Bazirker

I haven't had any trouble with the memorex discs and I have 20 of them. I actually just bought some Fujifilm discs, nice and cheap ($15US for 10 80min discs) and they're pretty cool.

I know that there are devices capable of removing SCMS data from a digital audio stream, but are there any programs that can do it? For example, are there any plugins for winamp or foobar that would allow you to playback a CD and have a digital output on your computer not output SCMS data with the signal?

I've got a question for you guys. I have previously owned a xitel unit kinda like the one described above, but it only worked as an optical output for my computer. It worked well when playing back mp3's and such, but when I wanted my computer to playback a CD and record it to MD via Xitel, I had a difficult time getting it to work and I didn't get any trackmarks. Have they resolved this issue with the newer Xitel models (i.e. MD-Port I/O or the Hi-Fi Pro link)?

I dislike the mdr-vxxx series headphones. I have V500's and they sound great, but they're heavy and aren't all that comfy. Go Eggo! D66's are incredible. I think the D22's are also very good, although I don't own them. If you like canal-style buds, EX71's are real nice too. By the way, all of those can be bought at Audiocubes; roughly $50 for EX71's or D22's, about $100 for the D66's (they're worth it!) Another option for much cheaper quality sound are Sennheiser MX400 or MX500's, although they aren't very comfortable and I don't know where to buy them.

I'm thinking about buying a DR7, but was wondering what the deal is with the headphones jack. I understand why the DR7 comes with the earbuds that have the different stereo plug for the 1-bit amp but was wondering what happens when you use normal headphones with it. I already read up on the amp and stuff, and my guess is that the battery life won't be quite as good and the sound quality won't suffer. http://www.minidisc.org/classd_amp.html

This is hilarious! The T-Board goes down and suddenly the number of registered users on these boards goes through the roof. Must....have....MD forums....I hope you guys from the t-boards note that I'm kinda a newb on the t-board, but definetly not new to MD...lol I was having troubles with the t-board too and I'm glad to know it isn't just me; I'm not on my normal home internet spot, I'm actually in the Canadian Rockies right now using the hotel's internet so I figured it was their firewall or something screwing me up. Welcome to the Minidisc Community Forums.

downloader? You mean NetMD? That already exists.

Johnty, if you use NetMD for "SP" quality recording, it is about 1X transfer speed and it's LP2 quality. NetMD might as well not be SP capable because it really isn't. If you want SP quality, don't look to NetMD to help you record.

I use CDDB all the time, although I don't know if a firewall will disrupt it or not. You can ONLY use your NetMD deck at work? That's a bummer...

You want it totally waterproof, but to still have a headphones connection? That's a tall order; what would they do to let the headphones out without letting the water in? Of course that can use all sorts of gaskets and whatnot, but I don't think they can me a 100% waterproof MD case. Maybe I'm wrong, I dunno, but either way I've never seen one. The MZ-S1 is very very very water resistant, and considering how much it'll probably cost to buy an MD waterproof case, it might be just as cost effective to get an S1. What do you need a waterproof MD case for and what unit do you have? Maybe we can help you design your own. There's always the simple and cheap solution, which is to just put your MD in a ziplock bag. That works to an extent, although it's no good if you actually want to submerge your MD since water will leak in around where the headphones slip through the seal. You might be able to find another one of those cases that you use for PDA's and such, although you might have to drill a hole in it somewhere to fit your headphones cable through. If you find any solutions, let us know!

I have news for you...cd is STILL the main format for audio and data here. People are slowly starting to use DVD's instead, I guess because they can put them in their existing DVD-rom drive in the computer. Everyone here is ridiculously stubborn about new formats, it's like they're afraid of anything that looks different (and they are.) Well, obviously not everyone, I'm a huge MD user...

Getting back on topic...MAJOR PROBLEM WITH NETMD is that it essentially can't make SP quality recordings, and since an MZ-R55 can't read LP2 or LP4 audio, a disc made using NetMD is NOT compatible with an R55.

That's actually an excellent question, there are highly variable opinions as to the current success of minidisc. I looked and couldn't find any figures either. From a personal level, the minidisc players at my local Best Buy haven't been staying on the shelves very long, which likely means people are buying them. Looks like the format is gaining strength down in the southern USA. Hell yeah, MD!

Go eggo! Check out the MDR-D22's. www.audiocubes.com has them, as well as EX71's, which are also great. The jack is a stereo minijack, not the full-size stereo jack.

