A440

If you really mean the NH1, then the RH910 includes direct playback of mp3 (rather than converting, but not sounding so great) which the NH1 does not have. However, the NH1 will record via line-in or mic-in to old MD formats--SP, LP2, LP4--and the RH910 will not. The RH1 has good mp3 playback, records in old MD formats, holds its Manual recording settings and, most important, uploads recordings made in old MD formats. Minidisc-Canada seems to be the last dedicated minidisc dealer with NH700 in stock. If you find another place that has them (or the NHF800, same unit plus radio remote), then please post it here.

I just got the Gomadic-like "battery extender" from Ebay, $11 shipped, and it works. The tip isn't interchangeable like the Gomadic--it's on there to stay. Search for "Battery Extender" V3 or Razr http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Motorola-V3-V3m-SL...1QQcmdZViewItem

Sync Rec has nothing to do with the automatic track marking in Line-in. Silence will still produce track marks.

Surprise! http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4134866 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...oughType=search If you're a sound-quality fanatic, get the RH1. If you're happy with your current MD unit, you'd also be happy with the NH700. Unfortunately, it looks like the ones at www.minidiscaccess.com are gone. They still have them in Canada. http://www.minidisc-canada.com/shopexd.asp?id=675

Lossless should be lossless and sound the same as the source. Did you do a blind testing? Compression formats discard information. Lossless formats are supposed to somehow pack the information so that it's all there, but regular ATRAC, mp3 (and .ogg and others) all select what information to keep and what information to discard. How much they keep depends on the bitrate: how much data per second of music. Mp3 isn't all the same. Conversions are done at various bitrates. When you get up above 192, or even 256, it can sound excellent because they're keeping more information. Albums ripped to 128 kbps don't sound so hot. But it's not just the file. It's the playback. An mp3 will sound different on a Sony, an Ipod, an Iriver, etc., because they are each playing back through different converters and amps. That's why the Sony mp3 player doesn't sound as good as the MD. Different playback electronics. Yes, the RH1 needs its remote--all that's on the unit display is track number. Lossless is better. But lossless is just for storage on your computer. If I understand correctly, ATRAC lossless files have two components: a compressed part, which goes to your portable unit, and the rest, which stays on your computer. Since you're not playing back mp3s and you don't like remotes, I'd still recommend the first-gen units from www.minidiscaccess.com . The RH910 has a shiny plastic case that's a scratch magnet. Have you tried J&R (www.jr.com) or BH Photo (www.bhphoto.com) in New York City?

What's on the media--flash or disc--is just numbers. The difference is in the circuitry that translates those numbers back into sound. If most of your music is in the form of mp3s, then you should seriously consider the RH1 because it will play back those mp3s without further conversion and with good sound. The RH910 will also play them back without conversion, but with duller sound. On the other hand, if budget is a consideration and you are transferring CD to disc via Simple Burner--turning the music into ATRAC files--you could also get a first generation unit. The MZ-NH700 is $150 at http://www.minidiscaccess.com . I got an email offer from a place I don't know that is selling the NH600, with the line-in input, for just $99. The RH1 has the best amp, is smallest and sleekest and is most versatile--for uploading legacy formats, for holding manual recording settings. Where sound quality is the prime consideration, it's the best choice. It also impresses the ladies.

This is my 2000th post here. What the hell was I thinking?

That's the part I don't get. I was just at an Eric Clapton concert tonight at Madison Square Garden. Lots of bass in the place. As usual my setup was Sound Professionals BMC-2 mics and Microphone Madness Mini Classic Battery Module into Line-in. Manual Volume was about 20/30, and I probably could have gone to 21/30, and I have a very vivid, accurate, loud live recording. I have no idea whether eliminating some bass would allow me to make it, maybe, 23/30, but I don't think sacrificing the bass is worth it. You're right, it's a matter of taste. Rolled-off recordings sound shallow to me.

A charger should have come with the unit, in three pieces: cord, Sony recharger box and USB cord. If you don't have that for some reason, you can also get a charger for a Motorola Razr V3. It will give the same display you're getting with the USB--brief flash of animated "battery charging" icon--and will then fully charge the RH1. Or, why not try leaving the RH1 connected to your computer overnight and see if it recharges? I'd be curious about the results of that experiment.

