Hudson

Well i found this out a few months back when i put my £180 headphones from my ipod to my minidisc player (909), i even had both with the same Kate Bush album (The Kick Inside) on them, it was startling, ok the ipod just had the usual MP3 download bit rate, ie not the 320k. But my MD was put on in SP using an optical lead direct from my DVD player and from the CD.... it just sounded wonderful, more rich, better bass..... just so nice.

MDS-JB940#US-001 - Sorry this is the model number i am interested in, but i am trying to find out if its a UK model ?

Wow guys, you are really knowledgable ..... i only listen in SP, i record each of my cd's onto one MD, and that is all i will ever do. I only listen to my MD's at home so portablility is not an issue, i may one day listen to them in the car but again, one disc per album is just fine. I had been looking at the 940 as i don't need the net MD of the 980..... but yes i would love an ES model.

I know of the Sony ES range but they are as rare as hens teeth, so which other manufacturers machines were a match ?

MDS-JB940#US-001 I thought maybe the US-001 could mean its an american one ??? I know i can record from some of my portable players but it just seems easier with a full sized unit connect to my CD player.

The sound would be nice but the look in a BMW would not be good, would stand out like a sore thumb.

What was the very best MD unit made, no flying dolphins...... no multi coloured graphs, as stock as possible, it's going into an E46 BMW 3 Series Compact, so i want it to be black with (if poss) amber/orange lighting or at least something that is not multi coloured. Any ideas.

Thanks Wizard for the guide, i will try and follow it slowly and see how i go. I had intended to simply put my CD into my DVD player and then have it connected to an MD recorder via digital optical lead and away i go, nice and simple, but i am not sure if i am getting the very best SQ i can by doing it this way.

Cheers for that, i will not be getting Hi-MD. The best i will get it standard 74 min disks being recorded one cd at a time on SP. Will the Lossy format or another non apple type of non loss format sound a lot better than what i have got now and the way in which i will be recording my collection in the future ? Oh being listened too via a very decent set of headphones.

Out shopping in the Trafford Centre with my family when i ambled into the Apple store..... whilst chatting to one of the guys he said that if i bought a decent capacity either Ipod Classic (160gb) or similar i could transfer my music onto Lossless (Sp) MP3 and it would be better SQ than my SP Minidisc recordings ??? He did say that although ATRAC is good it is still compressed and would not sound as good as non compressed digital to digital transfers, also he did say that because MD goes via some sort of DAC that also is not the best, and that digital to digital transfers are the best. Now i know bugger all about what i need to do to get my CD collection onto this lossless MP3 but transfering my CD collection to minidisc is reasonably easy but with it going via DAC, is the guy in the apple shop right ? Is a total digital to digital transfer better ?

The reason for keeping the BMW unit upfront is simply for the looks, i find in cars like BMW that most after market units stand out like a sore thumb, i will not be keeping the BMW 6 CD Changer if i find the Sony MD changer, i will swap like for like. My biggest problem at the moment is finding either item.

Cheers for all that, to answer a few questions.... I do not yet have the Sony changer (can't find one just like the BMW MD53 !!!!). As far as i know the BMW headunit upfront will work the changer, which currently has a nice little home in the boot (where the current BMW 6 disc CD changer is). I understand that i can use the existing, already wired changer lead in the boot and just plug in an adaptor for fitment of the Sony MD changer. This can then be worked from the headunit just like the factory CD changer. I don't think it makes any difference whether i have a Business Radio/Tape // Business CD or even the elusive MD53 headunit, they can all work the standard BMW 6 Disc changer so they will all be able to work the Sony MD changer. All i need to do now if find either one of them. Just to clarify i don't want a Sony headunit upfront, i want to keep it all BMW stock, i will be adding a Blaupunkt 4 channel (plug & play) amp and a Blaupunkt active sub at the same time as i add the new headunit / changer. Wish me luck.

Ok i have tried the BMW forum but to no avail, so given the rather vast combined MD knowledge in this forum i hope you can help. I have just bought a very nice 2002 BMW 316Ti SE Compact with the standard BMW Radio/Tape head unit (awful), this has to go. I also have a 6 CD changer in the boot (ok). My ideal solution is to find a BMW Business MD53 headunit to replace the existing tape deck, but these are a very rare thing indeed. My next solution was to replace the godawful headunit with a BMW Business CD player up front (for looks mainly) and then find a Sony MDX-66XLP 6 disc changer. I understand with an adaptor i can replace my BMW 6 disc changer in the boot directly for this unit and then work it from the BMW unit upfront..... is this the case. Also can anybody give me any other ideas on how to keep a stock BMW unit up front but have MD in the car ? Apart from my 2 options noted..... oh, and if anybody does own a mint condition, boxed, never used BMW Business MD53 headunit then a kings ransom is waiting at my house !!!

They only made one MD unit, i think the colours are either full red dot or the lovely electric VW blue, any colour will do, must be mint..... this is a real long shot i know. Cheers.

You did indeed, well my current two portable are the 909 and an MZ1, I think the MZ1 is Type R, but i will be only recording in SP so does the Type R really matter ? I thought that was only for the LP recordings etc. I will be connecting it to my CD player via the optical lead and just recording my already bought CD collection, no downloads, tapes converted, mic recordings blah, blah and Etc ! Thanks again.

I am talking the like of the 940 compared to say a standard 909 portable unit, not the playback via a full sized unit but the recording of a cd, can the internals of the portable produce as good a recording as all that '' stuff '' in the full sized unit ?Also what about a full sized unit (say a cheaper 540) compared to the last of the QS 940's.

I have a Panny M200 and a Sony 909, i also have some decent full sized Audio Technica M50 headphones which sound ok, but i wanted to know if i would get even better SQ if i used a decent h/p amp ? Like the Creek OB 11 or Musical Fidelity X2 Cheers

I have a Ford Focus with the usual (handy) audio buttons on the steering wheel, do you know if a unit/adaptor can be purchased to allow an in car mini disc player to connect to these controls ? It would be so useful it they could work with it; Thanks

Ok, not much money spent but i bought the above player off ebay from a seller with zero feedback so i guess i should have guessed. Got it last night and knew straight away it was faulty when i head a lot of strange whirls and noises, its saying read error when i put the disc to play, i have tried a few discs and none work. Can this be fixed or is it just a dead duck ? I will of course contact the seller but i think my small outlay of cash has gone, i will leave bad feedback. Thanks

Sounds good, i will send Jim a PM, cheers.

I have never heard of this before, what benefit does it give you ?

Can somebody tell me what the difference is between the colour range, the premium range and the white ES range ??? Do the CD's you record on them via optical sound different ?

You can do that ?

wow, cheers for that, thought i had better get another just to save using all those AA batteries. Already ordered. Ta.

Just bought a nice 909 but although it has come with all the usual kit it does not have the internal rechargable battery, the ones i have seen on ebay all appear to be in Hong Kong...... any links for suppliers in the uk ? Thanks