aeriyn

Hi there. MiniDisc remotes tend to die after about a year of hard use. I don't know if you could actually do anything by rewiring it, nor do I know how to open it. But you can get replacement remotes from Audiocubes. There's even ones that are better (and not backwards) like your RM-MC11EL.

Almost any company that makes MD units probably has short-cord 'phones, at least one or two models anyway. :happy:

I think maybe Sony assumes a lot by region. I believe that since the most heavily-marketed MD units in the US are generally the low-end NetMD only models, they don't think the average consumer would record the (good) slow way. Judging from most average people I know, I'd say they probably have it right. Most of the people who buy a NetMD capable unit are not going to record via the optical/line-in jack. I just bought an NF520D for a great friend of mine; she loves it completely, especially being able to use MD Simple Burner to quickly throw her CDs on MD. Anyhow... real quality is obtained from MD deck-based recording in SP. Most of these average customers aren't as interested in audio equipment as a good deal of us are. :happy:

If you use SonicStage to transfer the tracks to your Hi-MD unit, it will leave .omg files on your hard drive. To avoid this, use MD Simple Burner. It's also an easier way to go when you're ripping direct from CD->MD. Tracks transferred with Simple Burner are just like tracks dubbed with a bookshelf system; you can do all the lovely editing functions with them, and can delete them from the MD. ^^

Glad to help. Welcome to the MDCF, by the way. :happy: When you transfer tracks to the N10 via NetMD, make sure the unit is in the charge stand/USB dock, and when you're finished making a disc, remember to press the "STOP" button on the player so it'll finish up with its TOC editing. When it goes from "TOC Edit" to "PC->MD", then it should be okay to remove the unit or remove the disc and transfer tracks to a new one.

Yes, but that remote is big, bulky, not backlit, and has a weird dongle attached to the cord near the miniplug and remote connector. On top of all that, it has two small plastic tabs on the underside which prevent it from physically fitting on units without small niches, which means units designed for that particular remote. (My little brother has an NF520D, which has this remote, and it will not fit in either my old N505, N10 or my R900.) Also, it's EXTREMELY expensive... Audiocubes carries it for $230US (?!) and I still can't figure out why. Personally I'd go with either of the remotes I suggested, but I know for a fact the RM-MC33EL works properly. Also, the UK version of the 600 is not labeled as a Downloader, because it does have an optical/line-in jack. Latexxx is right, however, it does not even have a remote port and thus will not accept any sort of remote.

To you, silly.

Hi there. Two remotes that I know of will work with the NH600D. First off, I know positively that the RM-MC33EL will work with the NH600D, having tested it myself with my MC33EL (my N10 remote). It's a nice little remote, too. Easy to use, easy to read, lightweight and has a reversible clothing clip. Audiocubes carries the unit for around $50. I imagine that the NH1's remote, the RM-MC40ELK will also work with the NH600D, but I don't know if the 3-line functionality works properly with the NH600D. The 600 has a 3-line main display, so it may or may not work properly. I don't know. Audiocubes also has this remote, I think for around $65ish.

You'll have to record each track individually. It's quite time-consuming, I know. The best thing you could probably do would be to just directly rip your CDs again and encode them in MP3 (I suggest 256kbps LAME-encoded MP3, which sounds the best) saving you the hassle of having to do it in real-time.

Hi there. Try switching the Built-In Battery switch (on the back of the recorder) to the off position, wait a few seconds, then switch it back on. This is the equivalent of removing the battery. Tell me if it works. :happy:

:laugh: That's incorrect. MD has the same frequency response of CDs (20-20,000Hz) and so do MP3s, regardless of the unit they're played on. If you have a Mac and are doing no recording, do yourself a favor and buy an iPod.

Sold. ^^

Raidmax has some really nice cases that aren't expensive. Mine's not overly decorative, but it's easy to work in/around and it is very solid and sturdy. Cost me $40.

