sfbp

If nothing else, start with this post. After that, it may be necessary to get brutal with old versions of SonicStage.

I'll ignore the comment about MP3's for now - the term "MP3" covers such a wide variety of sins it is impossible to have a meaningful discussion without a lot more detail. However, lets try to deal with the "95%" problem. What is happening is that the system is unable to write the TOC. "95%" is an arbitrary number which signifies that actual transfer is complete but the disk directory needs to be updated in order that you may retrieve things later. So - what's happening is that your overwrite head is most probably busted. Here's a question: can you make a recording from line or microphone with either unit (not sure what the 510 has, but the 707 most definitely records from mic, I have done it)? And take the disk out, walk away, and play that disk (in the same or another unit). If that works, you have some sort of driver problem. W7-32 works just fine. If you went through some gyrations (sounds like you did) it may simply be a matter of cleaning up software left from "partial" installation(s). However, eliminate the hardware problem first, please. Stephen

Usually the OWH gets bent when the mechanism that brings it down for recording gets defeated (and locked in the wrong place) for some reason. This can easily happen when you remove power at the wrong moment. The best way i know to reset that (if it has been forced open, all bets are off) is to apply power to the unit, and try opening the door spring. You SHOULD hear a characteristic "zinging" noise as the unit resets. No idea if this helps. But I do know that reassembling it with the write up-down mechanism in the wrong place (and door locked) spells disaster.

That will quickly get you around the present problem (maybe) BUT it is almost certainly a sign that one of the decks is dying (at least without attention). The whole laser thingy is, as you know, a nifty servo (feedback) mechanism. So once it starts to stray, bad things usually follow, as stuff overheats and finally blows. I suggest you talk to Jim if you can narrow the problem down to one of the three machines.

No (as discussed I use my Onkyo Receiver as an excellent D->A for the '400). However I do the opposite. None of the receivers put OUT a digital signal that you can record (or if they did the rights would be restricted). However capitalizing on the A->D circuits in a good deck works wonders, because as described elsewhere, MD A->D actually goes through 24-bit processing before producing a nice optical signal, which explains why MD decks record conventional analog signals so brilliantly. All this is not to say that a portable is hopeless on line input... but those analog (metal) jacks have a horrible tendency to be very noisy. I pipe the optical OUT from the deck to the input of a HiMD recorder, and as they say "Bob's your Uncle" (and Fanny's your Aunt). So your deck says "- DA", mine says "AD - DA", with the second part being irrelevant (no, it's a hippopotamus). Stephen

Neither. The laser power on decks can and often does go "off" over time. Traditionally people threw up their hands and had the head replaced. Even my friend Jim; as when this starts to happen, the head is often either dead or dying. But you would be surprised to learn that often a simple adjustment is all it takes. Unfortunately, the right tools are needed, including a Laser Power Meter (which I now have and he doesn't). And to answer your question about disks, I (and others) have noticed that disks with very transparent covers/casings (the TDK Gold and Silver come to mind) sometimes give problems where other disks do not. This is probably the so-called "stray light adjustment" if you can find it for your particular model (I only looked at this for the portable HiMD player RH910, to be honest). Stephen

Still you give me no model numbers..... The only reasonable way to find out is to start by making some disks on the Sony(s) and trying to play them on the Grundig. Sony's - Jim (here on forums) and I can give you some pointers for. Grundig you may be out of luck - no experience even if the relevant manual is available. Typically what you describe happens because someone is making "borderline" disks. It's rare on decks (I assume you mean the large objects that sit on a counter, sometimes newcomers here breeze talking about decks and we find they mean portables - hence my quibble about numbers). However the read power is much more critical on a deck (it's only 1/10 of the write power) and if you don't get the adjustment perfect you are SOL.

Most likely one of them is out of alignment. What are the two models in question?

Sounds like the "standby" button is the clue. I am looking at two remotes (D47M, narrow and D15M, wide) and they both have it. Consequently I suspect that that getting the EXACT remote to match isn't a problem, they likely all work the same way.

Computer sound cards generally don't send out SCMS (or allow you to turn it off). You can play the WAV files back, I should think. It might also be something to do with the settings in whatever software you used to make the CD. Nero allows you (and may even default) to setting the copyprotect bit. But I'm sure you can find a way to turn it off.

