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Do you prefer a AA or internal batteries for MD use?

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Do you prefer a AA or internal battery?  

14 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you prefer a AA or internal battery?

    • I love AA's
      24
    • I prefer thin rechargables
      13


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My preference for everyday use is the thin rechargeable battery, but the attachable external AA battery has come in quite handy on my MZ-R900. I use the Energizer to Go AA(x2) charger when in need for my MZ-RH1.

Edited by rdd331
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I'd like to have the smaller size of the thin rechargeables but to me AA's are head and shoulders above them in convenience. I'll never have a dead MD when I need it to work. I know a person can buy extra gumsticks but batteries don't do well if you don't use them often. I've seen too many different types of batteries go bad from lack of use so unless you charge and discharge your spares you could end up with a problem before you knew what was happening. If that happens with AA's you just stick in a alkaline and you're set.

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I definitely prefer AA-only units, due to being able to buy the batteries in any reasonable shop. Had too many non-standard batteries flake out on the road.

Second choice would be a gumstick + AA attachment unit, last and definitley least an internal battery only type (eg. RH1).

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  • 7 years later...

I prefer the gumsticks (NH-14WM and look-a-likes) (MZ-RH910, MZ-N1 and MZ-N910), I have 8 of them and always some of them are charged.

Sometimes I use AA (MZ-NH600 and MZ-NH700).

I dislike most the LIP-4WM, short live and very costly to buy a new one.

But replaceble is always better then build-in as is the case with my mp3-players.

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I've seen too many different types of batteries go bad from lack of use so unless you charge and discharge your spares you could end up with a problem before you knew what was happening.

 

Exactly what I am in front of. My 2 RH1s and my NH900 have spent more than one year in France + UK (Jim Hoggarth) before I could put the gumstick batteries inside once again (1 Sony original + 3 fake Sony chinese for the RH1, 1 Sony original + 4 Panasonic for the NH900).

 

Nope for the NH900,  Not one has accepted to be charged again (not sure that the batteries themselves are the problem) using the NH900 on his stand. But I did not try everything (another wall charger for example). I am lucky because the NH900 accept the AA at his side. Any idea ?

 

Only one fake Sony chinese has problem to charge. I am afraid for the RH1 : what will happen if the batteries failed ? If new ones will not be available, the only solution will be to have a portable external charger (with a very short USB cable). 

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Even though the AA is less ecologically correct, i prefer it to an internal. You never have to worry about its holding a charge - when it's done, it's done, and you just put in a fresh one. If only a kind of very small tablet that would run on 2 or 3 AAs could be made, I'd even consider something like that! That said, I actually have not been using my MD portables much lately, anyway. Mostly decks and my car's (and my wife's car's) head units.

 

The first portable MD unit I had was the Sony MZ-E40. My brother still uses his. That unit ran on 2 AAs and gave you about 4 hours of play time, maybe 4.5 on a good day. When I would fly from Boston to Los Angeles, I'd have to take practically a separate bag just for the batteries ;-) Compare to the current portable I use, an MZ-DN430. This one I can take to Los Angeles on one fresh AA battery, listen to music waiting at the airport, in flight, around LA, in the airport again, and on the flight back to Boston without having to change the battery. Sounds good, too. Works for me.

 

Still lovin' MD!

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^There are rechargeable AAs you know, lol.  Meaning AAs can actually be more ecologically correct given a cylindrical cell has more capacity (within the same chemistry) and longer lifespan compared to a prismatic (rectangular) rechargeable.

 

Also rechargeable NiMH AAs are much better for modern devices* than throw-away batteries as they hold up against higher drains, whereas alkaline and other throw-away AAs suck at this**.  This is not significant for MD after the Rx00 generation since they were not really high drain a devices except when recording, but NiMH AA is better overall in any MD unit using AA, IMO.  As for holding a charge, Eneloops (and similar) have been doing this reasonably fine for many years now so it's not really an issue.  These type of NiMH batteries will hold charge for a year or more and still be at 85%+ capacity. 

 

*Of course most modern devices have long abandoned AAs anyway, in favour of internal Li-Ion/Li-Ion-Poly cells and USB recharging. 

 

**The only exception to throw-away AAs and high drain are Energizer 1.5V Lithium AAs which have a discharge curve similar to a rechargeable when loaded up, but they are one-use/discardable. 

 

As for what I think personally?  I still kinda like the units that use gumsticks better.  Perhaps because there was no battery bulge, perhaps because they were typically the high-end units.  Perhaps a bit of both.  Also, I didn't realise this was a zombie thread, LOL.  2007!

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