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Nirdop

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Ok, so I'm a trumpet player and I need a device to record my own, and other players sounds on so I can compare and try to improve on my own. Numerous players suggested a Mini-Disc recorder, but alas, I am overwhelmed in this technical area. All of you pro's please help me, here are my guidelines:

It has to be of alright quality, I don't want a recorder that sounds like something my phone has recorded.

I would like it under 100$ USD.

That's about it, so if anyone has any suggestions for one with those guidelines post it please, or if you believe something else would better suit my needs. Thanks!

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It has to be of alright quality, I don't want a recorder that sounds like something my phone has recorded.

I would like it under 100$ USD.

Well, no MD recorder will sound that bad, not even the very first ones! I suggest you go for HiMD as it's very useful for the ability to upload recordings to PC (from where they can be further edited, written to CD etc). HiMD will also give you greater storage speed, transfer options (bitrates) & transfer speeds.

In the US, the lower-end models don't have line or mic-in so you'll need to go up a model, that may make it a challenge to find one (new) for under $100. Avoid the NH600D, DH710 & DH10P as you can't use them for live recordings. That leaves you with the NH700, NHF800, NH900, NH1, RH910, RH10 & RH!, all but the last of them are old models but you may still be able to find one. The only current recorder, the RH1, will probably set you back around $320 at least but, as I'm sure owners here will testify, it is regarded as the best-designed MD unit ever for live recording.

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The MZ-NH700 is the best recorder for your purposes, but it is going to set you back $180 or so.

http://www.minidiscaccess.com

Is it important to you to be able to upload the file to your computer? Or are you content to leave the recording on the minidisc?

If you really, truly, definitely don't care about being able to upload the recording, then you can get an under-$100 bargain with a NetMD recorder or an even older recorder. I have gotten excellent use from the MZ-N707 and the MZ-R700.

The only way to get recordings out of those units is to record in realtime from the headphone jack. Don't be deceived by the USB connection on the MZ-N707 (or any other MZ-N unit). Only NH* or RH* units will upload recordings.

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Wow, thanks for the help! I do want the recorder to be able to upload to the computer.

And since the ones you all suggested are a little bit out of my price range, do yall think it would be alright to try to find a deal on eBay or something of that sort? Thanks!

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Hm, alright so I have noticed a major price difference from the ones that can upload to a PC to the ones that cannot. If I pick one that does not upload to a pc like the MZ-R700, what does that mean? I have to listen to everything on the player with the minidisc inside it? And is it that much of a hassle that I will GREATLY regret it later?

Edited by Nirdop
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Yes you would need to listen on the unit itself. If you wanted to get the recordings to PC it is possible, but you need to playback the unit and record the tracks on the PC in realtime.

The R700 is a great recorder, don't get me wrong (I have had 2 of them).

Uploading to PC with the newer recorders is a convenience for most, but a necessity only for a few. However, I would be more worried about problems arising regarding the recording head wearing out on the R700. Quite a few people have lost their recordings using these older units once the ribbon cable that connects the recording/optical head to the unit starts to break down.

Edited by raintheory
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The ribbon cable that it is connected to can simply break down from normal wear and tear over time. There have been a few reports of it happening with these older units as I stated. Occasionally when this happens, the unit will actually erase/corrupt the TOC area of the MiniDisc, effectively erasing the entire disc.

The R700 came out in 2001... So a used one from eBay could potentially have ~6 years of wear and tear on it. If you are able to find one in good condition that hasn't been used too much then it may be worth it.

EDIT: I'm off to bed at the moment, if you are interested in getting one of these older units, try your best to get as much information as you can from the seller.

Edited by raintheory
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raintheory is right--I was living in the past, with my own happy memories of the MZ-R700. A used-to-near-death unit is not a bargain. And as the old units get older, they're just getting more wear. There's nothing special about the MZ-R700 and its ribbon cable; I seem to remember other units like the MZ-N10 having even more problems with that. But if you buy a NetMD unit (MZ-N, not MZ-NH), you are definitely getting something older.

I suggest you save up a bit and get a new MZ-NH700. It will do CD-quality recording and upload it, and in my experience it is a very hard unit to kill. The older units, which only record compressed formats, sound very good UNTIL you hear the Hi-MD units.

If you really can't scrape up the extra $80, then be sensible on eBay.

What you hope for on eBay is the left-in-the-closet unit: the one somebody bought, never really warmed to, and set aside. Minidisc is such an unconventional and quirky format that some people never bothered with the learning curve. But as time passes, there are fewer and fewer mint-condition units around. Hi-MD was introduced in 2004. Anything before that is already a minimum of two or three years old.

By the way, you can look at every model here:

http://www.minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html

If you buy on eBay, you need at minimum:

An in-focus pic of the actual unit--not a stock photo. Look to see if paint is worn off around buttons or the jog dial. If it is, you know that it's gotten a lot of use and could be on its last legs.

