jonny mac

Does the DH710 have a digital amp?? If you're getting another unit I'd recommend having at least one that has full recording functions. The NH600D and DH710 are both download only. I'd go for the RH910 or RH10 fo that.

I asked virtually the same question on another discussion board a few weeks ago - if SS has the high quality setting as well as the normal one then which one is being used by SB? The consensus was that SB is using the faster, normal setting so for better quality rips it's better to use Sonicstage. However, I can't tell the difference in HiSP and I'd doubt anyone else could. The lower bitrates will be another matter, though.

Careful, the NH1 is not officially Euro-capped, Sony state that it has the full 5mW output however this is not true. You'll find on the European NH1 that the volume does not increase beyond volume 24. With the hack it will increase all the way up to 30. However, if you are happy with the volume on you MD unit then don't bother.

It's a European Union law based on French and German laws which limit the output of any portable music player to 100dB. However, it doesn't seem to apply to all manufacturers, which is the really strange thing. My iRiver MP3 player is fine - 18mW output. This is from an e-mail complaining to Sony about the problem with my N710: "I am sorry to read that the specification of your MD Walkman is cause for disappointment. The MZ-N710 will have a headphone output of 100 decibel (dB), and this is a standard feature across the Walkman range of products [untrue]. In preparation of a new EU regulation on the sound pressure level of personal audio devices, Sony has adjusted the output volumes of our Walkman models. In order to avoid sudden specification changes of our product line-up, the first models conforming to the proposed law were released in the spring line-up in 2003. Presently, our models of Walkman work in accordance to the new regulation. However, I would also like to reassure you that Sony conducts extensive market research and testing before releasing a new product, due to our commitment to marketing and manufacturing products that meet the needs of today's consumer [untrue]. Having said this, it is regrettably not possible for every product to meet the specific requirements of every consumer [fair enough]." This European regulation is called "European Standard EN50332-1*". I have hacked both my European HiMD units and am now happy with their output. I have encountered no problems doing this and I am quite sure that it isn't illegal but it will void the warranty. If you need to return the unit then un-hack it back to the original settings.

This sounds like the ideal use of MD, where it's greatest strength really shines - excellent recording quality. I have numerous MD units and an iRiver MP3 player (generally considered as one of the better flash-based MP3 players) and the HiMD is better for recording quality, playback quality, capacity and most other things. The iRiver wins out on battery life, small size and speed of up/downloads. MD coupled with Sonicstage 3.3 is the best for recording. A HiMD unit will do everything you have listed here.

It's not too hard to increase the output to 5mW. Also, if you're looking for Sony earbuds that aren't too expensive and have good bass then try the MDR-E931s. There's a thread over at the T-board about them. http://www.audiotstation.com/forum/showthr...zing+stock+buds

Bear in mind that part of the beauty of HiMD is it's wide range of uses. Mostly I use it just for listening but I also use the data storage both for moving files and for backing-up data. I also record from DVDs, copy-controlled CDs or other things. Nothing else can do this to the quality I get from MD.

There's no way that A3+ 64k is up to the standard of A3 132k, Sony are just plain wrong here. I have listened to a lot of 132k and find it very acceptable, I don't know about 105k, I've never listened to it. I don't think you can even rip to it with SS 3.3, can you? 64k is ok if you want to fit loads onto a disc but I couldn't listen to it all the time, the artifacts would drive me crazy after a while.

I like Nastro Azuro (Italian) as my beer of choice for drinking on a hot summer day. Glass (not bottle), ice, beer garden and good company are obligatory.

I don't think there's any hardware that supports the lossless format, MD or otherwise. For the moment, if you want lossless on MD it's got to be linear PCM. SS 3.3 can also transfer WAVs transcoded to ATRAC3plus at a respectable 352 kbps.

