MDX-400

I can't compare prices? Sure I can! It has nearly nothing to do with the value of the dollar in many cases as well. Given, back when the dollar wasn't so good against the US, lower cost items (say things under $200 or so) would still be cheaper by a little in the US but the cost of going to the trouble to get one from the US instead was often not worth it. When it cost like $1.66 CDN for $1.00 US, I bought a Sony STR-DA4ES receiver... It cost me about $500 US (~$830 CDN at the time). That same receiver? The price in Canada? IIRC the MSRP was $2000 CDN!!! Even if you could get "a deal" on it in Canada it would probably be about $1500 CDN, add your tax (in Ontario) and you're up to $1700+ CDN. I was still looking at paying over DOUBLE what I paid for it in the US. That means I could have bought TWO in the US for less than it cost for ONE here, and that was when the dollar was pretty bad against the US. (Sorry for those of you that have heard this example before, but it's the best one I have since it was actually a real-life purchase decision of mine which wasn't hard to make if you look at the numbers.) The receiver even had a better warranty in the US (5yr v. 3yr) though I understand if I ever need warranty work on it, I'll have to bring it back into the US. To me the fact that I was paying half price for it really offset any future inconvenience with bringing it back into the US. There are exceptions though, not all electronics are cheaper in the US... I think the iPod nano, for example, is cheaper in Canada or at least about the exact same price. Though I hate Apple and the iPod in general, I will commend them for being fair that way. Yeah but these are prices that aren't consistent with the model being current. For example when the HD3 was the current model it could be had for about $210 US easy, at most online (and Authorised) US dealers. The places that have it listed for that much either don't have it any longer and just have the price left over on their site(s) or they just never sold any of them because their price was too high to begin with. Vaio Pocket was also in that range, IIRC. I remember eCost and a few other etailers had it in the $200 US range as well. The HD5 can be had at Amazon.com for $260 US new though that isn't far off the $280 SonyStyle.com price. I wouldn't really consider that a good price though because I don't think I ever saw it for as low as the HD3 was; and I liked the HD3 a lot more (and it was even made in Japan). The VAIO Pocket was certainly the best deal of the three though, it's too bad they didn't make the remote port the same as on Walkmans What I'm really hoping for is to find a new HD3 for about $200 US but I've been searching around a lot with no luck Don't get me wrong I do like the A3000 a lot, it's just I'd like to get it cheaper than it is currently selling for; especially considering it isn't that big an improvement over the HD3 from what I can see. I mean really what is so much better about the A3000 which is two generations later? If I were convinced it were that much better I'd probably be okay with paying the premium for it.

Yeah I already said/knew that, lol! What I was asking was if the exclusivity was going to be removed soon or what--if anyone knew anything about when Sony will release the A3000 to other stores. They are likely going to do it soon, I mean the A1000 is already available everywhere... I'm thinking they just have a low supply of them right now and therefore want to sell them via SonyStyle/Store only... I'm supposed to be happy that I can pay a lot of money for something that isn't worth that much, just because I can buy it? Hmm I see one side of that argument but if I could still find an new HD3, I'd take that over the A3000 any day because of the price difference and the fact that I don't see anything that much better about the A3000 to make it worth it. Also I have no clue why having "one of the only A3000s around" is a good thing either. I mean you see so many ppl around with iPods, wouldn't you prefer that those ppl had a Sony player instead of the over-hyped crappy iPod? Plus who is going to even care that you have an A3000??? For one thing how is anyone going to know it's different than the A1000? They look pretty much the exact same. And then it doesn't matter which one you have people will just call it an "iPod" and then when you say it's a "Walkman" they'll say "huh?" and then you'll say "kind of like an iPod but made by Sony and better" and then they'll say "oh, cool iPod"

Oh certainly, if we're comparing Canadian prices on those players. But what I mean is you used to be able to get an HD3 in the US for around $200 US when it was the current model; the HD5 probably similarly priced (I never checked but I'm assuming about $250 US for the HD5). Either price is still a lot less than $350 CDN plus another $53 in taxes (talking about Ontario here)... Meaning I'm sure if the A3000 is ever released in the US, you'd see prices similar to that. Only thing is who knows if it is ever going to the US. If it at least goes to FS or Best Lie, I have a buddy that works there so I can get it at a discount (depending on what the cost price is on the A3000, it might not be so bad).

