petertkalec

Just a note to anyone else interested in using their US/Canada AC Power Adaptor (AC-ES3010K, supplied with ny NH900) abroad... works fine with 220v, despite it saying that the required input is 120v AC, 60HZ. Took a risk, but it works perfectly here in Peru (220V variable (crappy feed)). Cheers, Peter.

So I am travelling around South America and have a bunch of Spanish Lessons in MP3 format that I want to get onto my HIMD - NH900. Do you think I can install Sonicstage on these little internet cafe computers? Not likely, except for Sonys connect v3.0 mongo-download. Which in these little cafes would take hours and hours and hours. I tried the minidisc.org hosted installer... but maybe it is only an upgrade? Any hints on an easy way to get these mp3s onto my MD? Right now I am very close to going out in the next major city I hit and just buying an ipod. Thanks for your help, so frustrated, Peter.

Audible is all about audio tapes... spanish lessons, for instance, can be tens of hours long... the USB transfer is pretty key.

try this link: http://msafi.com/index.php/all?s=audible&sentence=AND

Man oh man, I listen mostly on loud busses and planes, and I was going HI-SP until recently when I put some HI-LP on there and it sounded great (in my noisey environment)... now that I've accepted it, I have so much music on a disc that it makes me giddy.

Yeah, I agree... the disk drive features of the HIMDs are a little weak (i.e. terribly slow). And flash memory is SO cheap. this past week there was 512MB selling for CDN$30 ($30!) at futureshop here in Canada. Jeez. And it'll only get cheaper.

I love it. Thanks for the tip; I'm getting one today.

Yeah, the first thing I did was close it and try again... then close it, reboot, and try again... then the whole shebang.

So how's it work from your md? It looks/reads like it's only USB... what's the grey/large-ish unit in the left of the pic in the link you posted? Even if it's USB onl, though... it would be great for sending music around the apartment... playing from the vast HD archives or streaming audio.

So my laptop was sitting on my bed, overheated and shut down. Frikkin new P4 chips get so hot, my new laptop is half heat-removal, and when you don't give the heat sincs and fans lots of free space, well, the machine overheats and just shuts down. Of course I'm telling you this because I was transferring tunes to my 900 via SillyStage when the shut-down occurred. SS wasn't happy. Now, with any other device/software combo you might have to re-transfer the track that was being transferred during the crash, but with SillyStage I have to connect to Sony's website to verify something or other, then follow some sort of database rebuilding steps that involve removing and re-installing SillyStage, and you have to do it just so (same dir, say no to the new DB, etc) or all you shit will be gone, so the warning screen says: And, well, I`m going to do it (of course). I`m a music geek and a computer geek and I`ll follow the steps and get things running again. But it makes me think about Joe User and what this would mean for him. Likely it would involve calling tech support or their computer geek friend. Re-installing... come on, Sony. SillyStage sucks.

No no, 70 hours of variety in your car... I like the idea, too. I'd buy one in a second.

Yeah, while that one on ebay doesn't say it's for the 900, it SURE DOES LOOK like it... but you never know - those contacts could be spaced wrong or the fastening screw could be threaded differently or something weird like that. You need that AA battery for recording anything of any length, though.

No no, you'll get a stereo recording with both channels recording the same signal. It's a waste of space on your MD or HD, but you wouldn't get just the right or just the left channel.

I've been using CoolEdit Pro... but I'm going to try the Kristal, since my CoolEdit isn't exactly a legal copy.

Yes, I love (LOVE) my NH900 for recording... hours and hours of recording time (Hi-SP) and hours and hours of battery life with a fully charged gumstick and a new duracell AA. Way too many times I got burned with either disc capacity or (more often) battery life on my NetMD N707. That's my two cents.

...and when you clip the mike to your lapel or wherever... make sure it won't rub against the fabric as you move around. Rubbing can be very loud and very annoying...

Yeah, I was talking to some retail folks here in Halifax, and I know they're often Larrys, but they had also heard rumours from inside the retail circles about native mp3 support for MD. I know it doesn't mean much, but there is lots of murmurs from lots of different sides about this. Man, firmware upgrades would be sweet... but I suspect I'd be buying ANOTHER MD player. Jeez.

... and for what it is, it's extremely hard on resources.

Yeah, I just picked up my first blank (besides the one that came with the unit) and I think it's goofy. I like the minimalist sleeve. Oh well.

Yeah, I think the discs are pretty available now... when the units first came out it was hard to find them here (NS, Canada) but now they're everywhere. A little pricey, but available. And you're right - the iPods are in pretty high demand. I'm thinking about crossing the line, too. Except for the live recording, I think it's a way easier way to enjoy music.

Does anyone out there actually use that wonderful piece of junk as it's intended? I mean as your primary music organizer & player, keeping your files in Sony's formats, etc. I'm considering giving it a try - sort of "if you can't beat 'em..." - but I'm pretty sure it will just lead to frustration and more Sony-resentment. I hate the very basics of the software - just browsing for tunes is awkward. But maybe if I just make the switch I'll get used to things? Any thoughts?

Any good changes?

Yeah, I hate that the unit doesn't have a back-light. I record in slummy clubs often, and I either have to bring along the remote or else do the recording by feel... which I'm getting better at. I don't know if that photo is legit, but I have never seen my 900 light up like that.