Leland

Yes, the software you have, OpenMG Jukebox 2.2, will work with the N10, you simply need to install the N10 drivers first. Frankly, I don't recommend "upgrading" to Sonicstage 1.5. I cannot find much benefit, and it seems to operate very slowly. I don't know if that is due to the fact that I have both OpenMG Jukebox and Sonicstage installed at the same time, but I doubt it. I just think it is slow software. I find myself using OpenMG Jukebox 2.2 instead. The NetMD download speed enhancements with the N10 work fine with OpenMG Jukebox.

Your device drivers might not be loaded if the unit is not recognized by the software. You could try re-installing the driver.

I thought in your first post you indicated you didn't have a means of making MD's, so you need a recorder, right? Also, I had a listen to the Panasonic MJ55 at the store here in Tokyo yesterday. I hopy your expectations for these little speakers aren't very high. They have a very tinny sound. I'm not sure what good they would be. This is generally the case with small, portable speakers. That is why many small computer speakers come with a little subwoofer to add richness to the sound.

Hi, that last post was me, but not logged in. I also tested melodytimer on the N505, as the R500 was reported in this thread as not having beeps in melodytimer. On my N505, the melody works fine. You get a funky electo melody to wake you up before your next train stop.

For recording mp3's off the internet, NetMD does that very well, giving you extrememly fast recording speed.

That might be correct, but i figure HDD's are so cheap these days, why not have plenty of space so it doesn't matter. I have my database (17 gigs) and a backup of it (another 17 gigs) and still have lots of space left over. My tirade about Net MD is part of a personal campaign I have to try to balance the message a bit. I think there is so much focus on lack of uploading, that the great benefits are being overlooked. I probably shouldn't bother. Not enough people will hear. I will probably go back into lurk mode in a few weeks anyway.

Hey, Me. When you say: max LP2 quality (which probably isn't too bad). Does this imply that you have not used LP2 due to the current units you own not supporting it? If you haven't used it, or have only experimented without really using it, I suggest you be very careful about commenting on its quality. ATRAC3 (in LP2, not LP4) is a modern and advanced codec that sounds fantastic. It is better that any MP3 I have heard at any bitrate. I am very quality oriented and find I have gravitated to LP2 almost exclusively. I only use SP for compatibility reasons now such as in my car player. I think most people would fail to distinguish LP2 from SP in a controlled blind test. Also, why are the NetMD limitations worth mentioning? You can't fast upload at high speed with a non-netMD recorder either, so in a comparison it is not a limitation, only compared to our personal wish list for what the format might have been. Since NetMD downloads complete songs with song titles either entered or taken from CDDB, the need for remote editing is minimized. You can move, group and even rename tracks if you use a NetMD player even if it is not connected to the PC. You cannot delete or trackmark downloaded tracks, which is to protect you from losing checkout credits. Blank space on a disc with NetMD downloaded tracks on it can still be used for other recording purposes and those tracks would be fully editable. Hey folks, the NetMD glass is at least HALF FULL and bigger than the non-NetMD glass.

Here is what I seem to observe with my N10. If I am remote, I can move, rename and re-group tracks. I cannot delete or split (add track marks), trprotect comes up. I renamed a track, then checked it back in to see what would happen. It checked in fine, incrementing the tally, ignoring the name change. I do seem to be able to delete tracks on some non-netMD recorders, but you lose the checkin count. This all seems to be true for my N505 also.

Yup. Your computer must be fine. I've got mine working on both a 2.4GHz P4 desktop and a 1.8GHz P4 laptop. (I use the backup tool to clone the 16GB database). The player actually recognized when it is connected, the display says PC->->MD. If that is happening, the USB cable must be OK. Open MGJukebox wouldn't normally have the drivers for the N10. The N10 drivers are unique, as I already had a NetMD driver installed for my N505, and when I got the N10, it would not recognize it until I installed the N10 driver. I used the driver from the CD as you say you did and it works fine. Perhaps you could try uninstalling and reinstalling the driver. The only other thing I can think is that in Mic or Line recording, it is realtime. Maybe the unit is failing in the fast write mode of NetMD transfer.

If you record from line in and mic and it is fine, I don't think it is the unit itself. Any possibility you have a USB connection problem? Have you tried connecting the USB directly to the recorder rather than through the cradle? That might indicate something. Does it stutter when played from the MD into headphones, or when played from the Sonicstage on the PC? What I'm thinking is, does your PC match the specs suggested for the app? My kids PC is kind of slow and it stutters. If your PC is fast, then perhaps try uninstalling Sonicstage 1.5 and then install OpenMG Jukebox (should be able to find on the net) instead. It is missing a few minor features, but with the recent bug fixes available on the OpenMG site, it seems pretty stable. It is less demanding than SonicStage from my observation and might work better. Just a thought.

