Sparky191

Sorry but thats scare mongering. Equally your HiMD or Disc could go bad. No matter what you use, you should have a backup. Thats just good practise. Any important data I have, music or data is backed up. A 20GB external drive to use as backup is peanuts. You can get an iRiver or Cowon repaired. Same as Sony exchanging a broken MD unit. However just because you can use HiMD as a data transport, doesn't mean that its the best use of the devise. LOL you have a point. I wish had the time to do everything in real time.

The words reasonable price & Ireland do not go together mate. If your only being fleeced, you're doing well here.

What you need is a iRiver or Cowon HD player with firmware to support FLAC/OGG not a MD/HiMD. They are 20GB+ and are fully USB 2.0. Alternatively use a Laptop 2.5 drive in an external USB enclosure. Using HiMD is like trying to cut a steak with a spoon.

I've seen it for sale in the some of the Irish stores, but for eye watering prices. Can't remember off hand what exactly the price was (€400+) I think. But if I see any at the weekend I'll let you know.

Personally I think they'll drop all the HiMD except the MZ-M100 and the Hi-MD MZ-M10. They'll leave these as high end units for musicans. Its a niche market and they can charge a premium to make a profit. These units will allows them to tap the Mac and PC music creatives, and move the product away from MP3 players.

No point selling a product that doesn't make a profit. It also costs a lot to product 6 or 7 different models, and it doesn't make sense to have all those different model if 90% of all your sales are just oen or two of those models, and its the ones with the most features. There was a poll on this forum recently and (going from memory so I could be wrong) the most popular models where the RH10, NH1 and NH900. Usually the most stylish slimline models are the high end models. Perhaps the Japanese market is different. But I would reckon that the player only (non recording) models are a poor selling item. I don't really agree with, not using a computer and using seperate disk is more reliable and space saving. I use a laptop, have two external HD for backup. Probably fits into a smaller space than all my MD gear and Disks. In both scenerios you still have you CD's for backup, and any sane person would put their most treasured recordings onto a CD or DVD as a backup. Personally I got fed up of all the disks and swapping them. So thats why I have two HD's. I like MD, I have 2xMD and 1xHiMD and a whole bunch of disks. But I also have MP3 players, flash and HD based. While I'll conceed that whats right for one person might not be right for another. You have to conceed that the MP3 and DAP (Digital Audio Players) are a much bigger market than MD will ever be. Primarily because its a better player methodology than MD's. The major of people want a player not a recording device. We're all waiting for someone to make a decent (size quality, capacity) digital recorder, with the same feature set of a MD recorder. Can't be far away. The Japanese market is obviously different. It would be interesting to hear some more discussion on how that market is different, in that MD is so popular over there, and how the MD market compares to the DAP market. BTW I realise that a MD or a CD is a DAP aswell, but its easier to describe HD and Flash based players as DAP.

If they made it very cheap, about the price of a 512mb Flash player, and had a sexy looking unit, with all the features in one. Line in/Mic, Line out, FM reciever, recording, with perhaps more recoding features, like a timer and more editing functionality, MP3 stupport. Then it might sell. To be honest I don't see whay Sony, don't put all the HiMD features into a single HD unit. I only have a HiMD for analog recording, and the unit was cheaper than a HD alternative from iRiver or Cowon.

I've seen them used in Radio stations. Not recently, but I have seen them used. You see the equipment for sale on various sites. Probably obsolete now.

Does the BOSS Wireless Wrist Remote actually work then? Seems like a great idea...

Is this not a failure of the optical block?

Where can you get them from? Are they better than the Senn Mx500's?

Thats has nothing to do with DRM, thats simply software thats not working. But granted Sony has taken too long to sort it out.

Radio stations use them for jingles and adverts don't they?

Apple proprietary format meets Sonys....

I dunno I think the HIMD were the best (least troublesome) of all the MD produced.

I'd say they'll make a recording unit with a HD in it.

Gorgeous screen. Does it effect the battery life much?

Yup very nice. If you have a NH1 why do you have a player only unit? Because you can?

Can you use a Mic on the line in?

if your transcoding from MP3 to ATRAC your compromising the quality, so any point in using SP is completely negated. I would say re-rip the original material from CD to HiSP. Thats the best compromise, SQ/Size and sounds close enough to the orignal CD in the portable enviroment. For me I find using the original CD rather than a MP3 makes a bigger difference in sound quality than messing about with realtime, cables, and SP etc. Mind you if you are happy with the sound transcoding from MP3 to ATRAC then go with it. You're the final judge of what you like and don't like.

Nice review, great to hear a balanced review from an existing MD user, and one that talks about the good and the bad. Great photos, the unit looks fantastic in blue. Thanks for posting Petter156.

Well worldwide Sony still sell a signifcant number of MD units. So I think we'll see a smaller range of one or two units, probably more focused on the recording user. At the moment theres alternatives for playback, but not for recording, at the same price point and with similar feature set, removable media, replaceble batteries, mic, line in etc.

To be honest I think we all listen to too much artificial bass these days. If you tone it down for a little while you'll find you get used to a cleaner, dare I say more accurate sound after a while. If you go back to the heavy bass then, it sounds less accurate. Thats said the bass on ear canal earphones is dependent on the seal/fit you get. With normal ear buds fit/seal isn't an issue, its only a comfort issue.

What people find desirable is subjective. So just because you don't like it, or understand it doesn't make it a bad product, or design. If you look at HiMD there have been a lot of ugly ducklings along the way. I wouldn't say the HIMD models, with the exception of the NH1 are very pretty to look at. The're not even very user friendly. Sony make really odd moves. Like no back light, no LCD remote, DRM restrictions, no MP3 support, (hobbled MP3) support etc. etc. But I really don't see the point in lamenting a MP3 Player when this is a forum about MD. Nothing else.

I assume you meant "no reason" Unless the DAC on the MD is better than those on PCDP and DAPs.