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I feel your pain. Sony and its hardware customers (that's us) have been suffering under BMG/Stringer for ages. As with HP, by the time Sony wakes up it may be too late. But I digress... Let me tell you about my (second) Microtrack instead, running firmware v1.2.3, the latest to-date: The battery charging system is susceptible to false peaking. This means that if you use up most of the charge, the MT will stop charging early. You will need to unplug, then plug it back it again. Sometimes this will charge the battery completely. If not, rinse and repeat.Speaking of the battery, well it's sealed in. Forget about a spare and use an external USB power supply instead, because with a microdrive inserted you can only count on a couple of hours recording time anyway.If you decide to use a 1GB CF card instead, be careful you don't fill it on the MT. If you accidentally do, you end up with a 0kb corrupted WAV file that you can't recover. There is no graceful end-of-media handling yet.If you'd like to have your MT play back what it just recorded, you might be out of luck. For some people it can only play back the first 5 minutes or so. For me, only the first hour of a 2-hour set. The counters and level meters keep working, but the sound just cuts out.Ah yes, the Nav control. What a piece of horse manure. The rocker switch is so hyper-sensitive that navigating the interesting (or chaotic, depending on your POV) menu system is an exercise in patience and will put you under considerable duress. I've had some time to practice so I can usually hit the menu item I want. Usually. The level and volume controls have a similar problem, so you need very quick fingers and reflexes. The good news is that this makes great practice in improving manual dexterity for musicians like me.The MT's self-noise (in general, not just my MT) effectively obscures any real audible difference between 16-bit and 24-bit WAV recording modes. A workaround would be to use an external ADC and go S/PDIF digital in. But then the MT isn't a recorder anymore, just a bit bucket.Can you say cheap construction? Even with new, sparkling clean plugs the 1/4" TRS inputs are intermittent. The assembly quality is no better than that of the Edirol R-1, which I use to calibrate the bottom end of the scale.M-Audio bundles Audacity with the MT. This is freely downloadable Open Source Software. However, on the M-Audio site they list it as "their" product. Pretty bold move.I could go on and on about this $400 recorder. Wanna trade? Just kidding! In contrast, my HiMD recorders just work. They may be plastic, but in comparison to my MT they are built like a fine Bentley automobile. Thanks for reading this. Cheers

This happened to me months ago. Exchanged the RH10. Problem solved. Cheers

There is no mystery! This is not rocket science! Example: The USB cords I use have filters built into them (the iRiver ones work great for me, no failed uploads). Try cords without filters and you will likely find that the connection will not reliable enough for 100% consistent HiMD uploads. That has been my experience, at least. For the final time filtering may be required for reliable operation of Class B devices. RF interference can and does cause malfunctions. The filters are provided to help prevent interference. What's more, the FCC requires that the means are provided to the consumer to reduce or eliminate interference so that proper operation of Class B digital devices (including computers) can be achieved. Just Read The Fine Manual, and go to the FCC website or Google for more information on RFI filtering if you're interested. Moderators, can we add this RFI Clamp Filter FAQ to the list? Cheers

Here at the DHS we only use analog equipment, as they are more durable. For more information, please click on the following link: DHS Research & Technology Cheers

It's digital, and not the same as running a cable.

I was oversimplifying for my intended audience. Of course gradual signal degradation occurs in the digital domain (jitter, for example), but we're not discussing that in this particular case. With CDs, some, mind you not all, players attempt interpolation as a last resort if the damage on the disc is too great. Error correction takes care of lesser problems. You are correct in this instance. However on MDs, my experience is that a speck of dust of a certain size will cause it to skip (or drop out depending on your definition) when error correction is not sufficient. No interpolation is attempted like on some audio CD players. This is what I was talking about. But it's extremely rare if sufficient care in cleanliness is taken and the disc or recorder is not defective. The bottom line is once data is sent via USB while recording on HiMD, the results are bit accurate when read back (i.e. no interpolation), whether the lens or head is "cleaned" or not. In this instance, it's all or nothing, unlike, say, cassette. This must mean that the perception of better sound is purely psychological. So clean the lenses if it makes you feel better. All I've been suggesting is that you not take the risk in damaging your hardware, and that's all I have to say. Read the FAQ on cleaning here for more information. Cheers

Well, selling cleaners means more money to be made. Same with repairs should said cleaners damage the mechanism. I would stay on the safe side and stick with manual cleaning, and only if all else fails. Unless you are a heavy smoker, don't hold your breath until that happens. By the way, most cassette deck cleaners, VCR cleaners, etc. are ripoffs. They often do more damage than good. Careful hand cleaning is the way to go. The notable exception are CD lens cleaners for computer CD/DVD drives. All those cooling fans deposit dust and crud on the lenses. Luckily the drives are cheap to replace if they break. Not so with MD. Just keep those discs in the jackets, get a good pouch for the portable, don't get 'em wet and you should be fine. Cheers

Interesting question... A dirty head might cause errors. I suppose more dirt might cause more errors, until the built-in error compensation algorithms no longer work, causing skips and dropouts in the recording. So to answer your question, yes, the sound quality would suffer if dropouts and skips occur. Since we are talking about digital recording, gradual signal degradation like with analog systems just won't happen. It's all or nothing. That said, we've used MD recorders since the 90's, for thousands of hours. The portables and discs are kept in pouches and cases when not in use. In all this time we had one troublesome disc, with skips and dropouts. It turned out to be a speck of dust on the disc, optical side. A puff of air took care of the problem. We don't own an MD cleaner, and probably never will. It's just a marketing ploy. Cheers

