Why NetMD/MDLP?

[WaywardTraveller]

I often see people advertising "WTB: legacy MDLP gear," etc. etc...i myself own an IM-MT880 but haven't touched it in a little while with my new Hi-MD infatuation...so I was just wondering why several people still seem to like it more than Hi-MD? Is it sound quality (i.e. some seem to prefer good ol' fashioned SP over Hi-SP), lack of funds to buy Hi-MD, all of the above?

peace

WaywardTraveller

[bland10000]

As I still by use and legacy gear I can give you my reasons.

I have a deck that only records SP and another deck that records MDLP. I use these for taping off the radio. Sure, I can listen to those while out-and-about using hi-md players but I like the longer battery-life from legacy players. I also have a car stereo in storage that plays MDLP and there are no in-car hi-md players. To make a disc for the road, I've got to use the legacy mode.

The school I work at has a language-lab that runs on MDLP and our classrooms have players that are MDLP. For compatibility between lesson examples I make at home and use in class, hi-md won't work.

All hi-md units have the same two amps, the d-amp or the hd-amp. I enjoy switching between amps; Sharp, Sony, Kenwood, Panasonic, Victor, with Sharp's Auvi being my favorite. Since Auvi isn't available in a hi-md unit, I'll continue to use legacy.

Compatibility with others: I trade about two discs a week with students, especially guitar players as I have alot of heavy metal. The kids make their discs on their home systems which are MDLP so I need to make the disc for them in the same format.

Style-wise, legacy has a greater assortment to choose from.

[raintheory]

I mainly have legacy gear as backup gear... Now that I have the RH1 and the ability to upload legacy recordings, I have been tempted to use the legacy gear to record more often. My main reasons for wanting to do this are:

1 - If you accidentally lose audio data from legacy discs, most of the time it can be retrieved using TOC cloning, Hi-MD is encrypted so TOC cloning (at least in the conventional sense) won't work... Trust me, I modified my NH900 to enable cloning but to no avail.

2 - Legacy gear can be obtained for fairly cheap these days, I would feel more comfortable having a legacy recorder out and about than I would carrying my RH1 everywhere I want to record... For fear that it would be damaged. One exception would be if I wanted to record in PCM./

I also have a legacy player-only unit that I keep in my car, and a few good friends that only have legacy gear that I am always swapping discs with.

So, in my opinion... Legacy MD still has some good points, and for the current price alone (for used gear) that can't be argued too much.

EDIT: We also have a legacy pro deck (MDS-E10) in our home studio that we have used extensively (still do). A Hi-MD pro deck would be very nice, but for now there is no such animal.

Edited September 26, 2006 by raintheory

[jaylen]

NetMD/SonicStage is for people who don't need or don't do field recording. Some people use SS to title discs. SP via SS is "fake SP" and lower quality than LP2.

MDLP

- no Auvi in Hi-MD

- more selection/brands/models

- some people haven't "upgraded" to Hi-MD and have no need or desire to do so

- relatively cheaper, in some (if not most) cases

- some people collect units

Maybe when the newness of your Hi-MD purchases wears off, you'll feel a little nostalgia (or want variety and a vacation from Sony) and start putting your old Sharp into the rotation with the others. I still use NetMD and MDLP units. My SP-only deck is the only MD unit that I use daily.

[sector001]

i am out of the legacy units, i still got some of them, the G750 and a Minisystem and a deck. but everything esle is HiMD.

i will not buy another non himd unit.

[mmp64]

i am out of the legacy units, i still got some of them, the G750 and a Minisystem and a deck. but everything esle is HiMD.

i will not buy another non himd unit.

I started using my MZ-NF610 again a few weeks ago out of nostalgia (I think it's my all-time favorite unit) - and also because of the ridiculous battery life. LP2 sounds very good on that unit, for some reason. I may be imagining it, but it seems that LP2 sounds better on that unit than on my later HiMD units. As far as the car audio thing - when I had my MD unit in my car (it was MDLP) - I ended up w/ two libraries of discs - LP2 and HiMD (HiSP), and towards the end, a third library of SP discs. It is a sickness.

Edited September 26, 2006 by mmp64

[coolkid]

I am pretty satisfied with my N10. I don't do a lot of live recording so I just transfer music to my MD from time to time.

Can't think of a good reason to move to a HI-MD, unless the N10 no longer plays disks.