analogi67

Yes, can be removed. Look the images on http:/www.tascam.com/products/md-02b;9,19,3809,18.html Just unsrew the rackmonting plates. Same solution as MD-350 which I purchased 2009 as sucessor of MDS-JB 930QS. Pretty good deck. Regards, Wolfgang, Germany

That's a good question, obviously and on a technical basis PCM Mode on HiMD must be better than MD-SP. But I always connect my Standard-MD-Deck with an external D/A Converter. This combination sounds really better than MZ-RH1, even if it is set to 'normal' Tapeparameter than Earphonemode ! Sony 500-Series may not offer pretty good build-in A/D and D/A converters. Propably Onkyo-Decks offer more quality in these entities. I guess there's no technical difference between both Onkyo Decks. My best digital recorder was a TASCAM DA20 MKII. This DAT-Deck was equipped with an electric SP/DIF Digital Out. This item was always better then my MDS-JB930QS. Even with the same D/A Converter it sounds quite better, a small improvement. So I always insist on digital Out. If not on HiMD then on modern SolidStage Recorders like Tascam or Marantz Pro PDM Series. Those offers RCA and XLR analogue out's and -of course- SP/DIF In/Out. Personally I've got a Tascam MD-350. I recommend this MD-Deck, is comes with optical SP DIF In/Out, RCA/XLR In/Out, PS/2-Keyboard Jack and sounds very very good. A MD-Deck at it's Best ! Regards, Wolfgang, Germany

There's TASCAM MD350 which is equipped with an PS/2 jack. I received good news from www.tascam.de, Germany (located in Wiesbaden), that they don't intend to drop MD350 and the MD/CD Combodeck which was enhanced as MKII in Aug '07. The reason seems to a constant drain (GER is one or the main subsidiary in EU). Bad News concerning the Sony Decks: www.minidiscforum.de/forum brought it to desk, that the JE480 and JE580 are totally identical. It's only a marketing trick, nothing more. Since JE980 and JE780 were delisted on European EAN - Code list (Caution: rather long http://intergate.eu.sony.com/techdocs/EANCODES.TXT ) we expect that sooner or later JE480 runs out of stock. 780 was unfortunately discontinued without Replacement - if in future available/replaced that would be fine ! MDSJE780B.CEK,4901780765539,E-line NetMD reocording deck,01 Discon.W/o Repl'mnt MDSJE780S.CEK,4901780765546,E-line NetMD reocording deck,01 Discon.W/o Repl'mnt MDSJE780SJ.CEK,4905524311419,Z-line MD reocording deck,01 Discon.W/o Repl'mnt but it appears on Sony.de Site. What a joke ! Even pricejapan or others does not offer JE580 Decks. Only S-500 appears on the web and this item was introduced some years ago. I assume, there's no production of new MD-Decks, except Tascam. MZ-RH1 HiMD Portabel is delisted in EU, too: MZRH10B.CEK,4901780939947,HI-MD WITH SELF-RECORDING FUNCTION,01 Discon.W/o Repl'mnt Situation for JE480: MDSJE480B.CEK,4901780753208,E-line MD reocording deck, Active MDSJE480S.CEK,4901780753215,E-line MD recording deck,01 Discon.W/o Repl'mnt i.e.: (Hi-)MD R.I.P. Regards, Wolfgang

I agree. The Lack of a HiMD-Deck in Europe hindered me to step forward to HiMD. I've purchased a RH-1 primarily to save my recordings, most of them MD-SP (292 kbit/s). Due the capacity some HiMD-SP recordings, especially from FM for live concerts, were made. So I miss my old TASCAM DAT-Recorder which was equipped with an electric Digital-Out. Approx 6h on C180 Tapes and DAT-LP (32 kHz). It was an easy task to copy them on cheaper MDs, even to observe SCMS-Rules, since 2Gen Copies were allowed from analogue sources. I do not have any problems to buy my own disks / music and accept the intention behind the old SCMS Rules. For me Digital-Out is an important requirement, even a strong must. SolidStage CF-Card Recorders like the MarantzPro PMDs Series offers Digital-Out. But compared to MD-Recorders it costs minimum two times more and none of them comes with timer start recording (neither Denon/Marantz Pro or Tascam). Boo . revised The 'colleagues' in Germany, see German MD-Forum, discovered that the JE580 does not come with Digital-Out. Regards, Wolfgang revised: My apology, I'm a not a native speaker. Translation, grammer or syntax maybe wrong

Would be nice... e.g. based on a MDS-JE780 (QWERTY Keyboard) with a HiMD-Drive- wonderful dream ! My MDS-JB930QS is getting older and older. Regards, Wolfgang

All, I just want to bring in attention that Sony offers in the current July catalogue three MD-Decks: http://www.ecat.sony.co.jp/audio/hi-fi/cat...2=67&B3=345 -> http://www.ecat.sony.co.jp/products/catalog/HiFi-sou.pdf - on page 16- Model JE-580 Model S-500 Combodeck D400 Catalogue states 2008.7 => i.e. July 2008 ? (then: new) In Europe / Germany there's only JE-480 left over. Model JE-580 can neither be found on www.minidisc.org -> equipment browser nor pricejapan or others, probably brand-new ? I assume if there will be an offer of a deck like the JE-780 and a low cost NH-600 portabel equipped with RH-1 upload function it will be sufficient in medium term for most of the MD-Consumers. But Sony won't serve us .... Regards, Wolfgang, Germany