IdiotSavant

Aiwa AM-F5 - dropped and dinted the lid. It was mostly fine afterwards, except for having issues saving changes in track names. Sony R700 - put it into what I thought was my inside pocket, and dropped it on the floor. The lid bent and it never quite played properly after that Sony N707 - kept it in mint condition, but as a consequence of walking to school and back twice a day with it in my pocket (along with my sweaty hand) a lot of the paint rubbed off. All my units since then have been kept in mint condition

I chose my name for a variety of reasons: - It was the name Talking Heads (my favorite band) were originally going to use, until David Byrne decided it didn't sound right. - I like the contradiction of the words; placing "idiot" with "savant" (meaning "learned") - According to dictionary.com an Idiot Savant is "an intellectually disabled person who exhibits extraordinary ability in a highly specialized area, such as mathematics or music" (any attempt for me to explain it would just confuse people, I'm sure.) Though I'm not one, I find it a quite endearing quality.

Well I hate to disappoint, but I don't do any live recordings by mic. I would assume that the RH10 would be slightly better quality as it's a new model so the firmware would be a bit more recent, but I doubt there'd be much in it. If you're thinking of doing a lot of live recording, I'd strongly suggest considering getting the NH900 as it allows you to record in MD mode using NetMD bitrates (vs. the RH10 which only allows you to use Hi-MD bitrates) which would give you more flexibility. (Though I don't know for sure whether you can upload recordings made in MD mode.. I've never tried.)

If you're after 'the more the better' and 128MP3s are OK for you.. you might want to seriously consider Hi-LP (64kbps.) It has to be heard to be believed, but it sounds as good as LP2 (which is twice the bitrate) and you'll get about 32 hours on one Hi-MD. That said, I've only used it with stuff I've had on CD in the first place - I imagine transcoding from a low bitrate MP3 would give an awful result (as it does with LP2.) But if you're fine with MP3s at 128kbps then just stick with that - you'll get about 16 hours on a Hi-MD. As for variable vs. constant, I don't really rip stuff to MP3 that much so I can't really say. I mean, I've had constant bitrate MP3 files and they've sounded fine.. but I've never tested the quality.

Well ideally you'd want as a high a bitrate as possible so you can convert to Hi-SP (ATRAC 256kbps) and transfer to Hi-MD. While it does involve transcoding, having the track in ATRAC format means you don't get the problems associated with the volume reduction in the treble region during MP3 playback... but this will only get you about 2h20 on a 80 Minute MD and 7h55 on a 1GB Hi-MD blank. Personally when using MP3 my preferred option is to transfer direct to MD at 192kbps. While this does mean you have to apply the EQ to compensate for the incorrect MP3 playback, you don't have to transcode and you also get a much more reasonable amount of space on a disc; 3h30 on a 80 Minute disc and about 12 hours on 1 GB Hi-MD blank. You could go for lower bitrates (lower bitrate MP3s or LP2 and below ATRAC bitrates) but I wouldn't exactly call it a 'good sound.' Likewise, the only way to get a higher bitrate than Hi-SP would be to use PCM (and then you're getting what.. 20 minutes on a 80 minute MD?) or transfer MP3s to Hi-MD at up to 320kbps (which seems somewhat pointless given the volume filter on MP3 playback, meaning that you're not getting much extra quality for the extra space each track would use.)

Well I got the RH10 so I'm biased Basically I'd say the NH1 beats the RH10, aside from 3 points: 1. RH10 is cheaper 2. RH10 has several line OLED display (with the NH1 you only get a 1-line display on the unit, but the remote is highly functional and backlit) 3. RH10 supports direct MP3 playback Just decide whether those three things matter to you. If they don't, then go for the NH1. I'd say that the main advantages the NH1 has are: 1. A proper line out 2. A better build quality and a smaller size 3. Ability to record in Net-MD mode as well as Hi-MD mode (RH10 only supports Hi-MD mode and codecs.)

Well technically it does work Without the hack I don't think we'd be able to up the volume with the EQ to the extent that we got clipping. But yes, I haven't really noticed any difference. Perhaps you only notice a difference on tracks recorded at a high level in the first place? I seem to recall with the first Gen Hi-MD hacks people saying that the difference was only noticable when increasing the volume on the last few notches. Not to mention the talk there's been over an actual hardware limitation...

I think a lot of it is due to supply problems (given that it was only about a month ago that second gen Hi-MD units were available to the UK at all.) Plus I remember AVland's prices were rather high - who's going to buy from there when well known retailers like Amazon and EmpireDirect are undercutting them by at least £50?

I had every bar up by 1 notch and - while it did work a treat on some stuff - it also caused clipping on quite a lot. The simplest thing to do is use your ears. Hook your RH710 up to a hifi or something and compare the playback with or without the EQ (using your hifi to up the volume without the EQ so you know any heard differences aren't just due to volume) to try and figure out what to use it on. So yes, it does decrease audio quality unless the original recording was at a sufficiently low level that upping the volume with the EQ doesn't give enough output to cause clipping.

