Avrin

You actually need this driver: http://forums.minidisc.org/downloads/download.php?file=7 After installing the driver, I think, you need to install SonicStage: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?s=&am...st&p=141995

Well, the manual is really easy to find: http://www.minidisc.org/manuals/sharp/sharp_imdr420.pdf

Yes, it's a nice little program. And even nicer, if we remember that NetMD tracks transferred to a disc via Simple Burner, may be uploaded back using the RH1. SonicStage tracks are not uploadable.

The only way to use Simple Burner on a Vista PC is to use a virtual machine with USB support and Windows XP installed. And no, Vista is in no way backwards-compatible. Most applications need to be upgraded to work with it. And some (including Simple Burner) don't have such upgrades available.

Try restarting the computer and/or disabling the anti-virus software.

I don't quite understand the 96 dB level. CD signal levels are measured from 0 dB (maximum) down to -96 dB. And a properly mastered CD properly uses the entire range. Here's a good article: http://www.cdmasteringservices.com/dynamicdeath.htm But there is also a problem of inter-sample clipping - when two successive samples are below the 0 dB level, but at least one of them is close enough to it, the waveform between them may still be clipped. Although this kind of clipping is practically unnoticeable during listening, it should also be avoided.

Unfortunately, no. But you may find some information about CDs that are known to be mastered improperly, like Michael Jackson's "Invincible" (very seriously overcompressed and clipped), Depeche Mode's "Playing The Angel" (overcompressed and clipped), Metallica's "Death Magnetic" (absolutely horribly distorted), ABBA's full boxes (all albums are overcompressed, and later ones are clipped), Pink Floyd's "Oh By The Way" box (again overcompressed, with clipping on later albums), etc. Before buying an album, you may download it in a lossless format from some P2P network to check. That's what I usually do. If you mean the original 1990 edition, then chances are it is mastered properly.

Such software is not needed for properly mastered CD. And won't help much with those improperly mastered. ATRAC preserves the waveform much better than MP3, thus it is less useful for fighting clipping.

Importing to MP3 doesn't completely eliminate all effects of clipping, neither does it restore the original sound, but it can really make the recording sound better, since it softens the waveform edges, and recreates some of the original harmony.

Sadly, I've no idea about deck levels. But you can always find the proper level yourself. Use an audio editing program to generate a sinewave (say, 1 kHz) with the maximum possible amplitude (100% or 0 dB), burn the sinewave to an audio CD, and then use the CD to adjust the level of your MD deck. The maximum level value before you see the "OVER" indicator is the level you want to use. I think that each deck should have a "pass-through" level (like 23 on SONY portables). And it would be a nice and useful project for forum members to determine those.

It's very easy. Level 23 is ideal for properly mastered CDs. And no CD can be louder than 0 dB. Trouble is, you can't buy a properly mastered CD nowadays. 9 out of 10 currently produced CDs you buy will be overcompressed and clipped, and the remaining one will be simply overcompressed. If a CD is mastered properly, level 23 will preserve as much quality as possible. But, for a clipped CD, setting level below 23 and recording to a lossy format may actually produce some sound improvement. This is due to the fact that lossy compression is not able to reproduce a clipped waveform perfectly. Some of parasite higher frequency components pertinent to clipping are filtered out, thus actually bringing the signal closer to what it should have been on a properly mastered CD. Same result can be achieved by using a digital low-pass filter. But you can never fully restore the distorted waveform of a modern CD to its original pre-mastered state. I.e., there is no way to make "Invincible" sound as Michael Jackson recorded it - you may only listen to what the marketing people gave you. And they want it even louder and louder with each new release. But, I'll say it again, no CD can be louder than 0 dB.

North American/European RH10's and RH910's don't have a charging stand. The Japanese RH10 does.

All transfer limitations for Hi-MD have been lifted since, IIRC, SonicStage 3.4. Provided that you rip tracks from CDs without applying copy protection, you can do whatever you want with these tracks. The only unpleasant thing remaining is copy protection applied to all tracks uploaded from units. But you can remove the protection as soon as you have finished uploading, using the SonicStage File Conversion Tool. And it is a good idea to do so, since the authentication server (needed to reauthenticate copy-protected tracks in case your keys are damaged) can no longer be relied upon, as it is presumably down from the begining of this year (despite some cases of successful authentication by several members lately).

Automatic level adjustment actually tends to create additional distortion. It's always better to record the original signal without changing its level. You need to set the unit to REC PAUSE and disable SYNC REC before adjusting the level.

Adobe Audition is very convenient for combining. Just click File->Open Append, select files to combine, and it will open them on a single timeline. Then you can save the timeline as one big WAV.

Yes, rounding errors lead to [very little but still] distortion. On both units you need to disable SYNC REC before setting the level to 23 (and then re-enable it to transfer trackmarks from the CD). After that the RH1 remembers the setting, but the RH10 reverts to Automatic level setting after you stop recording, so you need to repeat the process each time you record.

Welcome to the forums! With whatever's left of my Japanese, I'm also unable to find the manual for the DMD-1600 at their website. The closest match is the Japanese manual for the DMD-1550 here: http://www.denon.co.jp/ownersmanual/pdf/dmd1550.pdf But there is a scan of the English manual for DENON DMD-1000 here at the minidisc.org site: http://www.minidisc.org/manuals/denon_dmd1000_manual.pdf - it may be of some help.

Yes, you can adjust the level while recording via optical. Experiments show that on Hi-MD recorders (and probably many other SONY units as well) setting the level manually to 23 maintains the original CD level, and thus helps to avoid rounding errors caused by level changes.

And that's a good decision! The RH1 is actually more convenient for recording, since it remembers your settings. So you don't need to go through the "Set REC PAUSE"->"Disable SYNC REC"->"Set manual level 23"->"Enable SYNC REC"->"Start the CD" sequence each time you want to record a CD.

There is a topic somewhere in these forums. But I don't advise going into service mode if you are not experienced enough. It is easy to destroy your unit from there.

There's a service mode hack to enable SP recording for the RH10/910 at the cost of MP3 playback. But recording to LP2 and LP4 is not possible (at least I haven't found a way to enable it yet).

Congratulations - it's a great unit! Its non-HD digital amp is ideal for classical music, and many other styles - much less dry and boring than the HD amp in the RH1. And its controls are the most convenient of all the units I've ever seen. My first MD unit was an RH10. It was killed by an official service center. Last year I bought another one used, and it is currently my workhorse for portable listening and recording to SP via optical.

Press and hold down the jog wheel itself!

The silver RH1 for the Japanese market is also made in Malaysia. But there is also a third build - the "European Black" with no country of manufacture specified, and so, presumably, made in China. Lotsa loose screws in it!

The display of the RH10 does wear out. But it shouldn't become fully dark. Areas that are used the most (battery and play indicators, time display) should get darker, but areas around them should still remain relatively bright. As for button malfunctions of the RH1 - cleaning the buttons and/or re-attaching the internal ribbon cable may help. An experienced electronics repairman can fix this in minutes. Though the button problem is more common with the RH10/910.