Beloved Md <<or>> Hd Based Mp3 Player

[Joe]

Hi there!

I have never been a member of the Minidisc community before and this is my first post! Hooraa! (I have lurked here over the years though). This place has been a fantastic help to me in many ways, and it is also cool to see so many other people using MD too! Thanks!

I have been a committed MD user since my first blue MZ-R55 that I bought in 1999, it was great and performed well, even after dropping it several times.

I then stepped up to a Net-MD Sony MZ-N707 which I got in 2002. I loved the extended use I got from my MDs, and the ability to copy mp3s and CDs from my computer, but of course hated the Sonic Stage software and Sony's stupid paranoia.

Anyway, I am now living in Tokyo, want to get a new personal audio device and so I am seriously eyeing off a Sony MZ-RH10 HI-MD model, but I am also checking out other options such as the 40 gig I-River player, ipod, etc... (insert other HD mp3 player name here) . I want to make a decision on what to buy, but I feel like a guy who is about to break up with a girlfriend or something! Arrg!

I love MD and I have stacks of MD discs, but I really dislike Sonys Sonic Stage client software (I am sure this is a major theme in posts of this nature....). I have heaps of mp3s on my computer, and have found the slow speed Sonic Stage takes to convert them, and the fact it converts mp3 (a lossy format) to ATRAC (another lossy format) a bit disconcerting. I know that the MZ-RH10 does mp3, but it still has to go through Sonic Stage doesn't it? Is there any problems with this? Is it ok?

Still, I am not entirely convinced that HD Mp3 players are the solution for me either. MD has been around a long time, is reliable and also the players are well designed, portable and small. HD Mp3 players have just not had the same amount of time to develop like MD players have, some of them look too under-developed, with poor quality remotes, un-ergonomic controls or menu systems etc. I fear that if I got something like an iriver, I would really miss the ease of use my MD player gave me.

I like the tactile nature of MD, putting a disc in, taking it out... the sticky labels that have my bad handwriting all over them! With a large HD storage player I can see that having one device which stores all the music being a bit of a drag. You have to wade through menus to find your tracks... and if it gets stolen - bye bye entire collection. Also, ipods and irivers are larger and heavier than MD players, and I have heard the battery life sucks.

So anyway... I am not really asking anyone to make my mind up for me here - I am just a bit frustrated and needed to rant on a bit. I will probably make my mind up in the next few days... probably...

If you can be bothered, I would love to hear your thoughts! Also, if there have been any meaty threads on this topic somewhere on the board, could you link them for me?? I have done a bit of browsing but would like to read what other people think and feel... I may of missed some good discussions!

Thanks for reading my first post!

[atrain]

do you have regular access to a computer & is it a pc or mac?

[bittersweetwill]

Does anyone noe other portable players with the MD's same "lush" and "warm" sound features?

[Joe]

do you have regular access to a computer & is it a pc or mac?

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Thanks for the reply!

Yes I have access to a computer and it is a PC!

Actually, I realise that there is a newer version of Sonic Stage available.... I am still using the old 2.x release. I will get 3.1 as soon as I can, but my net access is really limited at the moment. Am I right in assuming that the new 3.1 Sonic Stage is superior to the one I am currently using? Only the other day my Sonic Stage would not allow me to transfer files because of some sort of copyright issue with the files, funny thing really seeing as these ones were ripped off my own CDs!

[Joe]

Does anyone noe other portable players with the MD's same "lush" and "warm" sound features?

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No, not really, but then again all I have been using is MD so I have nothing to compare it to.

Before I just had a listen to some mp3 music on my friend's new ipod mini and it sounded pretty average to my ears. I listened with the mac-supplied white ear buds but it was suprisingly not good quality. I expected the ipod to sound really good, but even mp3s encoded via Sonic Stage in LP4 sound better to my ears!

[Ishiyoshi]

Acquiring a HDD based Mp3 player is not a bad idea and it can definitely co-exist with your current MD collection. I own the VAIO Pocket, VGF-AP1L and it's simply an amazing device. In my opinion, the build itself is a strong factor to get it. In addition, it sounds great and to my ears, it's somewhat fuller than the NH1 and about the same with the RH10. As for software interface, you get to utilize the relatively easy to use VAIO MusicMove software - a drag-and-drop sort of interface. Nonetheless, SonicStage 3.1 is really easy to use and much better than any previous version. It's more efficient and faster or smoother if you will.

