andysnap

My E10 is the silver finish, which I paid £47 UKP, brand new & boxed, so I'm very happy with my little magnesium bargain! My main MD unit is an NH900, but I couldn't resist an E10, even though its not Hi-MD. Andrew

Hmm, I think Sony are reeling at the impact Apple has had on 'their' market, with both hardware, and the iTunes store. Minidisc is disappearing from the consumer scene, smothered by publicity, and sales, of so called 'MP3' players. Also the Connect music store simply is not on the radar of most consumers, blown away by iTunes. We are the converted, we know about and enjoy Minidisc, but Sony need to massively get their act together very soon to let Joe Public know about the format, or both Sony and Minidisc will be fading away. Andrew

I think SonicStage3 is easy enough to use, and Simple Burner is just that, dead simple, so no problems for anyone who can use a computer. Still not Sony's iTunes really though. And an NH600 is only the cost of a mere iPod shuffle, yet add few discs and you have a hugely more versatile, and economical alternative. Then there is the question of whether you want to be one of the iHerd, or a Minidisc owner . . . . ! Andrew

How about a backlit LCD display on the MD unit, with full info - if it can be done on a remote . . . . And metal construction for top models, non-scratch matt plastic fine for entry/low models. And a Bluetooth wirefree remote?? And built-in FM radio, a la Zen Micro. And WMA/MP3 compatibility, as well as the excellent ATRAC3+. Come on Sony, there's still time/life for Minidisc yet!! Andrew

Wow! That was a truely unbelievable bargain price! I seem to remember seeing that figure on another post, and I certainly wish I had spotted that one on Amazon! Still I'll content myself on getting my 900 at a half way good price compared to yourself Volta! As of last night, Amazon had sold out of NH-1's for £109, but I think I might snap one up if they come back - I hate missing bargains! Andrew

Given the cost of replacement remotes mentioned in other posts, why not try buying another E10, complete, from an eBay seller? I've just bought one for £47, and £35-50 seems to be the going price right now, although there were only four for sale on the whole of eBay. I also found a secondhand E10 on Amazon Marketplace for £25. Andrew

As I bought my NH900 a couple of weeks ago for £119 - then saw the Argos price - dare I ask what price Amazon were doing them for . .? As for the NH-1, Amazon currently have them for £109. I bought one, loved it, but was put off by the small screen on the unit that doesn't even show the track title. So I returned it, and bought the 900. But I think I may well re-order the NH-1 as its such a fine machine, screen apart, and I sort of 'miss it' - a 900 and an NH-1 would be a good 'collection'! Andrew

Check the quality/resolution setting you have the camera set to (it'll be displayed on the image screen, and changed via the setup menu). Sounds like you may be shooting pics on the highest (TIFF?) setting, which will take several seconds to write to the memory card. Try setting the camera to high, and then medium/normal quality settings and compare the write time after taking a pic. But you should be using the camera at the highest quality you can, with a reasonable write time. Pics taken on a digital on low res' are rubbish! Alternatively you are finding the shutterlag time - between pressing the shutter button, and the pic being taken - too long. This is a common problem with many digital compact cameras, and the only solutions are to learn to put up with it, or buy another model/brand of camera which doesn't suffer from this problem. Ricoh, Casio, and some KonicaMinolta models are know to shoot very fast. Andrew

I think you'll find you have to setup a more bass heavy sound using one of the two 'custom' profiles in the equalizer. There is no 'bass boost' button. Sony's preset VPT sounds, heavy, live, studio, etc, to my ears just don't sound as good as levels set in the equalizer. And don't forget to turn off AVLS sound limiter! Andrew

I've just got a new E10, at a very good price, from eBay, and wow, what a little gem!!! It's hard to imagine how thin and light it is, until you handle it. It's obviously not built for too much rough and tumble (makes the NH1 feel built like a tank), but as an example of miniaturisation and precision engineering, it's unbeatable. Makes me think that, with the hardware at least, Sony really have developed some interesting models. Anyone got any experiences or tips about the E10?? Andrew

I chose an NH900 over an NH1, and part of me says I should have . . . kept both! I miss the sleekness of the NH1, although can't fault the sound or practicality of the 900. And now Argos knock another 20 quid off the price I paid for my 900, grrr The NH1 at Amazon, and the NH900 at Argos are utter bargains for UK shoppers right now. Enjoy your new £99 NH900, and look out for Low Volta's posts in praise of it Andrew

Not sure if this is the right forum to post that UK store chain Argos are currently selling the NH900 for £99.99 in their sale, until July 29th. And I thought I got a good price at £119 online, just a couple of weeks ago . . . I like the 900, although I've just bought an E10 to satisfy the need for a slimmer MD! Andrew