Does anyone know when the A3000 is going to become available at other retailers? For example I think FS/Best Lie, etc. all have only the A1000 available right now. The A3000 is available at SonyStyle.ca but it says it is "exclusive" so I guess that means only Sony Canada (and perhaps the Sony Store?) is selling it right now, in Canada... Has anyone seen it anywhere else yet (not imported though I mean)? Any word on when Sony is releasing it to other retailers? Another note: It is $350 CDN. right now which is assumably overpriced as Canadian prices always are compared to US prices. However interestingly since it isn't available in the US yet, US prices on eBay (for imported models) are at $350 US and up! Does Sony want to sell these things at all or are they actually trying to make their product have only a niche market, much like MD? Why not release the thing everywhere and start making a lot more of them?!?!

You do know, though, that Best Lie and Futile Shop are the same company right? I think everyone knows that by now though... Their returns policies are also the same, from what I know. But yeah the FS ppl are based on commission where as the Best Lie ppl aren't. Then again you can walk into the latter and you pretty much have to put your TV on a cart yourself and wheel it to the checkout, whereas at FS someone will usually help you, lol. My experience has been both extremes--at FS ppl help you out and try to get sales and sell you extended warranty etc.; Best Lie, ppl don't help you at all!

I found this very strange myself. It's one of the few things we in Canada have gotten earlier than the US release; and, at that it doesn't look like it is going to be available in the US at all, for sure! I mean in Canada we really didn't get the HD3 or HD5 (like you could find them I'm sure but big stores Best Lie/Futile Shop et al did not have them). In fact you can still find clearance HD1s at those stores today, but the HD3 and HD5 are nowhere to be seen.

Yeah but that won't really work in the application I mentioned... Well not unless I did some modifications... I'm talking about using an remote-port-to-UniLink adapter interface which also gets its audio from the remote port. So really you need to have the line out through the headphones jack with the remote plugged in. What I don't get is, if Sony releases their own adapter (which they are supposed to do but haven't done yet), how are they themselves going to deal with this oversight? I'm thinking the Connects2 adapter just makes it so you max the volume and that's as good as it gets, but will Sony do the same (if they ever come out with their "official" adapter) or perhaps they won't use the remote port?

^Damn, that certainly sucks I wonder if there is any way to hack the unit to allow Line-Out when the remote is connected?

What makes even less sense is the deck clearly has an ATRAC3/3plus decoder on-board that it no doubt probably uses to decode all formats (not just ATRAC). Because you can play AtracCDs on the unit, like all other recent Sony CD HUs with MP3/ATRAC capability... I think the article may be wrong about ATRAC in the FP; it doesn't make any sense that the unit will play ATRAC3/3plus files off a CD but not from the FP's built in memory. Edit: Ohhh okay I get why the FP can't use ATRAC. It's because the FP you just drag/drop files over and it works like that. For ATRAC you'd have to use SS or whatever the new prog. is called, so I guess that's why it doesn't do ATRAC. What is also strange about this deck is that Sony has had decks in the past that could use MagicGate MemorySticks (the MEX-HD1 comes to mind), so why wouldn't they just stick an MS slot on this thing instead of having the memory built into the FP? Strange move by Sony indeed. Well all their current model MP3 capable units can play AtracCD, including this one according to the article. I don't get how they aren't "seamless" in this regard? You put either an MP3 CD or AtracCD in and it plays it, how much more seamless can it get? As for the adapter to connect network Walkmans, Sony has promised this to UK customers for some time it seems--all their UniLink HUs (any that have CD/MD Changer Control which is nearly all of them) have been being sold in the UK as "Walkman Ready" but they have not yet released the adapter, and it's been about a year now I think Interestingly they've made no mention of this adapter in the US yet, though any UniLink capable head (including ones as old as perhaps 10 years) should be able to use the adapter since UniLink hasn't changed very much and doesn't have many compatibility problems over the years. Aside from that, the Connects2 company has leapfrogged Sony at their own idea and released an adapter that does exactly this. I personally was pretty excited to find out about it and I posted it some time ago on both the T-Board and Minidisc.org but it seems not many people are even interested. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=11309 It's no wonder Sony is taking their time in releasing their own adapter...