Again, FWIW, my Terratec reminds me that the S/PDIF only outputs Stereo 2 channel sound for its digital output. So I think you'd have trouble getting a genuine mono output. Ahhhh.... now I remember something. The early Sony decks all had a bug which corresponded to the L and R being out of phase. Net effect, output signal way lower than it should be. I'll try and find the reference. Here you go: http://www.minidisc.org/mono_volume_loss.html Were you trying to get mono output?

On the contrary, my Terratec (widely recommended for the quality of its optical out) has indeed a level control. Probably somewhere in the registry there's something controlling the volume. But most likely OP will find there's a particular sound control that is specific to this system. Maybe not calling up the right piece of software. For sure, the STANDARD Windows XP volume control won't help you. But the custom one for that mother board should do. I note in passing that some Sony decks seem to have rather a low level of (constant) optical output, but that the later ones all had a way to adjust the signal. My $0.02 (not worth much).....

Sorry I have no experience with wma lossless for conversion. A while ago I learned "never take anything for granted". I along with a lot of people assumed that ripping to WAV using Sony tools and then converting to <whatever> format would be great.... not so. My only successful experience so far has been ripping with EAC to Wav or with SS to Atrac Adv Lossless. That's far from saying your way doesn't work, just that I have not tried it. FWIW I think I recall that EAC will do MP3's. But that doesn't help you for your N10. I would tend to rip to AAL and thence to LP2. (I realised after I wrote that, it's an alphabet soup of abbreviations)

I think UAC got retrofitted in XP/SP3 but I might be wrong. It should work. Let me ask you this: can the PCM be written to ANOTHER HiMD? Can you PLAY the PCM a. from within SonicStage b. using Windows Media Player? Also there's a temporary files location that may be somewhere you don't have permission for. And one more idea: try running the File Conversion Tool on your entire DB.

Check your WAV destination exists and is writeable. Is this a silly Windows UAC problem?

Nothing to do with any restrictions. Earlier models are simply incapable of uploading legacy MD tracks. The firmware just isn't there. Send the appropriate command (SCSI essentially) and nothing useful happens. Part of this is to do with the rate of transfer. The HiMD uses a standard file system essentially, so there aren't timing problems. The legacy upload (on RH1) just blatts the data out on the USB, and lets SonicStage catch it. My point was that although the '700 will work nicely for OP since he made HiMD recordings, it won't help you (at least with the gear you list in your profile).

You pay for what you get... the NH700 will not upload tracks from your JB980, JB940 or JB920, Martin.

Just looking at the Service Manual. A strange arrangement I have never seen before (probably because it's common and i'm not, joke) with a double cutoff for the inserted prong. Are you sure the one you are using is LONG enough? I know sometimes Sony uses an extra long plug. Maybe this is an extra long socket..... Also try contact cleaner Stephen

So that it can be converted properly to other bit rates. That's the point of lossless, it seems to me.

yes

Recommend MZ-NH700 See here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sony-MZ-NH700-Personal-MiniDisc-Player-/320694945656 Should do you very nicely.

Simple. It's a storage format that saves space. Sony actually explain its purpose in the SS help file quite well. It was never intended per se to be a playback format, I think.

I think it depends a lot on what you are listening TO. Anything with noise "built in" will sound "less real" but good studio recordings should be (and are mostly) ok even at low bitrates. However I don't think that AAL playback involves playing back the part that is used to restore the "full" waveform. If you compare 132kbps AAL to 256kbps AAL you will find that the relation is the same as LP2 to Hi-SP. BUT when you convert one to the other (eg output regular LP2 from a 256kbps AAL), now magically it works! The "lossless part" is only used to go BACK to WAV from where you started. That's why you cannot generate AAL from any already-compressed sounds, you're trying to reinvent the square root of -1, if you take my metaphor. Stephen

Jim Hoggarth (here on the board) can probably help with anything more complex. Whoops: I see you are a long way away from him. Whatever, he may be able to give some advice because shipping that monster to UK is probably a non-starter.

Wait until you get your battery. It may be that the 909 is perfectly set (IIRC it's one of the Japanese-made ones, which can be right on the money).