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Try Ebay, there are sellers operating out of Hong Kong that will ship worldwide. Eg here Works out to about $9 US per disk including shipping (ouch!).

I believe the USB charging design is similar to that for minidisc units. You can buy an inexpensive multi-voltage charger (the kind with a choice of heads) from a drugstore. This will charge into the special (not custom, just purpose-built) round socket to the left of the USB. Just set it to 4.5 or 5 volts and you should be fine. No need to buy an expensive one from Sony. The USB charger for the MZ-RH1/MZ-M200 does ***not*** work with this unit.

You sound frustrated. I'll do my best to help. Since you don't describe this problem fully, neither I nor anyone else will be able to help you. You don't state how the files are transferred. Since you mention SS I will assume you have an MZ-RH1 and are using USB uploads. Please tell me if this is wrong, this is a lot of questions based on false assumptions You can select multiple <thingies> in most Windows programs. Maybe you need to learn how to do that. Ctrl-Click (multiple individual selections), Shift-Click (Range) and Ctrl-A ("All") all do different things. Try it, you'll like it. You can export to WAV or MP3. Unfortunately the MP3 export is a separate program, but it should have been installed along with SS. That is most likely a function of what you have recorded on MD. HiMD recordings are played back through the computer's speakers. NetMD recordings (and SP, LP2, LP4) play only at the portable. Nothing has been cancelled, this is the way it has been from the beginning. You can use SS to edit the titles on MD showing in your display. You can delete files. However you cannot truly "Edit" files over the USB. You have to transfer them up first and edit on the PC, or edit them first using the portable unconnected to the PC. This question unfortunately cannot be answered in its present form. I'll let someone else try. Ditto. QHiMD Transfer will have all of the problems you relate. It's not ready for prime time right now. SS is a mature product with known capabilities (and, sadly, known bugs). In time QHiMDXfer will be terrific. It also will save one step. However the transfer from MD to PC of NetMD tracks (what I suspect you have) is not covered, and there is a separate program which may (or may not) eventually get integrated into the original. It's called "downloadhack" to give you an idea of what you'd be getting into. Not for you, I suspect. Finally you MUST export to WAV or MP3 or decrypt the files after you have uploaded them (using the File Conversion Tool provided with Sonic Stage - this decryption step is the one thing that you don't need with the new programs). If you don't you will lose the lot the next time you reinstall Windows (or even do a System Restore, or start using a different User on the computer or.....) Sorry if I sound grouchy. You would do better to ask small questions one at a time instead of the kitchen sink ("all-in") approach. I recall answering you before, and it seems now we're getting lots and lots of questions you should (with your obvious expertise) be able to resolve yourself before posting many of these. Just a piece of advice, slow down, treasure the music, and work out a plan involving (only) steps that you know from personal experience to work. Then repeat those known steps over and over, and you'll get the job done. Sonic Stage is quite a large piece of software with way more capabilities than most people need. However you need to figure out exactly what you want to do with it and stick to that. Rather like C++.

There's a gentleman of Middle-European origin (I actually spoke to him once) selling an MZ-N505 on Craigslist here. He started at $250. Sure, it was a nice unit with 15 brand new disks, but almost 2 years later he's still at it. When I realised his M.O. I wrote to him and pointed out another ad where a guy was selling TWO (price for both, not for each) of the same unit for $40 (which I bought, gave one away that worked and fixed the second, which I still have). He's been gradually dropping the price but it's still there, week in, week out. I think he's gotten down to $100 finally.

Quick question: does it make any difference what power source you use? If the problems do NOT occur when you are plugged into a 3V adapter, that tells us a lot, I think. Stephen BTW don't even think about resetting. You will lose all the calibration and the unit will be completely useless without a visit to someone with a Laser power meter and a calibrated power supply.

If you don't HAVE to put it onto W7-64 that might be best. That is the one combination known not to work. In addition Sony is supposed to be releasing real support right about now.

