lecram1971

For the NH600 I think you only can use this bit rates PCM (As CD, no Compression) 352 (Atrac3+, Higher Quality) 256 (Atrac3+, HI-SP) 132 (Atrac3, LP2) 66 (Atrac3, LP4, don´t use it, sounds very bad) 64 (Atrac3+,HI-LP, lower Kbs than LP4, but quality is very good indeed) 48 (Atrac3+, as LP4, don´t sound good) When you tranfer it will create folders "Disc Name" and inside the songs, but you have a Useful Option that allows to search by Track Name, Artist, Album. You will find that is very simple to use.

Once you have Sonic Stage Chose "Impor from CD" Choose the quality you want to convert (Hi-Lp 64 Kbs, 132kbs, etc) Transfer After it do it go to "My Library" and you will find it By Artist an Album When you have the unit you choose the Album and it wil go to your Hi-Md Good Luck

AS was told before, try installing Sonic Stage 3.3 and begin ripping the cd, if you want to do it quickly. You will have them in your hard disk and then the transfer to HI-MD is faster than waiting to have the unit and use Simple Burner. Other thing, if you were considering to rip them in 96 kbs (I think MP3 quality), then you will have no problem if you use HI-LP (64 Atrac3 Plus) is better, in my opinion, than MP3 at 96, and use few space, in 1gb disk 33 hours. I suggest 132kbs, for me is the best relation space quality, but you have only 17 hours of music.

A question, the Atrac Lossles fomat really work? can you use SS 3.3 for storagin the songs in "My Library" in Atrac Lossles format and then transfer to Hi-Md in any Bit rate as if it were in WAV format with the same loss of quality, of course?

I had the same problem when I used the Sonicstage and for that reason I used Simple Burner (wich I think is great), I only used Sonicstage for simple songs, but when I install Sonicstage 3.1 (and higher) I had no problems at all, no gap and fast tranfers. I had many disk (Dark side of the Moon Include) and sound perfect. Do the upgrade if you want to use Sonicstage to use all the bit rates instead of Simple Burner that can transfer in HI-LP, HI-SP and PCM only in HI-MD.

What you said is true, you always will loss some information when you transform from a compress format to another compress one. But for a simple answer for the initial question, of makinkg a bit rate list to compare both formats, will be: MP3 -- A3,A3+ 128 -- 64 (in some cases, sometimes MP 128 sounds better) 160 -- 132 192 -- 132 224 -- 256 256 -- 256 320 -- 256 VBR -- 256 and I making this comparation just hearing both, not using any software test or wave analisys, etc. I compare MP3 with A3 and A3+ at 64, 132, 256 Bit rate. the ones I can use in Hi-MD, of course if I I say that 256 is comparable, 352 will be better. I know many people will have a different opinion, but this is what I hear.

I installed the Personal Audio Driver and works perfect, now the W98 recognized HI-MD as a external drive. Windows XP don´t need this, at least in the computers I have proved it. Once again thank you for your help.

Thank you for your answers!!! I will try if they work in my PC

How can I use HI-MD as extenal drive if I have windows 98? the problem is I don´t have space in the disk to install Sonicstage. Windows Xp recognice it with no problem, but W98 needs some drivers os similar, and I need the smaller thing to install Is this possible? Thank You

I also want to change to HDD, but the for me must be one with Atrac (gapless I hate MP3 for that) and must be 30 gb or higher. But now I decided I keep my minidisc, (I will love it more if will be a bigger disk than 1 gb), specially because I record things I never will have in a HDD. That is the best, may be you don´t use it as a recorder everyday, but you have the posibility any time you want it, and that is not, for me, underuse.

I use 132 because I find it´s the best Space-Quality. I record many things, but most is as a player. When I bought the MZ-NH700 I used Hi-Lp (64kbs) and think it´s sound good, but after I heard same disk in 132 I feel so poor the sound quality that I return to 132. For me it sounds like MP3 192. For my recordings I use PCM or 256

Sorry if it´s a stupid question, but what is ATRAC Advanced Lossless format? is a better format than Atrac3+? Is there any way that works on a Hi-MD? Thanks.