Wow, no kidding? I didn't know that! Thanks for clearing that up. However, the NF610 isn't worth the price IMO. :rasp:

Whoa, this might take a while. I shall try my best. ^^ Hmm... before I go any further, I'd like to note that there are no MD units with AM radio functionality, but some of the mid-level ones DO possess FM/TV and Weather-band radio units. (Although, not the high-end models.) Any NetMD unit will take care of #1... but #2 you'll only find on Hi-MD. Btw, however, using the MO drive of the Hi-MD unit as a USB data drive is really slow. >.>; You'd be better off with one of those flash storage vault type things for that. MDs use a completely different read/write system than CD does. The MDs are magneto-optical, which means they use a combination of a laser and a magnetic head to arrange small magnetic domains into the binary bits used for data/music storage. It would be completely impossible for them to read on a regular CD drive due to the difference in read methods (reflectivity vs. polarity) and various other things I don't even know about. You can make analog copies (using a line cable) from their MD unit to your MD recorder/deck, but the Serial Copy Management System prevents you from making a digital copy of a recorded MD. Sharp's Auvi units with the 1-bit Digital Amp have sound that makes Sony units sound like pathetic, puling little things. :happy: Since no Sharp MDs are actually marketed/sold in the US, warranty would be void and customer service would be a bitch, to say the least. However, Sharp makes excellent recorders and players and I think the inconvenience of no warranty and no support is totally worth it (besides, dealing with Sony's tech support is like getting a root canal). Hi-MD units are currently in their infancy. I myself am not too thrilled with their limitations and the fact that Sony claimed they had capabilities that they do not, or they have capabilities so neutered that they atropy to the point of uselessness. One might be wise to wait another generation before going Hi-MD. Now. For my recommendations. :happy: For (almost) all your wants in one package, you cannot go wrong with the Sharp Auvi IM-DR80 NetMD recorder. It has the Auvi digital amp, so you get lovely sound reproduction. Also, the DR80 has plenty of recording capability. Recording level adjustment, a powered mic jack (no need for a mic preamp), sync-recording, auto track marking (for lectures or recording radio shows, hey how useful!). The list goes on and on. The only downside I see to this recorder is that it lacks an LCD display on the main unit, making monitoring recording levels on the little remote a bit of a pain. However, the unit does have what Sharp calls a "Multi-Station" USB base, which lets you download tracks to the recorder via NetMD, as well as all sorts of inputs (line, optical, etc) and the base does have an LCD display. Personally, I do not own a DR80, so I'm not sure of how easy it is to use. But I know several people who have the unit and love it. I own a Sharp DS8 player-only, so I can tell you firsthand that the sound of the Sharp MDs with the digital amp is just wonderful. You really have to hear it to believe it. I did. However, with regular MD (NetMD, etc) you cannot directly upload your live recordings via USB. You can do this with Hi-MD, true, but SonicStage locks the recordings in OpenMG format and you can't do anything with them but write more MDs, which to me is kinda useless. For Hi-MD, I would recommend the Sony MZ-NH900. The unit is a bit larger than the NH1, but it has an external AA battery pack that can be used to boost battery life for long-time recording. The unit is a little bulky compared to the NH1, and half of it is metal, the other half plastic (which confuses me a bit). It has all the required powered mic jack, optical/line in, etc. This unit DOES have a large, 3-line display on the main unit as well as a stick remote, making it a bit easier to monitor and adjust recording levels. I do not know how it sounds, but if it sounds anything like my Sony MZ-N10 NetMD recorder, I would honestly go with the Sharp unit instead, just because my N10 sounds like mud. >.>; You do have the advantage of Hi-MD, and while you may not be able to upload your recordings in any usable format (yet, Sony is supposedly releasing a Wave Converter to take any Hi-SP analog recordings and convert them to .wav format...), you can have it play the recordings over USB and capture the wav stream with a sound editing suite. Anyhow. The Sharp DR80 is already out (in Japan) but it can be ordered from Audiocubes (http://www.audiocubes.com), and maybe other sites that I don't know of. I haven't seen it on eBay before. You can check out more info on each of these units here. Sharp IM-DR80 Auvi 1-bit MiniDisc recorder: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sharp_IM-DR580+DR80.html Sony MZ-NH900 Hi-MD recorder: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-NH900.html Hope this helps. :happy:

Hmm. I'd have to check and see how much shipping is, but I think I may already have a US buyer. I'm not sure yet, that's why I didn't mark it as sold. :happy:

