bluecrab

I have been seeing elsewhere that the Sony Insider Forums are no more. Doesn't seem to be the case here. Just to add an MD comment, I've been having good results streaming to MD (SP) from a site using 64kpbs...not sure what the codec is, exactly.

The D400? No, "just" MP3. The Tascam MD-CD1 mkiii also supports MP3 playback.

Just noting that my MXD-D400 supports reading/playing MP3 CDs and will record them in SP/LP to MD, internally. It first converts the MP3 to analog. As you can imagine, the SQ is what it is, but on occasion I've found this feature useful.

Here is what a reputable source had to say about the 3ES. It was just coincidence that I saw this earlier today. It's current. "The laser in the JA3ES is also used in JA30ES, JA50ES, MDS-B5. The JA3ES was notoriously unreliable in its laser setup and would only last a reasonable length of time if it was used for playback rather than recording - regrettably, they are best used as laser donors for the higher end machines. I personally have two of those JA3ES in perfect working order, with low recording hours, kept solely as donors for the MDS-B5 - regrettably too, I think that the JA3ES is the lowest common denominator in the series using the same laser (at least in the ranges I've looked at)."

Of the ones I have owned, most people would consider the JA333ES the best. It is the only ES model with MDLP. The 20ES and 22ES are almost the same, with the 22ES being the JPN version and having a GUI interface for PC (I never used that feature). They all sound great on playback and record very well (Type R). I could never tell much difference between them, although I thought the 333ES played back MDLP remarkably well. All three are tray-loaders. By now, yes, they are pricey...most likely the 20ES being the least so. Consider thoroughly how much you want to spend on MD gear and whether you are able and willing to maintain and repair it. It may benefit you to read this well-known discussion. The "rankings" therein aren't so pinpoint, but the discussion itself could be helpful: https://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=11235 This one, too: http://forums.sonyinsider.com/topic/27442-money-no-object-which-was-the-very-best-full-sized-md-playerrecorder/

I have always considered the JB940 to be one of the best all-around bargains in hi-fi. It's not really the absolute best at anything, but it does so much so well. I have one in current use, as a player and for some recording of streamed material.

From what I've heard around the MD community, the JA3ES is not one of the more reliable ES models. And it has the earlier ATRAC 3.5. I have owned 20ES, 22ES, and 333ES.

Someone I consider a well-respected, technically competent source (from another group) answered the question, " What's the best automobile MD player?" with "MDX-C800REC." Another knowledgeable commenter said, "Decent sounding, OK built, not worth near the money when new or used. Also, cosmetically it doesn't go with most vehicles, but that [is] the opinion part of my answer." He elaborated a bit: "The same quality as a mid level ATRAC 4 portable. It's neat they made a car recorder, but much sacrifice with the rest of the unit because of it." When the 800 first came out, its ability to record (1st single-DIN in-dash recorder)) caused a bit of a stir in the community. FWIW, my current unit is the C7970.

Even if you do go MD > BT device, you're going lossy to lossy. Probably not a good thing, aptX included. That said, I should think CBits Tech's suggestion should do the trick. The price is certainly right.

Your options are limited. Some people run a Windows VM on their Mac and have reported success running Sonic Stage that way. Perhaps you could do a line-in to the iMac and use Garage Band or something similar? When I needed to get MD onto my iMac, I copied the MDs digitally to CD-RW using a standalone CD-R and then imported to iTunes. There is no software that will run on current Macs natively that will do what you want. However... You may want to consider trying this unofficial workaround, specifically for Mac: https://github.com/gavinbenda/platinum-md?fbclid=IwAR0SZNDAlmajn0hvMxj5rFWS3WxL--nK3KroSAZO6Q01pzYxkRMQhmYI7Cg https://github.com/gavinbenda/platinum-md?fbclid=IwAR06CZKaqM9dlft7PNBj_RzUkGBn9fPD2G2DTq_ZRllqIcpc84tWBllqeZ8 Initial reports of it have yielded about what you'd expect for an Alpha-like release.

Oh yes, THAT thread, where I said that the E10 does not propagate SCMS. I recently found out that the E10 does not strip SCMS on output, when I tried to go E10 to MXD-D40, optically, with protected MD. Had to do it JB940 > E10. Thought I'd tested that sufficiently....guess not.

The E10 should have good-quality components, as it is a rack-mountable "pro"-type deck. Although the E10's DAC is about decent, the unit has an undocumented feature that really does make it pro-like: you can turn off SCMS and create digitally copyable MDs. When I bought my E10, there was a small problem with disk ejection—which the seller fixed on the spot. Since then, I've been happily creating SCMS-free discs. (I had that ability anyway, but not within one unit.) Good luck getting yours up & running!

I just now saw this. I do not have anything else available at this time. As for which MD/CD deck to recommend, that depends somewhat on the functionality and specs you need. The MXD-D400 is Sony's excellent but a bit flawed top of the line. It has optical out, but no passthrough (monitor) of the input signal. The MXD-D40 is a reliable Type R workhorse. And many MD folk like the MXD-D3. Hope you find one!

All in here, in the various sections: http://minidisc.org/faq_index.html

My C7970 has been good to go since I installed it a number of years back. Certainly it's been an improvement over the tuner section in the prior head unit, a CA680X. Oh, that was a nasty one. Car's the same for both: 2006 Ford Escape AWD.

Also gone was the issue of CD-Rs going awry and becoming rather expensive "coasters."

I actually did have a couple of broken teeth on my JA22ES, but as noted by sfbp, the odds of this happening on all three E12s are very, very long.

There's no way to prove it is the belt from afar. However, my good friend replaced the belt in my MDS-JA22ES a while back. He gave me the old belt, which looked a lot like the new belt. It could not be determined by the look and feel that that was the issue. (In fact, there were other, more serious issues, as well.) You won't know whether it's the belt until you actually do the replacement, most likely. But you have to begin somewhere, and the belts is an inexpensive start.

This was an earlier thread regarding the same issue on an RH1: http://forums.sonyinsider.com/topic/28842-error-ee-on-mz-rh1/

You need a standalone CD recorder to do this. (Sorry, I forgot to mention that!) Just copy the MD to CD that way and then the CD can be imported to the PC, assuming that the PC has an optical drive. Without the standalone, the PC would have to be able to accept digital or analog input, which requires software, such as Garage Band (Mac). I just use the MD > CD-RW > iTunes method. Since I am not using Sonic Stage, that also eliminates the dreaded faux SP problem.

What I actually was thinking is that once the MDs are on CD, you can just use iTunes (or whatever) to import them to PC. I have done that many times. And there ain't nothin' Sony can do about it.

Transfer the MDs to CD-R or CD-RW. Read 'em in. I've done much of this over the last couple of years. Nothing to it but time.

One of the multiple reasons that didn't help MD to succeed. Pre-NetMD decks do the trick; don't know about pre-NetMD portables or non-Sony portables. AFAIK, users cannot set the TrPROTECT flag. You'd need access to SS source code just to begin with. If you find a workaround or hack...that would be a first! Good luck.

The two units (717/880) share the same user manual. P. 23 of the manual has a drawing of the [shared] remote, but not its model number. However. P. 101 of the manual has this: Supplied accessories: Remote RM-SE717 (1) That will be the unit to look for.

I'm not sure that anyone except the Administrator (Christopher) knows what happened. Missed this while it was unavailable, though.