I think the best improvement will be a disc of higher capacity, 2gb or more, and better if it´s compatible with 1st and 2nd gen of Hi-Md, I love my MZ-NH700 For 3rd gen a good thing will be the posibility of choose any bit rate for recording. Also a car stereo with Hi-Md or with a USB conection for the Hi-Md (or other equipments) so you can control it from the Radio reading the information in the radio panel.

IF you can´t make a external connection, some CD-Radios have an RCA inputy the back, so you can conect a cable, if youw want you can chack the manual. An external input is the best way for an excelent sound. If you can´t or don´t want to use the cable the best is the FM Transmitter. I have the Tunecast II, it can use a batery for 10 hour or the lighter socket. For the car that´s the best. It´s a very good gadget, not only for the car, but you can connect the MD to any radio that it has FM. The only problem that I experiment are: 1) The sound as The blueraja told is not as bright as the direct connection, like a radio signal, but better, more brighter. 2) You have to find an empty frequency, so the Tunecast doesn´t have to fight with a broadcast. 3) Sometimes when you are in a car the signals have a little distorsion. I use the Tunecast II in my car with my MD, MZ-NH700 and I left both in the back sit and work excelent in my Car Radio, but always will have a better response if you use it near to the receiver. And FM Transmitter could be a good gadget that Sony must think for his players, like the I-Trip of the Ipod, something you can plug and be like a part of the equipment. The Tunecast II came in two versions, one for Ipod (white, what else) that you can plug to the Ipod and take power from it, and one gray (almost black) for the others MP3, MD, etc. and that one came with the lighter jack for power source.

I agree with the no Spam politic. Contact them and try to convince them there is a big market there is a good argument, but to attack them with Spam only will make to close the contact ways. About the end of the format, if it is true, I think there is no other way if thing donñt change 1) How many people really use it for record than for playback, I think they are very few. Most people use it as a player, so the MD won´t compete with an Ipod (or similar) if it can´t have more sapce. People who buy an Ipod want´s to carry all the music in one thing, not changing disks. 2) People wants MP3 player, not Atrac3 Players, even the 2nd Generation that can play MP3 directly have the ghost of the Conversion to Atrac. I know, and for me I Atrac3 is better, gapless, etc, but people don´t want this. 3) Atrac3 close format, Like Betamax some years ago. I don´t like to admit it, but I think MD don´t have a future, even it´s an excelent player and recorder.

For me, it´s true that Hi-Lp Sounds incredible, if you think it´s only 64kbs, sounds like MP3 128, but I can´t say it sounds like LP2. I had many things in Hi-Lp and I get bored with the sound and I converted them again to LP2. Lost 17 hours of recording, but best sound. As you said Hi-Lp get´s better result if you have a good source, like MP3 192 or higher or if possible a CD. But always depends of each one, and for what you want to use it.

For me Atrac3 132 sounds like MP3 160 or 192 kbs and takes a lot of fewer space than a MP3 in that rates or higer. That´s a reason for do this.

"they just did with SonicStage 3.2 although not on current MD models" Two things: 1.- If not availabe in current MD, then is like it doesn´t exist, only for HDD 2.- For what I read Atrac+128 hardly compete with Lp2 so it´s not a big improve. I had things in Hi-Lp and seems great for me, specially for having 33 hours in one MD, but I get tired of the sound and change back to Lp2, but I still have things in Hi-Lp that sounds nice enough.

May be we are a little philosophic in this. The real question, Anyone knows if there is a Md with 2gb or are just rumors?

Yes, I think, but, for exmple Atrac+64 is more than the half less as Atrac 132. That´s the question, will you gain in quality and space? Quality, I understand, depends of everyone, but space is an objective messure.

Anyone know if 128 is heavier (in megabytes) than Lp2 132? The same with 160.

Does anyone has the truth of this topic?, will be 2gb disc someday?, will they work in 1st generation of Hi-Md? is there any light in the end of the tunnel?

Hello, For me Lp2 is better than Hi-Lp, but that depends on what kind of music you want to record. For example if you want to hear something that has cymbals, like rock music, you will hear a kind of flanger, but if you like balads I feel you can record in Hi-Lp without losing to much fidelity. Also depends where you hear it, if it´s a noisy place or not. When I bought my Hi-Md i record all in Hi-Lp, but now I prefer Lp2