Arr-Nine-Hundred

I've seen a slight increase in "retro tech" articles that mention MiniDisc in the last year. There have also been a few about Sony and other manufacturers stopping production of hardware, discs etc. I think this attracts speculators who then compete with normal MD fans for used goods which increases demand and pushes up the prices. Try gumtree - I find the prices there are not silly and you can set-up watch alerts to find used MD gear in your locality.

Good read and good find. One obvious error in that it states MD is an analogue format, if thats Derek saying that then "aww, sweet" if it's the journo then "get yer facts straight man!". The logical progression of this would be ripping all those MDs to digital/FLAC and him transporting a laptop/chromebook/tablet/iPod from gig to gig. Would be easier on the shoulders than all those MDs. My assumption is that past a certain age, you don't realize what is current so MD to him represents "good enough not to bother changing". Good for him I say :-)

Never. I look after my gear though, I do not throw it around. Sidenote: all my MD gear is made in Japan - this is something you do not see much of these days.

Yes and that would tally with: http://opticalgarbage.com/minidisc/type-sr.html There is no better MD recording than Type-R using SP mode. Type-R will improve recordings of SP, LP2 and LP4. (side note: Type-S improves playback of LP2 and LP4).

I use 80% LP2, 20% SP. Most of my recordings are from mp3s. I've never heard any of the muddy sound that other have reported from LP2, even when recording from CD. It's pretty transparent against the original source IMHO. If you're original shows are in stereo and you want to preserve the stereo fidelity as much as possible then use LP2, you'll get the benefit of 160 minutes on a 80m MD and seperate stereo channels (LP4 uses joint-stereo and so the seperation is nowhere near as clear: http://www.minidisc.org/mdlpfaq.html#r_q57).

What you're trying to say is "we now live in a disposable world" and you are right

Hi Matt, Welcome to the forum. Before I answer it bothers me that you're spelling "obsolete" wrong. Now that is out the way: Aw man, I was kinda hoping you were serious about the "stuck in the past" thing, I was just about to sharpen my pitchfork - no doubt along with my fellow MDers. :-) What is YOUR attraction to the (now technically obselete) format, Minidisc? I used to be a big user and evangelist of the format. My attraction now is part "train set" effect, part fed-up with mp3 players and part nostalgia. Truth be told, I also like being different and retro, if everyone has an iPod I DO NOT want one. I also like creating compendiums of new music. I normally build up a playlist on my PC (where I listen to all my music these days) until I have ~2h 30mins of tracks "favourited". Then I record them to an MD in real-time for playback now and again. 1. How old were you when you first 'bought into' the format? 25 or so. 2. Do you still regularly use your very first player? No it was sold. I have re-bought exactly same spec as primary unit. 3. Do you regularly 'use' your items, or are some purely of interest as a 'collector'? Bit of both. 4. Do you listen to 'new' music on your discs, or prefer to keep the format for music 'of the era'? Bit of both. 5. Do you own more items than you can 'practically use'? Guilty as charged. 6. Did you 'go away' from MiniDisc', only to return to it at a later date? I did. 7. Do you associate use of your player with 'fond memories', or is it a purely 'practical' consideration? Bit of both. (the question/answer format shows me you really are a Police officer :-) Questions for you: will you share your conclusions with us? Will it be made public? Who else are you asking?

Wow Mosaic, very meticulous presentation. I also like MD for their simplicity of "changing playlist=changing disc" and their tactile nature. I am imagining in 100 years time a museum of early 21st/late 20th century artefacts will have a corner looking like that.

I got this recently - a boxed and complete MZ-R91. Not usual for me to go for a non-MDLP unit but I got this for £10 and it was complete & boxed, all papers and cables etc. The "MEGA BASS" mark reminds of the Sony cassette Walkman units. Sony always seemed to liberally emblazon that logo on those. Anyway, this seemed like a good opportunity to grab a piece of the MD legacy. I think this was the unit just before the MZ-R900 (my favourite) so it is interesting to compare. The unit condition is not bad, scuffs around the edges. Unfortunately the gumstick is completely dead (sidenote: wasn't there some way to "resurrect" these by charging them in certain units?) and there were no MD disks with it. Check out the second photo to see the older-style 3V charger against the new. They really slimmed it down. The new style seemed to come with the NetMD units onwards. Not sure which is best in terms of reliability.

Have: Sony R900 Sony N710 Had: Sony R900 Sony N920 Sony N10 Kenwood KMD-673R Future: plan to try a Sharp unit as I hear they have different sound to them. One of the Sharp DS-70s. Also a good Sony deck with MDLP.

I see no link Shri, that sounds like something I'd like to listen to. Around 2003 I did one which was a trip to Pakistan from London Heathrow just for the hell of it and to test my stereo T-mic. As someone who is Asian in appearance it's a wonder I wasn't stopped/quizzed at Heathrow when surreptitiously speaking into the mic.

Dat box organization. Wish I could close my eyes and wish back my MD equipment into a treasure box from circa 2004.

I use the same Hoshnasi, which I got from eBay. Yes, there is no degredation in quality as it is all digital end-to-end. The big benefit is that you don;t need to adjust recording levels that much and you get synchro-record. It works well... even udner Linux. However I was VERY miffed to find no switch to put it into discrete mode so that tracks marks are made automagically. This meant I had to do it the old way with "2-3 seconds of silence" gaps, however we all know that is not 100% reliable (maybe 95% reliable...). I was curious if the track marks are put in automatically with the unit that netmduser posted.