I thought the NH1 was a thing of great beauty, and I still regret sending it back to amazon in favour of a more functional NH900. I thought it had a really nice solid feel to it, and it worked very smoothly and quietly. And it looked soo sleek! Mind you, I certainly prefer the 'stick' remote (RM-MC38EL) over the NH1 miniscreen remote, which seems to be very highly regarded. I'll also put a word in for my old MZ-N710 which I thought was very neatly designed. Andrew

Thanks for the link. Apologies for drifting off the thread. . . . For cheap MD's, I like browsing eBay to find sellers auctioning off their collections. There is a chance to find a bargain, get some interesting music to keep or erase, and a curious pick n mix of disc brands. Ultimate cheapo!! Andrew

A bargain indeed, but are any blank MD brands/series considered to be better than others? Or are they all much of a muchness? I've found Sony colour discs to be quieter in operation than Maxell discs, but can't hear any difference playing recordings. Sony 'Niege' discs seem to be popular, but why? Just curious . . . thanks Andrew

Should anyone be interested, after reading the forums and reviews, Big Brother (me!) has evicted the sleek and lovely NH1 in favour of the useful NH900, function won over style. But voting was very very close . . . Andrew

Thanks Volta, your post really does make me feel better about parting with the sleek NH1!! If only Sony had put a bigger screen, and wee jog wheel on the NH1 then it would have been perfection. But they did'nt, so hello other NH900 owners!! Andrew

I'm most interested to read the thoughts and conclusions on these two MD models as I have both in front of me now, but I've been deciding which one is going back to Amazon. Tempted by the bargain price, and spec, and looks, of the NH1, I ordered it earlier this week. Opening the box it had, and has, a wow! factor. Superbly made, very small and pocketable, I was smitten. But soon I found it really had to be used with it's - very good - remote, and I hate excess wires! Also the minimal screen on the unit carries very little information, and certainly no track, album or group info. The NH1 was style over function. So I ordered an NH900, a 'lower' model, but £10 more expensive, such was Amazon's bargain price for the NH1. Opening the box, it looked and felt much bigger and almost flimsier compared to the NH1, a Ford Escort compared to a sports car. But the NH900 I think turns out to be the more useful, and functional, of the two - much like a Ford Escort!! It has all of the features (minus a couple of very minor ones) and the very useful jog wheel and screen on the unit, as well as a perfectly useable, yet 'optional' remote. It also has a 'normal' USB cable, and the AA batt pack, just in case. . . So later today, the NH1 gets returned, sob, even though it looks so good, and I love a bargain! After a few days of indecision, I'm also pleased my verdict is similar to other users on the forum. Andrew

True! And I've found higher power 'gumstick' batteries (1400mH) on eBay for about a tenner. Amazon are currently selling the NH1 for less than than NH900! Go to empiredirect.co.uk,(or amazon Marketplace link to that site) for the cheapest NH900 I could find, £119.99. Still undecided . . .! Andrew

OK, now I have both the NH1 and the NH900, and my dilemma begins. Intending to choose one over the other, I like both of them! The NH1 really feels like a class act, whereas the NH900 feels 'cheaper'(only in comparison to the NH1) but the jog wheel dial is really very useful over the seperate remote with the NH1. So which one stays? Or maybe I should just keep them both, as Amazon's price for the NH! effectively 'pays' for the NH900. . . . . The MiniDisc version of big Brother, help me choose! Andrew

Excellent!! That line about being able to record from cassette and radio to MD really makes me look forward to getting the hifi. Who needs podcasts when you can just record direct?! Andrew

I'm pleased to read good reviews of the CMT373 hi fi unit from those who know! I'll know tomorrow too, when mine is delivered. According to Amazon's product page, the unit does have a casette and remote - can you imagine life without remotes! I wonder if amazon can offer such a good price on the hifi because their might be a new Hi-MD version coming out?? Andrew

I've just gone and bought a Sony CMTM373NT home hifi, with the MiniDisc player recorder built-in, tempted by Amazon's price of just £147. I'm assuming as it's Sony the quality will be top notch, but I can't find any reviews of the unit online (other than 3 on Amazon's product page). Anyone here got any experience or opinion of the MD hifi? thanks Andrew

You can get the 900 from Amazon Marketplace, and webretailer, empiredirect.co.uk. It's only £10 more than the NH1, at £119.99, although there is £5 p&p on top as it's not directly from amazon. That still means both the MH900 and the NH1 are absurdly cheap at the moment, compared to their £200+ original prices. Andrew