My main portable listening is HiMD these days but I've been keeping an eye out for a cheap ATRAC CD player for a while. The other day I found a D-NE300 for £19.99 (in Sainsbury's of all places) and decided to go for it. I fully expected the output to be Euro-capped to some degree and sure enough it's very quiet. A quick check of the specs states 1.5mW for Europe and 5mW elsewhere; barely above the much-maligned N710 output. I have a portable amplifier I can use with this, after all, I didn't buy it for small size, but would obviously prefer to uncap it if possible. Apart from that it seems a very good CD player for the money. You'd be hard pressed to find any MP3 CD player in the UK for much less than £20, never mind a Sony one that can play ATRAC disc too and has a clear 3-line LCD to boot. The battery life (at 85 hours for an ATRAC CD and 55 for regular CD) is impressive, the sound quality seems very good and it's not all that bulky. Also better built than many, I could like it a lot. The only real failing apart from the volume is the lack of remote support. So, does anyone know if this can be uncapped and, if so, how? Many thanks

The NH1 is not "officially" Euro-capped according to Sony but in reality it is Euro-capped, although less so than other HiMDs such as the NH900. I don't remember seeing anything about the hack making it sound better. It's just louder. Vinchenzo - was your NH1 bought within Europe?

Do you have a Eurpoean model? These are volume capped and will not increase in volume beyond setting 24/30. If this is the case you need to hack the unit to get some volume increase. I wouldn't recommend increasing the recording volume as this distorts the sound.

A recording mp3 player? Another one? So this one's white, ok, does that make it's recordings sound good? I doubt it. There are dozens of cheap and expensive digital recorders out there but none have so far matched MD for recording quality. I very much doubt that this will record well, the average iPod user doesn't want to record from anything but PC. I'm quite sure that MD and HiMD will still rule as far as the quality of real-time recording is concerned.

equipment: NH1, EH1, NH900, E90, N710, G750, aprox. 14 HiMD discs and 120 regular discs Main use: listening at home and while travelling Other uses: recording lectures, recording radio, recording my own music and notes for songs etc, use as a high capacity USB drive to store and move files Alternatives: for listening: only CD or an ATRAC compatible HDD unit but I much prefer MD to both of these. For recording: nothing can compare with MD, it rules Suggestions: lower the price of the HiMD media and produce good quality (all metal) units that are as small as possible. With advertising HiMD can compete. MD is the best there is in the world of portable audio but you have to tell people that. They buy iPods because adverts tell them to. Fight back, there's money to be made, I promise you.

I've read through this thread in it's entirity and I have to say I feel pretty bleak about the future of MD. I've only been using MD and HiMD for 2 years but it's certainly the best there is, not just for recording but also for playback: the quality is great and can't be bettered by anything else on the market. Remember, we're still waiting on a statement from Sony and nothing is definite yet. I am confident that MD will be available in some form for several years to come, although units may not be what we have become used to and may go up in price. MD may go the way of DAT but having said that I've only ever seen one portable DAT unit on the UK e-tailers and it costs £550, around $1000. I hope MD never ends up like that because it may be ok for semi professionals but it's no good for the amateur musicians and it's certainly no good as a walkman. I think MD is entrenched sufficiently well in several markets that it will be around for a while. For all those fearing it will be completely withdrawn, don't worry. Recorders (and maybe even the odd player-only) will be around for at least five years and media will be available for at least another ten after that. I have two HiMD recorders and one player and I hope that they will last me for a number of years. If MD is still the best option when my current units expire then I'll stick with it. As far as I'm concerned HDD and flash can't compete even as players, never mind as recorders. Everybody wants a magical device that can hold all their music, sound great and be reliable. The companies producing DAPs want you to believe that that's a reality now but in truth it will never be a reality with HDDs. An alternative will have to be found, probably an ultra-high capacity optical medium of some sort. The wonder-DAP is at least ten years away but everyone wants to jump on the wagon now, even though most of the products are shoddy. As far as I'm concerned HiMD is the best there is and I'll stick with it until it is bettered. I'll buy new units while they're available, suitable and not too expensive.

I fear that most of what you've written is true The 2nd gen are poor quality, and some of the first too. Sony decided to go with cost cutting rather than good quality and that has let them, and us, down. MD has so much potential left in it, especially with HiMD, but Sony seem unwilling to realise this. What format can do everything that MD can? None. Are there any alternatives on the horizon? No. So what will happen if MD disappears...??? Everything will be poorer quality. Personal audio has come of age: it's cool, it's affordable, it's skip-proof, it sounds good and it's easy to use. So, in order to appeal to the masses who now clamour for fashionable ear-gear, standards have fallen in order to reduce prices. And those of us who want something not just cheap but GOOD will have to make do with whatever we can find amongst the too-small flash players and the unreliable HD players. What a waste.

