philippeb

This is a terrible limitation indeed. I have opted for sfbp's option 3, and yes, the Sony MDS-W1 fixes the problem. As does the Denon DN-045R.

I am Alsatian in Summer Feel free to send me a PM if you want my personal details. (Looks like I cannot PM you, BTW)

I live in Toulouse.

An old gadget I am still using: my Loewe Opta Venus Stereo radio receiver, built in Germany in 1959 ! And I have also connected the sound output of my satellite radio decoder to the AUX input of the Venus, to listen to Radio France Internationale, that is not available in FM in continental France, outside of Paris. Here is a link presenting the Venus Stereo (in Italian): http://www.tubesound.it/Loewe_Venus_4781w_Stereo.htm Enjoy!

I fully agree. I could not have expressed it better. The MXD-D3 is a wonderful unit for ATRAC 4.5 lovers.

Yes it will. Lossless copy with the W1 requires a writable source disc.

The Disc->Disc 1Tr Move function will not work with pre-recorded MDs, because it requires a writable source disc. You still have two options: 1. you can do a digital copy from deck A to deck B by selecting A-MD input on deck B, 2. or an analog copy by selecting ANALG A-MD input on deck B. Then: 1. play the pre-recorded disck on deck A, and record on deck B, 2. copy the track names one by one with Disc->Disc Name Copy on deck A. User manual is available at http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/3862570121.pdf

Sorry, I have no idea. Once thing I know, is that LIP-4WM batteries are pricey, and age too fast, when AA batteries are cheap and reliable.

Thank you Stephen I just double checked again, and I swear that my RH1 works without a battery, when connected to this specific external charger, loaded with two AA batteries.

The Energizer "Energi To Go USB Instant Cell Phone Charger", that holds two AA batteries, does the job. The RH1 operates perfectly, without internal battery, when connected to the external charger.

There is one alternative: the HHB MDP500 (not so rare, in the UK) can do real-time digital transfer of audio tracks to a PC via USB audio. It does not transfer track titles, though.

Non Hi-MD tracks that have been erased can be recovered with TOC cloning. Tracks that have been overwritten by new recordings are lost forever.

Just bought 6 new Sony MD Data2 minidiscs, from ebay shop internet-time. Great Chinese seller, located in Beijing, from which I bought my first Sony DCM-M1 camcorder in 2006.

I would like to propose an alternative, based on my own experience. I own two Sony MZ-RH1's, as well as two HHB MDP500's. I definitely prefer the HHB for field recording, for the following reasons: 1. Robustness: the MDP500 is designed for professional field use ; the MZ-RH1 is very fragile. 2. Connectors: the MDP500 has XLR (line and mic) inputs ; the MZ-RH1 has a mini-jack. 3. Ergonomy: the MDP500 has large keys and display ; the MZ-RH1 has tiny buttons and display. 4. Connectivity: the MDP500 uploads via plain USB Audio ; the MZ-RH1 requires specific Sony Software. 5. Autonomy: the MDP500 uses standard batteries ; the MZ-RH1 uses specific Sony gumstick batteries. 6. Resilience: the MDP500 uses MD's that can be recovered after a crash ; Hi-MD's cannot be restored. 7. Price: a second-hand MDP500 can be bought for less than 200 euros (typically on on www.ebay.co.uk). In short, I would recommend the MDP500, connected to the output of your console via balanced XLR's, to record your own performances on stage. And yes, you will have to accept one ATRAC 4.5 compression (during recording), followed by one ATRAC 4.5 decompression (during the real-time upload to the PC).

No. The level of the input signal would decrease. You should use a stereo cable, and set the recorder to mono.

There is no reason why you shouldn't record in mono. Go for it.

As far as I know, the W1 is useless regarding LP tracks, because, like all pre-MDLP decks, it plays (and copies) them as silent SP tracks.

Yes, problems are more likely to occur, because 4-speed copy gives the deck no latitude to retry in case of read or write errors. I recommend to always check the discs. Whenever a problem occurs (ie, typically, sound drops in the copy), it is generally sufficient to erase the bad track, and repeat the procedure for that track only.

You could do that. I would rather repeat the whole process between disc A and a new disc C. I would not erase disc A before having checked both discs B and C. Yes, disc A remains fragmented.

The procedure to copy disc A to disc B (again, for reference): 1. insert (writable) source disc in deck A 2. insert (writable) empty destination disc in deck B 3. in the menu of deck A select "disc->disc" + "all move" 4. wait for the copy from disc A to disc B to complete 5. eject disc B 6. press at the same time "output" + "clear" on deck A + "<<" on deck B 7. eject disc A 8. press "md sync" Steps 1 to 5 copy all tracks from disc A to disc B, and erase all tracks from the TOC of disc A. Steps 6 to 8 restore the TOC of disc A with "super undo" (entering and exiting service mode).

I confirm. The DH10P plays, but does not charge, over USB.

I like shortwave radios too. Apart from the Sony ICF-6700L, I have a Sony ICF-2001D, a Hitachi KH-WS1, and a Loewe Opta Venus Stereo 4781W.

Just bought a Sony ICF-6700L multiband receiver. Wonderful radio. Works great.

If the overwritten track duration was longer than the new track written over it, then TOC cloning may restore the end of the original track. For example if the original track was 10mn long, and you have overwritten it with a 7mn long new track, then TOC cloning may give you access to the last 3mn of the original track. The first 7mn of the original track cannot be recovered.

I got the W1 via www.leboncoin.fr, a vibrant French classified ads site. Delivered at my home by the seller, who happens to live a few blocks away !! BTW, Stephen, good guess of yours: I noticed yesterday that, with both inputs permanently set to ANALOG (my default setting), the deck switches temporarily to OPT1 when it copies a track from one disc to another.