Early Md`s Sound Better Than Current Ones?

[Ignacio49]

I have read comments in several forums about the sound of current crop of Minidiscs, mainly from Sony. I got the idea that the amplifiers have not improved (if they have improved at all) like other aspects (ATRAC, batteries duration, recording times, pc uploading, etc. etc,), and this results in a sound that is marginally better (or marginally worst) that that from the early units. I would like to know your opinions.

I got a friend`s old but in perfect condition MZ-E2 player which I connected to my HI-FI equipment, and found that it sounds better than I expected. Has someone compared the sound of current gear with that of first generation players or recorders, especially with that of the MZ-E2 - my "reference" ?

I am asking because I am thinking about buying a HI-MD, and I will use it -part time- in my HI-FI rig, where "bad sound" will be very evident.

Appreciate your comments.

[Guest NRen2k5]

What sounds "good" and what sounds "bad" all depends on the listener.

A past mistake of many MiniDisc users here and at the MiniDisc T-Board was to claim that ATRAC3 was better than MP3. HydrogenAudio proved that dead wrong with objective "blind" testing, and now that method seems to have caught on with some of the members here.

[Fat Tires]

One of the big complaints against current MD gear is that the internal headphone amplifier is pretty weak compared to other players, including vintage MD gear. Many portable music listeners complain about the lack of volume they get with MD gear. I've found that this can be dealt with to a great degree by wisely choosing which headphones you pair with these weak amps.

I've gotten very nice results from many modern units including the MZ-N510, MZ-E710, MZ-NH600D, and Sharp MD-DR480. I've also used a MZ-R50 with good results. I can suggest some good models of headphones to try out if you're interested.

[Ignacio49]

Thank you, Nismo96.

Yes, I am interested in your suggestions of good headphones and/or earphones, especially if they can be used with amps with max output of only 3 mV (I may end buying a NH700....which is the only HI MD available where I live).

BTW, even though the MZ-E2 has a "decent" power output of 5 mV, this is on the low side to be used in my HI-FI, as I use a passive preamp (no gain). I know portable minidiscs were not designed to be used in "home systems", but this is how I would use it when at home. Therefore...still looking for more feedback about sound of current and vintage gear. Anyone out there with some experience on this topic???

[Fat Tires]

WHere do you live? Europe? The availabilty of certain phones is worse there.

[Ignacio49]

WHere do you live? Europe? The availabilty of certain phones is worse there.

←

I live in Venezuela, South America. Availability here is very limited, and prices are more expensive (30 to 50%) than in the US. If interested I should buy in US via internet.

[Fat Tires]

I own several pairs of headphones that sound great out of a minidisc player. I'll give you a quick list of models here, but look in the 'phones section soon for a more detailed guide on headphones for the average MD user.

Headphones

Grado SR60

Audio Technica ATH-AD400

Koss Portapro

All of these phones are called "open phones" because sound comes out both sides of the earcups, the side that comes to your ear, and out the back. This open construction allows for rich realistic sound, but it comes at the cost of letting a great deal of sound come out to bother your neighbor. Outsides sounds like airplane noise, or sounds on a bus can overpower the sound too.

Earphones

Sony MDR-E888SP

Shure e2/e2c

The Sony earphones are similar to an open phone in their construction. The Sony's also have a short headphone cord so that they will work better with the remote controls that come with many portable devices such as minidisc players. The Shure e2 and e2c phones are identical, they are just packaged differently, so they get different model numbers. The phones are isolating phones, they block outside noises so the listener can can enjoy the high quality of their recordings. These phones are a bad choice for use when commuting around town while walking, riding a bke, etc.

*I've only mentioned headphones/earphones that I currently own and are still available for purchase.

[Ignacio49]

Nismo96, very good info. Thank you!!

[cfairfowl]

Thank you, Nismo96.

Yes, I am interested in your suggestions of good headphones and/or earphones, especially if they can be used with amps with max output of only 3 mV (I may end buying a NH700....which is the only HI MD available where I live).

BTW, even though the MZ-E2 has a "decent" power output of 5 mV, this is on the low side to be used in my HI-FI, as I use a passive preamp (no gain). I know portable minidiscs were not designed to be used in "home systems", but this is how I would use it when at home. Therefore...still looking for more feedback about sound of current and vintage gear. Anyone out there with some experience on this topic???

←

I have an MZ NH700 HiMD and like it a lot.

Admittedly I mainly use it for recording music from BBC Radio 3 DAB but I have played the NH-700 through headphones and the HiFi with pleasing results.

Sound quality is subjective, a tricky one to convey and it depends a lot on what you are comparing it with. Here is an example. I was demonstrating a Revox B77 quarter track machine to a buyer, I used a portable CD player direct to the Revox and when switching from Tape to Input it was obvious by a long chalk that the music sounded better to him and me off tape. The chap gave me the asking price for the Revox and he went away chuffed to bits.

I would recommend the MZ NH-700 but would also recommend you have a listen to one first. Try recording a favourite CD onto Hi-SP with the NH-700 using the optical interconnect and play it back, if it sound OK. Then you have your answer. If on the other hand you try comparing them switching from A to B then you will obviously hear a difference but then what? What else are you going to use instead of MiniDisc? Are you going to do an A to B test on that too? You should!

The thing to do in my view is list the features that are important to you, cost, convenience, editing facilities, storage, what add-ons you may have to add to get your music onto the chosen format, battery life etc.. Listen to the units that satisfy you requirements. If you can live with the sound quality then you will have made an informed choice.

[AMPlitude]

no clue to sound quality, but it may just be the amps of the older generation mds because everybody tries to show off the best battery life, which means many manufacs tend to shove tiny amps into the md

for example, my nh1 gets 5mw, and one day, i was trying to read the japanese manual for my ancient kenwood [not to much success, i only knew hiragana at the time] and found the power output to be a whopping 10mw, double the output of my nh1, and more than triple of sharp's portables

[Guest graphis_7]

i have heard that the sony r50 sounds better the the auvi units if combined with a good headphone, is the necessarily true? i wonder if i should buy one as my home unit..........?

[davidedney123]

Hi

I have a wide range of MD units, and I can say that while the MZ-R50 is a fine sounding unit, if you want the best audio quality for home use even the cheapest Hi-Fi deck will sink the line out quality of the MZ-R50. Also worth noting - other than the MZ-2p no MD player only units that I am aware of have a proper line-out for connection to a hi-fi, only the headphone out. You can plug the headphone socket into the line-in of your amp, but I've found that this sound a bit ropey.

I also think that the reason a lot of people find that older MD portables sound better than current models is that they can play a lot louder, and an increase in volume is often interpreted as an increase in quality.

Modern MD players struggle to power all but the most efficient headphones up to amusing volume levels, and can sound strained when turned up loud with just about any headphones - this is the sacrifice we make for small size and long battery life. If you want an MD player that can really play obnoxiously loud, pick an an MZ-E3 on eBay - they are pretty cheap and very robust.

Personal CD players are a different matter. All of the recent Sony players I've tried have had really poor quality output from the headphone socket at all volumes. Very compressed sounding, with a tendency towards "thump and tizz" sound. Let's hope Sony don't bring this "innovation" to the MD arena.

Dave

Edited April 15, 2005 by davidedney123