Interesting Hoshnasi, I would guess you work in IT in a bank or something? I hear they are very "locked down" IT wise, de-activated USB ports etc. This week I gave my IT dept a scare by plugging in a USB stick that had some "possible malware" on it. It was scanned as soon as I plugged it in and sent an email to the sysadmins. I wonder if more of this might lead to a "mini-revival" of MD? :-) Just don't let your managers know about this: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDH-10.html Oh, and welcome to the party - no-one is ever too late, the breadsticks and hoummas are over there...

I'd say "whatever works for you" jammydodger but I'd encourage you to do a reasonable A/B test with LP2 and LP4 and see if you can hear the difference. I definitely can hear the difference. In fact I find LP2 close to SP. I know Stephen will disagree and he gave me some LP4 recordings which "show it off" a while back which I have yet to listen to them (sorry sfbp!). imho LP2 is the ideal sweet spot between quality and amount of music (2 "albums" per disk). I would not consider any MD equipment without MDLP.

Welcome Qualia, Is your nickname from the ultra-premium and expensive Sony line of products of which this MD player was one? PS: thanks for exporting PSY/Gangnam style and introducing us to Hyuna :-)

Welcome Soapm, No, of course MD is not the latest and greatest. All of us here kind of enjoy being in a sort of "cult of minidisc" though. Sitting around the campfire and sharing stories. Yes, definitely try the latest solid state voice recorders. The immediacy and convenience are unbeatable. Record, connect to PC via USB, transfer, done. However MD is for me about music and creating compilations and therefore ultimately about emotion. It's a zero-sum game if you ask me. If you emphasize convenience then it takes something out of the accomplishment of crafting a compilation that you had to record in realtime.

Wow Shri, very personal write-up. I can empathize with the not-like-hearing-your-older-self vibe. I had tapes of my brother and I making stupid "verbal contracts" between us for sharing things. We were brothers for crying out loud, we should share stuff and "be excellent to each other" and all that. The benefit of hind sight as we become older and wiser eh? Back when my daughter was born I decided to sell al my old Hi-Fi and Home Cinema gear to make more room in the house. I let go some treasured MiniDisc recordings of my daughter burbling as a baby in her bouncer. I'd give anything to have them back. They are proibably lost to oblivion now, I just have the memory. </shed tear>

I bought a few Vapex from eBay and they seem fine.

Many thanks for that Philippe, good reference pics. Why the smeg Sony didn't go with a standard mini-USB like the rest of planet Earth is beyond me.

Very nice indeed! Yeah they are pretty damn good units - I have one right in front of me, exact same colour. Love the chunky retro LCD put at that slightly daring diagonal. If not using a backlit remote, I find them more readable than the 3-line LCDs of the MZ-N910 etc. You also get Type-S which makes LP2 playback that bit more crisper. If I can be picky: I really wish they had made the underside aluminium like the front. Also there is no "AUDIO > LINE OUT" option in the OS. Both these are on the R900 which will remain my favourite - only it is missing Type-S. Can't have everything :-)

31,500 Yen is £210 (or US $321 for our transatlantic cousins) While the link was loading I thought "Feh! That is far too much..." ...then I saw they had Pingu on them - almost worth it :-)

I have something against Maxell too - I am not sure why but I think it was a bad experience with Maxell VHS tapes back in the day. From that day on Maxell were forever tainted! In my last "used MD haul" there was a HUGE bunch of discs from different brands. Of course, I sorted these and put Sony, TDK, Sharp in one pile and Maxell and the other weird little brands in another pile (when I say "pile" I mean "shoebox to go into attic corner never to be seen again"). Then I noticed that the Sharp discs casing were almost identical to some of the Maxell ones. I think Maxell just bought out Sharps disc duplication factory or something so I am probably refusing to use perfectly good Sharp discs. TDK MD-RXG look very bad-ass. Neige are nice, I have them but are a little boring. If you want some nice designs then check out the "Bit Club" range. These sometimes go on eBay for sensible prices for a 10 disc block.

Yeah, with anything marked as "spares & repairs" on eBay I regard it as somewhat as a lottery. You either have to read the description carefully or ask the seller lots of questions. Still, it sounds like a challenge for your "mad skillz" Jim :-) Sounds like you're pround of the final product and for <£5 I don't think you were robbed. It gave you some practice right? Idea: maybe you could get out some gold-ink markers, sign the back of it and crank out some "Jim Hoggarth Special Edition" units where you have had to put in extra "spit and polish" :-) I very rarely give negative feedback on eBay to individual (non-trade) sellers but one instance I've have had to do so was a badly scuffed Sony MZ-N910 which was described in "good condition". I returned it and got a refund but be careful out there and always see a photo of what you're getting.

Good one freddy, well done. Can you post a photo of the watercolour discs? They sound lovely. I tried posting to my local Freecycle group but... nothing, nada, zip. Not a sausage. Not many MD users among we "country bumpkins" here in Hampshire. I might try the one local to Slough/Berkshire as I'm there once a month :-)