tekdroid

Not that I know of. Installation will write files/settings to the internal drive anyway, so it won't be possible to use SonicStage 'portably' like many apps, for example, on http://www.portableapps.com, which offer truly portable use. This is why so many of us want native, standard USB Mass Storage drag-n-drop functionality for the audio files on MDs (and other portable audio devices). typo edit

Ah! Nice write-up by KrazyIvan, there. If anything, the tiny sound quality differences pointed out in the review can could be down to slightly different tolerances of the components (or slightly different tolerances of the ears/brain ) In any case, I'm eager to get my mitts on the Creative EP-630. Should be interesting. The only thing sub-optimal is the longer cable when using with a remote, but I can live with that for the price Seems we have a new price/performance/sound leader, if the earbud propaganda has any truth to it Exciting times on the 'phones front!

...and there I was thinking a 44.1KHz optical input was *never* resampled. Learn something new every day.

i found it very useful you put me onto trying Inkscape Still haven't purchased an RH1. edit: tried to open the svg file (in the zip) in Inkscape 0.44 for Windows, and it just crashes the app, it seems (?) Consistently. Not sure what's going on there. Black box for a second then...nothing. Hrm, could be a system-specific issue but I'd be interested if others experience the same. Edit2: It turns out the SVG file opened on my second monitor (which wasn't on), lol. Don't know why it defaulted to that, but all is good.

nice pics! Is the silver bit on the side actually metal or painted plastic? And what is it meant to be anyway? Just for aesthetics? Nice reflection of cam on books in one of the shots! Nice-lookin' phones. Gorgeous when compared to Sennheiser's PX100/PMX100 Seems like a decent choice for closed phones/high noise environments.

from what I've been reading on head-fi.org, these phones seem to be a bargain. Sennheiser CX300 Apparently, this is the same phone made by the same manufacturer(s), just rebadged Differences seem to be the cable itself (some come with Y-shaped cable, others come with the J-shaped aka "behind the neck" earphone cable (like Sony offer on their phones). Sennheiser with 90 degree minijack as opposed to straight. Anyway...after extensive reading, the general consensus seems to be that the suspected ebay 'fakes' ( to use the term loosely) are actually real (or at least most of them are) and sound the seame as the real retail-packed things. Promising. Hmmmm. The Fuji-branded phone doesn't seem to be too available, from where I looked. Nor cheaper. While the market seems to be flooded with the Creative-badged model at rock-bottom prices. More news as it comes to hand

Nothin like the feel of oldskool silver metal units, IMO. In contrast, I have a MZ-NH700 with silver paint coming off it, like a cheap (toxic) toy If these units were metal and/or plastic but never coated silver, it would have been a lot better for the ppl that purchased them, I feel. Nothing says "cheap toy" like paint coming off an expensive purchase (and it is an expensive purchase for most ppl). Have to say I am a fan of the battery cover on the MZ-NH700; it's never given me trouble (but I never hold the bare unit in my hand when travelling without some sort of cover). I also like the fact that unit is chunkier; ejecting discs with the OPEN slider is easier than the thin have-to-open-it-delicately MZ-NH1, and the fact that on the desk the 'bump' of the battery angles the display towards you a bit. I quite like it, overall - and am still enthused about its honest-to-goodness AA-ness. The menu on the MZ-NH700. I am generally pleased (once you get used to the menu). Would be nicer if it displayed more text, but I'm just (very) glad it's 3-line (the MZ-NH1 is a 1-line, and the fact that you have-to-get-remote-to-do-some-tasks is absolutely infurating. So my frame of reference about what constitutes a good menu might be a tad different here. Heh. Considering the wide range of recording features of Hi-MD units, and the low-cost LCDs (and OLEDs ) on some units, I think they have done well. Still prefer the MZ-NH1's sound, but I don't think it's much of a selling point to most ppl.

ouch. it sounds like a unit best left at home getting high-maintenance loving treatment That OLED thing is worrying. I wonder how many other ppl experienced display burn-out. I'm a bit suspicious of the longevity of new-fangled displays, myself. But, I really don't know. Could be just bad implementation in this model. Or a freak occurence. Who knows. Only the techs repairing the things, I suppose.

