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MZ-NH800. Features: * Transfer music from PC * Can play music in uncompressed PCM (wav). (Though Hi-SP ATRAC3+ 256kbps is pretty good) * FM/AM Tuner (it's in the remote). * G-Protection Basically all the stuff you need. Though I'd be throwing away the ear-buds that come supplied with it if you're keen on getting the most your MD has to offer in the sound-quality department.

The ipod is a great device, as our resident ipod fangirl aeriyn has aptly pointed out. A no-brainer to use when compared to MD, and lots of accessories availabile owing to it's popularity. But I have to inform you that the only thing the ipod can't do when listening to music, is gapless playback. For example, a some commercial CDs are recorded without any pauses or silence between certain tracks. A lot of concept albums are done this way too (Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' an oft-quoted example). So if you record a live show, or put a live recording on your ipod, it will put a small gap between tracks , even thought they were intended to go from one to another without a pause. If you just want to listen to a bunch of random songs, and do the occasional voice interview/lecture, then go for the ipod + accessories. Although the minidisc doesn't quite have the output power of the pod, I would recomended it you since you want to be able to capture soundbytes, record FM radio, lectures, concerts, etc. You won't be dissapointed with the recording features of the MD, and since you are dabling around with radio, I think the MD is what you need. Another alternative to consider might be another hard-disk unit, with recording capabilites. I know there are some avail. All in all, just continue your research, and I'm sure you'll discover which one suits your needs. If you can, see if you can borrow either or both an md or a pod from a friend you know who has one of them, and try them out for yourself. Good luck.

I'm pretty sure the N710 uses USB -> MiniUSB as Rombusters said. So even a PDA cable would work. I'm sure you could scrap one up from a computer store or even ebay - Sony support might want to charge you heaps, but then again, you can always give em a call and see...!

Nice work! Yep, it's a great unit, I hear. Though I've never really owned one myself. Sure it may be a lil bigger than some of the others, but the good news is that it's bullet proof, so I doubt you'll need to buy a foam case/bag for it at all - just chuck it your pocket/backpack, and away you go. No remote, but the orange backlight is quite a looker. And the NetMD features are well worth it. Just make sure you get the latest version of SonicStage (v2.3) and MD Simpleburner (2.something)

Coming real soon.... Sony CMT333NT Bookshelf NetMD/CD System... In order to finance this new extravagance, my trusty N510 will be up for sale. More news to come.

Kurisu, did you get my PM regarding my assistance with a possible MDCF SS/SB installer?

At first I didn't like it at all... But now i'm finding it's slowly growing on me. I think you should put in the proper MDCF logo in at the top. The usernames could do with a bit of the bold tag, and some of the colours of the text on the buttons (ie. the black/white "Add Reply", "New Topic", etc.) is rather ugly, but I daresay, with a few more improvments, we'll have very nice looking board on our hands. For the moment, I'll keep the new theme...

... which can be said for pretty much every piece of software available on the market.

Sorry, I was reading the wrong part of the post. Yeah, step 6 is clear enough. On my 510 I always set it so it lights up the 2nd last bar on the level meter (as it specifys in the user manual), lighting up the last one will cause distortion. Probably a good rule of thumb for Sony units (light up the 2nd last bar), but I might be mistaken in this since the Hi-MDs might be different. On reading the original post again, it's an excellent guide, I don't think much need changing at all.

If that doesn't work, just higlight a track (click it with the mouse) and press F2 (the windows shortcut button for "rename").

Great work Dex! You might want to expand on the "Manual Record Level" settings a little more. Although its different on different units, some good pointers would be how to use the level meters on your (Hi)MD unit to obtain the optimal signal. How loud is too loud? What volume should users be aiming for? Is it better to be just avoiding distortion, or to have a margin in between the peak levels of the recording, and the distortion levels? And what are the peak and average levels of a recording and why should the average user care? Perhaps not as detailed as that, but something explaining what level users should aim for would be cool. Damn, we really need that wikki!!!!

