KJ_Palmer

The Sony MZ-NH700 might be a good start if you want to try out MD. You'll get about 34 hours microphone recording on a 1GB disk at the lowest bitrate for analogue recordings (which should be good enough quality for lectures).

I find the 3mW more than adequate, and that coming from 5mW Sonys and 10mW Sharps... If you like to crank your volume up or use large headphones you might be struggling though... (all figures x 2 and into 16 or 32 ohms..)

The NH900 is actually probably the closest in specs (for a HiMD) to your N710, being only half aluminium too, and with gumstick/AA capability, etc. The digital amp is about the only other high end feature that sets the NH900 apart from the NH700. Although beautiful (IMO), the NH900 takes a bit of a step down from the NetMD '9xx' series in build quality at least. Hopefully the next generation of Hi-MD should see a step up in quality and performance, from the 'high-end' machines.

I hate those horrid 'tramp' bags that Sony (and Sharp) seem so keen on. The leather (or 'pleather') bags are much better. I've seen some for sale on eBay, though I've bought a couple of them from a shop in London (Hi-Fi Surplus on Tottenham Court Road) for £7.99, I think. Maybe a Sony Centre would have one too...

Only a couple of PCM recordings so far and a dabbling with Hi-SP. PCM sounds really good, but I'll probably stick with Hi-SP once the novelty's worn off...

My NH600 (Euro model) came without a disk, 1GB or otherwise.... The higher-end units (NH700 and upwards) get the 1 GB disk here though. Teach me to be impatient...

Yes that's right, the NH600 doesn't have a built in mic pre-amp. So you'll have to get an external one for recording all but the loudest music/noises. Sound Professionals, amongst others, have some good quality portable pre-amps (I believe), but they're not exactly cheap. Non-portable ones can be much cheaper, but then they're not portable...

You can use a standard USB - mini USB (5 pin) cable, eg. from Maplins or Dixons. However I have several of these spare cables, so I could pop one in the post if you want.

I never use the VPT at all, it just seems to distort the music badly, and to me seems very unpleasant indeed. Some people, of course might like that. On the other hand the digital amp on the NH900 is very nice to listen to (well IMO :smile:) .

Thanks Dave, let us know how it goes. T.C.R. = Tottenham Court Road (London) for anyone wondering...

AA form factor - just means that AA batteries can be used with the unit. The higher level MD units have a (removeable) non-AA battery, but some (eg. NH900, N910) can also use an AA either alone or to extend the battery life. Some top level Sonys (NH1, E10) can't use an external AA, presumably so as not to spoil the sleek looks etc. Thr N505 has been available here in the UK for some time, but now has been largely superseded by the the N510. The N520 is, I believe, a non-UK unit for import only. In fact, as you're in the UK it might be best not to buy the Sony Net MDs from here - these have been capped under EU regulations for output levels. I recommend you either go for something like a Sharp IM-DR410, which aren't capped, or import.

Yeah, I got my R30 cheap too, not that cheap, but in very good nick. I'm using it mostly with the battery add-on pack (2 AA's) as it didn't have an adapter. Now that's what I call HUGE - the whole thing just fits in my old cassette walkman case and weighs a ton. Sounds good when Type-R SP tracks are played on it, and with an amp and good phones it really comes into its own. Now I know what I've been missing all these years... Cheers

Hi-MD recorders can still be used as basic recorders, and allow both uncompressed (PCM) recording and high quality ATRAC compression. I've been playing with my NH700 recently, and this unit might well suit you, or the soon-to-be released NH900 . Something like the fairly recent Sharp IMDR420 would also have high quality ATRAC and essy recording options. You can ignore all the NetMD features with these machines. Don't forget to get a unit with a mic-in jack though to save messing around with external pre-amps etc., many models don't have this.

3.5 things 'better' about the NH1: 1. Slimmer/lighter than the NH900. 2. All metal (magnesium) body. NH900 is half plastic/half aluminium. 3. Better (3 line) remote. 3.5 Has fancy battery. Is that worth $100? - maybe

Hi. I'd suggest the NH700 (or if not available maybe the NHF800) for lower level as this has the advantage of mic recording plus line/optical input. The NH600 is OK too, but has no mic input and worse still no line in/optical in the States (though the Euro/Asia model has). I think the availbility of the machines depends on your area - eg. in the UK we can get the NH600/700 and NHF800, though you might not. If you can afford a bit extra and can wait a bit longer, the NH900 would probably be the best all-rounder in the Hi-MD world...

Perhaps your source player needs a head clean - noisy playback can interfere with Sony's auto track marking, which is none too good anyway (at least for analogue recordings). You can use a Hi-MD recorder in the same ways for recording as a standard MD (like your R501) - unless you get the NH6000D, which is a PC "downloader" only. With Hi-MD you just get more choice and capacity - you can even use your current standard blanks. I don't have a PC either, but I can use the one at work for titling etc.

I picked myself up an R30 at the weekend. So that's my favourite SP only MD now - my first "classic" unit. It is huge however, compared to say my N910. That line out is sweet though and the lack of motor noise is something to behold...

Don't worry, your E3c's will be fully compatible with the NH1 and any other Hi-MD player/recorder.

Perhaps you'll get a NH700 - they're out now. OK not quite as good as the NH900, but not too bad either, and features-wise a more direct replacement for your N710. I haven't seen any schedules, and the Sony stores don't know, but I don't we'll see any NH900 or NH1 before August in the UK...

Hi. You can buy adapters in Maplin Electronics and Dixons etc. You just need one that has a positive tip, outputs at 3V DC and is rated at no less than 500mA (1A would be OK). Most universal adapters have exchangeable tips, and you can buy these from the shops I mentioned. If you really want the Sony one, I just saw the exact ones in Ask on Tottenham Court Road, London. Doubtless Sony Centres have them too. If you can come to London I will give you one of my spare ones.

The Sennheiser PX-250 are highly recommended and were designed with plane/train transport in mind. They have an active noise cancelling system which sort of tries to "negate" background noise. I have a pair, though frankly they've not had much use. However, closed, isolating phones like the similar Sennheiser PX-200 and the ear-canal Sony EX-71 and Shure E2c usually give me enough noise isolation, but I'll probably take the PX-250 on my next plane trip. The cancelling system works best on repetitive hum-type noises like aircraft engines and lawn-mowers, and would not cancel out an unexpected noise like a bang. They do provide better isolation than open-type headphones .. Low power units (eg. Euro-crippled MD players) may have difficulty driving the PX-250, though, be warned, due to their high impedence..

You need to turn of the automatic track marking. Go into Menu - Setup - T.Mark LSync and turn and press AMS to set to T.Mark Off.

You could always buy a non-radio MD recorder and a small receiver, which would be only slight more bulky, probably no more expensive, and may well get better reception. Just a thought...

Hello, Ethan. Just seen this, sometimes you have to be patient or 'bump' your own post. Anyway, I haven't seen any prices cheaper than £127 for the N910. I was quite happy to buy mine recently for £168 in Dixons. If you're in the UK they seem to be still selling at this price. The major difference between the N910 and N920 (apart from styling) seems to be the digital amp on the N920, whereas the N910 has a traditional one. The Euro N910 also has a slightly lower output power rating than the N920, which is I believe only available in a world model. The software included with the N920 is also updated.

Nope, no disks to be had yet. Dixons had some Sony MD boxes labelled Hi-MD (compatible), but these just turned out to be standard 80 minute blanks...