[SONY MXD-D4 Quality of Copy]

Where is this information available? It certainly isn't in the user manuals. If I am reading your post correctly, then LP4 uses 4.5? I guess I should actually try LP4, although I have heard very few good things about it for recording music.

4.5 in SP mode (on other machines) sounds fine to me, so I would think that reports of not-so-good sound with LP4 might be due more to compression than ATRAC.

Bruce

[SONY MXD-D4 Quality of Copy]

Hmmm....I have both the MXD-D40 and MXD-D400.

At 1x, the D40 uses its Type R to copy, while the D400 uses its Type S.

However, unless I am remembering this totally incorrectly (I do not dismiss the possibility), BOTH machines use not 4.5 in 2x (4x? _ never use it), but rather ATRAC3, which is more like MP3 than it is ATRAC 4.5.

To me, the difference in SP and LP2 is easily noticeable. LP2 is great for portable use and, while more or less acceptable for home use, nothing to get excited about. For sure, LP2 sounds nowhere nearly as good as 4.5. It does not even sound as good as my aging Pioneer MJ-D508 MD deck, with Pioneer's own ATRAC.

So I doubt very much that on the D4 you are using the 4.5 for both SP and LP. Check the minidisc.org equipment browser for more info.

Bruce

[Car MD with MDLP]

I wouldn't want to go very much over 300 USD.

[Car MD with MDLP]

Would anyone happen to have a list of which car units (for U.S) have MDLP functionality? I went through all the units in the Equipment Browser here, but it wasn't quite clear to me which ones were for non-US only (like the ones that have Japanese-band-only FM). I also thought there could be units not listed in the Browser.

I'd like to have MDLP in my truck, where I currently have a Clarion non-MDLP unit. I suppose I could replace the Clarion with a CD unit that has Aux In and use my MZ-R500 for MD (it has MDLP), but before I take that drastic step I want to make sure I know what all the options are.

Gracias amigos/amigas!

Bruce

[MXD-D400]

Thanks. I couldn't find any mention of the different ATRACs in the manual, but I did find it in the minidisc.org equipment browser for the quite similar MXD-D40. You are correct. Although the D40 has ATRAC-R and the D-400 ATRAC-S, I am sure it's the same result, in that you get the better ATRAC in real-time copy only. I wonder, then, exactly what ATRAC I'm actually getting with the hi-speed copy!

This situation is unfortunate, but I will have to live with it. When I really need high-quality, high-speed copies I can use my Aiwa CD-R, which of course simply transfers bits as they are, at whatever speed. I can then at a later time, if I need to, copy at 1X to MD (I have an SCMS stripper that makes this possible).

I also find that the hi-speed copies are fine for the Clarion MD in my truck, although that doesn't do LP2. Thanks again for your response, it was most helpful!

[MXD-D400]

I recently bought the Sony MXD-D400 deck. This is the big (and I mean big) deck that does CD>MD at copying at up to 4X. I bought it mainly for that reason and also because of its LP2 ability. In general, I'm happy with the deck.

However, I have a couple of questions.

The first is about LP2 quality. While some say that the difference between LP2 and standard mode is either undetectable or negligible, I have not found that to be so, EXCEPT on my portables via headphones. In that case I really cannot tell the difference or it is small enough to be of no concern.

But when I record using LP2 and play back through my main system, it seems to me that the LP2 is JUST good enough to listen to. Differences seem to be particularly noticeable in certain vocal passages, as well as any loud or complex parts of short duration. Have others noticed this about LP2? I am feeling like I will be fine with LP2 for portable use, but for home use - not really.

The other question is about hi-speed copy quality. I thought I detected some differences in an MD made at hi-speed from the source CD. These were not as noticeable as LP2, but still there, I thought. Then again, perhaps that's just me. It doesn't seem there should be any difference no matter whether the copy is made at 1x or 4x. So I was just wondering if anyone else who has this unit, or any other MD unit that does hi-speed copying, has ever had that experience?