I will go on to attest that with a HDD-based Mp3 device, it does not necessarily mean you will utilize the MD format any less or give up your MD collection. I still employ both accordingly.

If you want a HDD based Mp3 player, I would recommend that you take a look at the VAIO Pocket. I believe in Japan, we get the AP1 version instead of the AP1L version (20GB vs. 40GB respectively).

Have fun with which ever choice you take. After all, it is music you are enjoying.

[Joe]

Very good points - thanks for telling me about the Viao I will check that out!

What you say is true.... it's not like I can only have one or the other - I can have my cake and eat it too!

[bobt]

The thing to remember with the hard drive based units is that it is a very small drive rotating at high speeds. No shock absorbing mechanism is going to be able to protect a disc at all times, and when it crashes, ( and it will, as even home computers that don't move crash their hard drives), bye bye several hundred, or thousand songs.

Sure, we have SS, but everything has it's bugs, MP3 isn't everything, certainly not HiFi, and with HiMD, you can get a lot of material on a disc, certainly more tha one sittings worth of listening.

Get a good high end MD recorder, and you will be happy.

And last, MD's are great for live recording.

Choose well,

Bob

[Silvadragon]

WEll i did my research b4 buying. I realised that the Hi-MD was the way to go. High capacity, skies the limit, cos u can get as many discs as u want!. HD Amp - help saves battery life. Its a reasonable size.

Yes as mentioned above, high spining parts in a HDD (hard drive) based mp3 player is not good if u end up dropping it. But sony's new mp3 players have a tech that stops it spining as soon as it sense a force or something.

THE BIGGEST REASON OF WHY NOT TO BUY A HDD based mp3 player is the lack of battery support. Play with it for say...2 1/2 years and then bubbye. Whilst my sisters have had they're type-r md players since 99' and work fyn with teh new gumstick batteries u can buy unlike HDD based mp3 players u have to go back to the company to get it replaced and it'll cost u HEAPS OF MONEY!

oh yeah, the battery life on a HDD based Mp3 player is bad!

Stick with Hi-MD!

Hope u chose well!

Edited May 9, 2005 by Silvadragon

[atrain]

cons of the himd.

data files larger than 1gb need to be split.

odd UI compared to to hdds

need to carry around discs.

you might say 2&1/2 years on one battery is poor but if the player's costing you $0.75/day then it's no biggie to get the newer technology at your next upgrade.

[eggowong]

I love MD and I have stacks of MD discs, but I really dislike Sonys Sonic Stage client software (I am sure this is a major theme in posts of this nature....). I have heaps of mp3s on my computer, and have found the slow speed Sonic Stage takes to convert them, and the fact it converts mp3 (a lossy format) to ATRAC (another lossy format) a bit disconcerting.

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Hehhe, a fellow lurker. I just registered myself Me personally, I am not all that impressed with all the various MP3 players out on the market. At my workplace we sell the Creative Labs Zen 30GB (I think it's an older model) and I've fooled around with it, but to me it seems rather bulky and quite heavy (literally a hard-drive with a screen). The iPod is pretty snazzy looking, but once you see 50 people with it, the fad gets rather old. I wouldn't mind having one though, but at the moment, I don't have thousands of songs that I absolutely need to listen to on a daily basis.

I like the MD format (SonicStage isn't bad, but that crap called OpenMG Jukebox was horrid). Been using it since I got my first MD recorder in the form of the MZ-N1 waaay back in 2002. Now I have the MZ-RH10 too. All shiny and polished (the OLED screen is stunning!). Compliments my PSP with the all black casing. I hate to say this (not to be promoting a "proprietary" format), but I think the ATRAC encoding sounds better than MP3. It doesn't sound as...digital (I don't know how to explain it). And it's right up my alley in that it can possibly store hundreds of MP3s or ATRAC-encoded files (which is just about how many songs I actually listen to), depending on the bitrate and the length of the individual tracks.

It all boils down to user preference. In the end, like Ishiyoshi said, it is music you are enjoying.

