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BJ

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Everything posted by BJ

  1. The S1 doesn't have microphone input. How about the MZ-N707 (I've had terrific luck with mine) or the MZ-N910? The 707 is cheaper, with fewer features, but should do everything you need it to, and it's pretty rugged. The 910 has a number of slick extra features, and it's got a completely aluminum body (the 707 just has an aluminum face; the back is plastic). Both units can survive a few scrapes and drops. I don't think we'll see any new Net MD portables until next spring, but that's just a semi-educated guess. Recording MP3->MD isn't bad, it's just not as quick as a straight transfer to a normal MP3 player.
  2. I've been plugging the MZ-N707--it's a good starter unit, solid, etc. Does the Net MD thing and has line & mic input. Not as many bells and whistles as the N10, probably not as sturdy, but certainly nothing to sneeze at. You'd probably have to wait until Sony releases the next generation or two of MD units before the N10 drops in price. The N707 is already discontinued, so it's much cheaper than it used to be.
  3. I'm not sure what the real name is for the plug (I think micro-plug might be right, Bazirker), but if it looks like this... ...then there is an adapter that you'd have to order from Sony.
  4. BJ

    Picking headphones

    I love my Radio Shack Pro35 phones (made by Koss, of course). If you have access to a Radio Shack, check 'em out. They're about $40, but sometimes go on sale for half off, which is a steal. Rich bass, crisp highs, and they can handle some serious volume.
  5. Hm. Buddy up with someone who has a voltmeter or voltometer or whatever those things are called. Something you can use to test the power output of electrical devices. Charge up the battery and test its output--if it's much lower than advertised, it's not holding a full charge. If possible, get a completely different charger (adapter, etc) and charge it that way, then check the results. If the battery is damaged, it just won't hold a charge, no matter how you charge it. Also, if you have the voltthingy, try testing the output of your adapter & converter to make sure its output isn't too high or too low for the unit. After a year, it's certainly possible something has failed in the adapter, converter or battery. If you're feeling flush, see if you can dig up another battery (like at Minidisco.com or on eBay) or find one of Duracell's flat-sided alkalines to use in the meantime. I'm guessing at the type of battery the N-10 uses, since I've never had the chance to play with one.
  6. I used to have an Aiwa AM-F70--brilliant little unit, and I must've been crazy to get rid of it. It had a nice, large, backlit screen. Also, I think some of the Japanese versions of the JVC XM-R70 have backlight, but not any European/American units. I imagine they get rid of the backlight to simplify the design and conserve battery power.... ...but I'm with you--I'd certainly buy a backlit MD unit. Give this one a try: put your MD in REC+Pause mode on the main unit, and see if pressing 'Play' on the remote starts the record process....wait, wait...maybe it won't, since on Sony's remotes 'Play' and '>>' are the same thing.
  7. :shock: Boy, I'd better borrow as many CDs as I can from my public library before the RIAA shuts them down. Seriously, though, for each one of us librarians out there (someone who must have the original CD to archive and appreciate) there are at least ten rednecks who download an MP3 and keep it with no intention of buying anything. But how can anyone tell who is who? One more scrap to thow on this burning pile: if memory serves, the Dixie Chicks (not a band I listen to, but one I admire) sued Sony for breach of contract. I guess Sony was underreporting sales and pulling other accounting sneakiness to defraud them out of due royalties. Cute! I'd say if the RIAA gets to monitor MP3 trading, maybe the government can start monitoring the RIAA. And since we commoners like to pretend we monitor the government, it comes full circle. And finally, if it wasn't for MP3 trading, I never would have found (and subsequently purchased every last album from) three of my top 10 favourite groups. Eh...maybe I really don't have anything substantial to contribute to this thread...
  8. BJ

