stargazer_tom1

Im recording from my PC to my rh1 via optical through an asus xonar dx. All my music is in wma lossless. I sometimes rip directly from CD using my kenwood hm-532 via optical to my hi md rh1. Started ripping in SP now as opposed to hi-sp as i have acquired a md-deck (sp only) which sounds fantastic through my mordaunt short speakers and hi fi. -Tom

Definitely, i agree real time is the way to go. To me it sounds better than ripping. Tom

I will outline the process I'm referring to: I rip my CD's using DBpoweramp to WMA lossless or FLAC Then queue up the songs on my PC and play them through optical digital out via my asus xonar dx connected to my rh1. I record in hi-sp Is this a waste of time as i could just use sonic stage to convert my wma lossless tracks to hi-sp and transfer to my rh1 in a matter of minutes as opposed to recording all my songs in realtime? What sounds better in your opinion recording form a good quality CD player via digital to md OR ripping your CDs with sonicstage to md (hi-sp in both instances)? I read on the forums somewhere that ripping with the pc should result in the same quality as realtime recording as the algorithm is just being applied quicker using your computers CPU. I don't agree i somehow prefer the sound of realtime recording lol

Does anyone else agree that hi-sp recordings sound better recorded in real time via optical from a digital source vs using sonic stage to rip the CD to hi-sp? I'm tending to record all my loss less CD rips on my PC to my md via optical as i find i prefer the sound of real time recordings. What do you guys think, -Tom

What would be a good alternative to md for an audiophile? MD is small, light and designed just for music. pcm series is too bulky and not convenient as a playback device.... cowon s9 etc also focus on video, photos etc sound is not the main focus like md....

The icd-sx950 looks good and is quite cheap. Way cheaper than the rh1 or m10. Do you know how good it sounds compared to high sp? I will prob use lame mp3 vbr maybe -1 setting? I have an nwz-a828 which is pitiful compared to my nh1. This should sound better right? Thanks also is it gapless? im thinking of grabbing one cos of the price and i hope it sounds better than hi-md. Like i said im after a good sound quality device i want to spend my $300 on audio alone i dont want or need to pay for a colour screen and video etc playback (this is why the rh1 is tempting me $500 for a good quality music player). cheers

Im tossing up whether to get one of these or a RH1. I have an nh1 and want something that sounds as good or better otherwise i will go with the rh1. Have tried numerous players like the cowon s9 and a series walkmans but cant find anything to rival the nh1. Any thoughts? RH1 or M10

sweet thanks heaps!

Hi guys Is there any difference between the RH1 and M200? Thanks

Thanks again sfbp. Do you think its worth buying a rh1 in this day and age or am i better to go down the flash recorder path? I always listen at high bitrates like hi-sp so maybe its not worth going with the above mentioned flash players. The pc-m10 is very hefty but at least it has an sd slot so i can store loads more stuff than the sx series voice recorders.

Thanks for your response. Had a look at the flash recorders you suggested. I should note that a recording function is not high on my list of priorities. I also had a look through the pcm series again and the pcm-m10 doesnt look that bad and is fairly well priced. It might be the path i go down and im guessing it should sound as good or better than my nh1? (ps i know SQ is subjective so please do your best) Thanks again!!

Hi guys, Im after some suggestions for a new music player. My preferences are sound quality and ease of use as opposed to features like videos, games etc. I have yet to find a music player to sound better than my nh1 hi-md. I have tried various flash players (cowon s9, sony a818, sony a3000, sony a828, Samsung i8910). Im actually considering getting another hi-md (mz-rh1) as they are simple to use and play music so well which is what i really want, a good music player. I don

Why does it not work on windows 7? My nh1 works on windows 7 x64 but net md mode does not work as there is no x64 driver for net md.