You have to install it into the 32-bit subsystem. I'm not sure exactly how you do this, but someone with W64 will tell us. If I was trying it, I would try to get a virtual desktop that was Windows XP (this is what the 32-bit system is). If the Sonic Stage installer thought it actually was talking to XP the drivers would install nicely. The program itself presumably already running in the 32-bit subsystem. To install "just" the drivers from the install package may be hard, Avrin here will know exactly what to do (haven't seen him here much lately). There may be others who have accomplished the trick. Alas, I lack experience as I desire neither a 64 bit system, nor W7 to run it, at least YET. It runs fine under "real" W7-32.

Note: if you have only SP recordings, most any early deck will do, they mostly have digital out. Check the specs in the equipment browser at http://www.minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html S

You can try cleaning the contacts. You'll have to learn how to remove the casing.

That one I can do. It's a setting under Option->JogDial. There are two choices, namely Default and Reverse. Clearly you desire "Default". Welcome to the forums! Stephen

I just bought a used MZ-RH910 from Tom. What a pleasure, would do business over the (scary) internet with this gentleman any time. Stephen

Take a look at this listing on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-MZ-E35-Digital-Mega-Bass-Portable-Minidisc-Player-/250316942792 Is this real? Who the heck *are* H&B Digital? (I know all about B&H but this sounds like a knockoff). Suggest anyone steer clear of these guys by a wide Scotch mile.

Aren't you mixing up compression artifacts and encryption? The two are entirely unrelated except for the rather feeble argument (contradicted by Sony's making "pro" equipment that allows copying, and of course the RH1 which genuinely does upload the unaltered bit patterns off a pre-hiMD disk) that Sony did this (prevented copying) to avoid "degraded" copies getting out and spoiling their reputation for good sound. Encryption does nothing to sound quality. Compression doesn't prevent uploading. Yes?

You might follow the links in this thread if you are of a hardware turn of mind Cheers

So there is a difference between MD and Hi-MD. If you notice, your 256kbps HiSP is x15, whereas SP is about x8 (some say x10). The sound data rates are around 10% difference, so MD appears slower than HiMD by quite a bit at the same **sound** data rate. Again this is because the underlying data capacity of the disk has not really changed, just a better encoding in HiMD, more music on each disk thanks to PRML.

Maybe it's not USB 2.0 at the computer? Just a thought. What you have to consider is the amount of data. The higher the recording rate, the less observed "xnn" transfer speed you will see. LP4 will transfer about 4 x as fast as SP, for example. 66 minutes of Hi-SP is about equivalent to about 66 * 256 / 1411 minutes of LPCM ie about 12 minutes. So 20 minutes of LPCM should take about 4.5 * 20 / 12 = 7.5 minutes. Perfect agreement in fact between the two. It takes me about 10 minutes to transfer a full MDLP disk, which is about x8 for SP, x16 for LP2 and x32 for LP4. Sounds like you see about the same as what I get.

As long as you used EAC, you should be fine. Sony seems to have optimized CD ripping in a very nasty way (and you can't turn it off) so that converting THEIR ripped wav files to LP2/4 is very bad indeed, when ripping (not conversion) is done with SS. 1Kyle pioneered the use of SB on a virtual CD image. I wonder if this sort of thing is why Nero doesn't support virtual CD images any more? You can read his posts to check up if you wish. FYI, the SS database is a perfectly normal non-encrypted Microsoft Access database. You can look at it if you are curious.

Interesting packaging/marketing. I too was in Staples yesterday (I'm in Canada) and I was curious what the so called "full" versions constituted. (I know about Home/Home Premium, Business, Professional and Ultimate, but "Full" was a new designation). I couldn't determine if it meant that they had both 64 and 32, or the 64-bit version CONTAINING the special "hosted" version of XP-32 that runs under it, or what. Time for my fingers to take a trip to the Microsoft website.... http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/features/windows-xp-mode.aspx Ok, so you have to have Pro or Ultimate to get the 32-bit XP subsystem to W64. Home Premium (or worse) doesn't cut it. The subsystem (and Virtual PC needed to run it) are free downloads from MSFT, but can only be applied to the more expensive versions. As far as "full" goes, I went to Staples website. "Full" is explained there. Presumably you can pick 32 or 64 but not both - and they give you both disks. I never even considered W64 for any of my computers, one is a server and the rest are too old. But new computers have W7-64 almost without exception. Stephen

Right. The problem then is that most people who get 7 are sold the 64bit version which comes pre-installed by hardware manufacturers. I tried 7 as pre-release, but I used only the 32-bit version and it was fine.