    IPOD

    I've had the chance to fiddle with one, and they are very nice. Good sound, slick interface, convenient size, okay-but-not-as-good-as-MD battery life.... :wink: But. I also have 100s of MDs & CDs, with only a small handful of MP3s on my computer. I'd have to do some serious ripping to get everything transferred to an iPod, and it sounds like you're in the same boat. My 2 cents: get the MD, since you already have the music and the media. By the time your new MD poops out, we'll know for sure if Sony plans on running MD into the ground by placing a few more restrictions on the technology {/bitter} Seriously, iPods are nice, but you'll have to really embrace MP3s and keep backups in case the iPod crashes on you.
  9. In general, Sharp units are better for live recording, they have brighter sound, the controls are more intuitive (you can pick up a Sharp and use it without reading the instructions--tough with Sony) and they turn up a bit louder than Sony units. Sony have the NetMD thing down, they have slick little units and they are widely available--you can find parts, hacks and other people who use them a lot easier. Speaking of other people, I love my 707, and would certainly recommend getting one.
  10. The 700 has good enough battery life, so see if you can keep it in REC+Pause to adjust the manual record level. Here's what I do... Fiddle with the record level before the gig, when people are milling around--on a Sony the noise should reach about the second bar. As soon as the band hits the stage, the crowd will go nuts--if you're in the audience, this is probably the loudest level you'll get all night, so quickly adjust your record volume so the crowd noise is about 3/4 of the way to max, and hit Play (or is it Pause?) to start recording. Then forget about it--either the recording turns out or it doesn't. And you can always bump up the volume later, but you can't turn down a loud recording after it's been clipped when the levels're too high. I usually wear one of those rainbow pendants that flash and turn colours. It's a festive, concert-y thing to have, and it gives off just enough light to see the screen on my MD. And killerisme, if you're not too proud, see if you can buy/borrow another MD player that allows you to fiddle with the equaliser settings and dub MD->MD with the playback unit pumping up the treble (and volume if need be) a little--that might take some of the muffle out of your recording. Audience recordings usually sound a little canned anyway.
  11. It sounds like the copper coloured wires in each side are the ground wires, and the red/blue wires are the...can't remember the term...live? I have to stop perusing the forum so late. Probably the red is right and blue is left. Eh, or maybe not. Anyway, make sure the ground wires are attached where they should be (my mic elements had one lead that was obviously connected to the metal casing of the element itself--that's the ground) and the "live" wires are connected to their proper places. Basically, make sure none of the wires're crossed. When I first made one of these, I got solder all over the place, and some of it bridged the space between both wires, so I had to cut through it and re-solder that one. Make sure the space between leads is clear on both elements. Also, just in case, I used a razor blade to scrape off the coloured coating on the "live" wires to make a better solder connection. You might want to try that, too. And lastly, I cut the wires as short as I could possibly work with so there weren't any extra bits jutting out. Who knows? One of these might actually work! Good luck!
  12. The phono preamp would boost the level, but you might have to fiddle with the output on the 707 to avoid distortion. If I remember right, a turntable doesn't put out a really loud signal (hence the preamp, I guess), so the 707 might overwhelm it a little unless you turn it down. I would guess it works, but it might require some tweaking once it's set up.
  13. I've heard that the battery box + line in combination gives cleaner results, especially on Sony units, but I haven't had a chance to try. Otherwise, I do get fine results with a non-powered homebrew microphone plugged into the mic jack, but I'm not that picky. :wink:
  14. I believe you'll plug your microphone in to the "Mic In" jack in your sound card, then plug the MD's "Line In" into the sound card's "Line Out" or "Speaker Out" jack. You could also dig up a self-powered microphone and completely bypass the computer--just plug it directly into the MD. As long as the mic provides its own power (with an internal battery or a battery box) you should be good.
  15. BJ

    MZ-N505 Issues

    It might be the hack--see if you can get back in to service mode and return its settings to the original values (hope you wrote them down!). If it still acts crazy after that, then I'm flummoxed. ...Oi. I said "flummoxed" and meant it. :?
  16. If you do still go ahead with the LP->MD transfer, check your MD manual. There should be a way to disable automatic track marks, or to record manually like a tape deck--that would put you in control of all the starts/stops and track marks.
  17. BJ

    CD players

    I've never jogged with the SL-CT580 (I'm lazy), but I've had it rattling around in my car over some rough roads, and I've never heard it skip. The motor only spins enough to feed music into its 40-second memory, then it shuts down until the memory runs low again--good for battery life and skip protection. I haven't seen this model on the shelves often--it's probably discontinued. I paid US$80 for it. You can probably find it (and a few MD players) on eBay. That's the only place I've seen Panasonic MDs for sale.
  18. BJ

    types of discs

    I've only had trouble with Hi-Space discs (shoddy construction; some data loss) and two Memorex (vibration noise, bad UTOC sectors). Some of my players are more picky than others (my JVC had the most trouble with Memorex for some reason). You can't go wrong with Sony and Denon, TDK and Axia are very good, Maxell, Fuji and Memorex are certainly useable.
  19. I'm a very young 31, and I've been using any MD I can get my hands on since I got my Sharp MD-MS702 five years ago.
  20. I can only think of a few reasons: 1 - is your power converter faulty? If you got a unit from Japan, it's designed for, what, 100 volts or something? And if you're using it in the UK, you're going to need that converter--it may not be functioning properly, and it could have fried the battery. 2 - is the battery itself faulty? Sometimes they just don't hold up--with that many batteries being manufactured for the world's rampant consumerism, there will be a few duds out there. 3 - ummm....it's late, and I forgot number three.
  21. I belive you are right, and I'd say line out is cleaner. A close approximation to line out would be to flatten out the bass & treble settings and crank the volume all the way up. If you have the 707, though, do the hack. I love the 'line out' option (I usually listen in my car through the auxiliary jack in my head unit).
  22. So cool--congratulations! I love a happy ending.
  23. BJ

    CD players

    I've had nothing but good luck with Panasonic portable CD players. I've been through 3 Sonys and all of them were atrocious: bad sound quality, misaligned lens and mysterious power short. But I still have a Panasonic I bought 10 years ago as a display model at Best Buy that is still chugging along. It doesn't look too great anymore, but it has never stopped playing. I recently splurged and bought the ultra-slim SL-CT580, and I love it. I've also heard that Panasonic make very nice MD portables--a little light on the features, but solid machines overall. Hope I was helpful, and good luck.
  24. BJ

    Tough call

    I can't vouch for the n1, but I've owned both the N505 & N707, and I much prefer the N707, primarily because of the functions unlocked with the hack (posted elsewhere on the forum). It sounds like the N505 will work just fine for your stated purpose--the only big extra you'll get with the N707 is the larger screen, which I really like. If you don't mind the screen size, though, buy the 505 and use the extra money on a bunch of blank MDs.
  25. You're saddled with an R3 too, huh? I'm surprised mine has lasted this long--it's started making interesting grinding noises lately as it tracks discs. Check Ebay for the Sharp MD-MS702MK portable recorder (or any MS702 in working order). This is the easiest model (in my experience) to use for TOC cloning, and it would certainly recover your audio. You wouldn't have dozens of fragments, just a single, 74 minute track you get to split up. I keep my 702 for exactly this purpose, and it's never let me down.
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