It does look a lot like a modernised version of the SJ-MJ50, looks like all the specs are the same. Very nice unit and dock although the remote looks boxy, not very sleek. Disappointed not to see a HiMD unitbut I suppose glad to see any new unit appear

The NH1 is the smallest HiMD recorder and the only one that comes close to your N10 in size. The NH900 and RH10 are both fairly big (comparatively) and are a little larger than an N710 (two models below your N10 in the same generation of NetMD). For a really small unit go player-only with the EH1 or EH930 (Japan-only models)

On the first gen units the limitation was such that the volume could be put to 30 but (on the NH1) it made no difference beyond 24. The volume hack frees-up those last few notches. I've been worried for some time that with all the hacking going on Sony would be obliged to do something about it. I suspect that Sony allows (even encourages) the hacking, the info is widely available after all. It allows it to compete better in the market. However, perhaps it will become too widely known and there will be a clamp-down. I would blame the cheeky folk sellng the info on e-bay, a more widely visited site than and MD site, for letting the cat out of the bag. To my knowledge this has not come about yet. Personally, I would not buy any European MD unit unless I was certain it could be uncapped

1. The EH1 is not a recorder and therefore cannot transfer anything at 100x or any other speed. I think you mean the NH1. 2. The charging stand of the NH1 is not USB equipped. 3. Neither the NH1 nor the EH1 comes with an AA cell case. Sorry, but there's a lot of misleading advertising around MD and especially HiMD with regards to what features are actually present. I think it's best to get all the facts straight and not mislead anyone into a purchase they were not clear on.

I mostly use LP2, as Rombusters stated, it's a good compromise between quality and space. I have some discs recorded at HiSP (through optical) for really good quality listening but when I'm on the move LP2 does just fine and I can't tell it from any higher bitrate. I would recommend it for the bulk of your recording

Well, I love all my MD units and the NH900 has a lovely "chunky" feel to it that makes it particularly nice to hold. However, the short battery life is the main drawback and the nice chunky feel is not so good when I want a unit that's as small as possible. So, I had to go for the NH1 because it's pure class from top to bottom. BTW, also forgotten were the Japan only models: the EH1 (the sexiest Hi-MD model by far) and the NH3D (NH1 without screen and recording capabilities). The EH930 was also forgotten. Oh, and that Buffalo NH600 copy.

In short, if you only listen to a few albums at a time, Hi-MD is for you. The primary advantage of the I-Pod and other HDD players is the capacity but it sounds like you don't need that. You needn't record everything optically, Hi-SP (265kbps ATRAC3plus) can be transferred from PC and the latest versions of Sonicstage and Simpleburner are stable and more usable than you'll remember from your NetMD days. If you prefer MP3 then go for the shiny new RH10, but the first gen units (particularly the NH1) are probably better quality, transfer files faster and have better accessories supplied but they only play ATRAC. Battery life is much better than the Ipod and all batteries are replaceable (for £25 max). Sounds like MD is for you

So let me get this straight (sorry, only now reading through this thread in it's entirity) 1. The removal of compulsory DRM means that any computer with SS can playback the files? So, in theory, you could encode all your CDs on one computer and then transfer them (by CD/DVD/USB storage) to another computer? 2. I assume that music transferred from one computer still cannot be uploaded to another? 3. Optical recordings can now be uploaded but the WAV conversion tool will not work with them (but TR will get the job done in real time)? 4. What is this “initialisation” that is necessary??? 5. The removal of LP4 is gonna annoy some NetMD users, especially ones with older computers that have very limited HDD space. I suppose they would be better off sticking with 3.1. 6. If I wanted no DRM on any of my .oma files I would have to delete the ones that are currently on my PC and then re-import with no DRM, yes? Or can the files be un-DRMed? 7. WMP will play .oma files??? Clear and concise replies appreciated, this is all a bit confusing. Cheers