Just my thoughts

[raymand]

I have the same problem.

pro MD:

+ unlimited use of MD's

+ battery life

+ you can record from each music source without having to worry about any copy protection

+ mic in

cons MD:

- no usb2 hi-speed transfer

- 1 GB

If anyone can give me some more pro/cons...?

I would like to buy the RH10 but I don't like the glossy surface, i'm afrain the scratsches would be too visible...

[D-EJ915]

I dunno how it happened out this way, but I think sonicstage works just great on my laptop, I've never had any crashes and it's really quick compared to OMG. (note, I use 3.1)

[raymand]

I dunno how it happened out this way, but I think sonicstage works just great on my laptop, I've never had any crashes and it's really quick compared to OMG. (note, I use 3.1)

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even with OMG (with my old MZ-N1) i never had any difficulties...

[Joe]

Hi Guys,

Thanks all for your input on this subject... I want to say that I decided to get an IRiver H340 for the moment to see how I go with an mp3 format HD player... it was a difficult decision but has been an interesting experience so far - I thought I would give it a try, see if I like it, and still use my MD player too. There were a few reasons for this.

I enjoy being able to copy music to a portable device without Sonicstage, I see that most people have posted to say that they have had no trouble with it - I find it a tad restrictive, slow and generally dislike the DRM check in/out stuff. Also since I upgraded to 3.1 it has just refused to work. I think I may re-install it and try again. This is probably my main gripe with using MD at the moment.

I am pretty sure I will eventually get a Sony MZ-RH10 as well as I can see both of them fitting in with my music life. I was thinking I could use MD as my chosen portable format for recording my CDs and my own music and the H340 as my "mp3 repository", freeing up my computer from the bulk of mp3's it already has... I like the idea of being able to hit the road with a large collection too.

I could of posted some BS about me getting a MZ-RH10 instead of a HD mp3 player but I thought honesty is the best policy... I thought I may get flamed for my choice but hey, I still really love MD and still use my NetMD player, but I was curious about how a HD based mp3 player would fit in with my life.... and the IRiver just seemed to give me more bang for my buck. (by the way Ipod was never a consideration.)

Edited May 14, 2005 by Joe

[atrain]

hope you enjoy it & please don't feel that owning HDD stuff precludes you from being a member here, so stick around.

[Joe]

hope you enjoy it & please don't feel that owning HDD stuff precludes you from being a member here, so stick around.

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Thanks heaps Atrain! Like I say, I am still using my MD player so I still consider myself part of the club!

Actually, now I have been using a HD player, I realise that it is a completely different experience compared to MD - especially the sound. I feel that MD has a more, how do I say it, analogue or human sound compared to a hard drive mp3 player. Maybe after over 5 years of MD use my ears are used to the MD response! It is really interesting - I didnt think that I would feel this way about the sound of a HD player, even in mp3, VBR mp3, ogg, or higher bitrates... still I wouldnt't say it's better or worse, just different.

The size of the Iriver is kind of bulky compared to my MD player but considering it has got so much music on it, it's a good trade off. Actually it is probably no more bulky than my first MD player with the 2xAA pack attached.

The main thing I miss when I use the HD player is the wonderful, refined ergonomics of the MD playing experience. With MD, they have thought it out and had many years to develop the remote controls, the units, button placement, navagation etc. They are just so easy to use... whereas with the Iriver it has a boot up time, then you got to find your music, then you got to load it, etc. and the remote is not as well thought out. Still I think that its all a more or less situation. For me there are pluses and minuses of both ways of doing buisness. I still think if people are going for a player with less than 5 gig storage a MD player would be better for heaps of reasons. I don't like flash players and tire of loading tracks into a small flash chip.

Anyway, today I have pulled out the MD and hit the road... it still rocks as a format! I think next month I will pick up a MZ-RH10 and give it a whirl.

[The Low Volta]

Thanks heaps Atrain!    Like I say, I am still using my MD player so I still consider myself part of the club!

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but you still have to update your signature

[Joe]

but you still have to update your signature 

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He he!

Done.

[atrain]

would be great if you have some time & a digi cam, please put up a review & some pics of the new iriver. we all apreciate a bit of pornography, even if it's not our particular fetish, eh, eh?