If the dock and remote mean that much to you, check what you're getting first; I'm pretty sure it's only the Japanese RH10 which comes with a dock (or even the ability to use a dock) and the non-Japanese RH10s don't have displays on the remote.

So it has a DC-in... but does it have a charge facility of any kind? Does the unit come with a supplied battery?

Ineed you can't cue to the next or previous group (as the manual states) but using the method that mcca6392 described you can cue to any group on the disc (which may or may not be the next or previous group to the one you're playing) - in manualspeak, it would appear there's a big difference between the two! Also, if you have the unit selected as playing in group mode then when you hit search, the 'group' option will be automatically selected, so it's just a matter of search->enter then scrolling down and pressing enter again on the group you want... and let's face it, the jog wheel's easy enough to use isn't it?

That would be assuming you have one Besides, I'm not going to mess around with another device (when I prefer MDs over everything else) just because for every 7 or so hours of playback while walking the MD skips once for... a few seconds!

About not having an AC adaptor.. you should be able to get one from any decent electronics store - just check the specifications of the adaptor in the manual. Or failing that... ebay - there's always people selling old broken MD units for parts/accessories. (And all portable Sony units within the last 5 years have come with the same AC adaptor.)

It's definitely not the record - it happens on files which I know for a fact are recorded correctly. The thing does tend to get jolted around quite a bit in my pocket though, and - like I said - it doesn't happen much. ...though if you're wanting a MD unit for running or jogging I imagine the effect would be more pronnounced. That said, if you wore it secured around you waist or whatever it might not skip as much (vs. rattling around in someone's pocket.)

I don't do jogging or running or anything, but I've got a RH10 and I've had it skip a few times on me while I'm walking along. Although: 1. The unit doesn't go silent as my old units did, but it actually does skip and play back a different part of the track/disc. 2. When I say 'a few times' I mean maybe once every few days, walking a route I do twice a day... so not that much, really. 3. My 'walking' pace is about 5 miles/hour.

My advice would be to try and find a NH700 (it's the cheapest of the first generation Hi-MD recorders with a mic input) or the NH900 which is also a first Gen, is slightly better in terms of construction and playback options and is more expensive, but would probably be easier to find. Alternatively you could look for a RH910 (the cheapest second generation Hi-MD recorder in the US which has a mic in) which will be more expensive than a NH900 or a NH700 (but a very reasonable price as Sony has altered the body construction of the new units to make them cheaper) and has MP3 support to boot. MP3 playback and an improved user interface are really the only advantages of the RH910 over the NH900/NH700. Also RH910 can only record in Hi-MD mode in the Hi-MD codecs (PCM, Hi-SP, Hi-LP) while the NH900/NH700 can record in Hi-MD mode in the Hi-MD codecs and in MD mode in the Net-MD codecs (SP, LP2, LP4.) So if you have any legacy units (such as a MZ-R700 ) which you would like to be able to play back MDs recorded on your new unit.. then a NH900/NH700 might be a better bet.

Great review! And that unit look excellent! Where on earth did you manage to get it for only £80 though??

There's actually been a post on this before... well not exactly, but it was interpreted as being a NH1 vs. RH10 post.. Check out this topic for some more NH1 vs. RH10 opinions

Thanks man. I did warn that I wasn't well versed in it though But hey... at least my inaccuracy prompted someone who knew what they were talking about to speak up

'Normalising' an audio file is basically changing the volume. For example, say you've got a bunch of ripped MP3s that you're going to listen to as a compilation.. not all of them will be at the same volume, so you'll either have to mess around with the volume a lot or simply put up with the volume levels being erratic. However, you could 'normalise' them and alter the volumes so that they all sound the same volume on any given volume setting. Alternatively you might have an album of songs where the volume seems at a low level, so you could normalise the album in order make it sound louder at any given volume setting (as loud as you would expect it to sound in the first place.) I hope that helps a bit... I'm not really well versed on it (so I can't explain it too well) but I do it a fair bit; try to think of 'normalising' as adjusting the recording level, but after the track or tracks have been recorded. My favorite program for normalizing is MP3Gain which - as the name suggests - only works on MP3s... but it does work a treat.

M4P? As in.. M4A? DBpowerAMP can easily convert M4A files to MP3 files. While transcoding isn't great.. hey, it's a solution. Are there a lot of MD buyers? Will you be able to get Hi-MD discs next year? Yes to both. MD - it seems to me - has something of a cult following. While it's not strong enough to cross over to the mainstream (like MP3 players have) it's certainly strong enough that Sony will continue to keep the format going - I've been with MD for 7 years and have been through 6 units! But as to how 'alive' it is.. it's the same with any technology. Sony could bring out MD blanks next year which make even the 1GB Hi-MD media of today redundant (though given the level they've gone to to preserve the useability of old systems - including NetMD functionality on the first generation Hi-MD units - it seems unlikely they'll make the current Hi-MD technology/units redundant) but then again, what if Apple brought out a 200GB iPod next year? You catch my drift...? Besides... what else is there for causual recording? Is there a smaller, more cost-effective expandable media for digital music in high quality? As for your comment about hard disk players.. when you drop it, there goes the music on the disk. Let's face it... you'd have to be crazy not to back it up in some other way Hope that's useful... ...and not too indicative of the amount of ethanol running through my veins right now

