bluecrab

=========== DO they have individual cases?

There seem to be numerous web sites in Japan where one could buy the Sony MXD-D400 deck. Of course, they are all in Japanese, so that's a bit of a hurdle. Here's an example: http://esearch.rakuten.co.jp/rms/sd/esearc...;sitem=mxd-d400 I'm willing to do a certain amount of work to get one of these (excluding traveling, I mean), but I'd like to know if what I'm seeing is actually there? These are still being sold in Japan? Do they have English displays? Can they be used on North American 110v current? Thanks for any help at all!

Thanks. I bought the unit a while back on Ebay. It has always worked, but seemed to not to load MDs -quite- as smoothly as my other MD decks. I think it's the end for this machine. Sony will not repair it, but if I send them the unit they will send me a refurb'ed one, they say, for ~250 USD. Ah well, onward.

My Sony MDS-JB940 won't read any MDs. This included blanks, MDs I recorded, cleaning MDs, and pre-recorded MD. I get C-13 Read Error and the MD is ejected. Is there anything I can do or is the unit croaked? Thanks.

======= I use both CD and MD for permanent recordings. I have been doing this for 6/7 years, no real problems yet with either. But I have heard that CD-Rs do indeed deteriorate. Exactly what do you look for? What is flaking and what does it look like? Are there actually flakes that come off the CD? There are various reasons why I use CDs, one of which is that I can copy them to either CD or MD at 4x (yeah, I'm still mainly using standalone gear), while MD > MD is strictly 1x.

Hi, Does the 707 work at all? What happens when you put a NEW blank MD in it? Same error msg? Will it record? What've you tried other than playing MDs that were recorded on the Sony? I have a Pioneer MJ-D508 deck. It's pretty closely related to the 707. It ocassionally would have a problem reading from or writing to MDs that'd been created on one of my Sony decks/portables. I recently used the 508 for the first time in a couple of years. Mainly it worked, but if I remember correctly there was one MD it didn't like, probably because of the problem I already noted

The DCC has been claimed and is no longer available. Thanks to all!

I have a fully operational Optimus DCC (digital compact cassette deck) DCT-2000 that I got off Ebay a while back, for just a few $$. I made sure it worked and then never used it. It is in great shape. If anyone here uses this format, you can have it for the cost of shipping from 01867 (US). Does anyone still use these?

I am, as I write this, listening to [u]Voce: Music from Women of the World (various artists). I borrowed this CD from the public library and have transferred it in LP4 mode from CD to MD (at high speed) on my MXD-D400 to a plain old 74-minute MD, for temporary listening purposes. I'm listening through Koss MAC-7 headphones on a Sony MZ-R500. It sounds fine - not quite as fine as SP or LP2, but listenable. This in fact is my main use for LP4 - temporary recordings for evaluation or for listening to while driving. LP4 sounds OK in my car, as well. I should note that while I am reasonably sensitive to audio quality, I do have a bit of hearing loss. In any case, I expect I'll continue to use LP4 for eval/mobile purposes, at least until (if!) Sony ever decides to fully implement Hi-MD for the Mac.

Not to mention the JE510's notorious and nasty "self-turn-on" bug. I got bit by that one. I thought the 510 was a decent-sounding SP deck, but after thr thing imploded on me due to the aforementioned problem, you couldn't even give me one.

Does anyone know if any Sony MDS JA333ES decks were made for the US/CAN market with 120v? User Guide lists this voltage as a possibility, but I would like to know if any such machines ever existed. I'm also wondering if using a U.S. voltage converter (230 > 120) on the European-model MDS JA333ES might cause any problems? Thanks for any help!

You didn't say if MDLP or better is a consideration. If it isn't, I have a completely working-condition Pioneer MJ-D508 deck (SP/MONO only) that is boxed up and doing nothing. It has optical out. I replaced it with a Sony LP deck a while back. I don't know if it is appropriate for me to say so here (if not, I'm sure I will be told so), but I would be willing to send it to a Good Home for $75. I am the original owner. See http://www.minidisc.org/part_Pioneer_MJ-D508.html I also have a Sony mid-size deck with opt/out, the MDS-S39 (http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDS-JE520+S39.html) that works, but has some kind of turn-on bug similar to that of the infamous MDS-JE510, a unit I previously owned until it went south on me. The S39 you could have for, say, $25, with my warning that while it works it IS buggy. I am not its original owner. You can email me at bluecrab22@comcast.net if interested in either. Another option would be for you to poke around on Ebay for something with optical out! =============

I thought I had seen some postings (or maybe it was a unit for sale on Ebay) about -some- older (like really older) MD units having problems with 80 minute MDs, but nothing approaching modern should have that problem.

So on a PC, then, one could make an MD more or less directly from CD without having to actually load the CD onto the PC first? I have ripped CDs to MP3 on the Mac using Itunes and really, as you say, it's not difficult, but it is a step I was hoping to avoid. At this point probably my best bet is to try to be patient and see what, if anything, develops along these lines. I'd really like to try Hi-MD, but I don't think the Hi-MD hw/sw is where I need it to be for me to do that, unless I want to get a bookshelf unit AND a deck or portable (not out of the question, but kind of an expensive way to go). IOW, CD>Hi-MD on the bookshelf unit and then the deck or portable for playback in a location of my choosing. Thanks for your help!

Garcou - This is probably another stupid question, but if I did go that way, wouldn't I have to copy the CD to disk first and then d/l to MD, or could I get it right off the CD onto MD via USB ports? I would be using ITunes or anything else that works (Mac mini). Thanks!

