KJ_Palmer

No, I'm afraid none of the MD recorders with radio can record directly from the radio.

You can record in LP2/4 and 'fake' SP (ie. resampled LP2) with the NH1 in NetMD mode on a standard minidisc, so yes, there is that degree of compatibility.

All MD units that have ever been made and have a mic-in jack have stereo microphone inputs, and the same will be true for the Hi-MD units. Of course if the microphone is a mono microphone, the recordings will only be in mono, and that's not the recorder's fault. Make sure your microphone is a stereo mic - these have 3 seperate sections on the jack - mono mics have only 2.

All MD units that have ever been made and have a mic-in jack have stereo microphone inputs, and the same will be true for the Hi-MD units. Of course if the microphone is a mono microphone, the recordings will only be on mono, and that's not the recorder's fault. Make sure your microphone is a stereo mic - these have 3 seperate sections on the jack - mono mics have only 2.

Ha-ha, you may mock, Chris :laugh:, but if you've never had the luxury of built in mic and speakers, you'll never know how handy it can be not to have to fiddle around with external wires, batteries and so so on. Just press a button and record - a true replacement for the cassette. Can't wait for the Hi-MD version - MZ-BH1 anyone?... :rasp:

Not yet, but there are rumours that Sharp will join in shortly (eg. early next year). Nothing concrete as yet, unless anyone can enlighten me...

I'm not what you might call a 'serious' live taper, but: 1. Use low sensitivity for loud music or 'near' sounds (eg. interviewing). High sensitivity is for use in the opposite case, ie. soft music or 'faraway' sounds (eg. lectures). Generally speaking, don't use AGC for music, as it may result in an uneven sound. 2. There shouldn't be a huge difference in sound quality between the ECM-907 and the other Sony mics you mentioned. By all means use a smaller mic if stealth is a factor. For better sound quality you should be thinking of a higher spec mic from somewhere like http://soundprofessionals.com or http://microphonemadness.com.

Hi, OK I'll have a stab at some answers... 1. You will need a step up converter with 2-3 pin plug to use your adapter in the USA, as their house current is ~120V AC and ours is ~240 V AC. It might be less hassle to get an adaptor while over there if that's all you need it for. 2. You can get a NH-14WM which has higher capacity (1400mAh) and will be compatible with the NH900. 3. Not sure if a case is included, some ads on pre-order sites say one is, others not. I usually use a caselogic neoprene case which is stretchy enough to accomodate an external battery case... 4. Haven't seen any media around, not surprisingly since Hi-MD hasn't been released here yet (or even advertised as far as I know). I have noticed that Sony Centres seem to be clearing away their normal MD stuff, so maybe they'll be the best places to start...

Hi. Not sure, but I think it's a matter of taking the screws out and remembering what goes where. These threads might help you: Taking the cover off an N510 Painting MD player Good luck if you go ahead, though be very careful and remember it's at your own risk and I'm not taking any blame if it goes horribly wrong! :rasp:

Couldn't you take one back and swap it for another colour? The blue and red ones look good IMO. However a lot of people have successfully custom painted their MD-units. You'd have to take off the outer casing first, which would void your warranty, so you really need to know what you're doing (and to put it back together again).

The data transfer speed for Hi-MD seems to be between about 500 KBytes/sec and 1.1 MBytes/sec. This thread on another forum discusses this. Obviously at the moment we only have information for the NH600, though the other Hi-MD devices ought to be similar I guess...

None of the Hi-MD units at present have a built in mic, though you can of course add an external mic to the NH900. You can get the "standard" MD unit the Sony MZ-B10, however this has far fewer of the features you're looking for. You're right about the built-in mics - they're convenient, but not suitable for high quality recording. I'd go with the NH900...

You'll have to record in real-time via an analogue link. You need to connect a line out (either from the CD/MD deck, or a tape out from your amplifier) to the PC's line in jack. You'll need a suitable analogue cable for the connection - an RCA/phono jack at one end and a stereo minijack on the other. Use some recording software on your PC once you've set everything up. Someone else should be able to help you with software if you need it, or you can do a search.