I assume you are running a current version of SonicStage, like 3.4 or 4.0 . Those run smoothly (unless you happen to have a lot of unconventionally tagged mp3s). I haven't had any SonicStage problems in at least a year. But earlier versions of SonicStage were much less reliable, much more restrictive, harder to uninstall, occasionally vicious--ERASING FOREVER a track if you tried to upload it twice!--and well deserving of moans. Since Sony made minidisc so dependent on SonicStage, it had no right to inflict what was essentially beta software on users. On the Internet, old outdated information survives forever, and is often easier to access with a search engine because it has had more time to develop links. People moaned a lot about OMG Jukebox and SonicStage 2.x. There has been far less moaning since SonicStage 3.2. But when people buy an older MD, open the package, and install the SonicStage 2.0 disc that came with it, there can be unhappy consequences. People are still losing recordings to the old restrictive encryption because they think they can simply copy files from their hard drive before formatting their PCs, instead of backing them up through SonicStage's mysterious backup tool and online validator. I'm one of the people who do think drag-and-drop is a better idea. I have a lipstick-sized 1GB Iriver T30, which is drag-and-drop. If I have an .mp3 album, it zips onto the unit via USB 2.0 . If I want to transfer a CD, I can use iTunes like Simple Burner simply by changing the destination of its Import function. The T30 interface is a little clumsier than MD--lots of button pushing to find a song--but the size and ease of transfer makes up for it. Much as I love minidisc for recording, since I got the T30 the MD hasn't been my portable player.

RH1 does have line-out, but doesn't show it in the Menu options (under Audio Out) if you have headphones plugged in. Unplug, and there it is. Since it has a clock, I have a feeling it does time-stamping too.

Why are you using Applocale? SonicStage is not a legacy app. Are you using any skinning software? Windowblinds, etc. It has to be off. Another possibility is that your NVidia card is conflicting with SonicStage.

You are probably out of luck. The procedure you were supposed to use was to run the Backup Tool under C:Programs/SonicStage, not to just copy the files. Sony was afraid that you would use your minidisc for music piracy if you could simply make copies of your files. So the files you copied are coded to play only on your old installation of SonicStage, which you no longer have because you formatted your PC. Save the files in hopes that someday Sony allows its encryption to be broken, but currently there is no crack and those files are useless. With new files, either run the Backup Tool or use the File Conversion Tool as explained here. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=16088

Mic-in has a preamplifier behind it. That boosts the small signal from the mic for unamplified sounds like speech or unamplified music. However, with amplified music the preamp tends to overload, hence the alternative of mic--battery module--line-in to bypass it. Line-in has no preamplifier, so it requires a battery module for loud sounds and a preamplifier (nearly as expensive and just about as large as the MD unit) for quiet ones. A mic jack gives you a lot more flexibility. Look very closely at the listing for any "NH600" on Ebay. Nine times out of 10, they're the NH-600D.

Perhaps you know exactly what bass frequencies are going to be over-emphasized at your next show, and perhaps your bass roll-off is fine-tuned enough to match them. Somehow I doubt it. Mic--battery module--line-in gives me ample headroom without distorting my recording on the way in. The recording does not have to be overly quiet to accommodate the actual bass. And I would rather throw away data from an accurate recording than never gather the data in the first place. Bass roll-off conceivably has some use if you are recording through mic-in, where even modest bass can cause distortion. I've always thought that's why Sony makes the microphones it markets as "for minidisc" wth bass response stopping at 100 Hz. With all the mics I've used, the battery box provides enough juice to go through Line-in, where there's no preamp to overload. But to each his own...

Try running the MDAC Repair Tool from Downloads (top left corner of this page) on dad's computer.

I bought a refurbished Sony CD player once (at a Sony store). It works fine, and the sticker that says "refurbished" is on there like white on rice, so if it's a Sony refurb you'll be able to tell. If it's an item someone returned, you should be able to tell if the accessories bags are still taped shut and haven't obviously been re-sealed. Just like a new unit--any electronics can be a lemon--test all the functions when it arrives.

You're trolling old information. The Nomad JB3 is no longer made, line-in only (needs a battery module or preamp), and not universally beloved. It's the size of a CD player, not palm-sized like MD, and I have read about problems with reliability and software. The MS722 is very old and obsolete, and had some firmware problems, not to mention that it's kind of ugly. Whoever recommended that is living in 1998. For your own peace of mind, ease of use and excellence of recording, spend your $150 on a new MZ-NH700. http://www.minidiscaccess.com/item.html?PRID=1553220 It is a high-quality recorder and it will upload recordings to your computer. It also has a mic-in jack. The NH600 is line-in only--battery module again, although you'll probably want to get one anyway--and hard to find. Don't confuse it with the NH600D (for Downloader), and don't get sold the wrong one, because the NH-600D has no recording input. The NH-600D is for use as a portable music player. If you do find a good NH600 under $100, jump on it and get a battery module (see below). Here are all the MD units (look under Recorders). Remember, the entries were written when each unit was new and the latest thing. http://www.minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html No unit made before 2004, when Hi-MD (MZ-NH* or MZ-RH*--H for Hi-MD) was introduced, will upload recordings to your computer. Also, units made before Hi-MD recorded only in compressed formats, while you can record CD-quality sound to a Hi-MD (up to 90 minutes per 1GB disc). Older units will give you decent recordings, but the the music is stuck on the disc unless you want to record them from the headphone jack in real time. If you are willing to do that, you should still at least get a NetMD unit (MZ-N*), like the MZ-N707, because you can have your computer control the playback and separate the tracks through the NetMD interface. But NetMD will not upload, no matter how tempting its USB connection seems: it's one-way, computer to MD. The MZ-N* units are fairly old, and the MZ-R* units (before NetMD, no computer connection) are getting mighty old, and you would be very lucky to find one that is not wearing out. I hope you have mics. If not, the ever-reliable Sound Professionals BMC-2. http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-BMC-2 You occasionally find them about $10 cheaper on ebay, because sometimes Sound Professionals sells them there. For just about any amplified music, you also need a battery module, like this one, to make recordings through line-in: http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm or at the very least an attenuator ($7), the Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control, shown in my avatar, to record through Mic-in. I know that adds to your budget. But if you get an old unit, you'll end up replacing it, probably sooner rather than later. I have been knocking around my MZ-NHF800 (just like the NH700, but with a radio remote I never use) for two years, and it just keeps going.

