cambridgeman

I do not have either a flash stick or a CD burner. This would be my my only form at present, besides my external HD, of removable/recordable/archivable media. And, along with a HiMD unit itself accompanying the disk, transportable too. As far as I undersatand it, mounting a HiMD unit on the desktop, of either a mac or a PC, isn't software or driver dependant at all. As long as a USB 1.1 connection is possible, one is good to go. As far as backing up data, most of my crucial files aren't that large. The last removable storage I bought was a Syquest 135, with 135 MB storage discs. MD might be slower, but overall, I see it as having a few advantages, in comparison. I do wonder, however, if I would have the capacity to use the same MD data disc, for the storage and transferance of both PC and Mac files. I am not exactly sure if the HD would have to be formatted. If it was formatted, could it be partitioned. If it was partitioned, could one partition be formatted for PC, and another partitioned for Mac? If I was to take files off of a PC, could I then connect my MD to my Mac and retrieve those files?

Do any of the contributors here know if any of this discussion is relevent to the Mac side of things? Will an icon of an HiMD drive or unit, specifiacally an NH1, simply appear on the desktop if attached to the USB port?

I think you are mostly right in your statements, but I believe one could take out rather different messages from the same words, without an added benefit of emphasis. "With ordinary consumer stereo equipment" the difference would indeed be "highly unlikely." But much could be said with almost anything in life. If you refer to my post you will see that I have reiterated the fact that one ought to listen for themselves to discern if there are any differences. Actually using one's own set of finely tuned analytical equipment (one's ears) is the very best way to discern what works the best. One might postulate what "should" sound better, or what "ought" to be negligible differences; but, when subjected to controlled listening tests, on one's own equipment, with one's own ears, different colorations of the sound are often heard. This is, of course, highly dependent on the quality of all the other contributing factors in the system as a whole. From the head unit or source, to the pre-amp, to the amp, to the speakers; and all the interconnects between them. If by consumer equipment you mean equipment with wide variances and tolerances, then tightening-up just one part of that system may or may not make much of a difference. It was my postulation that since the recording chain was to be directly from a DVD player to the MD deck, and quite a good one at that, that whether or not differences would be heard would be largely dependant on what happens after the MD was recorded. I do believe that differences would be detectable between a recording made via COAX and via TOSLink, As well as the variances in qualities of those cables in their different format. How much of a difference? It is this that we do not know, I have no doubt, that were an individual to take the best cables on the market, and compare them to what is readily available from China, Inc., the differences would be clear. Would it be worth the difference in expenditure? There are just too many variables involved to give a pat answer. That is why one must listen to their own systems, with their own components, in their own unique listening set-up, and judge for themselves if their is a discernable difference. A pat brief answer might be something along the lines that if one isn't having a problem with interference, both will probably do the job adequately. the 980 is a nice piece of kit, and I myself would be rather interested in hearing about the results of a battery of tests as I have suggested. Unfortunately, I have only passed messages along to a couple of individuals who were making use of an outboard Digital to analogue converter in their systems. This is one place that Sony often cheapens out on. Or, no one is going to ever treat a minidisc with the respect is does deserve, to some extent. Once HiMD decks with a digital out enter the market, it is quite concievable that they could challenge the CD.

Unfortunately, I do not have a COAX input into my MD deck. I do, however, have the option of coax AND TOSLink(optical) as inputs to feed my outboard digital to analogue converter. I also have an older top of the line Denon CD player with both COAX and TOSLink output. Theoretically, COAX is superior in audio quality.In actuality, it really depends on the strength of the rest of your system; a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. TOSLink was designed and specified to be a cheap, yet effective, low-cost alternative to COAX. Considering you want to record from a high quality source 24 bit/96kHz or DVD, it would be nice to keep that signal as clean and unadulterated as possible. There are differences in cables, alot to do with ends and being properly terminated. Will you hear a difference? At the very least, you would need to have good headphones. Everything is pure speculation until you try it out. If YOU don't hear a difference, maybe the least expensive is the way to go. When I bought my interconnects, the store I purchased them from permitted me to take them home and try them out. Or, to take my equipment to the store, and subject it to controlled listening test. This is really the only way to tell if there is a difference. A good COAX cable is also the same for a good video cable. It makes the picture clearer, more focused, less distortion, and more vibrant colors. How good of a cable one needs here too matters upon what kind of DVD and TV one is using in their system. First rule of audio, how does it SOUND? Does it SOUND any differently? The only way one may discover how something sounds is to listen to it, side-by-side, in controlled listenong tests. Unless you have purchased the absolute worst quality, without directly comparing it, you probably won't notice a difference. The same can largely be said about anything else: CDs, amps, pre-amps, speakers. Hope this helps Cheers

