BJ

The LCD remote you're probably looking for is the RM-MC11EL. You can use it to adjust speed functions, etc, and the backlight & controls work nicely with the N707 & N505.

Check your manual--if there are no warnings, I'd say it's safe to leave it plugged in as long as you like. I've left my R900 plugged in for weeks with no battery leakage or deterioration, but that's me. In general, I'd say it's perfectly safe, but there will always be those few bad batteries out there.

If NetMD isn't a big selling point for you, see if you can pick up the MZ-R900. From what I hear, it has a more sophisticated microphone setup than the 7XX's. I use mine for live recording and get very nice results. If you have a self-powered mic, this probably won't be an issue--in which case go for the 707.

It might be the constant vibration playing havoc with your recorder, or it could be that the recording level is set too high. Give it a go in a nonmoving environment--plug in your entire mic outfit and record your stereo playing from across the room, or a conversation or something. Fiddle with the record level (max it out, then turn it down) to see if your record level is the culprit. If you can't reproduce the noise in this recording, it's gotta be the vibration. If this is the case, see if you can dig up a rig for absorbing the shock (a spring table or even a bath towel folded over and over to make a thick pad) the next time you're in the vehicle.

Sound-wise, my 10-year-old Sharp MD-D10 blows my N707 out of the water. The JVC XM-R70 has brilliant sound, but lacks volume (I just can't turn the thing up as loud as my N707). Just my 2 cents.

I always find useful posts on this forum. So does your mommy know you're using language like that? And are you using it as an adjective or a verb? Or are you just happy you're using it? ....must be an iPod user.

I'd say track down a Sony MZ-N707. It'll connect via USB/Opt/Analogue/Microphone what have you. Packed with functions, good sound (once you perform that hack and fiddle with the EQ settings), runs on AA battery forever, comes with AC adapter, car kit, remote, rechargeable AA battery, software, blank MD, etc, nicely made...and it looks cool, too. :wink: You can pick one up for about $150, as it's an older model--but I'd prefer this one over the new stuff that's been coming out.

Depending on the song, I can even notice the difference in my car (yes, as I drive). LP4 isn't true stereo, and there are quite a few artifacts (or maybe I just listen to dumb music, which is my girlfriend's suggestion). It's the squishy sound that distracts me (very messy highs).

I'm a fan of Henry Rollins' spoken word stuff, and it's great to have five of his CDs on one MD I can keep in the car--I don't need jacket art or rich bass sound. Also great for George Carlin or any other standup routines. I'm meaning to put together an LP4 mix of oldies (when the fidelity wasn't that great anyway)--think how many 2 minute oldies I can cram onto one MD!! :shock:

Half of my collection is recorded analogue (I just didn't have the digital option for a while), and they sound fine. After a little practise, you get a feel for the levels, and though the sound is different, it's no better or worse. Some points in analogue's favour: all the levels are the same; I don't have 'quieter' recordings followed by 'louder' recordings on the same mix and I can dub digitally off my analogue MDs. I know you can adjust the digital record level, too--I'm just lazy these days.

Geez, those things are old. Probably the slickest MD case ever made, but hard to come by. Have you tried digging up any MD classified ads online? Maybe post that you're looking for them & are willing to purchase/trade. Not the best photo: but maybe it'll help.

Man, if you'd've had a '500, it would be ruined. That's so cool--I must tell my brothers about this one. Hee hee hee... Hm. Maybe that's why I don't drink/smoke. Of course, my MD habit is slowly killing my bank account, so I guess there's always some give & take...

I'm with you and Joe. I just can't wrap my brain around the playlist thing (even Net MD's 'Group' function gives me the willies). I like to have something solid in my hand: "This is my Flipsides MD, and I will now play it." If all my music was buried on an iPod, I'd probably give up and let it collect dust instead of search for it or organise it into playlists. I'm the kind of person who has 15 years of photographs sitting randomly and unlabelled in a few boxes because I'd rather go through and handle them all than try to sort them (playlists), label them (ID tags) and file them. Never thought I'd be a fossil.

If you're into Sony, I'd recommend the MZ-R900. It's trim and pretty tough, packed with so many features your head will spin. It has better mic & headphone amps than the other models of its time. The menu system might be a little strange, but it's a very nice unit. You should be able to pick one up for under $200. For optical out, though, you'll need to buy a home deck or the MZ-1.

I very much like my 707. For me, the net MD option is nice to have around, even if it's just for titling discs on the computer keyboard. The 707 is tough, nice looking and full of options. Once you perform the hack detailed elsewhere on these forums, you can adjust the treble/bass settings to make it sound a little brighter. If you have the option, I'd say grab a 707.

Very fun. Outdated in spots, and just a tad biased, but fun to read. Guy posted from my hometown, too! I'll have to look him up...

I can notice a certain difference between LP2 & LP4. For me, LP2 sounds great--certainly better than any MP3s I've heard. But when compared to the original source, it does lack power. Plenty of bass for my car stereo, crisp highs and strong sound overall, but there's something missing that you don't notice until you bring in the CD. By the same right, though, I've heard sounds come through on an LP2 recording that I never noticed before in the source CD. Go figure. LP4 to me sounds brittle--the sound is there, but it's dirtier and certainly not as strong. I wouldn't use it for music, but for voice (spoken word concerts, comedy albums, etc) it's perfect. I don't notice the difference with a spoken LP4 recording.

