Abby Normal

I hope Pioneer fired whomever was responsible for this monstrosity (which is in the Gear Browser already) Pioneer X-HMD

*** Not in the Gear Browser *** Here's a Micro Component System that I don't see in the Gear Browser: SONY CMT-M100MD I went through all the gear browser bookshelf systems pictures and this one is definitely not there--distinguished from the others by those 3-large control knobs on the face (thus not just a rebadge of one of the others). I found a link to the manual on sony-europe: Sony CMT-M100MD: Micro Hi-Fi Component System Operating Instructions It has AM/FM, Cassette, MDLP, CD. Looks to be a pretty sweet unit. MDLP isn't specifically mentioned on the specs page, but it is reflected in the operation portion of the manual and by the label on the cover. It is also noteworthy that this unit has a capability that's not common on MD units--the ability to record to MD from the tuner.

Good to know. It's clear that if I wanted to start experimenting with concert recording I'd have some more reading to do. Thanks.

For those that missed it, there's still another opportunity, but it's a more expensive option--yet still better than you'll see elsewhere: Sony Portable Minidisc Recorder MZ-B10 It appears Microlink has decided to post 15 units here. I don't know if this is their entire remaining stock, but I thought I'd let people know. P.S. Someone with an account on audiotstation should alert the people over there. Thanks. P.P.S. Wow--I just noticed. The quoted S & H is more than doubled. I don't think I can recommend this--but if you really want one, it's an option.

I'm no expert, but everything I've read suggests you want at least semi-directional mics to reduce the crowd noise. (i.e. not omni-directional)

I like it. I still think you could find ways to clean up the presentation and still retain all its Borg-ish charm, though.

I still think it's great you're experimenting. Take pride in your work for its own sake, not kudos. Beyond that, I can't get excited about it because I'm not that into console systems, less so Sony's. My wife got me a Wii for Christmas and she uses it more than I do, although that's changing a little. I do like the balance games in Wii Fit (I'm a champion in tightrope and getting better at ski slolom and jump.) About the only thing that might interest me on a PS3 is being able to run Linux on a recent RISC-based CPU.

I have no idea how this response ended up under this topic. I was not running on much sleep there. Oh well--response removed. I'll post it in the thread it was supposed to go in). You were all probably going..."what????"

Oops. Did I get that backwards? Right--only 4.3 works with Vista, but that doesn't mean only Vista works with 4.3.

See this Sticky over on the Software Discussion board: SonicStage 4.2 and 4.3 installers Be advised that you should use 4.2 for XP and 4.3 for Vista If you use 4.3, try the "Ultimate" installer that Arvin mentions in the fourth response.

Actually, no. These laptops were here, too. They just weren't very common. Do a search on this forum for it. It was mentioned at least a couple of times.

I apologize ahead of time for seeming dense. I thought you just needed something better than the elastic to keep the cable short. This would do that. If you need to shorten both the remote and the phones, get two.

I think you're looking for something like this: Sumajin Smartwrap

After a bit of reading, it looks like the unit that comes closest is the MZ-B100. It has separate track mark, group, and play mode buttons--all on top. It has a multi-line display. However, it looks huge. Here are the dimensions and weight as stated in the promotional specs: DIMENSIONS (WHD): 4 1⁄8" x 3 1⁄8" x 1" (105.7 x 80 x 24.9mm) WEIGHT: 5 2⁄3 oz (160g) It also runs off a single AA. Modern gadgets (80s and after) are capable of operating on the slightly lower nominal voltage that a AA NiMH provides. You have to charge them externally, though. Here's a link to a now extinct review, courtesy of archive.org: MZ-B100 Offers Improved Design The other big gotchya is it appears to be off the radar completely.

Not exactly--I knew about that one, I just had no interest because it's pre-MDLP. Supposedly the module I mention above is NetMD/MDLP-capable. Also, the possibility that you can retrofit it to standard USB is a very useful thing if you plan to roll (deal, shuffle?) your own deck, as it were.

Oh, you misunderstood. I didn't mean that you'd fail to accomplish your goal of learning more languages. I meant that I'm not aware of any units with the combination you want. You can do as I did and study the Gear Browser, but I think you'll come to the same conclusion.

Not "used" allegedly--bulk stock. It came in a little tiny ziploc baggie--just like.... never mind .

There are other advantages to embedding a Google search form (it is easily done, btw)--all related to the fact that you're searching Google's cache: Reduced load on server (search flood problems--eliminated--without the annoying "now wait...").Reduced traffic translates to reduced bandwidth bills. You also get your search results nice and flat as opposed to having to find your result in a 40 page thread.

