Which is the best MD for quality of recordings ?

[Newcastle United]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone out there knows the answer or has done any comparisons between all the MD and Hi-Md recorders out there for quality of recording assuming using the best mic for the mic input and the best analougue or digital source for the line input.

i am interested in live stealth recording and currently use a sony stereo mic 710P I think.

Why is the mz-R50 a popular unit when its codec is so old, or does it not matter?

Does Hi-SP sound better than normal SP ?

Thanks

[bobt]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone out there knows the answer or has done any comparisons between all the MD and Hi-Md recorders out there for quality of recording assuming using the best mic for the mic input and the best analougue or digital source for the line input.

i am interested in live stealth recording and currently use a sony stereo mic 710P I think.

Why is the mz-R50 a popular unit when its codec is so old, or does it not matter?

Does Hi-SP sound better than normal SP ?

Thanks

The RH1 or M200 appear to be the "best", if for nothing else that you can digitally upload. If you are not concerned about your old recordings, the NH700 or 800 do a great job as well. I have made a few recordings Mic and Line with my NH1 and have been suitably impressed. Not having owned an R-50, I can only think that it is a very solid built with good ergonomics.

If I were me, the RH1/M200 is the way I'd go

Bob

[Newcastle United]

The RH1 or M200 appear to be the "best", if for nothing else that you can digitally upload. If you are not concerned about your old recordings, the NH700 or 800 do a great job as well. I have made a few recordings Mic and Line with my NH1 and have been suitably impressed. Not having owned an R-50, I can only think that it is a very solid built with good ergonomics.

If I were me, the RH1/M200 is the way I'd go

Bob

Thanks Bob for the quick reply.

No I'm not bothered about uploading to computer at all but enjoying the recorded discs through my hi-fi. The RH1 seems very attractive except for the price...does it sound better than your NH1?

[bobt]

Thanks Bob for the quick reply.

No I'm not bothered about uploading to computer at all but enjoying the recorded discs through my hi-fi. The RH1 seems very attractive except for the price...does it sound better than your NH1?

Unfortunately I don't have an RH1, but since they use the same digital output stage I'm sure they sound pretty much the same. Don't know if nismo still has his NH1 for sale, look in the classifieds, may be a good way to get you in,

Take care,

Bob

[A440]

You're asking two different questions.

One is about recording quality. One is about playback from the unit.

The recording quality of all the Hi-MD units that record (NH700, NHF800, NH900, NH1 RH910, RH10, RH1/MZ200 and the line-in-only NH600 (NOT NH600D) and RH710) is exactly the same as far as what gets put onto the disc. It is better quality than any old MD because you can get uncompressed, CD-quality, PCM sound.

The R50 is an ancient unit. Perhaps people are/were fond of it because its particular compression (SP) sounded fairly warm when played back through the unit, or because it was a sturdy unit, or because perhaps its mic preamps were less prone to overload than later versions--I don't know, I never had one. But the recording quality of the R50 still doesn't give you as many bits or bytes of information per second of sound as PCM will. You'll only get 74 or 80 minutes per MD blank. And you won't be able to get the music off the MD blanks in any way other than recording in realtime (unless you also get an RH1 and upload from that).

Any R50 that you find for sale now is going to be old and used. It was introduced in 1997.

But you are also planning to play back from the unit. So you are also concerned with the quality of the output. And for that, the NH900, NH1 and the RH1 are supposed to be better than the other Hi-MD units. However, since they are Hi-MD, you can upload the files and play them back on your computer, portable music player, burned CDs, etc., which makes the quality of headphone playback less important.

Note that the NH1 has a proprietary charging stand and connector that makes it useless without its accessories. The other Hi-MD units take a standard USB-Mini-USB (a) cable.

You can look at all the MDs ever made here: http://www.minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html

But none of them are made any more. Sony gave up on them. So realistically, you are going to be limited to what you can actually find.

By the way, you can also drastically improve your recording quality by upgrading your microphone, getting a battery box or preamp, and going through Line-in.

Edited April 8, 2008 by A440

[Strungup]

I am a proud R50 owner , and Love it , I also own the RH1 , and can A/B the two , the R50 does indeed sound a little warmer to me . But each has their pluses and minuses

the R50 though has less minuses , as that I accept it just for what it is and does , I dont ask it to do something it wont .

[Newcastle United]

Thanks A440 for a very detailed reply - I want to leave computers out of the equation. Do you know does Hi-SP sound better than normal SP when using a mic ?

And Guitarfxr if you were forced to chose between your 2 units for say recording acoustic guitar, which would you choose? (again no computers please?

Great ideas here !

[rosjos]

Do you know does Hi-SP sound better than normal SP when using a mic ?

SP records at 292kbps whilst HiSP is at 256kbps, on the more advanced ATRAC3+ codec. Having used MD for 10 years now I honestly cannot find much difference between the two. As far as recorded music is concerned I mostly use 352kbps (uploaded from the computer) and I find it hard to differentiate between that and CD. But, as has been stated so many times before on this forum, it is down to your own ears.

If you are into minidisc (and I suspect you are if you have got this far) go for the MZ-RH1 - it has all the function syou could wish for (MD and Hi-MD recording options, plus the full upload facility for older SP recordings). It has top notch sound, including proper Line-Out feature (unlike alot of earlier Hi-MD units). The MZ-RH1 is the only MD unit still being manufactured, and will no doubt be the last.