Really you want to consider MP3 player vs. MiniDisc player; formats not brands. An MP3 player would be better if you almost exclusively use your PC to manage your music listening. That way transferring files to/from your MP3 player isn't much of a big deal to you. A MiniDisc player on the other hand allows you to record from line and optical sources as well as the PC. Plus with a MiniDisc player you're not limited to the size of the hard drive - if you need more space, you can just buy more media (though obviously 30x1GB Hi-MDs will take up far much more room than a 30GB MP3 player.) The other problem with MiniDisc players is that they have a much slower write speed than the MP3 players so transferring MP3s to them will take a lot less time (hence they're suited more for recording something to a disc once and leaving it there or switching a few albums to/from a disc, rather than swapping entire libraries of music between an MP3 player and the PC.) Finally there's the software. With a MiniDisc player you'll have to use the godawful SonicStage to transfer tracks to the unit. While SonicStage is getting better, I imagine iTunes is far easier to use. Really this is my advice: If you're more at home with the idea of creating lots of discs of music and 'archiving' music, then choose a MD player. (Though MP3 players transfer music fast I doubt any could beat the time in which it takes for you to pop a disc out of an MD player and pop another one in.) On the other hand if your music collection is PC based, and you want to be able to carry around practically everything you own at once... go with the MP3 player. Be careful of iPods though - they come with a bare minimum of accessories (so even something like a mains adaptor will have to be purchased in addition) and the battery is built-in, so when it wears out you'll have to pay to participate in the iPod exchange program (where you pay $50, send your iPod off and get back either a new iPod or someone else's refurbished iPod.) To me that's one of the very appealing things about MD players; they operate on gumstick batteries which can easily be purchased (for maybe $15) to act as spares or replace the old battery when it wears out. If you're after a gadget - something that's not just a music player - and the battery lifetime doesn't concern you, then an iPod might be your thing. I've read a lot of very positive reviews about the iPod and it is highly praised because of its photo/games/calendar/etc. features. However, from the sounds of it the new Sony hard drive MP3 players (such as the HD5) are far better at playing back music.. but that's all they do. I wouldn't like to give out too much advice on MP3 players as I'm not too well schooled in them, but ATRAC Life might be helpful if you're interested in more information on the Sony players (which also have a replaceable battery, by the way.) Hope that helps a bit...

There's no such thing as the 'NZ-N1'. The MZ-N1 is a NetMD unit which supports only NetMD and not any of the Hi-MD technologies. The MZ-NH1 (I assume you meant this one?) is a first generation Hi-MD unit which can record in NetMD modes on the unit but can only play back MP3s after they have been converted to ATRAC by sonicstage. It does support Hi-MD blanks and the Hi-SP and Hi-LP ATRAC modes though. The NH1 has a magnesium body construction making it very solid, but has only a 1-line display on the unit and small controls on the unit, with the remote carrying most of the functionality for it. The MZ-RH10 is a second generation Hi-MD unit which cannot record in NetMD modes on the unit (though can using sonicstage) but can playback MP3s in their native form, without them being converted to ATRAC. There is a high-end filter on MP3 playback though causing a loss in volume in the treble range (it gives the effect of things like symbols sounding a lot quieter on MP3 playback) but in my opinion you can overcome this easily by playing around with the equaliser on the unit (though if you intend to get a European unit you will have to hack it to get the equaliser.) As it is a Hi-MD unit it also supports the Hi-MD modes. In terms of body, the RH10 is plastic with a notoriously easily scratchable aluminium lid but it does have a an organic El LED display which (in addition to being far bigger than the NH1's display) is visible in the dark. Personally I'd go with the RH10 as I feel it's a better unit (though definitely not for someone who has to do a lot of recording in MDLP for older MD units) and it's also cheaper! To sum it up: NH1 + body - unlit 1-line display (though with highly functional backlit remote to compensate) + NetMD recording on Unit - cannot play MP3 back in native form - more expensive RH10 - body + lit 6-line display/better user interface - no NetMD recording on unit + can play mp3 back in native form + cheaper At least, those are the main points I can come up with...

Wow, thanks Kurisu! That's very true, but do you really want to have to take the battery out every time you connect the unit to the PC? Given that new batteries are less than a tenner I'm happy to just leave them in for the sake of ease. Truth be told though, in the couple of weeks that I've had this thing I've only had the battery die once (when I was doing a lot of editing on the unit) due to all my PC use with the unit, so while it is detrimental in the long term... in the short term I can see how it could be quite useful (assuming you're not playing or recording for an excessive amount of time each day and you connect to the PC a lot.)