Leland

As Bazirker said, when you record or import the file into the database originally, you have to select the bitrate for the conversion to ATRAC3. If you use 132kbps, you can check it out as LP2, or you can convert it to LP4 during the checkout process if you are using Sonicstage 1.5 (Open MG Jukebox cannot do this). I can't remember the rules for 105kbps (if it is LP2 or not) but the lowest bitrate can only be checked out as LP4. In any case, you can check out in "Stereo" or "SP" mode, but only for compatibility with older players, it will not improve the sound quality. What you check a song out as one time has no effect on what you might want to do the next time with your remaining checkout count.

No, the E10 requires 6V to charge the lithium battery.

Behold, there is nothing new under the sun! I was using this exact method to lable my MD's 6 years ago. After trying various different label's, I found the Avery full sheet and a pair of sissors or a guillotine paper cutter was the best. I used to get some raised eyebrows on planes with my professional color MD labels. I used MS Powerpoint to create the template. That way it was easy to work with pictures and text as separate elements. Considering that Sonicstage imports album art for the discs, wouldn't it be cool if a label maker was an option in Sonicstage? Anyway, I stopped doing this. Now I just buy the white Sony ES blank discs and label them with a pencil. Quick and flexible, if not so pretty.

Most portables don't have "combine". What you do is start the player, press pause, use the track forward/back buttons to go to the track mark you want to eliminate (thus combining the tracks before and after) and press "track mark" button. The display will show "Mark Off" and the mark will be deleted.

I had become so used to listening to LP2 that I completely discounted the difference in sound quality. Then I recently made a close comparison between an SP digitally recorded with Type R and a Net MD copy in LP2. There was a clear difference. You have to be paying attention to the detail and really just focused on enjoying the music to care about the difference, but it is there. I still use LP2 for virtually all my minidisc uses.

My N10 has performed flawlessly and is a joy to use.

Itchitaka, I don't think anyone has reported the unit not having Datasave after every song, only the TOC edit. Your last post describes the system operating with the "improved" mode, ie only one TOC edit for an entire batch of songs.

Here is a thought: I tried to get this to work on my laptop and it didn't. It might be OS dependant. The system that worked is running XP, the one that doesn't is running W2K Pro. Anybody care to corroborate?

There is no way I know to update the firmware: perhaps Sony service can do this, but I have never heard of it. To exit service mode on the N10, switch off the little switch on the back of the unit that is labled "built in battery". If you do not have the AA battery attached and it is not in the charging cradle, this removes the last possible source of power (the built in battery) and exits service mode.

I agree with geed. I am satisfied with the battery life of my N10. With NiMH, once it goes down half way, the remaining decay can be very fast. With LIon, the decay is pretty constant until it stops. With one segment remaining on the battery display, the NiMh "gum" battery is really ready to be changed, but the LIon can still go for quite a while. You have to make sure you do not have "quick mode" turned on. This greatly reduces battery life and is not very useful.

Yes, that is strange. The encription key exchange error message is the one I got also, but it did effect the change in the TOC update behavior. My unit has V 1.1 firmware. Perhaps you should check that. I recall the R-50 had a cool hack whereby you could switch SCMS off (I have one of these sweet little babies) but Sony "fixed" it in later Rom revisions. You can check the firmware version by entering service mode. Look on the N505 or 707 hack thread and you will see how to do this.

I have tried it with normal ATRAC3 (i always convert the first time, so conversion is irrelevant for me) and I am using SonicStage v. 1.5.03.08230. My unit didn't change its behavior until it did the "knock it off the cradle during the first data save" trick. Did you try that part?

Sorry to be posting just as thoughts come to me, I think the total speed improvement for the N10 using this hack must now be GREATER than 2x since the TOC updates would take the same time in both 16 x LP2 units and 32 x LP2 units, so since the N10 only has one TOC edit, the benefit is greater than 2 x overall speed improvement. I just tried this with a 1 hr 4 min album that has 7 tracks (sorry, I said it had 10 before, I wasn't paying enought attention). The time on my N505 was 4 min 46 seconds, the N10 took 2 min 15 seconds. The total benefit was 2.12 x faster. The more tracks you have the better this would be. Interesting is, that when I set sonicstage to "priority size" which converts to LP4 and then transfers, I still get TOC updates after every song. I tried the same method again, pulling the unit off the cradle during a data save, but it didn't change the way it operates. So perhaps this hack only works in LP2. I hope Sony doesn't "fix" this bug.

I just tried something else. I tried my N505 on the same sonicstage version, but alas, it still updates the TOC after every song. The N10 still works as improved, only one update.

Well, I have to say, I am in awe! I have just CONFIRMED this also. I did as geed said, removed my N10 from the cradle during the data save, then tried it again. Low and behold, only one TOC edit! I then went back to Open MG Jukebox (I have both on this PC) and it behaved as before, saving the TOC after each track. Trying SS 1.5 again, it still only did one TOC edit, after all songs were transferred. I even restarted the computer let the N10 power down, started over, and yes, only one TOC edit. On a test sample, when I got my N10, I copied an album of Miles Davis stuff which was about 1 hour 4 minutes long and has 10 tracks. This took 3 minutes 5 seconds. Now, with only one TOC edit, the same album will complete the transfer in 2 minutes 15 seconds. This is a great improvement, and really makes the 2 x transfer improvement even more compelling than it was. Fantastic!

Portable CD players are very inexpensive, but no where nearly as convenient as an MD recorder. The small rugged disc's in your pocket or your pack without any covers or holders etc. Or rolling around in your glovebox. You can't do that with CD. MD is cool.

Sure, older units will be discounted. The latest stuff is not that cheap, unless you shop around a lot and complain about the price. I got my N10 in Tokyo just in a big downtown shop for about US$ 300. Not bad for a brand new top of the line unit. I don't think it would be much cheaper in HK.

I just tested this tonight and my sonicstage 1.5 does indeed update the TOC after every track on my N10. I wonder if the firmware is changed? The ROM in my unit is version 1.1 ( I think this is the first one out, as I got my unit the first few days it was available in Japan) I wonder what profingersk8er's is? Any other N10 users care to confirm or deny this, now that we have two different experiences?

I don't think Hong Kong is such a bargain any more. I guess you can bargain down the price in Hong Kong sometimes, but in general, it is not magic anymore.

No. My N10 is killer. There has never been a unit to compare. Some say the backside looks weird. I never see that side.

If the internal battery is pretty well charged, it will not indicate anything. This normal. If you have the right electrical requirements (including polarity), use it and don't worry.

You know, Sony is probably playing battery life games here by reducing the output power. That being said, I respect Sony for being Responsible in terms of education regarding hearing loss. Most Sony portables come with a warning about hearing loss, and the AVLS function is a means to help achieve this. Hearing loss is a long term problem, meaning you will feel like you are handling it now, but years later you will experience hearing loss or tinnitus. It is real, it is not repairable. Please be careful.

I just got some new MP3's from Kazaa. Less than 192 bugs me. 160 is OK and 128 is tolerable only if that is the only source for a particular song I want. On the other hand, ATRAC3 (SP2) never really bugs me. It sounds good. Not as good as un compressed or native SP mode, but pretty good, and better than most MP3's. Just my opinion.

There would be no point. It would only be useful to a daily user who charged up every night anyway. This indeed might happen in Japan, where MD's are often used by train commuters. Overall, the battery life of the N10 is OK (I wouldn't say atrocious), but not great.

Good point. Is there any way to track the codec and improvements (if any) there to used on the PC?