>.>; Hasn't he ever heard of Zero Insertion Force sockets? That has to be one of the most braindead moments I've ever heard of. Sorry you have to buy a new CPU, Chris. Though if you get the 64, tell me how it is. ^^

The N10 is Sony's 10th Anniversary MD recorder, and it is quite different from the N1. First of all, the remote is not backwards and a bit easier to use. The unit is thinner than the N1, it's constructed of magnesium alloy rather than aluminum, and it's quite light. It uses a sort of vertical jog dial for menu functions rather than the N1's control bar. 3-line display on the main unit, but it's a bit hard to read (contrast is light). Constructionwise, the N10 is a lot sturdier than the N1. Opening and closing the unit feels solid and not cheaply produced. The problems with the optical block that the N1 has do not appear on the N10 (although block faults are possible on any unit). Recording, it's pretty easy to do. It has NetMD as well as regular vanilla recording, and it records well. I can't really notice too much of a difference between its SP recordings and my R900's SP recordings. Soundwise (as a player), you really need to define the EQ settings or it doesn't sound good. It still can't beat an Auvi on sound quality, not even close, but it doesn't sound TERRIBLE. Just... muddy. With an EQ tailored to the type of music you listen to (I had to fiddle with it for a while before it would sound decent) it's not bad. Although, Sharp is much better. :happy: As a recording unit, I like it. As a listening unit, eh, okay but nothing special.

I didn't know that... :happy:

Be warned about the N1 however. It has a history of optical pick-up block faults (rendering the unit dead) as well as the ribbon cable connecting the magnetic write head to the main unit breaking. I've never used an N1 myself, but there are lots of people on this forum that have experienced these problems.

SonicStage can fake SP mode by resampling LP2. >.>; This is not the best solution, but if you're working from ~128kbps MP3s I suppose it won't be that big of a deal. If you're working from original CDs... record the slow way, in SP mode. Just do it, you'll like it better. xD

The MD deck you are using does not support MDLP. That's why it doesn't work; you can't really record SP with SonicStage. You can record "fake SP" (i.e. resampled LP2) with NetMD for compatibility purposes, but... ugh. What would be the point? It'd still be as lossy as LP2 with SP's larger size.

Nope. The NE410 doesn't work that way. This unit is only designed for NetMD transfer of music data. You would have to purchase a recorder with a Microphone In jack in order to record via microphone. Conversely, you could use a mic preamp connected to an MD recorder's Line-In jack, which would also work well.

Okay. ^^ Thanks for the budget info. Hmm... you live in Australia, right? Little different for me, I'm not sure how much 400AUD would be compared to USD... I don't think you'll get anything good for 200AUD, though. But let me poke around a bit... ... okay. Looked around a bit on eBay Australia. There's some interesting things there... more people are selling higher end units than on eBay in the US. o.O Might not make out like a bandit, but go with either the N1 or the N710. Either one of those will do what you want and then some, the N1 is quite compact and a pretty solid unit (a bit flimsy in construction, but solid in functionality). The N710 I don't really recommend because of its puny headphone amp (only 1.2mW+1.2mW!!) but it's also there. If you don't care about extra features such as optical in recording, mic recording, rechargeable gumstick batteries, remote control, etc, there's always the NE410. My little brother has one and man, it is one tough piece of hardware. Isn't the best sounding thing in the world, but comparable to low-cost flash MP3 players (probably better actually). If you had more money, I'd suggest buying a new Sharp IM-DR80, but it's a bit expensive for your financial reserves. Maybe save up a bit more? The sound of the Auvi 1-bit Digital Amp is more than worth it. I speak from experience; just recently got in my Sharp MD-DS8 player and found out all I'd been missing while using Sony units all this time. :happy:

All rechargeable batteries in all MD units are technically removable. I can pull the Li-Ion out of my N10 (in fact I have done this) and the gumstick in my DS8 and R900 (and incidentally, in the NH900) is easily removable by opening a little door. The Hi-MD 600-800 series, however, has a battery bulge and accepts AA alkaline drycells and AA formfactor rechargeables, but not both as it has only one battery receptacle.