New to HI_MD. Differences in recording quality, and other topics.

[iTor]

Hello everybody!

I have been around the MD scene since 2 years now, when I purchased my beloved mz-n510. It has been working perfectly since then, and still does.

I have gone through several stages when it comes to listening to music, including the "I prefer these mp3 cheap players" and the "Hey, my N-Gage does the work" which are actually pretty valid options, but it is now that I realize I enjoy the music more than I do with other players. And the reasons are pretty stupid

I love the fact of having three or five albums into each disc, it is a good balance between the cheap flash players, quite limited, and the Multi-Gb players which make you put almost your whole music collection into it and not listening to. I know it is weird to explain, but this MD thing makes me be more on touch with my music than other players have ever done. Don't know if anybody understands me but I had to say it.

But sorry for the small talk, I am not here to tell everybody the reasons I like MD format. I just wanted to know why the recording abilities of the MD units is so famous. Isn't the quality comparable to the recordings made with other mp3 players? I mean, almost every usb stick flash player, X5, Muvo, and other players have this recording option and encoding to mp3 directly. What makes MD different?

So I just wanted to know this.

It is just plain curiosity, as I think I will soon buy a NH600. I know, it's kinda strange for me to like MD when I am always jumping from low-end to low-end devices, usually after 2 years they came into the market... but that is the way it is, im getting it for around 90 euro shipped, and thought it could be worthy giving it a try.

Now that I have started an incredibly long thread (I didn't want to, I promise!) I also would be very thankful if anybody could tell me which are the chances of my device not supporting a remote control, as I have seen pictures of NH600's with and without remote ports. I am buying it through Ebay so I still don't know if my unit has or not a remote port, but in any case, I'm asking you, the expert MD guys.

Thanks for your time and sorry for the long post.

See you!

Edited April 24, 2006 by iTor

[AVITWeb]

As far as listening, just personal opinion, I think MDLP at SP2 is better sound quality than mp3s.(My first MD unit is the 610 and i love it!) I take my MP3s and convert them to SP2 and I like more.

And now that I own a Hi-MD unit (NH900) the songs sound even better (both my standard MDLP and Hi)

IMO, the mp3 players (flash based and HD) are just throw aways and for people who don't really care what the music sounds like (because most people who listen to them just crank it way up to the point of heavy distortion anyway, and use really crappy phones)

Sorry for the banter, but thats just the way i feel.

[Ral-Clan]

As far as listening, just personal opinion, I think MDLP at SP2 is better sound quality than mp3s.(My first MD unit is the 610 and i love it!) I take my MP3s and convert them to SP2 and I like more.

Uh, how can an MP3 transcoded to ATRAC LP2 sound better than the original?

I think perhaps it is sounding better because the Sony has a better headphone amp & headphones than your mp3 player. However, transcoding from mp3 to ATRAC LP2 certainly is not helping the music, rather the opposite effect.

[greenmachine]

I'd say the major difference is in the quality of the input and output stages. There aren't many mp3 players with a built-in hq stereo microphone preamplifier either.

[rayzray]

the difference is that professions like me with a GOOD ear and that KNOW good quality use MD/Hi-MD and wouldn't be caught dead with an mp-3 player.

some may debate this; but when i listen to my friends' mp3 crap; i wanna puke.

it's just it takes a little patience and brains to "DO" MD/Hi-MD; and for the non-believers; let them play with thier trivialness.

[raintheory]

To answer the remote question... yes you should be able to use any HiMD remote with the NH600(D)

[iTor]

Thank you all very much for your responses!

I asked those people who record live music via minidisc, why did they chose minidisc instead of these common mp3 recorders, because I thought the quality in recording should be quite similar and there were no restrictions regarding uploading files to a computer as they are (were, before nh-1) with MD. I guess the variety of micros for minidisc recorders make a difference as well.

I am quite relieved when you told me I probably could use a remote with the unit. It is not that a remote is indispensable for me, but I would like to buy one (35EL, maybe) and I have seen some pictures of NH600's without a remote port, and wandered if mine could be one of those.

Thanks a lot again for your time!

[AVITWeb]

word....rayzray! word!

Just for the record...i don't own an mp3 player!

[raintheory]

I am quite relieved when you told me I probably could use a remote with the unit. It is not that a remote is indispensable for me, but I would like to buy one (35EL, maybe) and I have seen some pictures of NH600's without a remote port, and wandered if mine could be one of those.

From what I have seen, the images without the remote port look like prototype/mock-up images. I can confirm that the North American version (NH600D) which lacks the line/optical input does in fact have the remote port.

Perhaps someone with an NH600 which has the line/optical in can chime in to state if that model has the remote port as well.

[tekdroid]

But sorry for the small talk, I am not here to tell everybody the reasons I like MD format. I just wanted to know why the recording abilities of the MD units is so famous.

