bluecrab

I have one friend who saw the light with MD, although he is hardly at the level of devotion we see here. Still, he does have two decks and two portables. Then there is my brother, similarly equipped. He has a degree in audio engineering and I am convinced that his decision to not pursue that field deprived the world of one good audio guy (although his expertise is more along analog lines). Anyway, those are the only two people I personally know who do MD. Just send your kids to Ohio State or one of the other fine state Us in Ohio. They'll be fine and you'll have plenty more to spend on MD! ;-)

When the LP4 thread started, I performed a brief test: Recorded one track CD>MD in LP4 on MXD-D400. Recorded same track CD>MD in LP2 on MXD-D400. Started playing both CDs and alternated listening to each (just a matter of switching input selector on amp). The LP4 was clearly inferior. HOWEVER, that said, I had previously listened to some LP4 stuff that had been put on MD via SS, and this sounded fine. I would never have guessed it to be LP4 if the LP4 light had not come on. So I think you are correct, although I don't know why it is that way. The result of all this, for SS-less me, is that I use LP4 only for some audiobooks or when I have squeeze in a few minutes at the end of some MD that I'm going to overwrite anyway.

Good point. I don't use a DAP myself, and no doubt that while many or most of us here cling with vise-like grips to our minidisc gear, one thing that has always impressed me is the variety of gear many MD users are willing to play with, even if it is not our beloved MD. I keep toying with the idea of getting some kind of Ipod and I think it would be fun, but when it comes down to putting forth the actual money, there always seems to be something else I want more (at those times when I can justify spending at all!).

Great photo. Thanks, even if it makes me envious. Although the line between firmware and software is not always distinct, I think that the 1.6 > 1.7 upgrade implies something other than ATRAC. The wikipedia page on firmware is pretty good - a fair amount of explanation and exemplification without going too much into arcana. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmware Here is an example of how firmware is used in a minidisc context: http://www.minidisc.org/mzr700_to_mzr900.html I hope this is helpful, although I know there are others here with far more expertise about the technical details involved.

If you have not see this yet, some info: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-R35.html Looks nice!

I have always wondered, Arr-** what they mean by "UK-tuned." Do you know? How's it differ from the stuff we get here in the US...and elsewhere?

I think something about it isn't right. There are the scratches, for one thing. And some time ago, I think it was marked as "Sold" and then reappeared for sale. I just don't have a good feeling about it or I would have quite possibly bought it. I am well aware that I "want to," but in this case that is not enough. If it's meant to be that I should own the MDS-W1, then the right one will show up. Hey, it worked for the JA333ES!

The MDS-W1 will record sequentially from MD1 to MD2? If so, does it stop somewhere on MD1 or does it just go to the end of the disc? I tried several times to get one of these units, with no luck. You never know, though, all it would take would be one ebay listing at the same time I'd have some cash to spend!

I went through every instance of "auto" in the MD-02B User Manual and there was no auto-pause or auto-ready, or auto-anything that would indicate the functionality you need. I am sorry to report this. Unless there's some undocumented way to do it, it just is not there. Seems odd, since the prior Tascam MD deck, MD-350, seems to have had that feature. Please post here if you ever do hear back from Tascam.

I use mono quite a bit, almost always for transferring audiobooks from CD/CS to MD. Quality seems about the same in this context no matter what MD unit - most often a deck - I use. For this purpose, mono is perfect for me. It's not really necessary to have stereo for book-reading, and it also means I can share the recordings with my wife. We both listen to "MD audiobooks" in our cars, but where I have MDLP available, she does not. So mono is a good solution. I am currently listening to "Corelli's Mandolin" (Louis de Bernières). Avrin, that is a great idea - putting Back To Mono on MD in mono mode. It's a great box set. Think I will give that a try. Might or might not make for a better-sounding MD, but it definitely means I can put more on one MD without having to go to LP. And it also has made me aware to look out for other mono sources that can go on to MD that way, instead of using Stereo as a default.

If one wants LP in the car, then I seriously second that emotion! I looked all over the place for the Kenwood KMD-44 mentioned earlier in this thread and just could not find one. Not that I can complain about the Sony CA680X, but I liked the looks of the K/W better, and I had a good experience with a Kenwood CS head unit, as well. OTOH, there are many MDLP portables and if you're willing to plug 'n' play, so to speak, then car LP is simple.

