bluecrab
-
Posts
731 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
14
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Downloads
Posts posted by bluecrab
-
-
I'm trying to find an MD player with an optical output. Can anyone recommend a cheap'n'cheerful model to me? It seems to be quite a rare feature these days. Other features aren't important really - if there's an old model I can pick up on Ebay for a few beans (or even buy from anyone on this forum who wants to sell theirs...) then I'd be more than happy.
An MD deck is the simplest way to go for optical out, and many with that feature can be had on Ebay. Some have LP and some do not - the non-LP ones are usually cheaper - you'd have to decide whether you want LP.
Non-LP models that should be fairly cheap:
Sony MDS-JE5*0 series (the 510 can be flaky, though).
Pioneer MJ-D508 (I have one of these from ~1999, a solid machine that I am hanging on to.)
You can find others by checking http://www.minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html
If SCMS is not a problem, then indeed digital out on an MD is a very valuable feature. Good luck.
-
Consider the Sony MDS-JE480 as well as the 330. The 480 has a more recent ATRAC version (Type S as opposed to the 330's 4.5), maybe a slightly better DAC. and is three years' newer, for what that's worth.
Please be aware that the 480 is LP-capable, while the 330 is not.
And the 480 should be about in your price range, especially if you can find one on ebay. Either of these units should meet your needs if you just need something basic. Neither, I believe, has an optical out or headphone jack.
My only Pioneer deck is the, MJ-D508 deck, from 1999.
-
Per richyhu's request, here a comparison of True SP -vs- Atrac3+ @ 352kbps:
If I am interpreting correctly, then the ATRAC3+ 352 is technically superior to True SP?
I know that might not translate to audible difference, or preference, I just want to be sure of that I am seeing here.
-
I've been thingking that I'd like to get my brother an MXD-D3 or MXD-D40 for a wedding gift, so I have been checking Ebay for these. Both these decks do high-speed CD>MD copying, the main differences being that the D3 has ATRAC 4.5 vs the D40's Type R, and that the D40 has LP (and copies that at 2x), while the D3 has no LP.
Anyway, an MXD-D40 just went on Ebay for $315! Just before that, an MXD-D3 went for $303.99.
At this rate, some of us could retire if we sold all our MD stuff! ;-)
-
I just noticed that you're using a Mac Mini (gotta learn to read
) - virtual machines such as Parallels need huge amounts of RAM, i.e. 2GB minimum. Just a heads-up.Thanks! I did check the U/G for Parallels on a Mac, and it recommends 1GB, even for the Core Solo Mini (mine). I think mine currently has 512kb, but it can be upgraded to the 2GB you suggest. If I did use this particular machine for MD, it would be pretty much dedicated to that task. Our two PPCs (mini, eMac) take care of everything else.
Now if I had a MacPro like yours... :-)
-
I have three MDS-W1's, and wouldn't be caught dead without them.
BTW...the perfect DUBBING deck? The Sony MXD-D400...has everything you could EVER want in ANY MD deck if you want total capability but don't require technically amazing (but probably can't hear) sonic specs. It's only drawback is that the analog input is a little noisy...but not moreso than any other non-ES Sony stand-alone deck (even the fabled 930, 940, and 980 have noisy analog to digital converters). The 400 has dig in's and out's, scale factor edit, full editing precision (regarding "divide"), a great full display, and copies CD's perfectly. A great deck.
THREE MDS-W1s? By the time I realized I should buy one, it was too late. I almost got one from the UK, but they would not ship to US, despite my abject pleas. Then I tried get one from Denmark. There was a bit of a language problem, until I put a Danish-speaking colleague on the phone. The seller didn't actually have the unit, it turned out, but if I'd be good enough to send him the $$, he'd get me one. I declined.
I do though have two MXD-D400s. They are my two best friends of the non-human persuasion. A truly outstanding unit...and I love the gold finish of the Japanese model - it looks great and helps me tell them apart easily. I have found on a couple of occasions that, oddly enough, a really bad CD track that won't copy correctly 1x can be copied by using 4x - the reverse of what you'd expect.
The MXD-D400 is hard to find and expensive when you do find a good one. The MDS-W1...don't hold your breath.
-
Simple burner doesn't do SP at all...
Should do all the other formats (LP2/LP4/Hi-LP/Hi-SP/PCM) though.
The lack of ability to do SP might not be a killer for me. If it would save me a LOT of time to make full LP2/4 MDs this way (as opposed to 4x copy on my MXD-D400), then it could work for me. I wonder how much time and effort it would actually save, though. Thanks for the response.