Guest, with my N10, I can move tracks to different positions on the disc when it is not connected to the PC. I cannot delete tracks. Move does work.

Not sure why you think the Xitel device saved Sony. The Japanese market saved Sony with broad and comprehensive product adoption. The US market became irrelevant to Sony for Minidisc a few years ago. That is why it is hard to find good product variety in the US. In Japan, it is hard to buy a combo stereo unit without a MD player or recorder/player in it. MD is everywhere in Japan. I have a factory installed MD player in my Lexus here in Japan. There was even a billboard advertisement for a new Panasonic MD that was plastered all over Tokyo last month. You would never see that in the US. I think the Xitel device is minor. I suggest you globalize your view for the paper you are writing.

Well, Guest, I respect your points, but here are a few comments. I think the checkout limitations to Open MG Jukebox are over criticized. First, how many copies do you think you will need? Second, what I do is back up my database, which is a good idea anyway after the effort to read in all my CD's and MP3's. Then, after I make a bunch of MD's, I can restore the Database and have a full checkout count back again. I havn't heard many people comment on this, but the security is pretty lax. I have a copy of my database on 3 computers and they don't notice each other. I can back up and restore to any computer. I never registered the product. Using restore, I don't worry about checkout count. Mac OS is a problem. Sorry. I migrated years ago, and Mac is certainly cool, but I left due to software support issues and Open MG Jukebox is a good example of an app that is only Microsoft. Your complaint about no true SP loading, you also comment that you use LP2 the most. This is how I have gravitated also, so when I have to upsample to get SP, I don't mind. Mostly I use LP2, which these days sounds pretty good. On my N10, the download speed is so fast, it is really addictive. Prior to my Shanghai trip, I made 12 hours worth of MD's while I was getting dressed and packing with only a few clicks of the mouse in less than a half hour. Once you try it, it is hard to go back.

Mystyler, I do call you one-eyed, but I am one-eyed for Sony, so we are even. The battery bump on the 707 is poor, but the battery life is great and the simplicity of just using AA batteries is also pretty cool. If you are cost sensitive, go with the 707, otherwise, go with the N1. Either way, go with Sony.

I would question the support from Sharp in the US for any older model, or any European model. I would get an N707 or an N1. I now have an N10, but if I was really interested primarily in live recording, the battery life of the internal Lion battery is weak, so the N1 would be better. I like Sony. They invented the format. I think Sharp is overrated because they make their output amps a little more powerful so some interpret that as better sound. It is a well understood misconception that louder is better. In blind listening tests, this has been proven. The problem is, you also risk your hearing. Sony has limited this and includes a warning with all their units about listening on headphones. I think that is great corporate responsibility (or paranoia, but true) For live recording, Sharp used to have an advantage in live manual recording level adjustment, but in more recent Sony units that has been addressed. Leland

No, it will not recharge any type of AA. I tried tonight, with a fully charged Lion internal in the unit and a rechargeable NiMh in the external battery pack. I tried to press a button to get it to say it was charging but it simply sat there, dumb. Implicating me. Sorry.

In lieu of an english manual, download the PDF for the N1 manual from the minidisc.org site and it will get you most of the functionality, which is similar. The only differences are bookmark (hold down the joystick for 2 seconds while playing), rehearsal (hold down track mark for 2 seconds while dividing tracks) and a few other features mentioned in the comments on the unit. The rest should be intuitive. Regarding the program, I use the older version, which is even less impressive, but gets the job done. It is called Open MG Jukebox.

The uploading software is simply an analog recording utility that uses the NetMD hooks to allow control of the NetMD unit from the PC while recording. It records the tracks as separate .wav or .mp3 files as defined by the track marks on the MD. It will also transfer track titles and allows you to give the tracks that are untitled a sequential naming such as track number and some string. You should set the recording level manually, using the level controls for your sound card. This is like the old days of analog recording that some of us remember. With a good sound card and careful recording level setting, the quality you get is really very good. If the source is good, it beats the kind of sound degregation one gets with MP3 encoding, so if MP3 is good enough for you, analog recording is fine. The only real drawback then is setting the record level and the fact that the recording takes place in real time rather than at the speed of a digital transfer. Again, for those who lived in the complete analog age, I have to laugh at being irritated by this because there was a time when that was so normal, I didn't think twice about making a compact cassette for my car of a new vinyl album and having to keep an eye on the end of a side (ca. 20 minutes) and then turn it over. Track marks? What? I have used this software and it really works well. I was previously doing it with a simple recording and then manually splitting the tracks using CoolEdit, but the upload program works great and saves me the trouble. I use .wav recording to eliminate any additional compression steps and since I am planning to delete the files once I have them stored in my NetMD database as ATRAC3 files. I have gone completely ATRAC3 even though it is less flexible than MP3 simply because of sound quality. A song recorded as ATRAC3 at 132 kbps is vastly superior to MP3 at 192 or more. One persons opinion. Pointers to this software are available on the minidisc.org site. Leland

