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Predictions on Hi-MD Price Changes (in the US)

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m15a

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hi, all. been visiting the board from time to time, but haven't given in and bought a hi-md recorder yet. (almost did with the australia clearance deal but hesitated and in all the confusion, didn't get a chance.) the rh-1 at $300US is too expensive for my needs. so i was hoping that the release would at least lead to some discounts on 2nd gen recorders. anyone have any educated guesses as to how the prices will change over the coming months? (for the 2nd gen or maybe for the rh1 if you think deals will sprout up for that, too.) anyone see any change in price already?

thanks!

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so i was hoping that the release would at least lead to some discounts on 2nd gen recorders. anyone have any educated guesses as to how the prices will change over the coming months? (for the 2nd gen or maybe for the rh1 if you think deals will sprout up for that, too.) anyone see any change in price already?

Price of the RH10 has already declined somewhat in Japan with the advent of the MZ-RH1. It currently hovers at around 23,000 yen (it was approx. 25,000 yen just a month ago).

As for prices in the States (the last time I checked),the RH10 now runs for approx. $225 at stores like B&H Photo - which is pretty decent. I think a modest 5% decrease in price should be plausible once the RH1 debuts in the States.

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I had been in the market for the RH910 or RH10 for a while... it seems like they are all over the place. I managed to snag an RH910 for $167 off Amazon about 1.5 weeks ago; since then it jumped, and they've been as high as $203 and low as $175. Amazon seems to change prices every 2-3 days.

The RH10 seems to be on a pretty steady climb up at many places. It was $225 universally about 2 months ago, but J&R and a few other places have been creeping back up to $250 or so. (not that you can't find it for $225 or less)

I'm wondering, if they're officially discontinued, how many of these units are even still in the supply pipeline, so to speak. Demand may actually be going up as people who don't need the RH1's features grab the older units (or, like me, grab the 2nd gen units for what they're good for-- AA battery pack, spare unit, etc-- while waiting for the RH1s to come out and stabilize in price).

I'd say watch prices for a few weeks to get the feel, but be ready to jump. If it's like when the 2nd gen came out, I doubt you'll see the 1st gen around very long, at least in the US. They seemed to vanish fairly quickly.

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Funny part is that the 1st gens are pretty much stayin put! Interesting....With my 1st gen (which i just got not too long ago) from what I have read, they are better than 2nd gen (as far as sound quality). I have seen both the rh10 and the nh900 at the same price.

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I think it also depends on which 1st generation units you're talking about. Some of the top-of-the-line 1st gen aren't as easy to find anymore.

- NH3D (very difficult)

- EH1 (getting difficult; price seems stuck at around US$300; very limited sellers)

- NH1 (not as difficult, but most stores won't have it, although still available new at eBay or Japan-Direct)

All 3 have the HD digital amp just like the NH900. But, they come with the best remote (40ELK), all-metal casing, and small size. As it's been said many times before, the sound quality between the 1st and 2nd gen is subjective.

Right now, Amazon.com has the RH910 for US$175 and it qualifies for their free shipping (5-7 days), although I've seen new RH910's on eBay for as low as $135-160, including shipping. Good luck!

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Flame me if you want, but what's the point of getting the 2d-generation Hi-MDs?

I can only see one reason: if you're all excited over the RH10 display. But the cases of RH910 and RH10 show scratches and fingerprints, the (added) mp3 playback is mediocre and you can't record in realtime in SP/LP2/LP4. Aluminum or plastic case don't matter to me: I can vouch that the NHF800 takes a lot of use.

To me, it makes more sense to get a first generation AA unit (NH700, NHF800) and add the RM-MC40ELK remote. (The NH900 was buggy and badly designed--Pause and Stop on same button? --and I've read too many reports here of NH1 breakdowns.) It always seemed to me that 2d-gen was mostly about cost-cutting--no mic jack on RH710--and until the RH1, I haven't been impressed with the aesthetics of any of the Hi-MDs.

OK, I'm putting on my fire-resistant suit now. Bring it on!

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But the cases of RH910 and RH10 show scratches and fingerprints, the (added) mp3 playback is mediocre and you can't record in realtime in SP/LP2/LP4.

Those are the reasons why I skipped over that generation. No flames here. I'm in agreement with your thoughts on the 2nd gen. But, on the other hand, I can see why some people do go for them - the RH10's display; having the option of mp3 playback (crappy or not); some don't care about recording in legacy format; the RH910 is a cheaper alternative if you can't afford the RH10.

Aluminum or plastic case don't matter to me: I can vouch that the NHF800 takes a lot of use.