Do any of the contributors here know if any of this discussion is relevent to the Mac side of things? I have a portable, with an external Hd. I've used one back to the days of SyQuest, (better quality than the aforementioned Zip drives, but that's another story). Lately the HD in my portable bit the dust. I am now using my external as the start-up disc. At the momemt, my data is not being backed-up. I have been seriously considering the perchase of an MZ-NH1. My unit has USB 1.1. Do I need a special driver for the HiMD, or will it simply appear on the desktop if attached?

Thanks for your assistance, Kirisu.The NH1 bundle from Minidisc Australia would only end-up costing about $35 USD more than the NH900 bundle from Minidisc-Canada. I would much rather have the NH1, I think. Especially the preferred remote. Actually, it might end-up costing a little more from Minidisc Australia. I bought a minidisc from California, and FedEx charged me $25 Brokerage fees; and my taxes were only $8. I hope to find a better way of importing for my next international purchase. I bought a couple of used units from the U.K.. They had been labeled "gift" and sent by Air Mail. I didn't have a problem with those.

Does anyone know if it is really a possibility to order from Minidisc Australia, if one is not from Australia or N.Z.? I sent them 2 e-mails stating my desire to purchase an NH1 bundle from them. I acknowledged they were having difficulty with shipping the batteries, so I explicitly stated I would offer them a complete waiver of responsibility, as far as the delivery of the battery. I stated I would only wish for them to try and send the battery by regular mail, and hope for the best. Most unfortunately, there was absolutely no response. I think that is a little rude. Has anyone else had a better experience with them? I know a few people had been successful with ordering bundles from them the first week they were offered. Has Minidisc Australia severed all interest in communicating with buyers without an Australian or N.Z. address?

Has anyone ever tried this above set-up?

Thank for the advice. I will go into the Sony Store and see if they sell the AC-E60A adapter. Does anyone know the specific model number for an NH1 A/C adapter for North America?

I have quite a few A/C adapters I've collected over the years. I even have a Sony one that says 6V • 10W • 800mA. 1. What do I need to know about wattage and amperage when it comes to making a match with the NH1? 2. Do you know barrel size the NH1 takes. (IE. would it be the same size diameter as the one for the N1, or is it of a different kind?)

Can I use my A/C adapter from my MZ-N1 with the NH1? The MZ-N1 is 3V.

Can I use my charger from my MZ-N1 with the NH1? The MZ-N1 is 3V.

Can I use my charger from my MZ-N1 with the NH1? The MZ-N1 is 3V. Any point in trying to arrange an order to Canada? Maybe being in the Commonwealth will give it some special consideration?

Do you think I would be better-off buying an NH1, instead of looking for an N910? Do you know if anyone from North America has been successful in finding an aftermarket A/C adapter for the NH1's charging unit? I don't believe I can use the one that will come with the pack from Australia. I thought I could just use a step-down transformer, but I realized that there would still be the matter of the difference in cycles of the electric currents of the two regions. I don't believe using the Australian adapter, which is designed to run on 50 Hz, will deliver what the charger wants, if the A/C adapter is fed with a 60 Hz current. Moreover, I know that some of the specialized "barrel" sizes can be quite difficult to find. I have a charger for the N1, but I doubt it will be the right one. I found a neat article on how to construct an external battery supply for the NH1, but it entails sacrificing a charging stand and the specialized USB cable. I have no idea at all how much it would cost to aquire these things separately.