We have learned your pre-amp is more flexible than just a regular preamp. I have looked through all your posts, many of them agreeing with greenmachine, and many adding useful additional information (and of course, many mentioning your business - as you should, I feel). I have no experience with your products but they do sound like they mean business. Greemnachine started his own thread about how to make your own mics and battery boxes, describing all parts needed and the methods used to do it. You commented in this thread, so perhaps you already know this. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showt...=11254&st=0 To me, this sounds like a helpful guy. Open and honest (and not putting sales above all else). I still believe he was just dishing out basic pre-amp info, not putting you or your products down. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?s=&am...st&p=106738 This recent post from greenmachine pretty much sums up my thoughts. Though there may be situations (and devices) where an external preamp (like yours) is needed (or even favourable) I haven't been in a situation that the MIC IN and LINE IN (with battery box) hasn't handled things fine. But I am curious about your product - and it certainly is very flexible.

as an innocent bystander in this argument ...all I can say is, if anything, greenmachine is irritatingly irritating at the lengths he goes to NOT to advertise. If I were him, I'd be flogging my kit left, right and centre . So I don't believe this has anything to do with putting down another vendor, but maybe getting best bang for buck? But that's just my opinion. If anything he's helped us all tremendously by 'open sourcing' his work (for want of a better expression) for the good of all who frequent this board and have the time/inclination to geek it out a bit. It's easy to make your own battery box and mic from basic parts, and most of us have...and have reaped the rewards. That reminds me, I should post pics of my ghetto battery box soon. I am impartial to all this... I have neither purchased from greenmachine or Church Audio. But I have no doubt both make fine products. I just don't believe bad-mouthing the competition was his intent. Really, they are two very different products at different price points, anyway. I'm sure the products speak for themselves.

Oh I wasn't taking u wrong at all. Everything taken in context. Yes, the next few years show good promise on the recording front. If only they'd hurry up. Companies like Panasonic & Sony can totally leave the Edirol in the dust if they wanted to (they can easily create a better-built unit in a smaller size), but they don't seem too interested. From what I read, a real weakness of the R09 is the battery cover. So Sony is in good company (at least as far as the RH10 is concerned) Not too sure on how noisy it is with external mics, either. I'm also not a fan of the design of the unit (size is a bit too big, too - but still quite livable). The price of 2GB SD cards has plummeted, and no doubt will continue to. There's no doubt flash will be the preferred medium for many at some point in the future.

I think the MZ-1 gets too much coverage and flak for being big Only a year later, with Sony's next model, the MZ-R2, they made the first (IMO) desirable (and pocketable) MiniDisc portable. I got on the train with the follow-up model, the MZ-R3. Anyhoo, the MZ-1 was rush-released (at least that was the consensus at the time) to steal some thunder from Philips' DCC release (the two were one or two months apart in release dates in late-ish 1992). Of course Sony's ATRAC at the time was given lots of criticism for sounding worse than Philips' Precision Adaptive Sub-band Coding (PASC), but hey, they weren't using tapes. marctronixx, nice pics. I have memories of TDK's DCCs blanks, too. They were nice.

While I've never used (or actually seen in the flesh) the MZ-RH10, I'm a pretty good judge of what I like and don't like from a design standpoint. Scratchy and plasticy and fingerprinty (and silver paint-y) hit my list of dislikes. Big screen is a like. But there's not enough to really interest me in Generation 2. Given how much generation 1 Hi-MD models are still going for in Australia, I don't think there's much to complain about. Had I payed 3 times more, I could bring out a long list. So for me, no major disappointments. Having only used Generation 1 and being a recording nut, I can't dream of buying another audio device for similar (or more) money - with less quality and features on the recording front. In many ways, generation 3 corrects the cheap-toy-from-china tackyness factor (among others) which is good.

non-tactile, you mean? I think it would be awful and result in many error pressings. The whole point of tactile feel is the reassurance and feel you get from (without looking, if necessary) hitting the right buttons in the dark, in your pocket, whatever. Regarding certain Hi-MD models faulty button behaviour over time: All this can be avoided if the designers/enginneers designed the units without cutting costs at every conceivable turn (ie. not making all the buttons connect to on one piece of warpable plastic, if I recall correctly). I have never seen any problems on any oldskool MD units (owned the MZ-R3, and was given an MZ-R70 a while ago (collecting dust) which has never faulted after years of use). Great engineering. Tactile buttons.