Wait a second. 1. You should NOT rip directly to wav using SS. IMHO. See many posts I have commented on this. Ripping to LP2 should be fine, though for archival purposes I would rip to AAL which is still much smaller than WAV. Burning to LP2 is a no-brainer from AAL. AAL is not encrypted. 2. You SHOULD remove the encryption every time you upload. This is way less likely to crash than doing it all at once at the end. There's no downside to DRM-free files 3. Simple burner goes straight to MD of course, with no encryption and no "track protect" on the dest MD, which even SS still insists upon. The #linux-minidisc project will for sure allow "no track protect" on downloaded LP2, once it is finished. With track protect you cannot edit the file on MD.

The world wants to know... what did you have to do to fix it?

We've covered this a few times. However it's easier to answer than for me to go search. I'll be brief, you can go back and look, too. 1. SB will never work on Native W7 (like all NetMD stuff it WILL work in the 32-bit XP subsystem of W7 if you have that, assuming in the first place you got W7/64, not W7/32). 2. I assume you ran the File Conversion tool already. If not, do not pass go, do not collect $200 etc etc etc. You can reinstall SB but maybe it's lurking on your start programs list rather than where you expect it in the notification tray (I personally get annoyed when ever it leaves itself there and get rid of it). Stephen

I think you wore it out testing for the popping sound Seriously, this unit is for one really important purpose - uploading. There are a zillion players/recorders/downloaders available from 50 to 90% off (or more) for you to play with. I'd never part with mine willingly. The #linux-minidisc project will be able to help you out with transfer to Mac. Maybe ditching it is a bit premature?

Death of Children. Was written BEFORE his own kids died, but based on some experiences losing siblings. Infant mortality was atrocious then. Aaargh... too much to respond to in a single post. Firstly, here's how I made that file: 1. Record from internet with digital output of sound card going to optical in of MDS-JB980, at LP4. I am sure a JE deck (eg Je640) is just as good, since Type-R affects recording, and Type-S does not. 2. Upload song to SonicStage using RH1. Select "As is" option which leaves the coding untouched. 3. Decrypt file using File Conversion Tool. At this point I have the file like the one that I uploaded. Transferring it (by SS) to NetMD or HiMD with "as is" option should be a no-brainer. As long as you don't see the scary word "Converting" I think you are ok. Or if "converting" only takes about 1 second regardless of the length, it's safe to say that no bulk conversion of the bits is really done. I actually am playing a lot of stuff back from computer into optical input of receiver these days. The medium is unimportant (to me). If you want to do conversion of a recording you made, just pick ATRAC3 and "Save As" the right bit rate (in Sound Forge). NOTE: to get LP4 you have to work a bit harder - need to press the "Custom" button to find that exact bit rate, 66kbps, ATRAC3. You can "export to NetMD" but I have a feeling it defaults to LP2 (so no good for this). After conversion you can reimport to SS and send to the device as usual. But as I pointed out in another post this morning, the RECORDING stage appears to be critical. I don't think you're right about ATRAC LP4 - the human voice tends to NEED the higher frequencies to sound really good. In fact the ICD-SX750 (LPEC STHQ 128kbps) has much "better" response in the region where all Atrac codecs cut right off above 16kHz, and the result is more clarity, not less. The sibilants we have observed are some artifact. Opera: try the Met's opera player for a month. You'll be amazed. Hard to know what to recommend as I don't quite know where you are starting from. Out of the blue, I'd say start with Bizet's Carmen or Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. Both had wonderful performances this last season which are available there. Stephen

I recall this as a reason why I didn't use it to record opera directly. After hundreds of hours of recording off internet radio streams at 128kbps, I finally hit a snag yesterday. I got the same annoying sibilants as the above when recording to LP4 (via optical). In fact the whole recording was worthless and I had to throw it out. It happened "out of the blue" after I had changed a couple of things. I changed them both back and all is well. Stay tuned, I may be able to be definitive about which of the 2 changes caused it. Until then, I say nothing out of fear of disseminating false information. Stephen