I just finished a 4 day trip from Tokyo to Shanghai and back, the first travel experience I have had with my N10. It was a joy to have. I will say this, however. If you are looking for extremely long battery life, this is not the unit. I did manage with only the internal Lion battery without any charging and still had some left when I got home, but I was down to the last segment. I can't really measure how many hours of use, anyway I think the number of times you slew to a new track and change discs etc all soak up battery life. Subjectively, compared to my N505's AA battery, the N10 was noticably weaker in the battery department. That said, with the AA as a backup, I think I will be satisfied but not thrilled with the battery life. Frankly, that is what I expected. I really came to appreciate the ergonomics of the unit. The little button/joystick for play, next, rev, and volume up and down is superb. Totally intuitive, never mistakes my cues, perfect when used blind with the unit in my pocket. The hold switch is just under the unit where the joystick is, so that is perfect, as your forefinger is right there already to switch hold off or on when desired. BTW, although no one came to my rescue when I posted a question about making bookmarks, I finally figured it out. It is very simple (I thought I had tried everything) You just press down the joystick button (this is like an enter key) for two seconds. The favorite tracks will be remembered in personal disc memory if you save the personal disc information after marking the tracks. I think the bookmark feature will be pretty useful, as I often have a few tracks on a disc that I really like and listen to repeatedly. Overall, the N10 performed admirably. Very nice upgrade from my R900.

Yes, I live in Tokyo. I sold my R2 years ago to buy an R30. A 13 year old kid bought it with money from the sale of a baseball card collection. I didn't know these details until he asked me to see if I could get a repair covered under the extended warranty I had. You see, he left it on the floor of his room and his dog chewed it up. He sent it back to me, so I verified the dog teeth marks with my own eyes. The repair guy couldn't believe I even asked. Lukes dad finally bailed him out. Sad story.

I'm headed to Sorrento, south of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula. Last time I was there, I was delighted to be using my MZ-R2!

As one of the few real users of the N10 at the moment, let me weigh in. The build quality is very good. You could not even think about "screws falling out". I find the unit very sleek to hold and use. It is as light as most non-recording players. The glossy finish is really attractive in either silver or gray. The controls work well and are intuitive, with the possible exception of remembering which commands are under "Useful" and which are under "Option". As I live in Japan, I can go to the store here and fiddle around with every make and model currently available. I am convinced that Sony has the best build quality of any model on the market. Sharp is about as good, the rest are behind. This is a subjective feel test, but backed up with my personal experience. For all the moaning, Sony does a pretty good job on quality of these units. Buy, you might be unlucky. The Lion battery can easily be replaced if it wears out. It is not an accessory, but as a spare part, replacing it requires the removal of only one screw and this is described in the manual. The battery life is less than some of the other units claim due to the small size, but if based on your usage it is adequate, then I think Lion is better and more predictable than NiMh and tops up better. I would not worry about it. You can easily carry the AA adapter for the pinch if you run out.

The only way to go is sealed earphones. Look no further than the Eytmotics. Now they even have a cheap pair, the ER-6 (~150 bucks). I have had a pair of the ER-4S for years now and hate it when I have to use anything else. They are superb. For good advice, see www.headphone.com. If you buy your ety's from them, I think you have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. Don't worry about the price. You will have them for a decade and use them for countless hours of music. They are worth every penny. I also have Sony EX-70's and I don't like them. PS, please do worry about hearing loss. It is serious. You won't know there is damage until it is too late. It is gradual, irreversable and might not be noticable until later in life, but then it is too late. Leland

The answer is yes, you can. You could even download OpenMG Jukebox and use it. The 6V adapter you have would probably work, as all 6V adapters I have from Sony have the same plug configuration as the new one. If this proved wrong for some reason, then yes, Mystyler is correct, an appropriate adapter from RadioShack or Fry's or Dick Smiths would work fine. BTW, Mystyler, I am going to Australia for vacation in mid December and I will have my N10 with me. I am powering it with the compact 6V 100-240V travel adapter Sony sells in Japan. (had to purchase separately) You can have the pleasure of knowing someone in OZ is tuning out to the output of an N10 they paid a reasonable (non australian) price for:) only weeks after introduction. Regards, Leland