Can't help it if some people want a unit with a nice sound AND a nice look to it. You'd have to see the EH1/NH3D in person to truly appreciate their looks and heft. For some, aluminum/magnesium is much more attractive than a hard plastic whose color may fade away after time and wear. One material isn't better than the other. It just depends on what suits your needs/preferences and your wallet's logic/ability.

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Awoke this morning to the following email from Sound Professionals announcement of a "Half-Price" Sale of a MZ-M100 Bundle (with mic and headphones) for $299. Hmmm, they have a funny way of cyphering "half-price", but if you need or want the phones, and considering that Sound Pros sells those same phones normally for $99 (anyone know if they're any good??), then I guess you could consider this a half-price sale of the headphones, 'cuz Minidisco sells the MZ-M100 and the mic for $250...:

#####

Important Newsletter regarding HiMD recorders!

We'll keep this short and sweet(look for a regular newsletter soon, though).This is a special Newsletter to announce a great deal that is about to end on the Sony HiMD recorder MZ-M100.

If you haven't already had a chance to see this,here's the deal:

Sony is about to release the latest HiMD model, the MZ-RH1. However, they overproduced on the current MZ-M100 "professional" model that is Mac and PC compatible. To move these out to make room for the new model, they made us a great HALF-PRICE deal. They are throwing in a FREE stereo microphone and a FREE set of Sony MDR-7506 professional studio headphones!

These headphones are the standard in the professional recording world and are truly amazing. They are lightweight and foldup for each storage. The mic is a good entry level stereo cardioid mic.

The recorder is Sony's current top-of-the-line model.

The price on the special HALF-PRICE bundle is $299.00 while supplies last only!

When the supply of these are gone, so is this deal.

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/...Y-MZ-M100-PROMO

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Sound Pros sells those same phones normally for $99 (anyone know if they're any good??)

The MDR-7506 is the same as the V6. It's a pretty good closed phone; well built, very compact when folded, decent sound. It's fairly detailed, has strong bass, but many don't like its strong and sometimes harsh highs. The much larger Sennheiser HD280 is often seen as its primary competitor in the class.

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personally, i'm open to getting a 1st generation, too. i just didn't expect 1st gen prices to fall due to the third generation. and 2nd generation is easier to find in the u.s., right? anyway, i'm just looking for a "hot deal" to take advantage of. for me, that comes down to the cheapest i can find any hi-md recorder for.

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I personally wanted a 2nd gen as I had an NH1 already and while I liked it, it seemed a bit quirky at times. I wonder if maybe it's ever-so-slightly defective and I should've been a bit more active about getting warranty repair when it was available. but that's another story; anyway, I wanted a 2nd gen as they are easily available in the US, with full warranty, and had things my NH1 specifically lacked-- charge-via-USB, standard USB connections, AA battery case, etc. Sure, those are things that the 1st gen had too in different models but the 2nd gen had some nice additions, too. (I like the 5 line screen)

I could've bought from Minidisc Australia at the time, or found one on Ebay, but I like having warranties (not to mention I just got totally screwed on an Ebay deal recently so I'm not in a hurry to jump in again yet!).

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personally, i'm open to getting a 1st generation, too. i just didn't expect 1st gen prices to fall due to the third generation. and 2nd generation is easier to find in the u.s., right? anyway, i'm just looking for a "hot deal" to take advantage of. for me, that comes down to the cheapest i can find any hi-md recorder for.

Minidisc Australia still has some NH700($149AUD) & NHF800($169AUD) including HiMD bundle packs or $100 extra for a Sony ECM-DS70P microphone bundle

http://www.minidisc.com.au/default.php?cPath=1_47

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Minidisc Australia still has some NH700($149AUD) & NHF800($169AUD) including HiMD bundle packs or $100 extra for a Sony ECM-DS70P microphone bundle

http://www.minidisc.com.au/default.php?cPath=1_47

but you can't get those shipped to the u.s., can you? i saw that a couple days ago, and i only saw options for australia and new zealand. which was why i didn't end up taking advantage of this deal months ago . .

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The one i bought about a month ago was from minidiscaccess.com. While slightly over priced, they're service is excellent. NH900 bundle (74 minutes discs [cheesy by ok] - a nice carrying case holding 12 mds, the unit and some extras [batts etc], the microphone, and the 220 to 110 adapter) Total price was $249.98 + shipping (This depends on where in the us you live.) these units were imported from AUS. But its works like a charm and sounds AWESOME!

They also sell it for 198.99 without the bundle but it still comes with the converter!

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