-
Well, I use SonicStage 4.3 and Simple Burner 2.0 on my Macbook Pro. How? Parallels Desktop (build 3188) or Boot Camp, although Parallels works great!
Cheers
EDIT: I can do anything with a Mac, including testing Vista, as that's part of my job...
That seems to be good news. Can Simple Burner be used to d/l SP tracks directly from a CD in the Mac's drive? LP2/4? I like the look of the Parallels d/t and the price is not exorbitant. And it looks like it'd run on my Mac Mini Intel.
-
Hi there...
I bought a new Tascam MD-CD1 off eBay for about half list price.....
[Rather less than favorable review deleted]
I just now noticed this posting. A while back, I wanted another dubbing deck too, also to complement my MXD-400, a completely awesome machine, but generally hard to find. I seriously considered the MD-CD1. I sent Tascam a few questions, they did not respond. Not a good sign. I read the manual online, and the thing about the shared display did not help....well, it did help, actually, it was a factor in my deciding not to get the MD-CD1. Also I couldn't find what ATRAC version it had. Still, I might have bought one anyway - found a demo model for a good price - but then...then I found that it would dub only at 2x in LP2/4 mode. That did it. I spent a few more $$ - more than a few more, perhaps - and ordered an MXD-400 from Japan.
There IS the Marantz CM6001P CD/MD deck, but this is really pricy - 89k JPY - and does not seem to have an English-language manual. It would go well with my Marantz CD5001 CD player, though, I think. I have the hope that one of these fine days I will somehow acquire the Marantz. If its DAC is the same one as in the 5001 CD player, it has got to kick serious butt.
Thanks for the review/rant. I guess I am basically glad I did not get the Tascam. Nothing wrong with having two MXD-400s! Good luck with the Tascam, even its design leaves something to be desired.
-
Anybody know which version of ATRAC this unit records with? I have and love this model and it records easily from CD but I cant find any info on which ATRAC it uses!
Since it's from 1998, it probably has 4.0 or 4.5 would be my best guess at it. Maybe Aiwa would know? (the manual doesn't say.)
-
IMO. I would also like to know how his second son (Eric) came to the conclusion that Apple's hardware is durable
Joke.Well, SOME of Apple's hardware IS (or at least was) durable. Up until late 2006, I had an ancient (~1996?) Power Mac 7300/200 that I had upgraded in various ways. I had bought it for next to nothing on Ebay some years ago. It ran and ran and ran, with no sign of death imminent. But it just could not keep up with all the software changes it would have needed. Finally I had to say goodbye to it, but I do think it was substantially more rugged than Apple's current stuff.
Whether one likes or does not like Apple/iPod/iTunes, it's a matter of some wonder what Apple has done. About a year ago, their stock was at 57.27 and rising. As of yesterday it was 110.69, almost double. Incredible success and change in strategy from a company that was getting little respect and love, except from what was often perceived as a small core of cult-like followers.
I have neither an iPod nor an MP3 player, but still, from a business and a technical perspective, I admire what Apple has done.
-
David Ing has a thoughtful blog about moving on from Minidisc, as seen from the eyes of an early adopter.
Another voice for the chorus of replies so far:
Oooooooh, the pain of having to span a few MDs to fit mulitple CDs. Hard, ain't it hard!
Call me a relic, call me over the hill...but...I intend to stay with MD until it, or I, absolutely, positively spins no more.
In Linux for Mr. Ing: echo mp3 > /dev/null
;-)
-
I'm planning on getting an optical out added to a MD-105FX Hi-MD deck. It shouldn't be so complicated. There's a thread on this somewhere on the forum.
That is excellent. I know there is a member here who added one to his MDS-JE4*0. He said it was kind of a lot of work, but it was worth it. I don't think I'd try it myself, but that is b/c I know my limits. Too bad the MD-105FX doesn't come with optical out, as it should. Good luck with that mod!
-
You'd be better off getting a Hi-MD unit than getting DAC for playback of your MDs.
Whether you use the DAC in the unit or an external one, the compressed sound of MD is not going to compare with full .wav CDs. And your CD-MD-CD experiment is going to compress the music and then make an analog copy of the compressed music--there will be quality loss.
Hi-MD records at CD quality in PCM. MD just doesn't. Even if you have optical out from your deck and a fancy DAC, the sound will still be compressed.
And actually, Hi-MD is more compatible with other audio gear than MD, because you can upload the files and use them as .wav files on standard playback devices.
