Syrius Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 Hi guys. I'm getting ready to bite the bullet and get either an RH910 or an Rh10. Of course we have heard about the playback having some bass roll off (What is that? And how does it affect me? Sorry for my ignorance in that regard), and having to adjust the equalizer differently for MP3 and Atrac.My question is, does it sound *that* bad? Is it noticeable with low bitrate files or will I be ok with most of my collection, which is 256 or 320 mostly? Will it dissatisfy me compared to say, a flash-based player? Do the new MD units suck at MP3 playback?I myself have never been able to distinguish the artifacts of ATRAC compression when it comes to true SP and Hi-SP. LP2 did sound muffled to me, but tolerable, as I couldn't do an ABX test VS the original wav. Don't use it anyway.Given all of the above, do you think 2nd Gen Hi-MD is for me, when I'll be listening to 256/320 Kbps MP3 and true SP recordings mostly? Will I be able to bypass the intentionally-capped Mp3 playback with the equalizer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 I Haven't actually listened to 2nd generation so I can't really sy, but unless you have "golden ears" I don't think you will have a problem.MP3 is not an audiophile format so it will not be the same as PCM or reel to reel.Get your unit and you will be happy.Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pichu64 Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 mp3 playback on my RH10 is as good as mp3 playback on my computer, it cuts high frequencies (it comes from the mp3 format) at low biterates and is very good at high bitrates.I made some tests myself with cool edit pro and its frequency analyser, i compared the original MP3 file and a recording of the same mp3 played with my RH10 and the result was the same, it sounds the same to my ears too... so I disagree with all I have read about mp3 playback with the new units on this forum...all I can say is that atrac don't cut high frequencies as MP3, so it sounds better, but to my mind it's a format limitation, not the unit.(sorry for my english) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surov Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 MP3 playback from my RH10 seems alot more "muddy" than compared to playback on my PC and my pocket PC. For example, the drumbeats from a pop song would sound less distinct on my RH10. The problem would seem to be worse if your music is encoded at a lower bit rate. However, if your music collection are high bitrate MP3's, this "muddiness" should reduce significantly.The equalizer on the RH10 would not totally solve the "muddy" playback for me, however, as I listen to MP3's using the RH10, I got used to the sound, so to me it's not a big problem.Sorry if my reply does not seem to be too technical, but this is what I feel as an average layman listener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMPlitude Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 there used to be a thread about this somewheres here, apparently, sony has lowered the quality of the mp3s played on the 2nd gen. hi-md units in an attempt to make atrac seem to be more useful please do correct me if i am wrong, or if this is just outdated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pichu64 Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 Surov, can you post an example of your mp3? I would like to ear what muddy is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surov Posted July 30, 2005 Report Share Posted July 30, 2005 Surov, can you post an example of your mp3? I would like to ear what muddy is ←Well, I don't exactly want the RIAA to come knocking on my door after I post an example of my mp3 What I can say is that prior to going switching to RH10, I was using my Dell X30 to listen to my music and compared to that, the sound was alot more indinstinct. X30 sounded alot purer. Perhaps, I was too used to the sound on that device...As AMPlitude has pointed out, this has been said topic on mp3 playback has been discussed before in more detail here http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showt...hl=mp3+playback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syrius Posted July 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2005 I know. But as detailed as that discussion might be, I want to hear your opinions as Hi-MD users. Word of mouth, y'know?Wavs in mono? That's like eating a sandwich without the top bread slice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surov Posted July 30, 2005 Report Share Posted July 30, 2005 In my opinion, if you listen to it long enough, you'll get used to the kind of sound that comes out of the RH10. I guess it just boils down to whether you like what you hear. If you can get a demo unit somewhere and listen to the sound quality then perhaps you can make a better decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e1ghtyf1ve Posted July 31, 2005 Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 I've put about 15 mp3 files on my RH10. They sound just fine on it compared to my flash and hd devices. All save for one, which it "Cannot Play." Maybe it's my fault, but I haven't really investigated as to why that one file gives trouble. They all were 192kbs CBR. That was just for testing - I typically use it to record PCM. It's probably the way I encoded them.This is purely subjective of course, but I don't think the new units are any worse on MP3 than dedicated players.If you can listen to a demo unit (see post above), maybe you might use your own favorite headphones? At least you would be on familiar sonic territory.Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syrius Posted July 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 Thanks guys. I'm getting a pair of Etymotic ER4P for my birthday, so those will help me make a decision should I find a demo unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdiotSavant Posted July 31, 2005 Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 I've got a RH10 and I've done some listening tests. While I haven't been able to notice any loss of detail, there's a clear reduction in volume in things that're mainly treble (most notably symbols and light precussion, certain guitars) to the extent that you can more easily differentiate mp3 playback from Hi-SP than LP2 from Hi-SP. However, after fiddling with the EQ to get it sounding right I couldn't tell the difference between Hi-SP and 192kbs CBR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.