mmp64

I have always been amazed at the $$ some pre-recorded MDs bring on eBay - I suppose because of their rarity. If you were to do this - if you are able to actually get them manufactured - I would consider doing something like a limited run of 500 or something like that. Maybe 1,000 but no more. What about 8-Track?

Much to my wife's dismay, I display them randomly around the house like pieces of art. I bought little stands (not pictured) at an art store.

Agreed. Soundbox - you should be careful. Sony might send a lethal bolt of lightning through the cables....

Welcome back. Yep - they will work. I don't think Sony is still manufacturing anything MD related - but - you can find basically an infinite supply of blank MDs on eBay, including my personal favorite - the Gold Sony's you mentioned. I have the distinct pleasure of having bought the last pack at the Best Buy in Gastonia, NC.

Pretty sure all production has been long shut down, since you can't buy an MZ-M200 from Sony. But what do I know.

The last two MD units (MZ-RH1 and whatever the other one is called) will let you transfer your SP recordings back to a PC running Sonic Stage. I've never done this but it can be done (pretty sure). Not sure about the Mac software's ability to do this though.

Eventually the radio remotes go. I went through three on my MZ-NF610. Didn't have the 800 long enough for it to go bad.

Wow. That's quite interesting, considering that model is almost 10 years old, and uses a technology and infrastructure totally unsupported by the manufacturer. "Regular" $299. What is a "regular" price for something 10 years old? And I highly doubt that model was ever $300. On the other hand - a collector may be willing to pay something close to that for NIB. Maybe.

Chris moved the forum here a long time ago - maybe a year?

Basically, it's because there aren't enough posts to justify having multiple sub-forums - and - people were posting HiMD stuff in the NetMD forums and vice versa.

That is a totally awesome drawing - did you do that? (of the 610 or 510).

My car unit plays ATRAC CDs (and MP3 and AAC as well) - and one thing I was really surprised by when I got it years ago is that it was not gapless. However, some of the ATRAC CD Walkman I have DO play ATRAC CDs gapless (it is an option).

Not necessarily beats it, but is equivalent, if both are played on some type of Sony equipment. Really, I'm not sure how to evaluate codecs separate from the equipment on which they are played.

Yes, I agree with you. The kind of thing people are suggesting only happens in movies. And BTW - after many many years of listening to all manner of DAPs, including large numbers of Sony units, I don't believe that ATRAC was a superior CODEC to MP3 LAME. I think Sony produced, and produces, superior hardware for audio playback. Get one of the CD Walkman that plays ATRAC and MP3 and do some listening.

Could you expand on that comment?

14 is longer-lasting version of 10. I noticed that they are $50. That is one reason I gave up on HiMD units. You can get knock-offs for a lot, lot less but I'm not sure I'd trust them.

So - you are playing through a dedicated optical out (on a PC? Or rare, expensive MD deck?) to a receiver, or equivalent?

Just so I'm still straight on AAL - you cannot export in AAL format (to HiMD) - it is only for archiving purposes. Correct?

Many people on this board will say that real time recording sounds better. I have done tests on this from time-to-time and I really can't tell the difference. But they likely have better equipment and/or better ears, though I am fairly picky. Having said that, I've been doing most of my MD recording in real-time SP using a deck in the last year - mostly because I have settled on using Net or Standard-MD units because they don't rely on $60 batteries.

Perhaps I will buy him one for Christmas then. If he doesn't like it, I will simply add it to my collection.

Thanks. This is exactly the kind of device I think is too complicated - for kids. I would like it, of course. But for kids/teens - I'm literally thinking about something with 4-5 big buttons, like an old-school cassette recorder. Something tough, that could take the abuse. Something easy - no gain controls, no meters, etc. etc. Just a mic, a mic input, a speaker, buttons, a counter of some type, headphone jack, etc - but it's really a "modern" device - with a flash drive, USB port, etc. I would even say it would run on two "AA" batteries vs. having a built-in rechargeable battery. Maybe take a cue from the old school MDs and be able to re-charge the batteries in the unit. My EH930 is part of my MD "display" collection. I bought little stands for them and have them positioned at various places in my house, like pieces of pop art. I bought it used a couple of years ago on eBay - not in the greatest shape (to a collector) - there is some scratching. I can't understand why someone would allow such a beautiful device to get beat up.

No, I have an EH930 which I used to charge Gumsticks after the demise of my 900 - at this point though, I think I need new Gumsticks. Just hesitant to invest the $$ because of the issues with the 900. I've basically switched to Net MD and old SP units because they use AAs - and use NH-1 for HiMD - but I still have a soft spot for the 900 because it was the first "higher end" unit I purchased. Plus I always liked the dial, and the sound. When I get home (on vacation) I will have a go at the 900. Thanks.

Mine has been in the same condition for a very long time - it is now an attractive ornament. I had the "expanding battery" problem a long time ago and had to use pliers to get the battery out, which probably screwed everything up. Are the terminals on the bottom of the battery compartment or the top? I've tried to peer in there with a flashlight but couldn't really see anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

This thread got me thinking - the most important gift I ever received was a little cassette deck on my 13th birthday. It started a life-long obsession with audio recording. My son is now 13, and I realized there is no equivalent device in the digital age - a cheap, easy-to-use device for doing simple recording, and one that enables you to play it back (via a speaker) on the same unit. MD never did that in the consumer market, and now I'm wondering why not. Why did they only go with the Walkman form factor? So anyway - I ended up going to Wal-Mart and buying my son - you guessed it - a tape deck. So now he can goof around recording stuff and play it back immediately. It was quite fascinating watching him try to figure out how to use physical media - because he really has no exposure to it, other than watching me. I was thinking a cool invention would be to make something that basically looks and works like a tape deck but uses flash media and has a USB port for uploading your recordings to PC. I know there is such a thing - but they are geared towards musicians and/or reporters in terms of their form factor and features. I'm thinking something more like a tape deck - something easy for kids to use.