1GB disc vs 80min disc

[Sony_Fan]

Is there any difference in sound quality between music stored on the 1gb disc and those stored on the 80min discs (assume it's Hi-MD format)? I can't help but think that something must have been sacrificed in order to fit so much music on a 1GB disc, even though it's the same size as the standard 80min discs. Sound quality maybe?

[sector001]

well that depends on what bitrate u use to transfer your music to the disc....

[raintheory]

Hi-MD discs use a different technology (Domain Wall displacement Detection) which allows for the 1GB size.

http://www.minidisc.org/hi-md_faq.html

[ZosoIV]

Bits are bits - as long as the player is able to retrieve the data off the discs within the limits of error correction, there will be no impact on sound quality. When things go bad with digital, you get a signal with glitches and pops and noise, not lower subjective quality (like something being less "crisp" or what have you).

[Sparda]

It's all digital, 1s and 0s. Like said by ZosolV, it's either on or off there is no inbetween. SQ should be the same at same bitrate.

[KJ_Palmer]

Your unit's battery life will take a hit with the 1GB discs, but other than that there should, as mentioned be no qualitative difference between 1GB and any other sort of MD. Maybe someone has done or will do some ABX testing to prove/disprove the point, though.

[pata2001]

[sarcasm]Use a sharpie and write the word "BOSE" or "Monster" on the disc, and you'll get clearer highs, crystal clarity, and deeper bass from your disc. You'll get even better improvements if you use stickers of the actual logos![/sarcasm]

Sorry, can't resist that

[Sparda]

Borat, I don't know about you, but my batteries last longer when I use 1GB discs, because it is being accessed less often and spins at a lower rpm. So I try to use my 1GB discs as much as possible.

lol, pata

Edited May 1, 2007 by Sparda

[skyther]

Technically yes, but in a related issue there are slight audible differences between grades and brands of CD-Rs used which seem to imply that error correction and hence interpolation play a much bigger role in transports so I'd be tempted to say there might possibly be a minute difference between normal MDs and Hi-MDs, not that I have done proper comparisons between the two.

[ZosoIV]

Technically yes, but in a related issue there are slight audible differences between grades and brands of CD-Rs used which seem to imply that error correction and hence interpolation play a much bigger role in transports so I'd be tempted to say there might possibly be a minute difference between normal MDs and Hi-MDs, not that I have done proper comparisons between the two.

Really? I've yet to see one properly conducted double-blind test between CD-R blanks - the vast majority of differences people claim to hear are probably imagined. For Hi-MD to sound different than MD discs due to error correction would imply that one or the other gives back a lot of faulty/spurious data, which I also have seen no evidence for. When error correction steps in, it's a nasty thing - not a subtle one. I once had a badly burnt CD where it was obvious that error correction was being called upon, and there were dropouts and pops on loud peaks. But it's not like the vocals or cymbals sounded less "warm" or "crisp" or anything that would imply a difference in subjective quality.

[pata2001]

Really? I've yet to see one properly conducted double-blind test between CD-R blanks - the vast majority of differences people claim to hear are probably imagined. For Hi-MD to sound different than MD discs due to error correction would imply that one or the other gives back a lot of faulty/spurious data, which I also have seen no evidence for. When error correction steps in, it's a nasty thing - not a subtle one. I once had a badly burnt CD where it was obvious that error correction was being called upon, and there were dropouts and pops on loud peaks. But it's not like the vocals or cymbals sounded less "warm" or "crisp" or anything that would imply a difference in subjective quality.

Exactly. Digital is digital, 0s and 1s. Either you hear the music, or not (blips, skips, pops, etc).

[Qwakrz]

I have read a few myth based facts before, e.g.

"My buffering CD player plays back disc X better because it has lower Jitter" - The buffer removes the jitter from the digital data so you just debunked your own reason.

"The sound is clearer from disc X" - As long as there are no read errors then digital is digital and there will be no difference, this has also been debunked by feeding the digital stream through a PC to do a CRC check on the 2 discs digital audio stream, both had the same CRC's yet people swore blind they can tell the difference.

Technically there will be no difference between audio stored on a 1GB disc and the same audio stored on an 80M disc. Now, there may be a difference between them audiably because of drive motor noise on the battery voltage etc but if the digital signal is fed to a seperate digital decode & amp it will sound the same.