an0nym0usmuse

Type-S would be the latest and the greatest (and last) refinement of the DSP chip, so it would be worth picking up. Type-R, however, is not really bad. I can detect a slight difference in quality, but not noticeable.

The taker was lucky. I still have one of these; I was fortunate and never had the "random on" problem. I finally put it in storage after getting a JE480. I think I paid about $300 for mine in '98 but I considered it well worth the money spent.

You're right about the battery life... fairly good, but not great. I'm thinking of getting the APC UPB10 Mobile Power Pack... it's an external lithium polymer battery that provides a charge via USB. I think it would work with the RH1. It's got excellent reviews on Amazon.com, and it's at a good price.

I think that Minidisc units use a standard optical cable that can be purchased at any store that carries general electronic supplies. At least, that's what I use. It's not Minidisc-specific, and it's not very expensive. (Correct me if I"m wrong.)

I was actually debating about buying one new on Amazon.com, but yours is about half the price of new and would make a great bargain.

Kewl. I've been tempted buy the new 160 gig iPod Classic, but I just can't bring myself to bite the apple. The Creative Zen seems like a better alternative.

Just curious, what was your experience with the Creative Zen 60 gig? I've been debating buying one....

Hopefully Sony will come out with another innovative portable audio device. I've sampled other portable audio products, but I still prefer the quality and versatility of Minidisc--for now. It's apparent to me that the Minidisc technology is being rapidly eclipsed by other formats. I would like to see what Sony could develop next--should they care to.

My RH10 is listed as a "removable disk" under My Linux... but then, Xandros has a proprietary file manager that resembles Windows Explorer. Ubuntu may very well be recognizing it... it may just be a matter of "finding" it.

My linux box (Xandros 3.0) recognizes my RH10 as a "removable disk" and can browse the file structure. It is possible that it would do the same for the nh600, if you are wanting to use it for external storage. It's my personal belief that linux will become a serious competitor to Windows in the coming years. However... the chances of someone creating an open-source emulator for SonicStage are slim, which is regrettable. I have no problems with SonicStage; I use it regularly, and almost never use that "other" piece of software... can't remember the name, but it's bundled with QuickTime...

For me, there is no perfect portable Minidisc; each has many pluses and a few minuses. But I recommend the DH10P because it's a solidly-built, classy unit that has the digital amp.. with the added appeal of album art display. The photos it takes are actually better, in my opinion, than many of the point-and-shoot digital cameras with higher pixel rate. And there will never be another camera Minidisc.

This is why I chose MD ten years ago and still use it... I record my vinyl LPs to Minidisc. And I have all of my recordings stored and alphabetized. It gives me a sense of ownership of the music and a way of preserving something of value. I'm grabbing all of the vinyl that I can, while it's still in circulation. I search for LPs in old record stores and thrift stores. Much of what's out there will never make it to CD. And many of the digital transfers that were made in the early years of CD are inferior to the sound from a good LP. It's what a lot of us did in the '70s... take vinyl records and convert to cassette or reel-to-reel, for convenience and archiving purposes. Yes, I know it's possible to route the analog signal from a turntable directly to a PC, either through a card or USB port, and then burn directly to CD. But a good Minidisc deck is a lot easier to use, and as you mention, you have a tangible product--a small Minidisc--that's more durable and serves as a miniature LP. I'm happy to see that LPs are making a comeback; they began outselling cassettes a while back and are very much in demand among collectors. Hopefully Minidisc will continue to thrive, at least as a niche product, for consumers who value audio quality and have an appreciation for the music.

I've been following this thread as an RSS feed of the most recent posts, so it's not buried. Even the administrators wouldn't deny that Minidisc is no longer readily available at many retail outlets, at least in my part of the U.S. I doubt that you can walk into a retail store within driving distance of where I live and find either a player or blank Minidiscs. This simply confirms to me what I realized over a year ago--that Sony has abandoned attempts to mass-market Minidisc as an "mp3 player." Hopefully, however, Minidisc will still be available online. I like the format, and I have a lot invested in it. I would be happy for Minidisc to continue a while as a niche product. I've decided that I don't care whether what I like is popular with the masses or not. It still works for me, and that's all that matters.

Yes. I've been doing quite a bit of transferring since I got my RH1. Keep in mind, however, that SonicStage will convert them to Atrac3Plus, at a bitrate equivalent to the older LP2 and SP. SP is converted to "Hi-SP" (Atrac3Plus, 256 kbps), which is identical to SP to my ears, and takes up roughly half the space. Just remember to select the standard transfer mode.

This does not sound normal; I have uploaded many legacy SP recordings (primarily vinyl records recorded with my MDS-JE510 deck). I select standard transfer mode ("as is"), and the resulting file is transferred as 256kbps Atrac3, which, to my ears, is indistinguishable from the original SP. I have not noticed any audio loss, dropouts, or artifacts. I am very picky about my audio files, so I would notice anything amiss, but I've been very happy with the RH1 upload features and process. The problem may not be with the RH1. About a year ago, I had problems transferring photos from a digital camera that I had just purchased. When I transferred the files to my computer, the images were all chopped or distorted (even though they looked fine on the camera). I returned the camera for a refund. A few weeks later, my hard drive crashed. Unbeknownst to me, my hard drive was going out and all of my files had CRC errors. When I replaced my hard drive and examined the SD card that I had used with the camera, the images transferred fine. Problems with my hard drive had caused the problem, even though I was convinced I had purchased a faulty camera. If possible, try transferring some files on another computer. If the files transfer fine and sound normal, there may be a problem with your PC software/hardware. Hope this helps.