*slaps forehead* Yeah, what he said.

Try recording from another source (like SimpleBurner or a direct connection to your stereo or a mic) and see if the recording takes. That way you can tell if it's the 505 itself or if it's just OpenMG being stupid again. You may have to reinstall the MD drivers on your computer or some nonsense. Also, check the basics: are you letting the MD write its table of contents before you eject he disc? Does the computer recognise the MD when you plug it in? Does Open MG record the whole track or just a couple seconds before it stops?

Hey...just a comment. I haven't read the entirity of this thread, but I did the hack on my N707 and had a few pleasant surprises. Most importantly, the LINE OUT option stays selected after the unit powers down! My R900 always resets on power down, and it has always bugged me, since I primarily listen in my car. Just that option alone has me using my 707 almost exclusively now! I also messed with the sound presets--I don't know how any of us survived with a simple "bass boost" for so long! I love this forum!

I've never asked--I'd assume you just be straightforward with them. They have jobs to do, and if you don't take up much of their time, I'm sure they'd appreciate it. Bring with you a variety of cords: male-to-male stereo 1/8" cord (a stereo headphone jack on each end), an 1/8" to 1/4" stereo adapter, an RCA-to-1/8" stereo cord (one end is a componant plug, like for the back of your stereo). I think that's a good start. If they're willing to let you jack in, they can tell you where to stick it (and might, so be ready for rejection). It'll be up to you to adjust your recording levels on your MD. Even if it's out of a headphone jack on their board, it's better than an audience recording. Also, smaller venues would be more likely to let you connect to the soundboard, so see if you can't catch your act at a local club or pub instead of an arena. Good luck!

You could always make some. Don't let the low price or low-tech approach fool you--these things work pretty darn well. I've used them for two concerts so far with very enjoyable results.

If you don't mind fiddling with your MDs, you might look around for a deck or portable that will allow TOC cloning. You can copy an analogue Table of Contents onto each of your digital recordings and fool the player into thinking it's an analogue recording with no SCMS. The downside is that you'll have to go back and divide up all your tracks again, and if you did any editing, moving, etc, all the original data is where you left it--there may still be snippets of things you thought you erased. Okay, maybe it's not such a great idea... It might just be easier to use the analogue connection after all. :?

The iPod is a nifty little device, but as with any harddrive-based players (like the Archos & Creative Labs jukeboxes), it may crash and take all your music with it. Also (so far) it doesn't record unless it's hooked up to a computer (this will change within the year, I believe). The MD functions basically like a tape recorder, but with the added bonus of a CD-like random access: you can skip tracks, etc. What it has over tape and CD is its editability--don't like a song? Erase it and use the space for a different song. Move songs around, split them up, paste them back together...MD doesn't have a problem with it at all. You can connect your MD to any sound source and it'll record it. Ask your friends if their MP3 players will record/edit/erase tracks by themselves, or do they need a computer? How easy is it for them to expand the memory in their MP3 players? All you need to do with MD is buy more blank discs for US$1.50/ea. I get long-winded, so here's the breakdown: MD is better because... - it's a stand-alone recording device - its sound quality is generall better than MP3 - its media (the discs) aren't affected by magnetism, as tapes/flash memory are - it will not crash; if the MD recorder breaks, pick up another and rest assured your music is still on the discs you recorded - it is very hearty; the discs can be pretty well abused and will still work fine - for all the recording/editing options, it's cheaper than an MP3 jukebox (like the iPod) or a flash player - familiar controls--if you can run a tape recorder, you can grasp the MD - better battery life: the Sony MZ-N707 gets about 48 hours worth of straight play time from a single LR6 (AA) battery. - wow factor MP3 is better because... - you don't have to shuffle discs around; all your music is in one place - better interface with the computer - no copy protect--you can freely trade music with friends (MD's copy protect is defeatable, but requires fiddling) - wow factor I'm sorry the lists are so mismatched, but I'm not familiar with harddrive MP3 players/recorders. For the needs you listed, MD is perfect except for the copying from MD to computer, at which point you only slow down a little--you need to connect you MD to your computer's sound card and record the disc in real time through an analogue connection, as though you were recording to your computer from a microphone or something. The results are just fine, but we're not talking lightning fast transfer, here. If you can live with that, grab yourself a Net MD recorder, but make sure it has a microphone input (the red input jack). I'd suggest the Sony MZ-N707. Anybody willing to pull for the MP3 players?

That depends on what you'd use it for. If you're primarily going to be shuffling MP3s, go for the iPod. If you want to record concerts & such, or if you're like me and get confused having more than 50 songs in one place, keep the 707. The 707 is a great machine, and you already have it! However, if you're curious and have money to throw around, give the iPod a try, but wait a little bit until they at least throw a "line-in" onto it. In my opinion, MD is nicer because it's a stand-alone piece of audio equipment that you have the option to hook up to anything for recording/playback. But then, I only have a handful of MP3s on my computer to fiddle with, so my own path is pretty clear...