Completely legitimate question. Type S is simply a kind of DSP. Here's a little info: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDS-JB980.html And good ol' Wiki has a nice page on ATRAC that includes some type S stuff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_Transform_Acoustic_Coding More still... http://en.allexperts.com/e/a/at/atrac.htm You can always poke around on the web, where you will find about as much DSP arcana as you could hope to see. Or maybe someone else right here can explain it better, for all our benefit.

Nearly impossible is right. Last night I saw one on Ebay, but you don't see them very often there, or anywhere else. Quite some years ago I pulled the Clarion CS head unit out of my pickup and put in a Clarion 465D (think I have that right) MD. To say I never regretted the switch would be a huge understatement. I eventually replaced the MDLP-less Clarion with a used Sony CA680X, which does have MDLP. And when I got a new car back in 2006 (Ford Escape), I put the CA680X in it. IMO, an MD head unit, for those of us who are deep into that technology, is the way to go. I do wish mine had AUX in, but other than that no complaints. No tapes, no cables - it's all so easy and convenient for me. I just keep my fingers crossed that the CA680X keeps on going. As to what became of the Clarion 465D: It eventually went into my wife's Subaru. We both use the MD part largely to listen to audiobooks that I have recorded from CD or CS. Mono mode is a GOOD thing!

Yeah, maybe. But then what reason would I have to accumulate more MD decks! ;-) Whatever, I think Type S is amazing no matter how you play it. What a feat of engineering! The difference between my old MZ-R500 portable and my newer Type-S MZ-N430D makes the more difficult-to-use 430 worth the annoyance.

I think you are saying, Stephen, is that the Type S on the D400 doesn't sound so great when going through analog out. Do I have that right? It really doesn't matter to me right now, because the 333 sounds better in any mode, anyway. My NAD C372 integrated amp is not the latest model, but it is fairly recent - I think c.2006 - although it doesn't have digital input. I'm simply going by my aural impressions, and those impressions favor the 333 right now. Let's just say that for now, the main use of the D400 will be to copy, which as you note, it does so well, even at 4x CD>LP2. The 333 represents my first foray into Sony's MD ES-line decks, but it may not be my last. I had no idea. I just wish I'd gone there sooner. Bruce

I have so many great experiences with MD that I wouldn't even know where to begin, so I'll just go with the one from last night. I was reading a review of a CD player I own. It was a very favorable review and the writer said he could listen to this player for a long time with out any listening fatigue. I was listening to some jazz while reading and it had been playing for a while. I found myself thinking, "Oh yeah, he is right, I am definitely not getting fatigued listening to this! It really is a great CD player. Why was I even considering replacing it?" Then I realized I was not listening to CD - it was MD playing on the JA333ES I got recently. It simply sounded enough like CD that I had connected the dots incorrectly :-) Not only wasn't it CD, it was LP2! And not only LP2, but plain old LP2 without Type S. Go figure. On a related topic: Least favorite MD experience: I never quite recovered from the ugly way my MDS-JE510 expired, a victim of the feared and almost-inevitable "self-turn-on" problem those units often had. All in all, though, way, way more "favorite" experiences with MD than bad ones.

LOL! About the same here. "The most clutter I have ever had to live with" - Mrs. Bluecrab

I like your thinking about the models appearing in groups, mdmad. The JA333ES that went on Ebay just after the one I bought sold for a few more USDs than I paid, but not significantly more. In fact, I have seen lesser models go for more money! I wasted little time trying the 333. The front-panel configuration on the unit is somewhat different from the JB line, and much different from the JEs. There's just a lot more there, including not just separate D/A level knobs - some other decks have that, too - but also a separate AMS/Function knob. There's also a 4-setting "filter," which seems to be a kind of EQ that acts digitally on the analog output. First thing I did was play some MDs, of course. These sounded different - better - to me than when played on the 940 I intended to replace with the 333. In fact, after some thought it seemed to me that I should put the 333 not in the basement system that I listen to while working out or while on my treadmill, but in the better system upstairs. Problem was, the rack on the better system was completely full. Nonetheless, I did the old "gear shuffle" and made space for it. Now when I played an MD on it, it sounded spectacular. Great, happy with that. Time to record via optical in. The 333 has two optical ins, and I set it for OPT1, via an SCMS-killer, with the source being the CD section of my MXD-D400. Plainly the 333 was getting the signal, but it would not actually record. I began to fret. When the disc wouldn't eject from the 333 and when none of the controls would work, I really began to fret! The 333 would not even power off. I pulled the plug and powered back up in Check/Service mode. That re-init'ed the unit and got the disc to eject. I went through this procedure several times with the same result and started to put together a list of problems to email to the seller. Then for the heck of it, I tried to record via the OPT2 input and that worked fine. Did it again. Still fine. Went back to OPT1 and that too, now was working. It all seemed very strange. Tried recording again the following day with no problem. All very odd, IMO and I will be watching it. I am not that concerned with recording via analog, although I may give the coax in a try. The unit is heavy and big, much bigger than the 940 (depth). And the sound is the best I've yet heard from MD, although I may want to compare MXD-D400 Type S LP2 with the 333's Type R LP2. Despite the 333's having only Type R, it does a fine job playing LP2. Perhaps the "filters" help? Right now, I am just hoping it keeps working as it should. If anything interesting about the 333 turns up, I will report on it. Best, bluecrab

