KJ_Palmer

Do you just want the rubber tips for the earbuds? You can have mine - well, the small and medium sized ones, as I only use the large ones. Obviously I need the earphones themselves...

Go to this link for the NH900 volume hack. The reasons for the volume limitations in Europe are well documented, but essentially it's due to French/EU policy for preventing hearing loss/damage...

Well, I bought a lot of them from ebay for about £3.50 each and was given quite a few too, so probably nearer the £100 mark. Which, spread out over a year and a half, isnt really that much (is it ?). And that's small time compared to the number of standard blanks I've accumulated over the years. At a guess 600-800. I must admit though, storage is becoming a problem...

The Transfer to My Library button can be used by Hi-MD recorders to transfer analogue (mic/line in) recordings from Hi-MD discs to the PC. Otherwise (for other Sony devices) it can be used as a shorthand for removing tracks or albums from the device. It also decreases the no. of times 'transferred' count if the tracks still exist in My library. This obviously doesn't matter anymore, but used to for NetMD devices which used to have a limit of 3 transfers per track, so you had to 'transfer' them back off the MD before you could put them on another disc (if the count was over 3)...

I have about 30 1GB Hi-MD discs. I'm hoping I won't be needing many more as they're relatively expensive. I generally make 8 hour 256k compilations from them. I probably have about 100 blank 80 min discs. I'm mostly using them for LP2 compilations for playback in my decks and older equipment, and the odd data disc.

I'll take an NHF800 off you, doomlord, for a good price...

I bought one of these battery adapters on ebay, that works with both the HD5 and Vaio Pocket. This site's great btw, they seems to make an adapter for almost anything. This ones uses 4 AA's, trouble is you'll have to use the Pocket's cradle, making it even less 'pocketable', but you might not mind that. If you're handy with a soldering iron, unlike me, I'm sure you could knock yourself up something like it for less, though this one is well made and has a handy on/off switch and velcro attach pad....

I saw one in Dixons (Holborn,London) just before christmas, for £200. Same place as I bought mine last year. I could have checked there today if I'd seen this post earlier. Not sure where else may have them in ther UK, maybe some Sony centres. It is really nice to be able to display album covers, and the screen is very nice though ultimately I'm not sure if I'd really miss this facility. I usually take my HD5 out and about with me instead, and use the pocket plugged into the stereo at home, through its great line out.

Perhaps you need to upgrade to 3.2 or 3.3. But anyway, you have to be at the track level of My Library. Make sure that SS isn't playing a track you want to divide or combine. Just stopping playback might be easiest. Make sure (right click-properties-file info-file format) that the track(s) are ATRAC only (no other formats can be edited) If you want to divide a track, highlight it by clicking once (but make sure it doesnt play) If you want to combine 2 or more tracks, highlight em all Go to Edit at the top of the SS screen. The Divide and/or Combine options should now be available. Hope that helps...

It's under the Edit menu, TBR - I think you need at least SS3.0. Divide and Combine. Even allows you to rehearse the divide point (like on a deck). They're the only editing functions (as well as delete of course) though and only on ATRAC 3(+) files.

Sonicstage does allow dividing and combining for ATRAC files though, so presumably the same routines could also be used for Wav, and even MP3 files. It doesn't usually take more than a minute or 2 to edit wav files in Audacity etc., so I don't find it a huge inconvenience, once I know the location of the files...

Hi. Unfortuntely Sonictstage doesn't allow most transfers from Hi-MD to PC. Copyright restrictions and all. The only ones it does allow are Hi-MD analogue recordings made via line in or mic-in. If you want to keep backups to save hard drive space you can use the SS backup tool (Tools-Backup up my library) to some external media, or (probably safer) archive your stuff directly to CD as Wav/MP3 etc. or keep the original CD.

I've almost never connected my HD5 to the mains adapter whilst downloading to it from my laptop, even when I transferrred nearly 15GB in one go. I keep the battery pretty fully charged up all the time though. I suppose if the battery level is low after transfer there might be trouble during the updating phase when the USB cable is removed, but other than that I think it would be quite safe not to have the mains plugged in during transfers. Or perhaps when the battery is nearing the end of its life it might be unpredictable and fail without warning..

Nice new look to the forums now. Much easier on the eye than before - thanks..

Yes, you can put Jenni1 as a genre and anything else if you like...

This question has been asked on another forum, and appretnly some people have succesfully defragmented their HD5 drives, and it was worth doing it. I've tried it once myself and was informed by the system that there was no need to degfragment it...

The 'genre' is fairly randomly decided by whoever enters the CD details onto the database in the first place. You can change the genre once the album's loaded into My Library. I almost always do.

Hi. Yes, you can 'merge' 2 albums, by giving them the same name. You can rename the name by highlighting and right clicking an album or pressing F2 in the Album view, or by highlighting individual tracks and changing the album name in the properties dialog. You may also need to click the 'Compilation' box in 'Properties' in the Album view if the albums have different artists.

Definitely go for the NHF800. The radio alone (which is excellent btw) makes it worth the extra £20, as well as the better build quality. If you're never going to use the radio, or mic input, you could save your £20 and get the NH600, but you won't be disappointed with the NHF800 if you can manage it....

SS also doesn't work for my Freecom USB external CD drive at work (all greyed out). Nero and Roxio both work fine with it though. SS3.3 works fine with my built in CD/DVD writer on the laptop at home though, so I can live with it but its a pain. Perhaps a USB attached drive is not the right 'enviroment' for SS...

No, you cant record to MP3 with any Hi-MD recorders - only to Hi-SP (256k), Hi-LP (64k) or PCM.

By the sounds of it Connect is pretty poor (but the updates already seem to be showing signs of improvement), so I'm sticking with Sonicstage (3.3) for the moment, which seems pretty decent.

I keep mine in my pocket. Side or inside jacket pocket but not trousers (pants)...

I vote for the return of the olive-green skin. By far the best one ever....

The default skin is the only one I can vaguely bear at the moment, so please dont get rid of that one. Any chance of updating ATRACLife too - sorry but that really is a disaster...