They're only famous to the few who have used them

Isn't the quality comparable to the recordings made with other mp3 players? I mean, almost every usb stick flash player, X5, Muvo, and other players have this recording option and encoding to mp3 directly. What makes MD different?

Hi-MD units with a MIC input can record in Linear PCM (ie. just like CD. ie. with no lossy compression). Linear PCM recordings from a high quality MIC input in a portable for a (relatively) cheap price are generally unheard of. If you want the absolute best quality for the buck, Hi-MD is the way to go.

Buying a unit with no mic input?

Audio can also be transferred to Hi-MD in Linear PCM (CD quality) from your computer, too.

Hi-MD units can also record from optical sources (as well as the obligatory LINE IN).

[jonny mac]

If you're in Europe you'll be getting an NH600 which has a line-in but no mic-in and NO REMOTE PORT. The North American version, the NH600D, does have a remote port but has no line-in. If both are important for you then you'll have to upgrade to an NH700 which also comes with a remote (albeit a non-LCD one).

The internal components of MD units are of a much higher quality than in most/all recording MP3 players so you'll get better quality recordings. I feel the same way about MP3 players, MD is definately the way to go.

[iTor]

If you're in Europe you'll be getting an NH600 which has a line-in but no mic-in and NO REMOTE PORT. The North American version, the NH600D, does have a remote port but has no line-in. If both are important for you then you'll have to upgrade to an NH700 which also comes with a remote (albeit a non-LCD one).

OMG! This is the kind of things I would not have liked to read after just buying my mc35elk on ebay three hours ago.

Sniff.. well, at least it will have some use when I go jogging with my 510... with my non-himd formatted discs... what a pity.

Thanks all.

[Roamer]

I got mine in Europe (France) and the NH600 does have a remote port as well as line-in.

[Viv]

I got mine in Europe (France) and the NH600 does have a remote port as well as line-in.

And so does mine, bought in England.

[Russell Letson]

About recording: I started with DAT for recording both live music and interviews because the quality was terrific (for music) and the record times were long enough to do a whole interview session without worrying about cassette-flip. When I found a used MZ-B3, MD immediately became my new standard medium--less fragile than DAT, with long mono record times and good-enough stereo quality for music, plus the ease of editing, place-marking, and so on.

I do a lot of interviewing, and I've kept an eye out for devices that are sturdy, reliable, portable, and easy to use. MP3 units had either no mike input (and rigging up an outboard mike pre-amp to feed into a line-in violates my ease-of-use requirement) or a crappy mono internal mike (there goes live music recording). Even the new products aimed at recording have serious problems, such as non-removable proprietary batteries and expensive media. So MD remains my tech of choice. My two MZ-B100s are still my workhorse interview machines that double as music notebooks. Last fall I started using an NH-900 for live music and will almost certainly move up to an RH-1 when they're available and prove to be free of problems. (For the record, I have a now-obsolete Pogo RipFlash Plus that I use as an emergency backup unit on field interviews--it has a mono mike, takes the same SmartMedia cards as my camera, and is a little bigger than a Zippo lighter. But it isn't nearly as flexible as a B100.)

More serious journalists (mainly in radio) than me have been using MD for a lot of the same reasons I chose it--there are a couple links on the "press coverage" page on this site. And lots of musicians find it perfect for keeping track of musical ideas or rehearsals. I think guitarist El McMeen even recorded part of an album on MD in his living room. So the recording capabilities of MD have always been a large part of its appeal.

Edited April 25, 2006 by Russell Letson

[iTor]

Russell Letson, that post cleared all the doubts I had about the reasons why the minidisc is (considered) superior to other common devices when it comes to recording capabilities.

Regarding the remote question, thank you all very much for your replies, they calm me down a lot, but we will find out when I receive the unit, although now I feel a bit more confident in not having thrown my money in the remote.

Greetings!

Edited April 25, 2006 by iTor

[MDGB2]

My UK '600 has the remote port & optical line in. Sweet!

Also got a NH700 (next model up) and this has MIC input as well.

Should look at the new MZ-RH1 if you're a serious live recorder.

Edited April 25, 2006 by MDGB2

[RobA]

If you're in Europe you'll be getting an NH600 which has a line-in but no mic-in and NO REMOTE PORT. The North American version, the NH600D, does have a remote port but has no line-in. If both are important for you then you'll have to upgrade to an NH700 which also comes with a remote (albeit a non-LCD one).

The internal components of MD units are of a much higher quality than in most/all recording MP3 players so you'll get better quality recordings. I feel the same way about MP3 players, MD is definately the way to go.

The european nh600 HAS a remote port. Those are prototype pics. It has been comfirmed that nh600's (no D) have remote ports.