Compatibility tab, click the box and select "Windows XP (Service Pack 3)" Launch SonicStage, plug in your Walkman and a "NET MD" tab should show up in Sonic Stage. If the "NET MD" tab does not show up for you, then you need to find the correct driver for the individual Microdisc player You may receive an error when starting it, just click "next" and agree" and open it up a 2nd time without problems. Learning how to use SonicStage is very easy. SS43_ULTIMATE.exe sony-net-md-drivers-win764.zip

Since the "Ultimate" 4.3 version seems to have gained quite a popularity, and appears to be less glitchy than any previous one, I decided to build a second release. This is purely a cosmetic update. What's changed from the first release: 1. Updated Registry Information Setup is used now. This doesn't affect minidisc functionality in any way, but may add support for some newer ATRAC phones (you still need to provide the respective drivers). 2. The link to Minidisc Community Forums in the Help menu is replaced with a link to Sony Insider Forums. 3. Installation package extraction path is no longer saved to registry. 4. Windows Installer 2.0 distribution package is not included. The complete list of changes from the official VAIO version (including changes introduced in the first release): 1. System prerequisites from Microsoft (Windows Installer 2.0, DirectX 9.0c, Windows Media Format 9, Windows Media Format 9.5, Data Access Components 2.5) are not included. 2. OpenMG Secure Module version 5.0 with the respective Registry Information is used instead of the original patched version 4.7. 3. Sony CONNECT Store support is no longer installed. 4. SonicStage Security Update is installed automatically. 5. Latest Personal Audio Drivers for SONY devices are installed automatically. 6. The VAIO support link in the Help menu is replaced with a link to Sony Insider Forums. NOTE: If you have applied the experimental SonicStage patch 4.3.02 for Vista/Windows 7, you'll need to re-apply it after installation. Download links: SonicStage 4.3 "Ultimate" Release 2 for Windows 2000/XP/Vista (you must register at Sony Insider forums to download) Mini-mode skins Recommended PxEngine update

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum, and let me say that I love to see the love and conversation about MiniDisc keep going on I'm popping in just to let you know that I've recently released an app for NetMD devices. I wrote the app mainly for myself, but I thought it might be useful for some of you too! So, and here's the link to use it -> https://stefano.brilli.me/webminidisc/ And here's a short demo of how app works Any feedback is welcome! Stefano

As promised in one of my previous posts, here is the trailer for 'The Field Recordist' which features some of the mini disc recorders, together with recorded tracks: UPDATED - HERE IS THE COMPLETE FILM: Best heard with headphones.

Hello! Just thought I'll report it here, if you're trying to create an account without a connection with an already existing account like Google or alike, it's simply impossible to do so, because of incorrectly loaded reCaptcha. To make this account I had to rewrite the part of the site responsible for the captcha. If anyone else is experiencing the same difficulties, here are the steps I used to create my account: Go to https://forums.sonyinsider.com/register/ In devtools, open the `head` tag and remove all the scripts that mention recaptcha Add a new script, with `src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js"` Execute the following JavaScript code: const captcha = document.querySelector("[data-ipscaptcha]"); const parent = captcha.parentElement; captcha.remove(); const newCaptcha = document.createElement("div"); parent.appendChild(newCaptcha); grecaptcha.ready(() => grecaptcha.render(newCaptcha, {sitekey: "6LdgERMTAAAAAC4kTmm7BH1laShX3teATAV_6FIY"})); After that, you should be able to click on the captcha and create your account by executing the following JS code (the submit button is broken): document.querySelector("form").submit();

Finally, my homebrew laser power meter is put together. It cost $3 worth of surface mount components, a used disc sacrificed for the shell, a piece of pcb, and some other stuff I found in the back of my drawer. Initially I tested it with my digital multimeter hooked on those test terminals, but then I found this neat little five-digit Volt-meter I bought some time ago on ebay, I think it was five bucks or so with free shipping from China. Without much fine tuning, I popped this little probe into all the decks I had at hand, and measured the laser power. From the mV readings and the nominal laser power values I calculated the mV-to-mW multipliers, and I took the average of a unit I trusted the most, a 940. Using this sole multiplier as the "calibration", I recalculated the measured mW figures and compared to the factory recommended range. Most of the other units were nicely within specification, but this 530 in question, that immediately popped out, being near 40% below the necessary values, i.e., 0,55 mW and 4,32 mW versus 0,9 mW and 7,0 mW respectively. Now, it might be that easy, but before changing anything, I want to check the IOP, to see, whether that meets the specs, and set the measured value for further adjustments. For this I will need that rig connecting to the drive, currently waiting for the special connector to arrive. So much for now, I will update the thread as I progress. Some photos attached below, just for fun.

