Is it Really Worth Buying Hi-MD?

[ILoveMinidisc]

Minidisc is the best thing Ever created

and as some already know i am a Minidisc blanks collector.

right now i have a Sony MZ-N910 Minidisc walkman and a Sanyo 4U MD orange battery boombox.

In 2006 I am planning get more Minidisc equipment

and have thought a bit about Which.

First i thought about Hi-md with camera , but hey with all those Digital Camera around

who want a Minidisc with camera.

I already have a Watch with digital camera which quality compared to digital camera is poor.

Camera-minidisc would also be easyer to break.

So then i though about MZ-RH10:

The Golden version is Terrific and i love it.

But, Do i realy Need Hi-md walkman.

As a Minidisc collector i love to have many different blanks in the pocket

and Swap them after choice a Axia, Tdk, Daiso or whatever cool blanks i put in.

Hi-md blanks i would ONLY use to record Double Cd -albums and Cds that have songs over 80 min.

This mean that most of the time i will just use Hi-md for Regualary Md.

Considering there is many Cool Net Md out there, should i instead

try get a Cool Sharp or Kenwood Net md instead of a Sony Hi-md ?

I remember Sharp had those Minidisc walkman with 2 colors on the Remote

but i dont think it was Net-md

I need NEtmd atleast since ALL music in transfered from Mp3 .

I am planning to buy a Hifi either with Hi-md or more probaly with Netmd

i could also buy a Md deck which record great sound compared to Md walkmans.

My questions is :

1. Should i buy a Net-md instead of Hi-md ?

2. If i buy Hi-md would MZ-RH10 be the best of the best?

3. if i buy Net-md from Sharp or kenwood which one ?

4. Does Hi-md walkmans of today have better Sound quality than MZ-N910

5. Does Hi-md walkmans have any improvement using normal Minidisc ?

As we all know Hi-md is NOT catching on (So far)

Now Minidisc when released in 1992 also took 3-4 years until it realy catched on in Japan

so maybe is too early, or maybe Hi-md is doomed.

Net-md is NOT doomed there so many users in Japan that have a normal Md player

I dont think MD will die soon, Hi-md can .

This make me think that The future in Minidisc dont lies on Hi-md

but Net-md you can get from a good price.

Also i am a BIT tired of just using one brand "Sony", i would prefer get another brands

such as Sharp , kenwood or even Panasonic.

Hi-md is just Sony for Portable marked.

Now the Golden Sony MZ-RH10 do look pretty i must admit

but Sharp and kenwood also had many cool players

problem is most of them is just MD not Net-md.

I think for This year I will keep using MZ-N910

and then get either a Hi-md or a Kenwood /Sharp Net-md in 2006

but imported from Japan to Europe since it dosnt suffer of sound limitation like Walkmans sold in Europe is.

Any suggestions is apreciate for a Minidisc blanks collector as me.

Was this thread moved to "find your minidisc" minuttes after i postet this OR did i did a mistake

i was supose to post it in General hi-md forum?

Edited October 14, 2005 by ILoveMinidisc

[Ishiyoshi]

My questions is :

1. Should i buy a Net-md instead of Hi-md ?

2. If i buy Hi-md would MZ-RH10 be the best of the best?

3. if i buy Net-md from Sharp or kenwood which one ?

4. Does Hi-md walkmans of today have better Sound quality than MZ-N910

5. Does Hi-md walkmans have any improvement using normal Minidisc ?

Answer to:

1) Go for Hi-MD; since you already own the N910.

2) The MZ-RH10 is not the best so to speak; but it's fair to state it's marginally better because it has a gorgeous large OLED display with Mp3 playback support. If you do not care for these new features, a 1st generation unit will be good enough.

3) Go with the Sharp NetMD - just got to love the AUVI Amp.

4) This is a really subjective topic - the SQ will depend on your listening preference and to the type of 'phones you employ. But just to give you an idea, the HD Amp found in some Hi-MD unit offers a somewhat warmer sound than the N910.

5) No difference in quality; just with capacity. With a standard: 74min MD = 270MB with Hi-MD mode, 80min MD = 291MB with Hi-MD mode.

*for future reference: please post queries pertaining to topics such as "Should i buy a Net-md instead of Hi-md?" in "Find Your MiniDisc" section.

[ILoveMinidisc]

Answer to:

The MZ-RH10 is not the best so to speak

Then which Hi-md walkman is best?

[Roamer]

2)If you only have mp3s, a 2nd gen unit like RH10 will support mp3 natively, so you don't need to spend time converting to Atrac.