While I admire your enthusiasm, I can't resist but to knock it down a notch or two Pressed discs (last I checked) are: 1) dirt cheap to make 2) Fast to pump out For medium/big runs (frankly, only popular artists are worth releasing on Hi-MD, as the more obscure would get too few sales on CD, let alone Hi-MD), the cost prices to Sony would be a world of difference compared to the far more expensive Hi-MD - and that means a big difference in profit margin when you are pumping out thousands/millions of discs. The time to get quantity out and fill the channel is also far faster with more efficient means of production. These things always matter (particulary the way media affects buying patterns, necessitating occasional 'bursts' of production). Shelf space in record stores also matters. I haven't seen audio cassettes (or racks dedicated to cassettes) for some time. Wholesale prices (not retail prices) Sony sell to stores is the real 'profit' for Sony. Stores making room and having proper racks (and anti-theft devices ) for the discs is another basic reality. Informing the public of the bloody format is another one It's faaaaaar to obscure. Joe luvs his iPod, tho. We are talking about a format that was intro'd in 2004, that has only sold a few million units worldiwide (at best), to this day. Real figures for just Hi-MD (and not MiniDisc/NetMD) are probably far lower. Artist royalties, too. But we know major label artist royalties are largely insignificant in the 'cost pie', so omitting them is not a big issue here In marketing terms, you might be classed as an early adopter or enthusiast or whatever. You are not indicative of the general population Not many would pay the same (or more) to get less (worse sound, smaller artwork, etc) unless they only had machines to play the small discs (and couldn't record). In other words, many won't buy it because they have no devices to play it in. CD was there first. Hi-MD is not a big enough leap to justify the extra expense of buying 'new-fangled devices'. Maybe that plays a part. But I think it has more to do with something simpler: compatibility. There are CD players everywhere. They are standard. Hi-MD is nowhere near that level of ubiquity. The two are probably related. Sharing is easier. Playback is easier. For other devices (iPod, walkman, etc), recording is easily done. Don't hold your breath CDs are great. Archiving to flac is better They need you and the masses. One of the reasons we see iPod toilet docks nowadays is because the units are selling like Big Macs. Companies go where the sales are. Sony had its chance. It blew it. Perceptions (bad ones) are very hard to shake. As far as the public is concerned, Hi-MD = NetMD = MiniDisc, and all that was bad or not-so-good with it (software and hardware). Sony had a nice window of opportunity of at least 5 years - where they were still considered king - to get things right with NetMD/MiniDisc. They totally blew it. Their management fumbled, and continue to fumble. For all these reasons (production cost/time, retail presence, customer ignorance of format, low sales of format, bad perceptions, the fact that by nature the format is recordable, small artwork, etc), I think pre-recorded Hi-MDs make no sense whatsoever (economically speaking and customer desirability-wise). In the meantime, Happy Recording ...and long live CD

just analogue

They are comfy. Just that getting them on your ears is not as easy as the Sony I tried. And where they rested on my ears was a bit of a surprise (compared to where I expected them to rest). ...and the neckband occasionally reminds u it *is* too big. While I absolutely think the looks are tacky (and will loudly state it), the tackyness doesn't actually prevent me from using them outside (I draw the line with certain Koss and Grado models, though). Comfort and sound win out. Most of my phones listening is done through full-size cans indoors, but these are fine outdoorsy phones, IMO.

I bought them too... Neckband size I find the neckband on the PMX100 too large (but I knew this going in reading comments on head-fi.org, etc). Would like it to be adjustable, just like any headband model is. It sticks out behind my neck a bit too much. Ear fitting PMX100 didn't rest on my ears quite where I wanted them to, but temporarily moving them about to where I expected them on my ears didn't result in any sonic differences, so I quickly got used to the 'standard' fit. Getting them on Putting them on at first was a little difficult to get the hooks behind the ears, too. After only being exposed to a Sony model beforehand (which was easy to slip on and off without hassle), I think this can improve. However, the Sony model I tried would hurt your ears after a short time (where the hooks touch your ears). Sennheiser was/is better in this respect. Looks As far as looks of the phones go, I truly believe this is one of the ugliest phones in existence (with notable Grado/Koss models taking top spots). Certainly one of the worst (if not the worst) in the Sennheiser line-up. These things are subjective, of course, but I'd expect to see this level of aesthetic in the local $2 shop. Sound That's why we buy it. And I beleive it's one of the best-sounding phones for the money. However, that said, I haven't tried many in this price range and I am one of these freaks that occasinally desires just a little more volume out of them from Hi-MD's puny 5mW outputs (when running with a flat EQ on the Hi-MD unit, which I never bother changing). Yes, sometimes I like to drown out the universe. That said, I think they will be more than adequate for the majority of people. Sound Leakage Do not use them with others nearby unless you want to annoy them. Overall, glad I bought them. I just hope whoever designed them and thought the... ahh, I'm making myself sick talking about it

