ari

Just wanted to let you guys know that I took your advice, and ended up with a MZ-NH700 from Planet Minidisc (which I think they got from MD Australia, because of the Australian power plug and flyers that were in the package), with soundprofessional mics. I did order a battery pack from microphone madness, but they took almost two weeks to get here, and they arrived the day before my first big recording, so I didn't use them since I don't really know how to adjust the little levers (I don't supppose anyone can explain, or know of a website that can explain, exactly how they work? Because I really have no idea, and I'm not sure if trial and error will take me far before I get completely frustrated). My first recording still came out amazingly better than the recordings on my old recorder, and I have to say that uploading through USB is so much better than real-time. I don't know how I managed so long without HIMD!

Thank you, mrsoul and A440 for the recs! It never occured to me to look on ebay for mics although I've always scoured for prices on recorders. I searched for the SP BMC-2 there, and noticed that they are up for $35, but with $6 shipping and additional $10 for the clips, they seem to come out the same price as their regular catalog. Either way I'm sure I'll be buying them later today when I find my wallet under the mess that is my desk. And then to the drug store I go, to find some eye glasses kit - that's an ingenious idea!

Trying hard not to sound like a total newbie... I've had a MZ-N707 for about three years, and although it's considered a "budget" and low end recorder, I've always liked the quality of recordings that I got from it. The problem is, more often than not, I'd come home from an event only to find out that nothing had recorded. In the beginning, I blamed it on not pressing the right buttons, or dead batteries, but I've decided to upgrade to a new recorder, especially since I noticed a couple weeks ago that 3 out of 4 tiny screws on the front panel that hold it together have come off. The thing still plays discs, but when I try to record, it'll give an error message that says there isn't a disc inside. (Does anyone know where I could possibly buy those tiny screws online?) My needs are pretty simple, just a mic-in, with good quality recordings on a budget (I'd like to stay within $300US). I've never bothered with my remote, so remote features are not a deciding factor at all. Like alot of people, I've looked at the RH10 and RH910, and possibly the NH700. Looking at the info on minidisc.org, it seems like the only major difference between the RH10 and RH910 is the 6 line v 5 line display, and the 32 vs 25 hour battery time. (Am I reading correctly that with HiMD I can transfer any subsequent recordings through USB - and then convert as wav- and not realtime like I've always done in the past?) But then I noticed that the NH700 listed at minidisco, is comparable to the RH910, but with the addition of a mic sensitivity (high/low) selector. I mostly used my 707 to record theatre (almost always amplified, in large halls), with the occasional acoustic gigs. Until now, I've used a cheap mono mic (with one of those plugs from Radio Shack to make it stereo), and when my recorder did manage to record, I was always happy with the results (I'm not a huge audiophile like some of you... I know it doesn't take a whole lot to make me happy). I am, however, planning on buying the BMC-2 from Sound Professionals soon. Only once did I have trouble with bass (at an underground bar with really overblown speakers) so I'm hoping that I don't need an additional battery with a bass roll-off filter. But what do you guys think? Should I go for the RH10? RH910? Or the NH700? Any suggestions would be great! Thanks in advance.