NH1 Batteries from eBay? Has anyone tried buying an extra battery from Accessories 4U that are being sold on eBay for about $30? I am considering purchasing an NH1, but I only want to do so if I can purchase an additional battery reasonably.

HiMD doesn't just have a greater capacity for data, but it also allows for 12 times the number of maximum track marks; from 256 to 2800. As well as number of characters from 1200 to 20000. There are also additional and more specific criteria by which one can manipulate their musical database.

I think some of those divisions, for me, come together. All my units are full-metal bodies. But that also makes them thin. In addition, that also makes them really durable and able to put up with any abuse. (Not that I abuse my units! My AIWA AM-F70 just recently started to have hick-ups. It doesn't always write without caution! showing-up; new recordings don't play well anymore on other units. Probably just needs the laser or clock adjusted, someday! But it hails from early '99; and I have over 400 minidiscs recorded) The full metal bodies also give them, for me, a distinct aesthetic, design appeal. You didn't put on your list "unique technological features". This is the main reason I have so many AIWAs. Going back to 1992, AIWAs have/had always had a feature-rich technical advantage over all other product offerings. Sony was ergonomics, Sharp was recordings, Panasonic pure aesthetics. Sony always had a long history of hobbling their units. The early minidisc players had remotes that demanded proprietary SONY headphones. I think that was how I bought my first AIWA; so I could use high quality headphones, and at the same time use my remote. At one point in time, that was a highly revolutionary technology!

What happens to the SONY during recordings when the recording levels have been manually-set, after you have stopped the unit, and then want to start recording again? Do you have to change it back to Manual from Automatic? Does it remember the previously-set manual recording level, or does one have to reset it? I believe that the SHARP remembers the last recording level setting, so you can stop it, and then restart it without having to reset the recording level. [T/F]? The greatest reservation I have with the SHARP units is that I believe none of them have a track divide rehearsal capability for accurate track-marking. [T/F]? Further, many have commented that the SHARP remote commander has rather poor ergonomics. It is said that one repeatedly is pressing unintended functions because the buttons are opposite each other, and are pressed accidentally. How bad is it? Does it have any advantages?

Where did this post get moved to? I am getting somewhat lost. I posted a similar topic under Knowledge Center/ Product Reviews. Then richyhu directed me back here to this thread. Help!! Please e-mail me with where is the best place for this thread, because it seems to have been moved from two forums to some other place. In fact Ishii, you just posted that you wanted to put this in its appropriate forum, but don't say where.

In Canada, it is possible from Canada Post to have parcels delivered Registered, or double-registered, where one must sign for a parcel, and a receipt is delivered to the shipper. Is such a service not available in Australia? How much weight is the A/C adaptor? How much could one save on shipping if one left it out of their shipment to Canada?

Have a look at his article with pics. It shows you exactly that! Tell me what you think of it. http://forester.uf.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~ishiken/e/ADAM/HiMD.html

Do all SCMS strippers remove track marks? How does the Behringer Ultramatch 24/96 work, in this regard? Is it impossible to retain track marks when making digital copies of copies? I think SONY's B2P allows one to reset the copy bit, does it also remove track marks when doing so? How about experience with other devices that reset the copy bit? I have a Mac. Is it possible that were I to feed the Mac with the digital-out of my MiniDisc deck to a TOSlink to USB converter into my Mac, and then again output from my Mac through its USB port to a USB to TOSlink converter, that I could make a digital copy, and still retain my track marks?

Have any Canadian members figured-out how much the least expensive method of shipping will be? Or are we all waiting for Monday?

Does anyone have experience with the Behringer Ultramatch? I want to know if I make digital copies when resetting the copy-bit if track marks remain intact.

Why Choose a SONY MZ-N910 instead of a SHARP DR7? Net? Thinner? Lighter? It seems to me that the SONY is inferior. Please help with opinions. I am considering buying a new recorder for lectures in mono.