[Ishiyoshi]

Then which Hi-md walkman is best?

For recorders, I would say the MZ-RH10, MZ-NH1 and MZ-NH900 (if you have a certain budget). The MZ-DH10P if you fancy the camera module. If you prefer magnesium build, the NH1 is the way to go. Similarly, if you prefer a unit with large display, go with the RH10. Each device has its strengths and the choice will come down to your listening/recording preference and your budget.

[Roamer]

There is a pool on the subject :

http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=11777

but as ishiyoshi said, it really depends on your needs.

[greenmachine]

Some people might say: "If you want a mp3 player, get a mp3 player", myself included.

[tekdroid]

Any suggestions is apreciate for a Minidisc blanks collector as me.

Better sound

You mentioned better sound several times. If you use MP3 as sources, converting the mp3s to WAV before transfering them on Hi-MD (without ATRAC, uncompressed) would keep the original sound quality you have from the mp3 - so you're not losing any more quality than you have to (you said you don't wanna put many albums on one disc, anyway - so it suits you). As you may have heard, second-generation Hi-MD has crippled MP3 playback (sounds duller). So why even bother with half-arsed mp3 implementations?

NetMD vs Hi-MD

You like NetMD a lot. To me, linear PCM playback & recording (and data capability) are very compelling reasons to get Hi-MD and forget about NetMD. Doesn't this excite you? From my perspective, NetMD is offers very little, regardless of whether Hi-MD gets popular or not.

Plus you need to start collecting Hi-MD blanks, right? So it's time for a Hi-MD model.

Edited October 30, 2005 by tekdroid

[ynos]

If you like collection you get one hiMD this might the last line of MD.

If you are looking for a recorder + player get an MD but if you look for a player+++ get MP3 player!

[cambridgeman]

HiMD doesn't just have a greater capacity for data, but it also allows for 12 times the number of maximum track marks; from 256 to 2800. As well as number of characters from 1200 to 20000. There are also additional and more specific criteria by which one can manipulate their musical database.

[AMPlitude]

go for a nh1 or such

you wont be impressed by the 2nd gen. units' build quality

[Sparky191]

Better sound

You mentioned better sound several times. If you use MP3 as sources, converting the mp3s to WAV before transfering them on Hi-MD (without ATRAC, uncompressed) ...

HiMD doesn't play WAV so I assume you mean convert to WAV>>PCM then copy to HiMD? I see your point but all that really does it make a MP3 a massive file size. The SQ will remain the same as it was in a Mp3. (Just in case anyone else thinks it might improve the sound somehow.) Lots of people have commented that you can adjust the EQ to restore the SQ when playing a Mp3 directly. Lots of people reckon its ok, or good enoughg. Obviously if you want decent SQ you should re-rip the orignal CD to HiSP, PCM or the new 352kbps.

I've two SP portables and one HiMD. I would go with HiMD everytime. It more flexible, and easier to user. If you have a MD/HiMD i think you'll try ATRAC and therefore MP3 support isn't all that important. So I'd vote for the NH1 aswell. Even with the 2nd gen units (I've a MH700) the cheaper units feel quite flimsy compared to the older MD's.

Edited November 4, 2005 by Sparky191

[tekdroid]

HiMD doesn't play WAV so I assume you mean convert to WAV>>PCM then copy to HiMD? I see your point but all that really does it make a MP3 a massive file size. The SQ will remain the same as it was in a Mp3.

I thought I made that quite clear when I said:

If you use MP3 as sources, converting the mp3s to WAV before transfering them on Hi-MD (without ATRAC, uncompressed) would keep the original sound quality you have from the mp3 - so you're not losing any more quality than you have to

ILoveMinidisc said the sources were always mp3, so in any case they would certainly benefit from not going through 2 lossy conversions (mp3 and then ATRAC on top of that) with Hi-MD. Of course the odd double album could still be compressed that way.

I've two SP portables and one HiMD. I would go with HiMD everytime. It more flexible, and easier to user. If you have a MD/HiMD i think you'll try ATRAC and therefore MP3 support isn't all that important. So I'd vote for the NH1 aswell. Even with the 2nd gen units (I've a MH700) the cheaper units feel quite flimsy compared to the older MD's.

I would also buy 1st gen, and my mind was easily made with minidisc.com.au's killer pricing on the units. I was initially gonna just wait for Generation 3 to pop out, but there's no point at these prices. Go Generation 1, I say.