I received a similar, albeit slightly smaller, mix of boxed and unboxed discs today too 🙂

Which sort of cases are you after? You used to be able to buy the basic hinged jewel cases from Amazon but I've not seen them on there for a few years now: If you're UK based Retro Style Media sell them: https://www.retrostylemedia.co.uk/product/clear-minidisc-case Price per case varies depending on how many you buy. Note that the quoted price is ex VAT so you'll need to factor that in as well. They also sell the larger cases that pre-recorded discs used to come in back in the 90s: They come in a variety of colours but are a lot more expensive. You can find them here: https://www.retrostylemedia.co.uk/shop/minidisc-cases That website also has templates to download for the inserts etc. There's a bit more info (and a video) here:

Don't worry about it - I got myself a Sony LAM for testing and ended up falling in love with the whole LAM series of devices. I have 3 now, so I use that functionality regularly 😆

Over the past couple of months, I've been bitten by the MD bug again. I hadn't visited this forum in a VERY long time. I've used one of my MZ-NH900s at my work desk on almost a daily basis for 10+ years. It sits it's original cradle, powered from the AC adapter because the battery long since gave up the ghost. I have about 20 disc's (a mix of Hi-MD and standard MD My other NH900 has been broken for years after it fell out of my pocket and a disc got jammed. Was able to get the disc out by disassembling the recorder but when I all went back together the buttons were no longer responsive... So I put it in a storage box with my other MD stuff that wasn't used anymore. FF 1month ago, I was digging thru some things and came across my box MD recorders. Pulled out the NH900 and took it apart again. Long story short, it's had been returned to service! While looking for info on repair, I came across this site and an intro to Reddit MD. My interest stoked again, burned some new disc's, reorganized some of my favorites, and am trying my hand at labeling. I've also managed to buy a couple of new Hi-MD blanks and some used standard MDs. It's always fun to go thru used disc's from someone else to see what's on them 🙂 My MD arsenal consists of: MZ-R500, MZ-N707 (eprom nodded), MZ-N920, IM-DR420, MZ-NH600D, 2-MZ-NH900s, 2-MZ-RH10s (both with bad displays), and a MZ-RH910. 150ish standard MDs and 15 Hi-MDs. Most of my standard disc's are Hi-MD formated and most of the music is burned in ATRAC3plus @256k. I simply LOVE this format!

Nice to see SIF back up. Why was it down? It was quite a long time. I think many people have given up on it. That http://www.minidisc.wiki has turned out pretty nice btw. Still has a ways to go, but it has data on some devices not found anywhere else in English.

I don't have a question, just wanted to post a brief homage to my Sony MZ-R90 which I got, unexpectedly, as a birthday present in 2000. It transformed portable audio for me, but unfortunately, six short months later, my MZ-R90 was stolen by an opportunistic thief. Not long after that, I moved on from MD to MP3 players, but just recently I've been reminiscing wistfully about that beautiful little piece of music technology. I had the black version, and I think the industrial design is really magnificent.

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.

Hi Folks, Long time no post, busy with child rearing. :-) I do stop by to read up on new posts and topics. I ran across this video on YouTube yesterday, sorry to post if everyone has already seen it but it was good to see and I wanted to share with all. Cheers!

It is currently admitted that the MZ-RH1 has the best DAC, ergo the best sound. I prefer however the sound of QS and ES Sony decks.