Everyday dude, I feel your pain. My solution is to have a laptop with every single of my cd's recorded onto it in a compressed format that Nero can decode for use with Dino's method. On the go, I can use m3u2sb and make a new minidisc in just a few minutes, anywhere, anytime. Minidisc is the most addicting format... The iPod is so damn appealing, isn't it? Sooner or later, I'll probably end up with one. The big problem I have with the iPod is that when you buy an iPod, you have ONE of them. If you lose it, you're screwed. If you want to listen to your music in your car, at the gym, on your home stereo, etc, you have to carry the thing around with you, thus increasing your chances of destroying it. However, with MD players, I have one in my car, one for carrying around and listening to, and one for recording...all three of the units and the discs costing less than a single iPod. If I was to buy an iPod, I'd probably lose it or destroy it within a year of buying it, and that's no good. Oh, and as you said, I love recording my music to minidiscs, and it just isn't the same with an iPod. A possible solution for you is to buy a crapload of cd-rw's so you can keep your better audio on disc for quick copy. That way you won't have a million cd-r's sitting around.

You might already know this, so forgive me if I am insulting your intelligence...but when you send an mp3 to MD, you aren't actually copying the mp3 to the minidisc. Minidisc players use a different type of audio compression called ATRAC (or ATRAC3,) so all audio that you send to the md must first be converted.* Apparently, Sonicstage and OpenMG are terrible at converting unusual mp3's to ATRAC, hence the distortion. Examples of unusual mp3's are mp3's that are recorded at frequencies other than 44000, vbr mp3's, extreme bitrates, and other oddities like that. So how can you fix the problem? Well, I can think of two ways. The first is to use a program like nero, musicmatch, or cd-da that can convert the mp3 to some other audio format (wma, wav, or even just re-encoding the mp3 to a different bitrate.) The problem with this method is that it involves making new files on your computer, and that might clutter your hard drive. You can fix that by deleting the original file after conversion, but the newer file is likely to have decreased quality from the file conversion. THe second way is to use Dino's method (see the sticky post on the top of the NetMD forum) and let another program do the file conversion without making a new file. *When sonicstage converts files to atrac3 format, it makes new, permanent files on your computer. These files have the extension .omg and can be played in sonicstage. However, they do add up and eat hard drive space.

If zeromd already owns a PS2, then why should he go drop a bunch of money to get another optical out? I don't have an optical out on my stereo; I had to go buy a coax->optical converter so I could make digital SP recordings with my md, which was WAY cheaper than buying a new stereo unit. I don't have a DVD player because I never watch movies, and if I need to I can just use my laptop. So Sony is gonna make a PS2 that will have a built-in hard drive? I wonder what they're gonna do with the interface. Knowing how much Sony tends to overcomplicate software programs, I have my doubts about the usefulness of a HDD ina playstation...plus why don't buyers just wait until the PS3 comes out with the Cell? NRen2k5, do you like to start fights? Just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean you need to tell them they're an idiot.

I've looked into the problem some and have come up with a preset that sounds pretty good on my D66's. With 1 being the lowest the bar can go and 6 being the highest, the preset, from left to right, is 6 5 3 3 3 5 It sounds pretty good to me; obviously, it's gonna weaken the midrange a little, so some stuff won't sound good with it. It's best for audio like heavy metal and funk where the bass line dominates the sound. It sounds great on some of my headphones (like D66's) and terrible on others (CRAP on my EX71's, there's way too much bass,) so it is s hit-or-miss. Let me know if you guys can come up with any presets that you like better for increasing bass.

Well, just taking a guess... The normal headphone jacks that we are used to are called mini-stereo plugs. The funky one might be a Japanese micro-stereo plug. I can't remember if that's the exact term, althogh the mini/micro part is right. I hope that helps you.

Do you know how to get into the service mode of a deck? I know how to do it on portables, but not on decks.

I wish there was... I have my hopes high that sooner or later, either Sony or a third party will develop some NetMD software that is a combination of sonicstage and simple burner, taking the best of both and making NetMD become what it should have always been.

No, have you got a link to one?

Hey guys, I've had a broken JE320 turn up, and I can have it if I can fix it. The deal is that when you put a disc in, the unit tried to read the TOC, but then gives an error and spits the disc back out. I already took a look on the insides, and everything seems intact. The laser and recording head both seem to be in good condition, and the laser does come on when a disc is inserted. Both move properly. I think the problem is within the settings of the unit; I think something is wrong with the power to the laser, i.e. it can move and emit a laser but doesn't have enough power to read the signal. If anyone has any tips on getting into service mode and correcting power issues, I'm open ears. Any other suggestions are welcome!

Ah, but sonicstage requires tracks to be checked in and out, this putting restrictions on the number of times a song can be transferred as well as locking the track on the disc. Sonicstage is also a lot buggier.

Allright, enough. super, your post was deleted; get control of yourself. Posts have been edited to remove profanity and thread has been locked. No more iPod threads, this is an MD page. Look here for "iPod vs NetMD" info: http://forums.minidisc.org/viewtopic.php?t=1931