Hi. Yes, I'd avoid the N710 if I were you, at least if bought in this country. The Japanese one would be a fine replacement for your N707 though, if you can wait till you're there. There are several places on Tottenham Court Road that sell the Sharp IM-DR420, eg. Gultronics. I'd highly recommend this nifty recorder - it's not pretty but more than makes up for that in features, and would be even louder than your N707. There are other variants of the DR420 - eg. the DR410 which is the same but has no mic input, or the DR370 which also is non-NetMD.

The Sharp models are considered best for recording live. It's best to get a recorder with a mic-input to begin with for the minimum fuss. From the current line up I would suggest the Sharp DR7 provides excellent value and quality. There's also a new breed of minidisc called Hi-MD about to be unveiled which will allow you full CD quality recording and PC uploading, but they're not quite here yet...

Yes, that's exactly it.. The figures in the manual (LP4 = 600 x 5 minute tracks, LP2 = 300 x 5 minute tracks) are battery life figures when checking out tracks, not the number of tracks you can fit on a disk. Take a look in the NE410 manual on page 14. Seems clear enough to me. As these are battery only units I guess it'd be useful to know how many tracks you can check out at a time...

The NH800 is basically a NH700 plus radio, so is essentially a mid range recorder. The NH900 is slimmer, uses a rechargeable gumstick and/or AA battery rather than just an AA, so has a longer maximum battery life. It also has a high definition digital amp which should give it a cleaner crisper sound than the NH800. The NH900 also has a line out mode for better connectivity to external audio equipment (amplifiers and such like). It has a better build quality (aluminium front cover) and recording/playback features. Anyway, the NH900 definitely the higher-end unit and worth it for the extra features (apart from tuner).

Head-Fi is quite neutral as regards brands, and they have a portable audio forum. I wouldn't call it the friendliest place on earth though, and they don't seem to suffer fools/newbies gladly...

Hi and welcome. Any of the Hi-MD recorders, starting with the NH700 can record from your hi-fi directly onto a disk. The players/downloaders (EH1 & NH3) can't as they don't have a line or optical input - but that's not their purpose. (The US version of the NH600 just released also doesn't have line/optical input so also can't record from a hi-fi - but the European model of the NH600 should have this). A line out is useful for listening to Hi-MD recordings through the line/aux input of a hi-fi or speakers, or through a headphone amplifier and high quality headphones. It gives a better (or rather, "cleaner") sound quality than a headphone output does, and would also be suitable for recording onto CD-R/tape etc.

Which model is it? It must be a misprint if it's a standard NetMD, although a Hi-MD could just about hold that sort of capacity. A standard MD can record a maximum of 320 minutes in LP4 mode - that's 64 tracks of average length 5 minutes - maybe the manual means 60 rather than 600 tracks @ 5 minutes each. There are no other options available to give extra storage...

I keep all my discs in their covers and also in a plastic storage box when not in use. As you say, the disks aren't air-tight, but hopefully two or three layers will keep the dust-monsters out. Anyway, my oldest ones from 5 years back still play fine... I also think it's best to keep master copies of favouite material on another media such as CD-R's.

Well, it's your choice of course, though personally I'd go for the blue first. The red would be my second choice and silver is the least compelling in my book... Here is the MZ-NE810 if anyone else wants to know what they look like... :cool:

Mmm, you're not going to get much for your $100, unless you try your luck on Ebay, or in the sales etc.. Minidisco are selling the NE410 for $80 - see here. That's about all I can suggest, it's not the sturdiest unit, but it'll do if you look after it. Actually, for $20 more the N510CK is a much better unit, with a line/optical connection, AC adaptor, and sturdier construction... Unfortunately these things are expensive at the higher end...

How much have you got to spend, and what features do you need? Do you want to record from a PC, or CD player, or microphone, or all 3? Realistically, the range is from about $100 to $300 (US) or so for new portable recorders. Of course the more you spend the better the quality and features.

I'm not sure if the N10 you get in Israel is the world model or the european model. The euro model is capped at 2.5mW per channel, so I wouldn't really recommend that. The N1 should be fine, though, just that it's slightly long in the tooth as a unit. Do you have any other options?