You are completely correct in that of course I would have to have made a Hi-MD disc to begin with. I was just being over-eager about it all, I guess, trying to figure out how I could get it done at > 1x speed. I know that the Hi-MD machines will play non-Hi-MD discs, but that doesn't buy me all that much. What I really want to be able to do is to make hi-md discs at >1x speed, from CD. I now see there are some bookshelf units from Japan that will do it, if I were inclinded to go that way. I think what I really need is a CD > MD machine except where the MD section is Hi-MD. I will just sit here, then, waiting until one is produced. ;-( BTW, I could work this out somehow on a computer, but that is not my goal in this case.

The large capacity of Hi-MD appeals to me (vs MDLP). Quality issues of LP4 aside, even its 5+ hour capacity on a standard MD is a little short for my needs at this time. I'd certainly consider one of the Onkyo decks, but the idea of having to copy CD to Hi-MD in real time doesn't work for me. So, I was wondering if by any chance one could take TWO Hi-MD recorders and go USB to USB between them, without using a computer. It seems unlikely, but I figured it'd be better to ask. TIA.

A few months ago, I would have said definitely LP2, but now I am not so sure. I like the "Let your ears be your guide" response. When I bought a used Sony MDLP head unit for my new car, it came with dozens of mostly LP4 MDs, mostly rock. While their sound is not as good as LP2 and even more obviously not as good as SP, it's still listenable to me. This led me to play with LP4 at home, on my MXD-D400, MXD-D40, and JB-940 decks (via my main home systems), as well as my MZ-R500 (using headphones)at work. It sounds all right for the most part everywhere, at least to me. What I really like is that 5+ hours of uninterrupted play!

The Sony MXD-D40 and MXD-D400 CD>MD decks have, in effect, 6 recording modes: SP, LP2, LP4 - each can be used copying CD>MD in Normal or High speed modes. Normal SP is done in ATRAC Type R and I think hi-speed SP is in 4.5(?) Normal speed LP2/4 copying is done in ATRAC3. What I would like to know is what's used for HIGH speed copying in LP2/4. I think I got an answer for this maybe a year or two ago, but if so I do not remember it. Thanks! ===== I just did a search here and found that indeed I had asked a similar question before. MDX-400 replied that: "...As for any differences in ATRAC3 recordings (MDLP) at higher speeds, I don't know that there should be any difference as ATRAC3 is always encoded to the same standard, I believe. Any differences here in recording quality might point out to other shortcomings of the deck at highspeed,,," MDX-400 also confirmed that hi-speed SP on the MXD-D400 is in 4.5.

============= I am following up to my earlier post. It seems that the MDS-JB940 does NOT have this issue with NetMD-created discs, it's only the MXD-D400. I don't know why this is so, because neither deck is NetMD capable. So it turns out to be pretty much of a non-issue for me, since I can use the 940 to erase NetMD discs. If only Sony would make a Hi-MD deck!!

Hello, I recently acquired a bunch of Net-MD-recorded MDs, quite a few of them. When I tried to erase one on my MXD-D400 deck, I received a "Tr Prot" message. This turned out to mean that the downloaded NetMD tracks can't be erased by the deck. My workaround was to haul out my old S-39 non-NetMD deck and erase the disc on that. This of course did work, the S-39 unit knowing nothing at all of NetMD. That is an OK workaround and I have two other units I can use to accomplish the same task, but what I really want to know is if there isn't some way to force the MXD-D40 (or my MXD-D40 or MDS-JB940) to do the erase. Thanks!

Back in FEB 2006, Toontimer posted a Sony MDX-CA680X head unit for sale. Sometime in March I bought it, right around when I ordered a new car. It took more than TWO months to get the car, but finally in late May I did get it and installed the Sony, to find that it worked perfectly. Toontimer also included per the ad a Sony S1 portable and not per the ad, an extra car unit, the Sony MDX-C7970, although I do not know if it works - but hey, just the thought alone counts :-) A bunch of MDs as well were included, and some 'buds...but really, the CA680X alone was the dealmaker for me. I had a Clarion MD unit in my prior vehicle, but the Sony has LP, the Clarion did not. Anyway, a nice deal and with no problems!

*** If Sony would make a Hi-MD deck - with opt or coax I/O - I would go that route. It'd be a really Good Thing. Until such time, I'm sticking with my SP/LP decks and portables (MXD-D400, MXD-D40, MDS-JB940, MZ-R50 etc etc). I know Onkyo has made a Hi_MD deck, but the thing has no digital out! What were they thinking??

Aeriyn states: If you absolutely have to get a JE series deck, check out the JE630s, they have most of the JB functions and generally go for about 130ish on eBay. ===================== Actually, from what I've been seeing, they're going for more like 200. I'd like to get one for titling purposes - they do have the PS/2 input, but I'm balking at the 200. I have 4 decks and none have the PS/2 input, like to get it...but not for 200! If you see one for 130, let me know, might be interested at that price. Thanks, Bruce

I'd like to start titling, but only if I can use a keyboard. I know the Sony 630/930 640/940 have PS/2 input, but I would like to know what other models (don't have to be Sony) have this feature. I'm looking to buy used, on Ebay or elsewhere. Does anyone happen to know which other models have this feature? I guess I might consider the JVC XM-448, which has a remote with a QWERTY keypad. It turns up on ebay occasionally. Thanks for any help. Bruce