Another good audio edting prog is Goldwave. Similar to audacity, I believe, but you have to pay a little fee for it.

A better idea would to use a DRM Encryption Key that could be stored and backed up on to removable media a la Windows Media Player. Rather than having to back up the whole bloody library onto 20 cds or so in one go, you could just back up the files you wanted or even keep them on a seperate drive. You could just save the key onto a floppy in the event of a system crash, and your music would be intact. Rather than the longwinded and annoying backup of your entire media library. Also, I guess your music could be transfered from one PC to another (deregistering and registering of keys) without voiding DRM restrictions.

^Correct. It can be used to enable/disable things like: Connect Support, CD Burning Support, CDDB, etc. You can also add menu items, and change the links to menu items such as the support websites, registration websites, etc... Not a lot you can do, but most of these settings can be changed pre-setup by editing the *.ini scripts...

Before installing SonicStage version 2.3, did you do this? If not, uninstall, and reinstall using the above method.

The program you need to use is SonicStage Version 2.3 Try this: This should fix any problems you might be having, ensuring you have a "clean" install of the latest version of SonicStage. Once you're done with that, you may also want to install MD SimpleBurner. This is a bit easier to use as a program, but requires the modules installed from SonicStage to function. Get it HERE. Any further problesm, just read the NetMD Software FAQs. Cheers. ...shamelessley ripped from MDCF FAQs!

There isn't a service manual available on minidisc.org. Just google it, or search these forums or the ones over @ www.minidisct.com/forum For what it's worth you may want to check out the service manual for the MZ-N10: http://www.minidisc.org/manuals/sony/servi...vice_manual.pdf as the N10 and E10 share many similar parts and internals.

I don't believe you will be able to access the menu options (by holding down the display button) on the stick remote when you are using a 2nd gen. (33EL, 35ELK) remote with a 1st gen unit (MZ-N1) All the normal functions (track-skip, play/pause, track titles, etc.) should work fine. For full compatibility, use the remote designed for the N1 (11EL, 12ELK.)

Another possible compromise might be to simply use SonicStage exclusivley for listening to music, burning to CDs and transfers to MD. Agreed, it's not the greatest piece of jukebox software available, but at least your music will be in one place, and you will not need multiple copies.

* In Simple Burner, it is possible to title (name) tracks, change track order (move tracks), delete tracks, create/delete groups, assign tracks to groups and name discs. This on the Minidisc, BTW. * In SonicStage, it is additionally possible to divide and combine (split) OpenMG tracks prior to transfer to the unit. The MD editing functions in SS are slightly more user friendly, but the functionality for editing disc info is essentially the same.

Yep, it's no wonder you don't notice a difference. Compressed audio is great for the car though. With all the other noise you get while driving, you don't exactly need high quality audio compression.

With short-cord remote friendly headphones, the remote is a god-send, especially if you use an MD without an LCD on the main screen, where the remote is the only method of accessing certain functions. (ie. MDPs, MD-downloaders, etc...) Remotes are great to use, just chuck the main unit in your pocket or backpack, clip the remote onto your shirt or jacket, and forget about it!

Bear in mind, that this method involves transcoding. So you don't get a 1:1 copy - instead you're compressing a pre-compressed recording (unless your music is stored in PCM on the 1st disk). Not exactly the best idea if you're concerned about preserving quality.

Why not go with a 510? It's a great little unit and you will enjoy it for years to come. The advantages of a 510 over the 505: - Type-S DSP (which camille mentioned) - Faster transfers through SonicStage (no TOC edits between tracks) - Ability to use RMC-33EL remote (allthough I guess the 505 can use the 11EL...) - Sturdy - I've heard that the 5-way control key on the 505 can sometimes break. - Hacking - since lots of users have this unit, the ability to "hack" this unit to add more features (like 6-band EQ) is well documented. If it's anything else to go by, the 510 is the later version of the 505, by about two years. Similar features, different generation of units.

Any likelihood of him finsihing that article on headphones? I was enjoying that...