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Hello - I don't think there's anything special or unusual about it compared with other units, but it's a playback only portable (not a downloader, it has no USB). So I see it as the MiniDisc equivalent of an iPod (they can't record - in fact, they don't do anything particularly well!!). They are lovely though, and I bought them with the thought in the back of my mind that seeing as it doesn't record, there's less to go wrong - that's just me, a bit paranoid, hence I treated them all with kid gloves. I'm open to offers though if you fancy one of them!

Hi all. Well, I've tried it a few times before, and couldn't bring myself to do it - but I've finally decided to sell all of my Hi-MD equipment and blanks. I still use 'SP' MiniDisc, but never really gelled with Hi-MD despite heavily investing in it, and certainly didn't enjoy SonicStage! Anyway, my list of Hi-MD related goods is as follows: - 15 Hi-MD blanks (open), original 'long box' design with cases in near perfect/very good condition, no cracks etc... inlays in perfect, unwritten on condition - 4 Hi-MD blanks (sealed), original 'long box' design ******* NOW SOLD ******** - 7 Hi-MD blanks (sealed), 2nd Sony design ******* NOW SOLD ******** - Sony MZ-EH50 White (expecting around

Hi all I'm selling one of my MD units, as I don't use it anymore. The Sony MZ-RH1 needs no explanation here!!! However, this is in MINT condition, comes with the following (all original, of course): - MZ-RH1 Black (Mint condition, except for some VERY VERY FINE hairline on the screen, which only show up in bright sunlight - they are almost impossible) - Box - Charging unit (UK Mains input, USB power output) - In line remote (black) - also, I will include 2 sealed Sony Hi-MD blanks (new blue ones, not the original type), and 4 sealed Maxell normal MD blanks) I will not be selling the original set of earphones with this, as these have been used. This unit has mostly been inside a case (listening in bed), and have never been used outside the home. In full 100% working order, and is approx 2.5 to 3 years old originally bought from a UK Hi-Fi shop. I'm open to sensible offers from you fellow MD fans as I'm keen to avoid eBay fees (so will consider this into the price that I am aiming at). PayPal only payment, and shipping by recorded delivery to UK only (it will be VERY well packaged). Feel free to ask any questions about this, or contact me to make me an offer. Thanks in advance! (howard@opusdesignsolutions.co.uk)

Here are some photos of the unit I describe above, hope this gives somebody a taste for it!! Thanks for having a look - I'm all ears if you want to make me an offer.

Hello I have 2 MZ-EH50 units that I bought from Audiocubes about 1.5 years ago. A white one (which I use), and a silver one (which has been tested when I bought it, and then boxed and stored). So I class this as new, all accessories are sealed (including the battery), and the box is also in mint condition. I'm thinking of eBaying it, but just wondered if anybody here is interested before I go down that route. I'm only really after 'top dollar' as I know it's worth it. Any offers, feel free to get in touch. My description really is honest. My eBay ID is r_tape_loading_error if you want to check me out. howard@opusdesignsolutions.co.uk UK POSTAGE ONLY THOUGH. Thanks.

Hello there, I would like to add something to this conversation. I own 2 'QS' series Sony decks, and also once owned an Onkyo Hi-Md deck (the 105, which is the cheaper one of the 2 that are available). I'm a bit of a stickler for sound quality, and have these plugged into a fairly decent Hi-Fi setup. The Sony decks do sound better than the Onkyo that's a fact (if we forget about formats and codecs for this). The Onkyo sounded a tiny bit 'brittle' to me, whereas the Sony QS decks just sound 'right' in my opinion. So if it's JUST sound quality you're interested in, then I would personally go for a Sony deck (particularly if you're looking at the ES decks) - but in saying that, the Onkyo deck was a lovely little thing, and obviously supported Hi-MD too, so it gave me a lot more flexibiilty, and sounded perfectly fine in isolation. I hope that helps a bit!

Hello there "Tom in RI" You can upload the tracks in their original format in SonicStage and then convert to WAV (effectively exporting the file OUT of SonicStage) with Hi-MD (can't do that with pre Hi-MD units). PCM is essentially a description of the untouched waveform (i.e. no compression applied) it stands for Pulse Code Modulation. So recording in PCM mode would be the very best quality over the Atrac modes, although Atrac3plus SP (256kbps) is quite amazing really and only the VERY VERY discerning would identify any differences - as you would probably expect. Your last question is a "Yes" - you could certainly use the WAV files exported out of SonicStage anywhere else you like, that support WAV. Hope that helps.