Oops, my bad, indeed it does, it touches the special protective layer. However, it does not contact the MO layer itself, and it should never need cleaning. Especially not after only 1 disc! Those cleaners can be very bad for your hardware, by the way. From the FAQ: FAQ Head Cleaning Careful hand cleaning of the optical lens when absolutely necessary remains your best bet in avoiding heartbreak. In normal, nonsmoking, reasonable environments cleaning is simply not needed. For example, our old MZ-R50 (used outdoors and indoors) still works perfectly. The lens and head have never been cleaned. Cheers

I've tried many plastic polishes and scratch removers (MZ-RH10 ). The best so far has been Meguiar's PlastX, MG-12310. Amazing stuff, better than Displex. Remember, a little amount goes a long way. Non-toxic and contains no harsh solvents. Makes plastic look like new - just put a drop on your (clean) finger. That way you have control over where it goes. Cheers

Chris G, somebody misinformed you pretty drastically. For the record: If you keep your recorder in a low dust, smoke-free environment, don't toss it down the toilet or into the lake (e.g. get it wet), and don't let someone jam a candy bar into the slot, you should never need to clean the head and lens. You see, both the lens and the magnetic head never touch the disc, even while recording. If they did, you would need to take the recorder in for service. If, when playing a known good disc, you notice skipping, you may need to clean the lens only. Only do this as a last resort: Ever so slightly moisten a cotton swab with water, and very gently wipe the lens once or twice. If that doesn't help, you guessed it, take the recorder in for service. Hope this helps. Cheers

I have both the iFP-899 and iFP-795. Both excellent mp3 player/recorders. However: When recording either with line-in or stereo mic-in, regardless of bit-rate a high frequency hashing noise is introduced. It seems that the little ARM CPU is not quite strong enough to encode. Decoding is fine and very clean. The reason that the UMS firmware limits encoding bitrates is simply due to the fact that the CPU is bogged down by the FAT file system. 96kbps MP3 is the maximum safe rate. Much above that, you get dropouts and stutters. The horsepower is just not there. I've extensively tested this. It's good enough for iPod playback and podcasting, though! HiMD is by comparison a clean, rugged recording format, and by the dire looks of the industry, the best bang for the buck for some time to come. Cheers Edit: The cable is not proprietary at all: I use it for my little HiMD recorders as well. Standard mini-usb. Also, if you think these 2004 iRivers are bad, you should see the 2005 models, including Samsung and Creative. Can't use them without Windows XP and Media Player 10!! Makes HiMD look like an open format. Sony really isn't that bad by comparison.

Great recording, mrsoul! Cheers

It's called bundled software: Music Manager CD Rip = Ogg, no choice sorry. Yes, you can download other encoders. How many buyers are going to do that, though?! I encode XviD from my DVDs to watch on my hx4700 VGA PocketPC using SD cards. Pretty quick, and with awesome results. But that's getting off topic. BTW, I am a lefty!

Same experience here. BTW, I agree about seeing more standard HD iPods. I was referring to flash players only... Cheers

With iRiver's MM software, Ogg is your only choice. How's that for stats? There's no beating actually owning the devices one talks about. At least it runs on my Macs, unlike SS/SB. If Simple Burner takes an age, you should try the competition: A few minutes per CD vs over an hour! That's one of the reasons the competition stays in my drawer. No need to, the trends here are obvious. The iPod Shuffle almost doesn't register. Yes, and even Dolby Digital sounds much better to my ears than downloadable mp3s.

Doesn't seem that odd, really. For example, it's well known that even on the fastest PCs available iRiver's bundled CD to Ogg encoding software (Music Manager) is practically real time. You may not realize that most flash-based players sold here in the US are from Creative, iRiver, and Samsung, not Apple. Also, I find Sony's SB to be much more efficient than iTunes. You need to remember that most people out there stick with the software bundled with the player and rarely venture to downloading alternatives. And then there are the famous iPod QC problems that are dogging Apple, at least here in the US. There are a lot of factors behind "Apple drops the ball." Will Sony rise up to the occasion? Not likely, since BMG has so much to say now. Speaking solely for myself, the simply awful quality of downloadable music, legal and...not so legal, will always keep me away from investing in new DRM-crippled players. I love using my HD, DAT, and HiMD recorders for ripping streaming high-quality audio from my cable provider. Now that I figured out how to squeeze the maximum performance from HiMD, it's becoming my favorite format. The convenience alone is hard to beat: I can send my favorite tracks to CD. This is just one of the neat things I can never do with an iPod. Ever. Cheers

Awwww. We should start passing the collection plate for Sparky's new M100. 1kyle where did you get those UK statistics? Cheers

Thanks for the links, lol. How about this: Poor McDonald's Cheers

Most of the iPod's shortcomings are widely discussed on various user sites, and Apple has acknowledged most of them. They are now considered common knowledge. What I'm more curious about is where 1kyle got the CD ripping statistics and the DRM disillusionment effects for the UK. That's very interesting... Cheers

This is one of the most accurate comparisons I've seen in years. The battery life stats were a bit dodgy, and no mention was made about the R-1's seriously crude construction, but overall it's a breath of fresh air. Cheers

Whoa Fergus you might wish to carefully inspect the battery for venting damage and damage to the recorder. Also, make sure that the battery contacts are clean. Charging continuously for 6 hours will cause the battery to overheat, swell, release gases, and possibly burst. I would replace the battery ASAP. Cheers

OLED is not backlit, it is "direct-lit" Cheers

The CPU is so much faster than the HiMD recorder that the net speed gain is positive.

"If I was to take files off of a PC, could I then connect my MD to my Mac and retrieve those files?" Yes, of course!