It seems that with so many restrictions you're setting yourself up for failure. Basically the key to success here is to be happy with the one-line remote. I've happily discovered that the little backlit remote that came with my RH1 works with every single unit I currently own. Thank the maker, too (gratuitous Babylon 5 reference)--I would've been in trouble without it on my new B10--but that's a tale for another time . The other option, of course, is to abandon MiniDisc altogether and investigate other solutions. If this is that important to you this is no time to stand on sentimentality.

Sent PM...

Well, I guess it must be a "feature." It apparently ignores search terms shorter than 4 characters and counts - (hyphen) as a search term delimiter, even if you have the whole string in quotes. For example: MZ-NH1 returns nothing NH1 returns nothing "MZ-NH1" returns nothing If you tack a * on any of these, it works--but that's not always appropriate. MZ-RH10 returns results, but is probably dropping the MZ- Strangely, though, it doesn't tell you what the problem is unless you enter a search that is 2 characters or less--then it gives you an error about needing 4 characters or more. So, not only is it crippled in what it can search, it doesn't actually tell you what the problem is except under very narrow circumstances. So the upshot is this. Visitors will come here and search for many model numbers and it will return nothing unless they put the * at the end. Additionally, unless they just happen to try a 2-character search, they wont know their search terms are being ignored. If I want to find MZ-RH1 posts I'm forced to retrieve them lumped in with the MZ-RH10 posts because I have to use a wildcard to get around the search engine's idiosyncratic behavior. Generally, I don't use wildcards to workaround a broken search function--I use them to make sure I'm inclusive of ambiguous terms. For example, I'd type minidisc* to make sure I get the plural as well as the singular. Now with my >good< workaround (using Google with site:minidisc.org) I even get results from less than 6 hours ago and it doesn't drop my short terms. Try this one on google: E5 site:minidisc.org There are ways to integrate Google search into the site. If the IPB (this site's forum software) default search engine is hamstrung, it's probably worth exploring.

I don't know about anyone else, but search seems to be not working on the forums for me. You can work around this by using google. Just type what you want to look for followed by site:minidisc.org

I thoroughly disagree. You'd need to add a lot more material just to create a separate battery compartment/contacts. If you don't, the PCB will be damaged quickly and *plop* there it goes into the landfill. The PCBs are not made of adamantium. You can't just throw a couple of contacts in there. It is a very efficient use of the space. Also, try to get a handle on just how tiny it is: That's a first-gen nano in the second pic. My point about circuitry on a battery was to contrast with what replaceable battery modules on laptops look like. I never implied that all batteries have circuits boards. You say it's extra waste, but again, I guess we'll have to just agree to disagree here. The size of these amps just don't allow that much flexibility regarding what we're talking about. It's pretty moot anyway, since I've been largely playing devil's advocate here. I don't care for it--it's too small. I'd sit on it, lose it, accidentally eat it--whatever. I'm more inclined to get something like this (this is probably going to be split into another thread): Bass Boost cMoy v2.02 Headphone Amplifier It's built to last, has plenty of room, uses replaceable batteries--I have plenty of NiMH rechargable 9 volt batteries laying around, and it looks really cool (IMHO). I use a separate NiMH charger for all my rechargeable batteries. You could not charge in this unit anyway. The circuit automatically disconnects the battery when you attach the AC adapter (yes--if you want, you can save your battery juice for when you need it). Pretty cool.

I think you've got it backwards, dude. Sony began by crippling people's ability to move around their legally acquired music and then later gave in briefly with the release of the more permissive MZ-RH1. I don't have any delusions that MD would be king if they had been smarter--but it would still be in manufacture (like audio cassette and VHS recorders) and we'd not have to scramble like coyotes on what's left. But anyway--yeah. I found that pretty cool, too. It is the only way I could justify bidding on more official releases. They import into PCM nicely and I can go anywhere from that.

It didn't take me long to find what I was looking for. Someone laid the E5 bare with some nice pics. By the way, all these huge pictures don't really give you a good idea how tiny it is. 190mAh liOn battery with the leads soldered to a chip on the board. Inside the FiiO E5 Even if you did have it manufactured to accept removable batteries, it is tiny enough to cause problems where you'd wear it out quicker and thus have to add another one to the landfill more quickly. It would also be appreciably larger. LiOn batteries last a long time, though. I don't know why companies experimented with LiPoly--I have never seen a LiPoly battery that had any shelf life to speak of. So really, enthusiasts could easily replace this battery, even without touching the board end of the leads. Although it would be better to install some better leads with some standard battery terminals. This battery looks a lot like the write-cache battery I have on my SAS/SATA RAID controller, only much smaller.