Let me see if I understand this completely. I can record from, say CD player to Hi-MD recorder directly via CD opt. out to Hi_MD opt. in, in PCM. And I will then be able to put 1 hr 34 min of uncompressed audio on a Hi-MD disc.
I could also use Hi-SP and get 7 hr 55 min on a Hi-MD disc or 2 hr 20 min on a regular MD.
However, because I have a Mac, not a PC, I cannot go directly from the Mac to the Hi-MD unit (IOW, a CD in the Mac cannot be transferred directly to the Hi-MD, as I think it can w/Simple Burner.) Is that right?
This seems like a lot of expense for me, not to mention introducing a new format and a new (Hi-MD) unit. Really, I'm not unhappy with the performance of my compressed SP MDs, I just wonder whether a DAC would make them sound better.
It's funny after all these years of the MD community's insisting that MD sounds as good as CD, are we now stating that it does not? I do like the idea of an hour and a half length uncompressed MD, I'm just not sure it's what's right for me, especially where the Hi-MD units lack optical or coax out.
-
boojum, are you talking about recording? If so, you probably mean ADC (analog to digital converter).
bluecrab, bear in mind that MD decks use a lossy compressed format, which may contribute to the perceived difference.
Prior to my using the Marantz CD5001, there was not much, if any, noticeable difference between MD and CD that I could tell. But the 5001 sounds better than not only MD, but other CD players I have as well.
Here is what I may try: Record CD>MD>CD. Take the resulting CD, play it on the 5001, and see if it sounds better than the MD. Of course, there's no objectivity here, but it really does seem to me like the 5001 does sound the best out of all my playback equipment.
What I really am interested in finding out is whether an external DAC would help the MD decks sound better, especially the MXD-D400 with its hybrid pulse DAC. Hi-MD is not an option I am pursuing at this time due to lack of an appropriate and available deck. I also am not sure I want to get into a format that is not truly compatible with other gear.
-
A while back, I bought a Marantz CD5001 CD player. Over the months, I cannot help but notice that this unit sounds noticeably better that the MD decks I most often use (MXD-D400, MDS-JB940). The MD decks sound fine, they're just not in the same class as the Marantz. I'm thinking it may be that the Marantz (which also sounds better than my other CD players), just has a better DAC. I cannot think of any other explanation.
So, I was wondering if anyone has used or is using an external DAC connected to MD and if so, is there a noticeable difference between it and the MD unit's own DAC? I'm not sure how I'd go about selecting a DAC - they are on the pricey side, I believe - but I wanted to at least ask about this.
Thanks.
-
* I thought I had posted this in "What have you just bought?, Tell everyone what you have spent your money on," but I did not...
no harm done, I guess. Now, if I ever find a Sony JA333ES deck, now THAT night be real news! Not exactly holding my breath on that one, though.
On an A/V user board, I found an MDS-JB940 (Sony MD deck) in seemingly great shape for $200, with two Monster optical cables included. My old 940 was quite a piece of work. It started ejecting any and all discs I would put in it - new, used, cleaning...anything...with a C13 Read Error. So I sent the 940 to Sony, who said they could not repro the problem and that the deck worked fine. They sent it back, it worked fine for a while, and then...yep...C13 Read Error again. Unusable. Now, the 940 has a nice current pulse DAC that is better than the hybrid pulse DAC on my MDS-JE480 and other MD units I have, so I wanted to replace it. Hey, it only cost 1/3 as much as they MXD-400 I imported from Japan! Also, the unit was located not far from me, so once I paid for it, it arrived via UPS the -next- day. I hope it holds up better than the previous 940.
-
I talked to a sales rep @ "CRUTCHFIELD" who told me not to use the home disc's in the car...and most other web sites say the same.
Not use home discs in car? Why not? Everything I throw in my car's Sony MDX-CA6080X plays fine. 74/80, SP/LP2/LP4, they all work in the car. Am I missing something here? (Wouldn't be first time!) Or does it just apply to the cleaning discs?
-
.........but not for lack of eyes.
Go read this, and think .This is why I own an MD. Things like this
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...ml?hpid=topnews
Thanks. Reading such excellent writing is its own reward.
John McPhee and a few others do that - take a subject you might have no interest in and make it interesting.
I wondered, "What would I have done? Walked on by? Stopped? Donated?"
-
At some time or other, most of us here have bashed Sony for various things, which need no recounting by me. In fact, I am here today to report a most favorable transaction I just had with Sony.