Hi all! So I've started a little project for myself. Minidisc never really caught on too well in canada so I won't be stmbling on any racks at the thrift shop anytime soon. I've been looking for storage solutions, haven't been a big fan of the wine box idea, generally I haven't seen anything that really caught my eye. For some reason it never dawned on me in the last year to 3D print some racks... I'm not sure why, I've been 3D printing everything else for years.... So I designed these up yesterday with some spare time. They're very rough still and very utilitarian. The larger one holds 10 discs and is meant to stack vertically (and has holes for nesting feet, and holes for screws). The smaller one to the right I haven't tested yet but I am thinking of a wall unit that makes the discs look like they are floating out of the wall. Edit wise I'm going to shrink the width by 2mm and perhaps put the discs at a slight downard angle rather than 90 degree so that if they were on an uneven surface, they'd still stay in the rack. What do you guys think? Feel free to toss any ideas my way! (also, for curiosity sake, the larger one took 8 hours to print! 3d printing is pretty cool but it's still a very slow process.) (The render) and printed

I got the drivers installed on my computer. I recommend watching this youtube video thats how i did it.

In case anyone is interested... I´ve written a review of the Sony MZ-R 50. http://marlene-d.blogspot.de/2013/07/the-legendary-sony-mz-r-50-review.html

I just wanted to say that it is nice to have some new members who are clearly MD lovers around to join in on the discussion and add new thoughts, ideas and opinions. Welcome all. :-)

Buy LIP-4 battery. First open all the cover of LIP-4. then you can small PCB. just remove the PCB using soldering iron or else. Do the same things with LIP-3 batteries. take the small PCB from LIP-3 and put to LIP-4 battery cell use soldering iron. Then cover you new battery, make sure it won't have electronics shortcuts. You'll have a new long lasting battery. It works on my MZ-N10.

I have a Sony MDS-JE780 for sale. It is silver and in mint condition as it has been hardly used. It is based in Wolverhampton so can be collected, or can be posted at additional cost. (I estimate about £7 with recorded delivery) £80 ono. Spec taken from the Sony website: Hybrid Pulse D/A Converter ATRAC DSP Type-S Long Time Recording and Playback (LP2, LP4) Pitch Control Scale Factor Edit NetMD Control A1 Keyboard Terminal 1 x Optical & 1 x Coaxial Input & 1 x Optical Output Available inblack and silverSee the link for more info.... http://www.sony.co.u...=TechnicalSpecs

MiniDisc is not useless; it's obsolete. There is a key difference. Nothing as multifaceted as a MiniDisc recorder can be said to be useless. That said, I think that even if Sony had marketed MiniDisc successfully, it would be obsolescent today because its competitors are more feature-rich. I have difficulty following some of the logic in this thread. MiniDisc and MP3 players both have shuffle functions. It's up to the user whether or not to use them, and absolutely nothing about an MP3 player compels one to do so. It SHOULD go without saying that either is just as capable of playing entire albums chronologically. You're arguing against your perceptions of MP3 users' supposed preferences, which are likely exaggerated and unfounded. The issue was the native functionality of the devices and which better suited the questioner. I still have my MiniDisc players, though I almost exclusively use my MP3 player (and never on shuffle). I may be returning to reporting soon and thus would use my MiniDisc to record, even though my MP3 player has a voice recorder. I also take out MiniDisc sometimes just for nostalgia. Whereas many of you are exalting album listening, I actually got into MiniDisc because it facilitated playlists, but now MP3 players do this better because the track need not be re-uploaded to form the playlist. Album listening has its advantages and purposes, but playlists demonstrate the user's creativity and make for great time travel. In my moments of nostalgia, I can call up playlists of the songs that defined eras I miss. It's a beautiful thing. One of you said you found MP3 players useless because they could not do all the things a MiniDisc player could. That depends on the MP3 player. (Further, it's a bogus statement because any mass storage device that plays music clearly has a twofold desirable purpose.) I actually can edit titles and move files on the go, but let's be honest: It is rare that such an act is of such pressing import that it can't wait until one gets home. My MP3 player is an Archos 5, which, like many MP3 players, has great sound quality, radio, a 250-gigabyte hard drive, a voice recorder, Wi-FI, Web radio and TV, DVR, picture display, and video. Useless because it's an MP3 player? Oh, brother. Much of this stems from your zeal to vindicate the MiniDisc, which I love. Another example is the citation of an intangible such as "cool factor," which lies in the eye of the beholder. Consider that being in the in-crowd like an Apple user can be said to be cool. Also, cool as in different just means anything opposed to the leading product, and that doesn't necessarily mean a MiniDisc. A lesser-known MP3 player can turn heads, but turning heads is not where the joy in product use lies. It is also flawed logic to assert that one likes MiniDisc because one prefers to carry around just a few albums. One can choose to listen to just a few on an MP3 player, first of all. The mere presence of all the other tracks you have neatly stored on the hard drive will not weigh heavily on the mind. Second, both MP3 players and MiniDiscs are mass storage devices. That's like one compulsive overeater defaming another because the other is even worse. That does not make you the icon of restraint; rather, you prefer a lesser example of excess. I do believe there still are real advantages to MiniDisc that relate to its native functionality. It's durable, sounds great, and records. It edges out MP3 in battery life, line-in recording, and usually voice recording. Actually, recording is where its greatest strength is now. Another strength is that different models are tailored to different uses; some have radio, some record and others have a digital amplifier, for instance. I love that my MP3 player works with Windows Media Player, which keeps track of the tracks you have and have not added to the device. Syncing automatically adds the new tracks. If I went back to MinDisc, I'd have to guess where I left off as I tried to upload all the music I have purchased since then to MiniDiscs. Also, I don't have to be bothered with SonicStage or ATRAC anymore, and I am glad. I don't have a second-generation Hi-MD player, so I can't put MP3s on them.