As the headphones you listed have a very high sensitivity all should be good. I have used 32 ohm headphones with only 112db/mw sensitivity and my nh1 powers them sufficiently. Very decent volume level and punch. I also use the sennheiser ie7s which are in ear and prob similar to what you are interested in using. These are truly fantastic headphones and very good value. Good luck with ur headphone huntin. -tom

Hi guys, Has anyone else out there compared hi-sp to aac, wma or mp3 using adobe audition? I have and i find that aac and wma at very high bitrates ie ~300kbs look stunningly good compared to hi-sp. To me so much is lost with ATRAC3+ when using this method of analysis. Is the visual stuff that's missing what ATRAC is "throwing" away as we wont be able to hear it anyway or is the codec poor at retaining subtleties of the original recording? Thanks guys as usual

seriously???

Could you do a graph for normal wma and for nero aac vbr .55 quality setting? It would be interesting to see.... Thanks!

I agree sound "quality" is extremely subjective what sounds better to me might not sound better to you. I just want to know if hi-sp is a better codec than sp in terms of its ability to mimic the source precisely as opposed to the obvious smaller file size than sp. I know SP was designned to be indistinguishable from a lossless source to most people is high-sp even better at capturing compressed audio and being indistinguishable from the source? Thanks

so what do people prefer hi-sp or sp in terms of sound quality not portability etc? Thanks!

I have tried it and like it. I turned the other settings off and just used the "fidelity" one it sounds REALLY good. I like how it sounds but as i record nearly all of my stuff from CD to md (ie loss less source)shouldn't the CDs be mastered in the studio to what the artist wants us to hear? What DFX does is alter the sound the artist wanted us to hear? But like i said it does make the music sound more spacious and enjoyable to listen to.

What settings for DFX do you use/recommend?

Hi guys, Been using my NH1 lately for the fact that it sounds awesome compared to many flash based players i have been using over the past years (cowon s9, nwz-a818). I have been comparing SP and hi-sp aurally and i think i prefer sp in terms of subjective sound quality. Hi-sp is great as it sounds fantastic and you can fit loads more on a disc than sp but i think sp has a slightly better sound to it. Technically should hi-sp sound better as its a more advanced and "newer" codec than standard sp. I have also been pondering about high-end md decks i cant seem to understand how a $1000 md deck is justifiable. Are you not better off to buy a $1000 cd player to listen to you music if you initially ripped your cd collection to md? Can someone please tell me if it is truly possible to rip a cd to md and the md to sound "better" than the CD? I really don't understand why such expensive md-decks exist. look forward to your answers!! Thanks guys!!

Net md mode wont work under win 7 x64 as there are no x64 net md drivers hi-md will work under win 7 x64. What you can do which will save u upgrading to win7 professional or ultimate (to use virtual xp mode) is to download vmware and install xp as a virtual machine. This way u wont have to dual boot ur machine u can run the virtual xp in windows 7 so its pretty much the same as win7 xp mode but it can be obtained for free if u use the trial period. Hope that helps

Hi people, Noticed that when using my NH1 the sound is more detailed and refined if i plug my headphones strait into the player i.e. i don't use the remote. Anyone else found this? The difference is minimal but i find it more enjoyable to listen without a remote. Does anyone else use the clamp fitters that came with their NH1? i find they don't really do anything they seem to help a little when recording with the mic though but in regards to playback i cant hear them doing anything. listening at hi-sp on sennheiser IE7 Thanks guys, -Tom

Hi, For my nwz-a818: I use AAC VBR (nero encoder) with db power amp when i rip my CDs the .5 quality setting. I have done loads of subjective tests with lame mp3 v3.97 on the -V2 setting. I think AAC sounds far better and provides a lower file size . I'm still starved for space though!. Anything i download i usually shove straight on the player ie no transcoding. I still have my hi md sitting on my desk (nh1) which i don't use unless i want to record "live" sounds (EVP, nature sounds etc). Sometimes i like to rip a few CD's into Atrac3plus 192Kbps and put them on my HIMD and have a listen....i love the sq atrac provides but since sony has phased it out i had to go for the nwz-a818 as my new player.