Yes I think it might. Actually I think Sony is allowing the units to be software "hacked" for higher volume not only because it is probably easier to limit them this way (instead of having different hardware for different regions) but also because they know people are going to figure out how to do this. The law/regulations in Europe may require them to do this as a manufacturer, but they have no responsibility as to what you do with your unit after you get it

Well I did dl the manuals for the A series HDD units, as well as the older HD3 to try to find out some info about the line out and remote port behaviour, but the manual wasn't too clear. I'm asking becuase I'm interested in how these things would work with the Connects2 UniLink-to-remote-port adapter (or the Sony one if they ever release the thing, lol). First of all are the A1000 and A3000 compatible with the same remotes as the HD1/3/5 were? I.e. The MC40 series? Secondly if you set the unit to LINE OUT mode and then plug in a remote (or the opposite) how does it behave? Will it stay in LINE OUT mode or will it revert to volume mode? I've been trying this out on my hacked MZ-N707 NetMD unit (which is the only unit I have that has a LINE OUT mode, eventhough it isn't really a real line out since it is hacked). What happens is that you cannot set LINE OUT on it if a remote is plugged in to it; and as soon as you plug in an LCD remote it will go back to volume mode (unless it is a non LCD remote, then it stays in LINE OUT but will go into volume mode as soon as the first operation is performed on the remote). With the HD DAP units stay in LINE OUT mode with a remote connected? The reason I ask, really, is because if I bought one of these players I'd want to use it with a UniLink adapter so I could use it in my car, but I'm wondering would I get to use the LINE OUT or would I be forced to use the [relatively] crappy max. volume setting instead? For those that are confused, the UniLink adapter plugs into the remote port of an MD or HDD Sony Walkman and then a Sony HU can control the unit and display time/track/title info on the HU; since it gets the audio from the Walkman's phones/remote port I'm wondering how the LINE OUT mode will function with such an adapter connected.

They are certainly airtight! every HDD is, otherwise they'd be useless--any (even microscopic) particles getting in there would cause bad sectors/read errors. There are usually certain vent holes in HDDs though, that I thought were to somehow equalise pressure but I guess they aren't for that? Anyway the problem is probably more that they are airtight rather than they aren't. At lower atmospheric pressures, the concern might be that the HDDs internal air pressure would be greater than its seal could reliably hold, thus causing it to vent and either cause damage or no longer be protected against dirt/dust particles? At least that's all I can think of in regards to why it wouldn't work at higher altitudes. I'm interested to hear whay Sony says as well. Even better still, who makes the HDD in Sony units? Email the manufacturer and ask them about the altitude limit.

For your reference a USB A to A cable is only ever used in special circumstances. Ususally the only A to A cable you will find is with a male end on one side and a female end on the other side--this works as an extension cord. An "A" cable end is NEVER used to connect a "device"--that would be a violation of the USB specification. Under the USB specs, only PCs/HUBs/hosts are ever connected using the "A" end of a cable. Devices will always have a "B" connection on them (whether it be a standard B or a mini-B variant, it will still always be "B" connection on a device). If there is an "A" connection on the VAIO Pocket's stand, as mentioned, that can only be for connecting devices to the VAIO Pocket, not for connecting it as a device to a computer--that connection may only be made via a "B" connection. Incidentally, connecting two PCs or HUBs via an "A" to "A" male/male cable is also a violation of the standard. Doing this would only serve to short out and destroy the controller(s) on one or both PCs. There are cables meant to link two PCs via USB that do have A male connections on both sides but they have a special box in the middle of the cable to negotiate data transfer.