Having decided to 'about-turn' on my decision earlier in the year to slowly move away from MiniDisc, I have invested in some more units this year as well as plenty of new blanks. So basically, I'm in it for the long run, and don't really envisage a life without MiniDisc (I'm 37 now). I also use an AppleTV for music, utitlising an iPod Touch as a remote control, thus not needing the AppleTV plugged into a display, it's just connected to my Hi-Fi. But find this solution slightly boring to use (although many friends think it's a brilliant solution to having a large music collection). To me, the fun and reward of making a decent/themed compilation onto MD just more satisfying. Not to mention the audio quality still being (IMO) the best for a modern format that uses lossy compression. So, it would be interesting to know how long you guys and girls think you might be utilising MD's. I myself feel I have enough units to last my lifetime, as I treat them well, and very rarely take anything MD related out of the house! Hit me with it - Will I be the only pensioner using this format, in 30 years time???!

Hi there all fellow MD fans, as part of my sell off (regretfully, but the time has come!) of MD hardware and related goods, I've put an auction on eBay of 10 of my Sony MD2000 blanks, that are still sealed. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...E:IT&ih=009 Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. If any MD community members are interested in these, contact me and I will sort out a good deal. Thanks *** THESE ARE NOW REDUCED BY £5 IN THE EBAY AUCTION TOO ***

Hi there all fellow MD fans, as part of my sell off (regretfully, but the time has come!) of MD hardware and related goods, I've put an auction on eBay of 10 of my Sony MD2000 blanks, that are still sealed. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...E:IT&ih=009 Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. If any MD community members are interested, contact me and I can sort out a deal. Thanks

I'll very shortly be listing some of my rare sealed blanks (for starters). I have many of the Sony MD2000 Magnesium Alloy shell blanks, they are ultra rare (each disc is individually numbered) - these are pricey, but a joy to own. But I've never really found a use for so many, so will be putting these on eBay soon.

Hello all - sadly, I'm starting to move away from MD as a primary format, and am selling a few of my treasured collection of hardware - starting with my Onkyo MD105-FX Hi-MD deck. Here's the eBay auction listing: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...bayphotohosting If anybody is interested, then feel free to contact me for more info/discussion etc... (as you can see on eBay, I am a very honest and reliable seller). SELL TO UK ONLY THOUGH. Cheers

This won't help much, but I have a very similar setup. iMac running Tiger, with Parallels 3.0 and SonicStage (under XP). I have almost the reverse problem. I CAN upload old SP recordings using the RH1 without a problem, but cannot get the RH1 to transfer any form of Hi-MD format in either direction. Yet it will on a WindowsXP laptop. So that doesn't help you at all (!!), but it might help to know that other people with almost the same setup are having similar teething problems running Parallels.

I'm pretty fussy about sound quality, and don't think twice about spending a fair bit on Hi-Fi kit/cables etc... and in my opinion, Hi-MD SP (256kbps) sounds a little TINY bit more clinical than old SP (292kbps), which sounds to me a fraction more analogue-y. However, I ran a frequency analysis test using SoundForge and Izotope Ozone mastering software, on the same track via an old SP recording, and a new Hi-MD SP recording - and believe or not, the Hi-MD one came out having a better frequency response (despite being short 36kbps!). So in the test I ran, Hi-MD won, and to my ears I think I prefer it too. Basically, you have nothing to worry about using Hi-MD SP mode, unless you actually want the placebo effect of KNOWING that it's recorded as PCM. Hope my thoughts help you a bit. Cheers

You sound in a similar dilemma to me - though I will be stocking up as much as I can afford on MD equipment, and seeing as I'm approach 37 years old myself, they should hopefully last me until I no longer actually require them (i.e. when I die!!). Don't forget there's all those lovely Onkyo units (above) to choose from still (although you may need a voltage converter, which are easily obtainable and work without fault), and Tascam still do a professional MD deck (MD350), and they've just released a CD-MD combo deck too. The Sony RH1 is still available from many places (Tottenham Court Road, London, had 3 stockists just yesterday). So it's not a lost cause just yet, and I doubt there will be another recordable format to replace it EVER (I don't count CD/DVD). In saying all of the above, I actually quite like being in the 'underdog' camp, as you feel like you have something special. As for iPods...how come all of a sudden EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD likes the idea of listening to music on the move? The sad thing is, the vast majority of the population will believe that an MP3 via some rubbishy in-ear headphones is the pinnacle of musical enjoyment. Once again....more fool them.