I have an N510 and a DN430. Both sound really good. I also have some S1's which, I know, are type R. They both sound excellent to me. I figured I'd take the (possible) slight noise quality hit and lack of remote for bombproof (especially in Orygun) performance of the S1. I can say those DN430's sound just fine. I think you can find that model with a radio too

After half year I have some new ideas about upgrading and extending functionality of SONY NAC-HD1. I started two projects. The first one, upgrading NAC-HD1 software, kernel, kernel modules, system libraries to the newest one, taken from NAS-S55HDE GigaJuke (software is one of the latest for Juke's and includes additional features and bugfixes) and kernel.org. Some modules are rebuilt. Personally thanks to Joe from Germany for exchanging hard drive image taken from NAS-S55HDE. Project outlines: Status What actually works: *Linter database *Analog In *FM/AM tuner *Spectrum analyzer *Wireless Network connectivity *Wired Network connectivity *Cd ripping to Linear PCM *Cd ripping to mp3 *Gracenote DB *Artist / Album / Track / Genre / Folder library *Can quickly search Artist during playback (disadvantage for NAC-HD1E original software) *Import audio through networl / external usb storage *System boots *Plays mp3 / atrac3 / atrac3 Plus / Linear PCM (OMG AUDIO FORMAT) *DLNA client *DLNA server *Party mode client *Party mode server *Timer *Screen saver *USB mounting *X-Dj mode including analysis (new features added after upgrade). *All front panel buttons. Things that actually doesn't work: *Cd Ripping to Atrac3 / Atrac3 Plus (NAS-S55HDE doesn't have support for ATRAC as Sony starting year 2008 closed it's OMGAUDIO / ATRAC musc store www.connect.com), I started implementation to get it working. It can take some time. *Digital in (Coax and Optical) (NAS-S55HDE doesn't have support to Digital Coax and Optical, now Sony uses DMPort), this one I'll also get to work on. I'll also want to implemnt DMPort. *Cannot turn on device if in "quick power off" mode by pressing powe on button both on device and remote control. Can turn only pressing apropriate functional button (HDD,CD,FM,Home media, etc.). Principialy this is just a bug, no problems to resolve it. The second one consists of upgrading system RAM, resoldering (reballing) two BGA 90 ball (pin) SDRAM chipsets. Actualy chips are ordered and it seems that till January I get them. Then do soldering operation with high precision equipment. As described previous post , NAC-HD1 has a small amount of RAM memory, it's based on SH4 Renesas embedded cpu architecture. Uses only 64MB (megabytes) of RAM. RAM is organized by two 256Mbit chips in sum 512Mbits that equals to 64MB of memory. As the system turns / boots on Linux, the kernel takes amount of memory at startup to load all necessary drivers to control Jukebox and dedicated memory for this kernel is too small and not enough, but if we take from shared memory, then application left a small piece of memory (especially after software upgrade) to load Linter database, DLNA Server, main Tiger application, Sj3 server, system logging, ssh daemon, network stack (ipv4 connectivity), etc. Upgrading RAM to 128MB is MAX possible for this device, cause of architecture limitations. As I got full set of original SONY circuits for this device, studied tgrough, I decided to upgrade RAM. Originally 64MB is quite enough till you have 20 000 of music, then all system freezes and the make people nervous Outlines Name / Status Functional analysis - Completed Chips for replacement - Completed Ordering chips - Completed Getting chipsets - ????? Chipset approval - ????? Preparing for soldering - ???? Resoldering - ????? Memory testing - ???? System testing - ???? Benefits after system upgrade: DLNA Audio server (DLNA as is, DLNA for Wireless Audio systems such as NAS-C5E where can use x-Dj function, no need to speacilly install DLNA server for audio sharring on home computer) Party mode (can simultaniously play audio from library on 5 devices through network) Faster system (not so frequent memory swapping with hard drive during operation, that makes freeze and delay) Comfortable audio searching, better to search music with remote, don't need to enter Folder mode, that previously offered searching option. Support for newer wireless network cards X-Dj additional mood channels and more accurate audio analysis.