Good feedback over 95%. Many people don't leave bad feedback for fear of retaliation, so you should take a serious look at any bad feedback.

There are two regular sellers of Hi-MD units on eBay, Pramit and Digitallimits (2000 and something, I forget). For all I know they're the same seller--both in the same town if I remember right. They sell new units and they have been around for a while. You might be able to grab an NH700 for $150-$160 from them, but you're probably never going to get it under $100.

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after thinking about it, I'm alright with not being able to upload my songs to my PC, I just don't have the money to spend it on a 150-180 dollar system. The ones I am looking at are not stock photos, and I contacted 2 of the 4 possible sellers and 1 of them purchased the device 2 years ago, and the other purchased it around a year ago, they all have good feedback from what I see.

EDIT

I may have found a good deal for a NH900. I just asked when the user purchased the item, but he has many sells and a very high good-percentage

Edited by Nirdop
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The NH900 was released in 2004 I think... So only about 2 to 3 years old.

It's all here in the browser:

http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-NH900.html

If you get a really good price on it, go for it. It has some musician-friendly features like pitch control on playback.

But it also has some down sides. Most important, for some people the buttons get screwy and start to control the wrong functions. Send a message to the seller and ask for a guarantee that there are no button problems.

Also make sure it includes accessories like the outboard battery pod, AC adapter (which plugs in to recharge the rechargeable battery) and remote. None of those is a deal-breaker--you can find replacements--but it would be nice to have them all, and you should pay less if they're not included.

Also, some smaller design drawbacks:

The battery latch can come open and the gumstick can pop out--you have to tape it shut. The display is unlit and behind smoky plastic, so it's not that easy to read. Pause and Stop are on the same button, so you have to be careful that you're only pausing the recording if you want to pause.

It will still do the most important thing, which is recording and uploading. But I owned one for a while and, frankly, I prefer the NH700/NHF800.

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For your purposes, any Hi-MD recorder will do the job. There aren't that many: MZ-NH700, MZ-NHF800 (NH700 plus radio remote), MZ-NH900, MZ-RH910, MZ-RH10, MZ-RH1. The MZ-M** units are Mac compatible, and you pay a premium for that; otherwise, MZ-M100 is the MZ-RH10, MZ-M10 is the MZ-RH910 and MZ-M200 is the MZ-RH1 (which is already Mac compatible) plus a mediocre Sony DS70P microphone.

The NH* units can record (realtime, mic-in or line-in) to old MD formats SP, LP2 or LP4. They can't upload those formats--only the Hi-MD formats Hi-SP, Hi-LP or PCM--but they could record them if you wanted something backwards compatible with an old MD.

The first RH* units--not the RH1, which does everything--got rid of legacy format recording and, instead, added mp3 playback. Before, to play back an .mp3 file it had to be converted to ATRAC. This would have been a useful improvement EXCEPT that the mp3 playback didn't sound so good--the top end was cut off, though it could be helped a bit by changing the Sound settings for EQ.

For recording, they are the same as the NH* units. The RH1 can record in all formats, MD or Hi-MD, and upload all formats. It also has un-crippled mp3 playback.

Prior to the RH1, I prefer the NH700 because of the easily replaceable battery instead of the rechargeable gumstick (though the RH910 also has an outboard battery pod, like the NH900), and because I have a separate mp3 player for mp3s.

The RH10 had a fancy display and lots of problems.

The RH710 and NH600 only have line-in jacks; the DH10P and NH600D only accept USB input, for downloading music from the computer. (Strangely enough, the MZ-NH600D will upload Hi-MD recordings as well, though you'd have to make the recordings on a different unit.)

You can find more details in the browser.

Edited by A440
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  • 2 weeks later...

how old could this NH900 possibly be? Or, when was this model released?

Hi Nirdop:

I'm new to this forum but love minidiscs, the technology, ease of use. I've resisted the move to flash and Ipod type players. I have a HiMD MZ-NH900. I'm not the original owner but bought it second-hand. The Minidisc.org equipment browser states it was released 4/04. I love the unit, it does everything well except a little hard to see due to small display not back lit (except the remote). I use it in the car after uploading selections to discs, recording my son's cello concerts, etc.

I may upgrade due to the display on the unit not being back lit and auditoriums being dark (and my 49 year old eyes!); otherwise there is no reason for me to part with it!

By the way, great forum and information, helpful members!

JPLDOC

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The NH900 I have is so far reliable, no problems such as battery latch popping open or button problems, so I guess it's also how it's used (or abused). I like the attachable AA battery case for those times I need a backup plan- plus rechrgable AA batteries are readily available and cheap, come in a variety of capacities and as quick as 15 min. recharge time! Can't beat it!

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