But what format would you switch to? I personally don't count mp3/iPods etc... as a format - once upon a time we had cassette, DCC, DAT, MiniDisc, and even CD-R. Nowadays, people don't seem to care about a 'physical' object in their hands...and they only realise the vunerability of it when their Hard Drive crashes!!! More fool them. Quick suggestion though (based on my original posting) - how about a competition here for who can design the best and most convincing Hi-MD player/recorder/deck? Anyone up for that (I won't use my HMDS-JB888, that would be cheating!!!!) ?

Sorry if I cause any discomfort! Got a bit bored at work, so had a bit of a dabble in Photoshop with the 980 (well spotted blueraja) and nice one to hungerdunger for spotting the release date clue. I didn't think it was a bad effort myself!! (You gotta admit, the USB port looks pretty good?) I don't often contribute here, so I thought I'd stop by and add a bit of laughter. Obviously I too find it VERY frustrating that Sony have never really pushed Hi-MD, so a little dream of mine just fell out onto the screen. And for my next project, a Hi-MD playing iPod..... (sorry about the swear word by the way). Will update my signature and kit list in the next few days, so that I have a 'proper' profile - just so you can see I'm about as serious as any MD/Hi-MD/ATRAC fan.

Have 'acquired' this info from a source within the industry - reckons it will be released in the Spring, probably April (first Tuesday of the month as per normal Sony release cycles). Follow link for picture. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2286/190395...943aa83ff_b.jpg This is amazing news, and will certainly give the Onkyo (although still excellent) decks a run for their money. Hopefully there will be a European release before Japan. Now if only life was that good.....

Be assured that you CAN transfer old/legacy recordings using the MZ-RH1. Except for tracks previously transferred using NetMD formats (this certainly shouldn't cause too many people any problems). However, while you can transfer them up to a PC, they can only actually be 'received' in either WAV format, or ATRAC3plus 256kbps format (i.e. Hi-MD SP). You cannot transfer an old recording, and then transfer it back to a legacy SP formatted disc (without further transcoding). So basically, if you need them in WAV format (then it's pretty much up to you what you do with them!), then you're home and dry, go for it - the MZ-RH1 is a gorgeous and very useful piece of kit. It's like owning a really expensive Swiss watch....only more useful. Hope this helps.

The only way you will obtain a digital copy onto Hi-MD is to use a SCMS (Serial Copy Management System) stripper, or a recording device that has SCMS free inputs (like an HHB CD Recorder, or other pro device). Sadly, Sony built SCMS detection into SonicStage, which can hamper things like this.

I can't add much to this topic, but just in case nobody else has seen this site (Japanese only though http://www2.jp.onkyo.com/product/products....en&count=15 As you can see, Onkyo must be avid supporters of Hi-MD (even more so than Sony?!), there's quite a few units there, including the much vaunted 105FX, and 133, which Audiocubes sell.

Great, thanks a lot for your time - that's saved me a LOT of frustration.

Hello I know that subject is a bit vague - basically, does anybody know how you can 'browse' through the tracks on a Hi-MD disc (on the MZ-RH1), without it actually moving the laser transport (and potentially causing a lot of wear on the mechanism)? Like you can on a NH600, by moving the jog dial rotationally to choose your track, then press play. Simple. If you can't (and I've searched the manual), then a disc with maybe 300 tracks on, searching for a track puts the unit through hell!!!! Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance For a bonus point (!), can you do a similar thing on an EH50 Hi-MD player? Cheers

Unlucky there. I did exactly the same thing the first week I had my Samsung D500 mobile that had just been released (a while ago, I know). Big crack in the screen!! Whilst I was gutted at the time, I managed to sell it to a drunk mate for £100 about 6 months later! You are brave taking your RH1 to work though - mine doesn't leave the safety of my Hi-Fi rack middle shelf.

Sorry, but I'm not sure where (these days) to get any kind of replacement case. Maplins do sell SOME cases, but they're limited now I think. However, if you're interested in selling any of your Hi-Md (1st Gen) cases, provided they are not broken or scratched, I would be interested in them. If you ever (want to) sell them, you can let me know at: triffidman@googlemail.com Cheers!