🤣 I believe you, @kgallen. Honestly... I've been making a conscious effort not to look at decks on eBay recently but the BIN prices do seem to be the wrong side of £200 these days (not that I'm sort of looking either 😉). Not sure what they're actually selling for, and eBay is a tad misleading in this regard as it seems to show the original advertised price against its sold listings, rather than any lower offer the seller may have accepted. Glad to hear you've rescued another defunct 940 @M1JWR 👍 I suppose one positive of the increase in value of these decks is that people are possibly more likely to try to sell non-functioning ones, rather than just take them to the tip.

That's not really the case - Zadig is used to install the libusb driver, that makes it possible for Chrome to access the USB devices. Sony driver (the one used for SonicStage) locks the NetMD device down - it makes it unavailable for other apps to use. It's still necessary to use Zadig (or a 32-bit libusb driver in general) to run Web Minidisc on a 32-bit Windows system.

I have used them both ways, CD > MD & MD > CD, the latter to enable ripping the result into iTunes. This was a project that took about two years. I even have a folder in iTunes devoted to that effort: "MD/CD Heaven." The editing abilities of minidisc completely surpass those of CD, where there isn't much you can do post-recording.

Good luck! Let us know if you find a working method :-)

Hi Stefano, Your work is really admired. and I am not professional in these software but the user who is enjoying your talent works. this is an idea came up after I successfully tried the NetMD. These sony old network walkman is actually very similar to MD players, use Atrac format. anyway, if you get time and interests, maybe can check, I have to say, these very legacy network walkman are quite good-from design perspective, such as NW-MS90D, piece of art. Yours Henry

The OWH needs to be UNDER the metal plate. See pictures of the post : Metal slats needs to be straightened. Do the "virtual MD" trick (no MD inside) Put the OPU/OWH to the center (>> button) Unscrew a little (1 or 2mm) to release the OWH (red) Pass gently the OWH under the metal plate Re-screw the OWH on OPU Use scalpel (or fine tool) to twist big metal slats (yellow) to re-adjust the OWH height Use scalpel to twist the little metal slats to make the head flat against to the disc (orange). HINT : Put a minidisc and make STOP-REC-STOP-REC... to up and down the head and untwist theses wires step by step. Once the head is flat against the disc when the head is down in recording mode like this : Then try record few seconds and play what you recorded. If you break tiny metal wires (orange) = get a new OWH, you failed.