What unit do you have? Until the RH*** series of Hi-MD came along last year, the only format that minidisc units played was ATRAC, which are .oma files. SonicStage converted .wav or .mp3 files to .oma. The RH units (2d generation Hi-MD) will play mp3s without converting them--though they still go through SonicStage--but no other MD or Hi-MD unit will. Unless you have an RH, all the music on your disc is .oma, no matter what it is on your computer. Your first error message may mean that you haven't imported the files to SonicStage--that is, you haven't let SonicStage convert them. It's also possible that they are mp3s with unconventional ID3 tags, something SonicStage doesn't like. If so, edit the tags so they only have letters and numbers and don't have a lot of text in any field--check Comments, which often has very long texts. Then try importing the re-tagged mp3s.

You can download Simple Burner again from Downloads (top left corner on this page) and install it again, and see if that works. It's also possible that the CD is copy-protected. Can you rip the CD to mp3 on your computer (with iTunes or, also in downloads, dbpoweramp)? If you can't the problem is the CD itself. .

I'll have to try my old MZ-N707 when I actually have it in hand. What you write about the Stop button sounds right, though--left and right for everything is probably the way it goes. Greenmachine, the MZ-N707 won't let you adjust manual levels while you're recording--only in Pause. That's why I started using the attenuator in the first place--to give me on-the-fly level control. But I soon realized that set-it-and-forget-it is much better than fiddling during the show. So if you do use it, leave the attenuator on maximum and set one level in Manual before you start. Bass roll-off is a waste of money. If you're not peaking the levels as you go through line-in, you will get good bass without distortion--and a much more accurate recording. You can always roll off the bass playback if the room was bass-y, but at least you're getting what you heard on the recording. Level control on a battery module would be useful for on-the-fly changes during recording, but you need to do that sparingly if at all. In the long period that I used an attenuator before switching to the battery module, noise was not particularly a problem because I was recording at high levels to begin with, and didn't have to boost the volume later. Whatever small amount of noise it did introduce could sometimes have the effect of making the music sound more live. However, the mics themselves would definitely distort sooner, because they were getting less power, at really blasting concerts. I used the attenuator primarily for stealth, because I didn't want to carry a big box along with the MD, and it is a good budget solution. But there's no doubt that a battery module is definitely more hi-fi. I like the Mic Madness one mostly because it's tiny, but it's far from the only choice. You don't have to worry about compatibility between brands: voltage is voltage.

I don't have a NH600, but Pause during recording creates a track mark on every other MD unit I've ever owned. I don't think the NH600 will be any different.

Volta, I think he's talking about gaps within tracks, not between them. gamer, are you trying to convert some CD that has evil copy protection software on it? There's usually a little logo with a C and some black triangles hidden on the back. Or are they very low bitrate (48 kbps) mp3s? If you have an extra Hi-MD disc, how about transferring some CD tracks as PCM, just to experiment?

You shouldn't install any version of SonicStage before 3.4. The more you uninstall and reinstall, the more screwy things are going to get. I suggest you back up My Library (Backup Tool under Programs/SonicStage), uninstall what you have now from Add or Remove Programs, then run the 3.4 full installer from Downloads (link on the upper left). What are you trying to transfer? If it's an .mp3, open up the ID3 tag and edit it down to something simple, with only letters and numbers (no other characters). Make sure the Comment field doesn't have a whole lot of text in it and there's nothing too long or too odd in other fields. SonicStage 4.0 doesn't like unconventional ID3 tags.

Make that an MZ-RH1. Yes, you can add track marks. You just push the Track button during playback. Just did it.