smkraft

Thanks kurisu - two quick follow-up questions: First, do the rechargeable batteries that typically come with new Sony MD's (in this case Hi-MD) retain their charge, in the sense that I can rely on the 900's battery to consistently provide 8.5 hours in Hi-SP mode (per the Hi-MD comparison chart)? Second, do the batteries last a long time or will I need to buy a new rechargeable battery every six months or a year? Given your initial post I assume it is easy to buy new rechargeable batteries if/when they go bad. Thanks again.

Hey - Does anyone know if the rechargeable batteries provided with MD players have...issues? I ask becase when researching iPods it appears that most, if not all, buyers complain about the limited amount of life (both recharageable life and actual life - 1 or 2 years) they get from their batteries. I just cannot in good conscious buy something for $300+ that has a useful life on less than 2 years! My decision point relative to the Hi-MD units is comfort level with a unit that does not have an in-unit slot for an AA battery. So this pits the 900 and NH1 versus the 600 and 800. Right now the front runner is the 800 since it has an in-unit AA slot and from what I am reading in most of the forums the functionality of the 800 over the 600 is worth the extra $60+. Is my fear of recharageable batteries totally irrational? Is the 800 that much better than the 600? Is the 900 san AA battery slot worth the $60 over the 800? In the immortal words of Vinnie Barbarino, I am so confused! OK - this post was too long - sorry. Steve