Not strange, normal, there is a MDM-2 inside this unit guys. So laser power is manually adjusted with a potentiometer (RV) on the BD board, no chance to adjust it with the service menu. If the lens is already cleaned (first basic thing to do), simply make this test : Power off/on the unit. Put your JA3ES on the side. Insert a well-working recorded MD and play it. If the readability is clearly better (quick track access, no OPU bizarre noises, no dropouts on music), great you win a worn-out KMS-210A OPU classic symptom. Search the web. That will not tell you if the disc a well played in back-end. Go into service mode and do a CPLAY mode test (IN, MID and OUT) with a full well-working recorded MD, it will give you live C1 error value between 0 and 7350. Observe values for 10 seconds in the 3 zones/areas (INSIDE, MIDDLE and OUTSIDE) and made an average. Now power off/on the unit and do the same thing with your JA3ES on the side. Same, observe values for 10 seconds and made an average. With the comparison, deduce.

Or that ;>)

Just try... You will be able to sell back it if it do not fitted.

HAHAHAHHA!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice one Azureal. Surprisingly she is the only artist that I can listen to from that genre. I'm somewhat of a nerd/math-geek, and I have always admired and respected her as a professional vocal "technician." She is so mathematically pitch-perfect that it amazes me that a pair of natural vocal chords could produce notes and keys that technically and exactly perfect...That's about it for the soft pop genre for me. (well I admire Whitney for this too.) But the biggest reason I have her discography is to final test my analog magnetic tape equipment and tape equipment I refurbish for others. (Only analog..no DAT or DCC). Because of her aforementioned pitch perfection, I test the frequency mods and performance by driving some of her more demanding and versatile songs into the mag record heads and monitor the recorded result. She is ALWAYS my final test for my equipment because her songs are BY FAR the hardest to reproduce via analog delivery. Now you know why....LOL!!!!

I prefer the gumsticks (NH-14WM and look-a-likes) (MZ-RH910, MZ-N1 and MZ-N910), I have 8 of them and always some of them are charged. Sometimes I use AA (MZ-NH600 and MZ-NH700). I dislike most the LIP-4WM, short live and very costly to buy a new one. But replaceble is always better then build-in as is the case with my mp3-players.

Hi Guys Started a new site - all comments and feedback (good or bad) would be appreciated. It is at miniaudiobooks.co.uk. This is my first attempt at site building so be gentle with me. Cheers Norm

I picked up a couple of NiMH gumsticks on eBay with the label "PowerStream", I don't see any for sale currently by the same seller but they seem to work great, hold a charge and run for nearly a week of 2 - 3 hours of use per day. This seller was in the US but I am sure the batteries are made in China. Both I bought have been charging and discharging for 6 months or so without issue.

"Said the (bad)actress to the bishop" It is heartening to see I am not the only crazy person to still be listening to digital audio files via MD. We "crazies" have gotta stick together.

SOLD to Enzo Heavenly!

No Hi-MD discs. I just don't have any of those. $215 shipped.

I think Sergio is right, that sale ended up with a huge profit for the seller but this is not typical. I bought mine used about two years ago from a mate here on the boards and at the time I paid $180 USD. I had to immediately replace the battery as the 8 year old unit would only hold a charge for an hour or so. It actually still functions well today. Very nice little player only unit, no doubt one of the coolest Sony made in my opinion. Be honest about the battery when you list it, most serious buyers for this unit will know the details of the design and understand that the small, non-user replaceable LiON battery has a shelf life of around 5 or six years. May I also suggest that you try to get a few nicely lit focused photos of the unit? The aesthetics of this cool little machine will go a long way to stir up interest in buyers, that can't be appreciated with grainy, out of focus pictures ... Let us know when you list it, I'd be interested in watching it to see what you fetch! One other thought I had is that it seems like the market driven sales always do better and the idea is to sell the unit, too many greedy folks will list a unit such as this for Buy it now at $250 or something way too high and bidders don't want to immediately commit to that, start the bidding at zero or some low and reasonable value, no more than $50 and you'll see what the demand is. I see units all the time sell for a good and fair market driven price when listed this way. Other units listed with high BIN or high reserve prices will just come back up for sale again because no one bites ...