A while back, my MDS-JB940 deck stopped reading discs. Any disc I'd put in the machine would whirr a bit and then eject, with a C13 Read Error. I tried everything - new discs, old discs, cleaning discs, any kind of disc at all - with the same result. I tried no discs for days and then inserting, still the same. I consulted manuals, I went online, I called Sony, I asked here...no dice. I left the unit unplugged for days, for a week, still no discs would read.
Finally I contacted Sony again. They would attempt to repair the unit for a flat fee of $120, or I had the option of replacing it (with what, they couldn't say) for about twice that much. I chose the repair and shipped the unit off to Sony's Repair Center in El Paso, Texas, along with a problem description and how to reproduce it.
By and by, Sony called me to say they had tested the unit and could not reproduce the problem. They would do more extensive testing, they said, and let me know what happened. If no problem was found, their would be no charge to me; if they did find one, the 120 fee would apply.
Another week went by. Sony called again. They had thoroughly tested the unit, still found no problem, and had returned it to me. I got home last night, there was the 940 in a big and well-packed box. Sony had even included a new 80-minute MD. Would it work? It did. I have no idea what happened - why the problem disappeared in transit, apparently, but I sure do appreciate Sony's testing and not charging me for it.All I can say is way to go Sony and that I hope the deck continues to work. I put it in my basement, replacing for however long an MDS-JE480.
-
* Reggae Pulse: The Heartbeat of Jamaica by Various Artists
* Pure 80s: by Various Artists
* Time-Life's Treasury of Bluegrass: by Various Artists
Sony MZ-R500
LP4
Koss MAC-7 'phones
At work, helping the day go by.
-
MZ-E40 Pictorial
Anyways, here are my photos of the player. If anyone else has this model, please tell us about it! Cheers!
I have one and it was my first portable, came bundled with the notorious MDS-JE510 deck. The 510 is long-deceased, the E40, as far as I know, still works. I don't use it because I first replaced it with an MZ-R37SP, which had about 2.5x the battery life on 2 AAs, and then with several MZ-R500s, which are smaller than either of the preceding and have 10x the battery life on 1 AA than the E40. I also acquired an MZ-S1 along with a car MD unit I bought used, but the S1, too, sits there in a box. I also had a Sharp MD-MS702, which all too soon developed the dreaded UTOC Error. That one I tossed, eventually.
As for my E40, it's missing the cover to the battery compartment, but there is no way I get rid of that unit unless it doesn't work, even if I never use it again. Thanks for the pix, they're great.
I liked mine when I had it. I used it as a mini-deck next to the PC. The thing that got me was the battery life. It would chew through batteries like there was no tomorrow.
Yeah, about 4 hours on two AAs. Maybe 4.5 on a good day. Whenever I'd take a long flight, I'd have to bring along a bunch of batteries. It'd look like you still had enough time left on the batteries, according to the meter, and then bang! the thing'd just stop. Still, it was better than hauling around CDs and a (relatively) large CD player.
-
I bought a MZ-E50 for 500¥ today because I felt sorry for it , It wasnt DEAD YET , how could someone abandon such a thing ?
That is one cogent comment and funny, and the scary thing is, I know what you mean (and I am sure I'm not alone here in that).
Nice buy, I'm sure you see tons more stuff in Japan than we do here!
-
mater of fact;; i lost my patience to "Play" with ANYONE cause no one in this world feels the music like i do;; after all,, i used to perform "Amazing Grace" as a Cha Cha for years and years..
Amazing Grace as a cha-cha? My friend, you may have exceeded The Marcels' Blue Moon and the incomparable Vito and The Salutations' Unchained Melody! My gawd, is NOTHING sacred? ;-) This could happen ONLY in R'Disland ;-)
(I am north of Boston.) I'm laughing, I am in awe, I wonder about our future ;-)
Newbie to minidisc needs help
in Minidisc
Posted
It sounds like you want a portable??
If so, and IF you decide to so SP/LP only, then I can say I've had pretty good luck with the Sony MZ-R500. It has no mic input, but I do not need that feature. This "basic" model appears regularly on ebay, and some of them are in very good condition. They are cheap enough that you can buy a couple - and they are versatile. You get about 40 hours or more on one AA battery. I am listening to music on one right now (Alan Parsons, "Definitive Collection," recorded only last night in the oft-maligned-but-fine-for-me LP4).
Please do note that the MZ-R500 is not PC-enabled. Again of no consequence to me as I have several standalone decks that record at >1x speed. That is another thing to consider - whether you'll be happy recording at 1x.
Good luck, let us know what you decide!