Looking for a HiMD for playback

[Lustaficko]

Hi there,

I was looking for a MD player that has great sound quality relatively easy to use and has a nice sturdy, reliable build. I will be using this mainly for playing back my CDs and hardly at all for recording, however, I could see how it would come in handy. Maybe the MZ-NH1?

Thanks

[Superbaldguy]

Good choice if you can find one, the NH1 seems a bit sturdier than the RH1.

[A440]

if you can find one

NH1 is not only hard to find but has proprietary connectors: You have to find not only the unit but its accessories. Don't buy the NH1 without them.

For just playback and CD transfer, you could also find the NH600D. It does not do realtime recording--only USB transfer--but is much cheaper. The NH600 (minus the D) does do real-time line-in recording--from a powered source, not a microphone--as well as USB transfer.

Since you're a first-time poster, and may be new to the format, I just want to make sure you are aware: MD players don't play CDs. They play minidiscs. You need to convert the music from CD to MD formats on your computer. And the computer has to be a PC, not a Mac, unless you are using the RH1, M10 or M100. All the NH units are PC-only.

[Lustaficko]

NH1 is not only hard to find but has proprietary connectors: You have to find not only the unit but its accessories. Don't buy the NH1 without them.

For just playback and CD transfer, you could also find the NH600D. It does not do realtime recording--only USB transfer--but is much cheaper. The NH600 (minus the D) does do real-time line-in recording--from a powered source, not a microphone--as well as USB transfer.

Since you're a first-time poster, and may be new to the format, I just want to make sure you are aware: MD players don't play CDs. They play minidiscs. You need to convert the music from CD to MD formats on your computer. And the computer has to be a PC, not a Mac, unless you are using the RH1, M10 or M100. All the NH units are PC-only.

I do know about their format and the general idea about how they work, I'm just mainly looking for something that can act as a CD player, just a bit smaller with great SQ. The higher models seem to be geared towards field recording. I'll look into the NH600D.

[A440]

a CD player, just a bit smaller with great SQ.

I love my Hi-MD, but I don't really see it as the right gear for this purpose. Field recording really is the killler application for MD.

You can get an mp3 player that's much smaller with much more capacity and no need to deal with the weirdness of SonicStage. I have a Sansa E260 that has become my constant companion. Other people like the Cowon X5, and there are players by iRiver, Toshiba and others if you don't want to just give in and get an iPod. The high SQ of Hi-MD is mostly when you're using it to play uncompressed PCM files--only 94 minutes per 1GB disc, which is a lot of discs to carry around. In most portable situations, the SQ of a high-bitrate mp3--I'm talking about 192 kbps or above--is all you need. Your headphones are going to make as much of a difference as the player, possibly more.

Possibly, if you're playing a CD ripped to Hi-SP through the top-of-the-line Hi-MD units--the NH1, RH1 or (though it has some other flaws) NH900--in a quiet place, it will sound better than a high-bitrate mp3 to some ears. Even that's debatable. But I think a good mp3 player is a much better deal.

You could start researching here:

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/reviews/

[Lustaficko]

Honestly, I would take a CD player over a MD, mainly the Sony D-NE920, however, this CD player, or any others like it have seem to have vanished. Minidisc players seem to be in a much higher supply. There is just something about having the hard copy of something that entices me. I have an MP3 player, I was looking to try something new.

When I said I didn't want a player that could record I would like to record my CDs onto a disk.

Edited October 29, 2007 by Lustaficko

[A440]

NetMD and Hi-MD players can all record your CD. That is, you put the CD in the computer and SonicStage or SimpleBurner converts it to MD-playable files.

Anyway, for SQ: NH1 or RH1, hands down.

[Lustaficko]

NetMD and Hi-MD players can all record your CD. That is, you put the CD in the computer and SonicStage or SimpleBurner converts it to MD-playable files.

Anyway, for SQ: NH1 or RH1, hands down.

Thanks for the help. If you don't mind me asking, I herd that the NH1 would preform better as a DAP then the RH1. It makes sense because you can control the player semi-functionally without a remote. Is there anything that would make the RH1 a better choice? Thanks again.

[A440]

Thanks for the help. If you don't mind me asking, I herd that the NH1 would preform better as a DAP then the RH1. It makes sense because you can control the player semi-functionally without a remote. Is there anything that would make the RH1 a better choice? Thanks again.

You can change tracks, etc., on the RH1 as well--it has all the controls on the unit. It just doesn't display the track title on the unit (which I agree is a stupid omission).

I'm actually not sure how much the one-line display on the NH1 shows--it, too, is made for use with the remote, which is why it came with the fanciest MD remote of all, the RM-MC40ELK. This photo doesn't show a track title either: http://www.minidisc.org/images/sony_mzneh1_avwatch2.jpg

The NH1 connectors are all proprietary, including the charger and the crucial USB cord to get the music onto it. Lose it, break it, you're done--they're hard to find and expensive. The RH1 takes a standard mini-USB.

This discussion may be entirely theoretical. There are not a whole lot of NH1s around, and those that still exist are 2-3 years old. RH1s are getting scarcer, too, but they will be easier to find.

[Lustaficko]

Thanks for the info.