I was recently looking through some cds in a small gift shop in Lyme Regis in Dorset which for those that don't know is on the south coast of England, when I came across this album with some friendly looking discs on the cover. http://www.amazon.co...50778449&sr=1-1

Sorry to dig up an old topic, but I thought I should update it! Not long after posting this thread, I talked myself into buying a NetMD. I picked up a Sony MZ-N710 on ebay for around £30 - the exact same model I had years ago... The battery doesn't charge any more - as can be expected from such an old piece of kit - but it still has all the original accessories, including the external AA battery adaptor. Damned glad I did: the sound quality, even on LP2, far surpasses anything I've ever heard out of my phone or any of my iPods... I don't mind the fuss involved with real time recording, either; it forces me to think about what I actually want to listen to, rather than just dumping a pile of music onto an SD card and hoping that there's something there that I'll listen to. Sadly not, I remember throwing it out some years ago; I knew I should have kept it, but was under the influence of one of my girlfriends cleaning sprees!

Great ! Many hundred dollars for a Hi-MD recorder. And then some more when the unit is not fucntioning as intended !!! Sony does know how to build a money-making business model.

I thought I'd share this story I posted on the forum of What Hifi today. Maybe it's of use to other users. Over the years I have been thinking about what to with my collection of Minidiscs. It's a mix of digital copies of albums, broadcast recordings and even some of my mum's vinyl. I don't carry my portable Minidisc recorder around anymore and I would really like to have in my iTunes library so I can play them over the Airport Express or on my iPod Nano 5G. The other consideration is archiving to hard drive. Will I still have a working MD player in 20 years time? My recordings are in the old Minidisc SP format (recorded in ATRAC 4.5) and there is no way to export them to my Mac using the only recorder on the market today, the Sony MZ-RH1. Mouthwatering kit but old recordings can only be converted to WAV using a PC running Windows XP. I have considered getting a MZ-RH1 and installing Windows XP on a Bootcamp partition. But I don't want Windows on my Mac if I can avoid it. According to Sony multiboot systems are not supported. Also the Sony Sonicstage software doesn't seem to run on Windows 7, except when you install something called XP compatability mode. It all sounds very cumbersome indeed. I have tried the analogue route with a Griffin iMic but I wasn't happy with the results. It is also cumbersome to set the recording level with analogue input. Then I remembered that my MacBook has digital in and that it would be possible to record the digital stream. Only problem: my Sony CD/MD deck (MDX-D3) doesn't have a digital output. Never thought about digital outs when I bought that deck over 10 years ago. Fortunately there is quite a market in NL for second hand decks. After reading different sources (like www.minidisc.org) I decided to look for a second hand deck with digital out. I found one in Amsterdam and I picked it up today. It's quite a nice deck, the Sony MDS-JE 520 and it cost me EUR 50. I took my MacBook round to check that the digital out was working properly and I could record. It did. I just had a test with it through the DACMagic and it sounds awesome. Software considerations on the Mac. There's now quite a few good recording programs on the Mac. To name a few: - Audacity - Audio Hijack Pro - Garageband (not recommended, it's a bit of memory hog) - Quicktime 7 Pro I have tried them all and for the moment I'm using Audio Hijack Pro. The workflow is as follows: - Start hijacking from the digital input. - Set where the recordings should be saved. - You may set tags for the recordings at this point. - Set Audio Hijack Pro Silence Monitor to start a new file. I use 0.5 seconds. - Hit the play button on the MD deck and start recording in Audio Hijack Pro - Editing is only needed with gapless tracks. I do this in QuickTime 7 Pro. - Open a new player in and paste the selection. Then export this new file and give the title of the track. Use sound to AIFF, 44kHz 16 bit. I create a new folder with the name of the album. You have to do this for every track on the album but you can save the files in the same folder. There is the alternative of exporting the complete AIFF file first before editing and then edit the copy. - Import the AIFF's into the iTunes library - Convert the AIFF's to Apple Lossless (or another format) and tag them the way you want. You can select all tracks first to give them the album title. Also very useful is to tick 'gapless playback' and the total of tracks on the album. Amazon is a great source if you don't have the individual titles written on the sleeve. You can also cut and past the artwork from Amazon into iTunes. - Then title the individual tracks. - If necessary (like running out of hard drive space) you can delete the the AIFF's. If there's anyone who was thought of a way to improve on the workflow: I am open to suggestions!

Subject says it all. I just missed out on one on eBay. If anyone has one, please post here or PM me. Thanks!