For years, now, I have wanted to get my hands on a Sony MDS-JA333ES MD deck. They are hard to find in any event and even moreso in the U.S. Nevertheless, I have had it on my Ebay watch list for years. Quite a few years. Once in a while I'd get a hit, but it would usually be for a manual, brochure, or ad. The real item proved as elusive as I thought it would be. I think one actual 333 deck did show up on Ebay a couple of years ago, but the seller wanted 1200 or 1300 USD for it - and he got it. I left it on my Watch List anyway and not long ago, one of the units came up, and with a reasonable B-I-N price, certainly far less than 1200 USD. I bit. I now have the unit. Haven't checked it out completely, but it at least plays. It looks like a distant relative - in a good way - of any other MD deck I have or have had. It's very large and weighs a lot. And it sounds better than I could have imagined. So...so far, all is well. Now here's the weird part. After all these years, only days after I grab my 333, another one pops up on Ebay! Is that crazy or what? What, did someone dump a few of these rare units? Here's link to to the 333 page on minidisc.org: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDS-JA333ES.html The pic hardly does it justice. I still am gawking at the thing. I hope, of course, that it holds up for a while, but just being in its presence is a near-spiritual experience. If I could, I would have an all-ES system to go along with this monster, just for the sheer visual impact. Anyway, this weekend I will test the unit more thoroughly, see if it records and so forth. Havin' fun, anyway!

Welcome! The 510 had the well-known "self-turn-on" problem. http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDS-JE510+S38.html Mine died a not-pretty death this way. If you like yours and it's given you no problem yet - I'd still grab that 980! The two machines can't even be compared, if the 980 is anywhere near as good - or better - than the great 940 (I have two of those). And the 980 has Type S ATRAC to enhance your LP listening. Have fun and Good Luck!

I could find no mention in the User's Manual about SCMS on the MD-02B. So I wonder if this deck has it or not. Pro or not, can't assume anything. And I still don't know if it's Type R or Type S. I suppose I could just ask Tascam, but in the past, when I have asked them for any sort of tech info, I received no response. (Compare to HHB, which quickly got back to me on exactly what DAC my Burn-It had.)

No doubt Sony could have improved their marketing of MD. Relatively expensive and somewhat complex to use (think of your average person, not those of us here), they never quite caught on in the U.S. And they came out right around when MP3 started to look attractive to a lot of people who liked the integration of music with their PCs. Nonetheless, I consider Minidisc to be a true marvel of technology and an awesome feat of engineering. Perhaps that's the true crime...that such a device was apparently bungled so badly. My own involvement with audio far pre-dates the advent of the personal computer. I can remember when the now-lowly cassette seemed like something of a "miracle cure." I kind of came to MD by chance. I was deciding whether advance from cassette to one of CD-R, DAT, or MD. I researched, I made calls, I asked questions. In the end, one day I just tired of the whole thing and simply went with [legacy] MD. Truly I have not regretted this. I'm also using CD-R - have been for some time - and play around a bit with iTunes, but in the end, I like MD and intend to hang with it as long as practical. Really a shame that it never blossomed.

I have the Sennheiser PX-200. They are indeed different form the '100. The '200 sounds great, once you find the right position to use them (lower on the ear for me). I find them fairly comfortable for 3-4 hours, occasionally longer. I use them at work and when flying. They fold up into a fairly small size and come with a hard plastic case. Mastering the folding, encasing, and de-casing is somewhat of an art form. If you like something that fits ON the ear - not over, not in, they might be worth checking out. Good luck!