for me it's... Removable batteries Ideal for extended playback/recording while travelling and/or away from PC/power/whatever. Most mp3 players in same situation? Dead. Find PC to recharge, etc. Basics like this make so much sense - yet it's rare (but not impossible) to see from non-MD units. Record from virtually any audio source (optical, usb, line-in, mic) This can't be topped on any similarly-priced competitor that I've seen. You don't actually need a computer to use an MD unit at all. You also don't need a PC to record optically at the highest quality (with accurate trackmarking), either. Record from MIC at the highest quality available for the price. Perhaps the best feature for me, thanks to high quality analogue circuitry. Removable media Call it oldskool, but for me it simply makes sense and is preferred, especially when u have more than one unit. On-disc editability On-unit titling of tracks, 'live' trackmarking, rearranging tracks, etc. All is 'built-in' and standard in the hardware. Date/time stamp and Speed Control are also a handy features, IMO (on selected units). Again, no real competitors for recording flexibility (and all of it without a PC). Trade-offs? 1) SonicStage (ugh...) 2) Relatively slow speeds transferring music to device via PC (Zzz). 3) Relatively low storage capacity compared to some MP3 players out there. Removable discs somewhat offsets this, tho. 4) Not entirely jog-proof like flash 5) Unit operation noise can be picked up in MIC recordings if not careful. Also, no current MD portable can record off radio (if radio is something you listen to) - without hooking it up to external equipment. MD players don't offer some of the mobile phone-like features of their mp3-player counterparts, either. Or some of the small sizes.

It should be doing this by default. From what you've written, I can only guess you're being confused by the Group Rec setting being set to on rather than off (which it is by default). See page 51 of your manual. With Group Rec being on: After each recording session (ie. after you press stop at the end of a recording, as opposed to pause), the recorder, on the next recording session, will create a new Group (Groups are basically 'folders') and create numbered tracks inside that group. Groups are handy to sort/label different recording sessions, label albums, etc. With Group Rec being set to off: The recorder will just create numbered tracks, without the Groups (folders).

Oh, I was just suggesting a dissection of both batteries, to see how the internals compare. Perhaps any construction or marking differences can be identified 100% this way. Then again maybe not. Just that it seems so vague whether they are genuine, though they appear to be working fine. Would be nice to have 100% certainty.

I still haven't bought a spare for my MZ-NH1. Instead I bought more recorders But it would be nice for someone to dissect both batteries to put the "original-versus-el-cheapo" thing to rest. Any takers?

That's the way. Personally, I would never record priceless once-in-a-lifetime interviews with people in any compressed format, open or proprietary. You bought some decent stuff, and the limitations (battery life, recording time) aren't really limitations at all (if you ask me - but might be for some people), so I tend to think recording with anything less than the best quality available to you would be a stroke of insanity The extended battery life and more audio per disc will be long forgotten, but the audio will live on. Do it at the best quality possible.

yep, I know all this, but UDF is the only format I'd use for optical media (it's quite a bit faster to write to the disc with UDF and far more reliable than FAT32 or packet-writing software, such as InCD). Using third-party apps to write to the disc is against the ease-of-use and drag-n-drop philosophy of DVD-RAM, IMO. I've read that FAT32 (and FAT) are actually far worse for the disc than UDF, being that they rewrite to the same parts of the disc constantly as files change (less of an issue with DVD-RAM since it has higher rewrites, but still can be an issue for daily-changed discs). Discs are also slower to write to with FAT32. Not too sure how the linux file systems compare, but Matsushita's UDF driver is essential to the way I use DVD-RAM. Every modern OS can read UDF of various flavours (and of course the reliability factor again), so it's important for me to format and write the discs with UDF. I'm with you on big PSD files. Hah, would take forever to save on Hi-MD. Zip discs (and drives) were quite cheap to make (sold for high enough price, of course) - and those 100MB versions were introduced many, many years ago now. Economics (and timing) played a big part. And they were still faster than Hi-MD! (external parallel port version was the slowest, though - thanks to the parallel port itself), and as anyone who has suffered from the Click Of Death knows (google it), they weren't the most reliable things in existence Sony actually attempted to replace the floppy with HiFD (High Capacity Floppy Disc). Google it

off-topic: Ah, but is it possible to write to it natively in the OS with UDF without a separate app, unless you have Matsushita's driver? I don't think it is possible (but I haven't tried, since mine comes with it). So that's what I was referring to. DVD-RAM (in cartridges!) is a killer format, IMO.