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to put it simply the new 4 pole connector seperates the L and R channels of stereo completely from the amp (i think) and so u get 2 wires going into both the L and R channels of the output...so basically you get "true" stereo sound...the current 3 pole splits the L and R channels between the 2 (hence the bridged link) and you're kind of losing a bit of the signal when you listen to the audio that's being outputted...i'm not 100% sure how this 1-bit thingy works exactly but that's what i think it does...

yep this would be fine so long as the unit itself has an Optic input then it would'n be a problem...

i would say a cautious yes to the backlit lcd remotes working on the N510...i'm not 100% sure since i've never used this unit or tried it with any of my remotes...the backlight however does NOT stay on all the time...it fades out after a few seconds when it senses that you hav'n activated any button on the remote...to turn it on again just press any of the buttons or jog the shuttle control at the side to activate the backlight again...

i mean the jack the headphones plug in2 on the remote..it utilises a new 4-pin (4 poles) array rather than the 3-pin (3 poles) on the normal headphones that are curerntly out on the market...see slide below to see what i mean...

simplest method to record to the MD if you have a whole stack of mp3's on your computer s of course using mp3's and playing them back through winamp or something similar and recording straight off it on2 md...otherwise if you want quality or have a lot of music already on cd's then record through optic out to the MD unit...

IMO i would say get the Sharp...The Aiwa is under Sony management and i would expect that it would now perform like a Sony unit...it also seems that it does not have the ability to record from a mic or line...so i would give this a miss unless all you want is to transfer music from your PC -> MD...the Panasonic unit has been out for a while now and i don't know if it offers anything new over the other units...i've used many panasonic units over the past and i have to say they are a joy to use because of their simplicity...the Sharp unit is a nice choice because of its sound quality through the 1-bit amp as well as having the typical Sharp ease of recording but beware that it uses a 4 pin connector and the E888 uses a 3 pin connector so i suspect that some sound is lost through connecting these earbuds up but it still sounds very good...(i've compared my DS8 using the original buds that came with it and my E888 & EX71 and they sound more or less the same to me...) and lastly the N10 which continues Sony's legacy of shoving more features on the unit and trying 2 make it smaller than anyone else can make it...i own this unit and though i'm pretty happy with it i would like to see that some things improve...the accoustic engine (v-surround modes etc) sound quite bad and i end up using the custom eq anyways, soundwise it's not as good as my N1...the menu system remains and they use an internal li-ion battery which makes the unit smaller but lessens the playback time on the unit due to its lower capacity...anyway enough of my ranting this is just a simple run down of features between them...hopefully this helps you make your decisions and feel free to ask me anything if you still have any questions...

NRen2k5 i seriously don't know y they can't c that u r allowed to express ur opinions on the forums anyway u like...being banned just 4 correcting someone seems a bit harsh...

IMO i think it's better to go and get a new MD unit...usually the new ones that are out now are a lot better than the old one that broke (in terms of features) and yeh it'll be worthwhile upgrading...but if u still rather the MT15 then i say fix it..it's a nice unit in its own right...

the DC2 would work from PC -> MD since it uses a USB -> Toslink connection...this is like a digital out from a USB port and you can connect a non-NetMD unit or even a NetMD unit to it via its OPTIC jack...bear in mind the recording is done in real-time so whether or not you connect up a non-NetMD unit or a NetMD capable unit there's not going to be a difference in transfer times...

ah rite iLink is firewire...yeh i also own a VAIO and they use a 4pin iLink (IEEE1349) port...but back to ur original question..no you cannot transfer music across via firewire...NetMD use the USB protocol to transfer data across and firewire use its own protocol and the 2 rn't backward compatible (not to mention they are rival formats)...so no there isn't a cable that allows you to do this...

press and hold the PLAYMODE button on the remote until the numbers at the side which display the track numbers starts blinking ---...then use the ff and rw jog thing on the right to go forward and backwards through groups...

there r pros and cons 4 both models... i'll do a quick comparison of the 2...R909 is lighter (full aluminium shell)and smaller (N707 has a big lump at the back where the battery goes and is made half out of plastic and the front panel out of metal) + has a longer battery life (uses both NiMH + AA whereas N707 uses 1xAA)...also the R909 has a 3 line LCD display on the main unit and a backlit remote (and all the bells and whistles you come to expect in a flagship model from Sony) where as the N707 has a 1 line LCD display and a non-backlit remote...tho it does utilise NetMD which is something the R909 does not have... the R909 is somewhat of a better unit overall but if you do want NetMD to transfer music from PC -> MD faster than real-time then you're better off with the N707 and just buy a backlit remote if you want that functionality...ultimately the choice is urs...both r relatively good units...

try taking a look @ the new Sharp units that are coming out on the market...they seem promising...

well he duz hav a minidisc section on his new forum...so i guess it's slightly relevant...

sorry but i have to ask u which IEEE connection that u are talking about??? is it IEEE1349 (Firewire) or was it something else???

if ur looking 4 a new set of earbuds try the Sennheiser MX500's or Sony EX71's....

not 2 sure about whether or not SCMS will kill it since if there's no copy protection on the md then it should'n b a prob...and it gets recorded on your computer as a .wav file...

from wot i hear u can't record from the tuner....any1 correct me if i'm wrong...

if u happen 2 own a unit witn an OPTIC OUT the use that...otherwise record from the unit's LINE OUT -> PC's LINE IN...

try (when openmg is opened up) to disconnect and reconnect the usb link to the unit...it should make a sound to verify that a device has been connected and this should prompt openmg to display the contents on your MD...well that's wot i do when it doesn't get recognised in very rare occassions...

i totally agree with KJ_Palmer above...V-Surround is more or less useless 4 me on both my N10 and E10 units..i use my custom EQ settings most of the time now...outputted through the E888 earbuds...sounds alright...tho not as nice as my DS8 on the E888's...

the amp on the sharp unit should be good enough...but with the distortion i think you should adjust the levels manually and see if that works out and gets rid of most of the distortion due to clipping...but if it is indeed the fact that the mics are the main source of the problem then i suggest that you go and order like a better pair if u want to do a lot of live recordings...it will be better in the long run IMO if you invest in a good quality mic...

sorry that was me above...i got logged out 4 sum wierd reason....

um it will depend on your budget and what type of headphones you want (i.e. headphones or earbuds)... Earbuds : Sennheiser MX500, Sony EX71, Sony E888 Headphones : well not too sure on this one since i don't use headphones with my portables but if you want the best go for the Sony MDR-F1...i use them with my computer and are really good...

N10 is a left hand side mounted jog dial (facing towards you) while the N910 is on the right hand side kinda like the N1 and R909...since i'm kinda use to my R909/N1 i feel right at home using the N910's jog dial...the N10 that i have took a while to get used to...but otherwise it's not so bad...i don't mind either layout...both get the job done...