It is just a pity - and something that angers me - that the majority i-fad buyers are not real music lovers (and I make no apology in stating it is a fashion statement for many, since most i-pod buyers I know of had never listened to portable audio for years before it became the accessory to have) and the great invention that is (was) minidisc is fading as a consequence of tghe preference for flash and HDD portables. However, I am in it for the long haul and have stocked upon a couple of RH1's and plenty of discs. I will still be using MD long after most of the current batch of i-pods have been binned (or become broken).

[e1ghtyf1ve]

SP records at 292kbps whilst HiSP is at 256kbps, on the more advanced ATRAC3+ codec. Having used MD for 10 years now I honestly cannot find much difference between the two. As far as recorded music is concerned I mostly use 352kbps (uploaded from the computer) and I find it hard to differentiate between that and CD. But, as has been stated so many times before on this forum, it is down to your own ears.

If you are into minidisc (and I suspect you are if you have got this far) go for the MZ-RH1 - it has all the function syou could wish for (MD and Hi-MD recording options, plus the full upload facility for older SP recordings). It has top notch sound, including proper Line-Out feature (unlike alot of earlier Hi-MD units). The MZ-RH1 is the only MD unit still being manufactured, and will no doubt be the last.

It is just a pity - and something that angers me - that the majority i-fad buyers are not real music lovers (and I make no apology in stating it is a fashion statement for many, since most i-pod buyers I know of had never listened to portable audio for years before it became the accessory to have) and the great invention that is (was) minidisc is fading as a consequence of tghe preference for flash and HDD portables. However, I am in it for the long haul and have stocked upon a couple of RH1's and plenty of discs. I will still be using MD long after most of the current batch of i-pods have been binned (or become broken).

Spoken like a true portable sound connoisseur. I feel exactly as you do (right down to my 2 RH1s). Bravo! Although I must say that so far, only the iPod touch with the latest firmware comes close to acceptable audio quality.

Cheers

[Newcastle United]

Just tried to get a RH1 from Newcastle or Sunderland sony centre and they said both out of stock at Sony themselves and were not expecting any more-same goes for Amazon....so it seems its the end for new units in the UK

[Newcastle United]

Just tried to

[Strungup]

Thanks A440 for a very detailed reply - I want to leave computers out of the equation. Do you know does Hi-SP sound better than normal SP when using a mic ?

And Guitarfxr if you were forced to chose between your 2 units for say recording acoustic guitar, which would you choose? (again no computers please?

Great ideas here !

Without the need to upload ? My R50 ...........reason , that resulting disc will play on ALL my MD's and sound great , without me having to think about it , with the RH1 you have to set it up to record in regular MD mode and then it doesnt sound as good as the R50 , if I use the RH1 in HiMD mode I get the best of what it can do , the R50 just simply gives me the best it can every time , I dont ask for more . My AT-822 mic agrees with both of them . ( as well as many others )

[A440]

Don't limit your search to Sony. They never had decent stock.

Amazon UK still has the MZ-NH700, MZ-NH900 and the MZ-RH1. The MZ-NH700 is a fine unit, and I see new ones for £109.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_/2...p;x=12&y=20

The MZ-NH900 supposedly has better sound on playback than the NH700, but I never liked the one I had. Its display is an unlit LCD behind smoked-colored plastic--don't ask me why. More important, for recording, especially in the dark, it has a major design flaw--Pause and Stop are both on the same button (a rocker button), and if you push Stop by mistake you'll have to take the unit out of your pocket and go through the menus again to get to Manual Level recording. Pause and Stop are separate buttons on the MZ-NH700. So it depends on the situations where you'll be recording.

Also, the MZ-NH900 has a rechargeable internal battery and a screw-on outboard pod for a AA battery. NH700 runs a long time on one AA battery--a little bulge in the back--which I prefer since you can always carry a replacement AA. The rechargeable for the NH900 is expensive, you'd have to keep it charged, etc., and the outboard pod is just one more thing to carry around and/or lose. But that's just my preference--the pod is barely bigger than another AA, so it might not bother you.

Incidentally, the RH1 has only its rechargeable battery (or you can get a very bulky 4-battery Gomadic USB charger), but it's a long-life Li-Ion battery that should be good for a whole day's recording.

Realistically, I deeply doubt you're going to find a new R50 without a time machine. And I don't think Guitarfxr is letting his go...

There's also a practical difference between SP and Hi-SP. SP will give you 74 or 80 minutes per legacy MD. Hi-SP will give you over two hours on a legacy MD and just under 8 hours on a Hi-MD. A Hi-MD disc holds 94 minutes of PCM, which is technically better than 74 or 80 minutes of SP.

Edited April 9, 2008 by A440

[Strungup]

Nope I wont let it go LOL , your right about that 440 . when it dies , then I will build a box for it and put it on a wall.

[rosjos]

Spoken like a true portable sound connoisseur. I feel exactly as you do (right down to my 2 RH1s). Bravo! Although I must say that so far, only the iPod touch with the latest firmware comes close to acceptable audio quality.

Cheers

I've just re-read my rant again. To tone it down (for those who may have been put off), what I meant was the popularity of inferior and more fashionable portable devices has resulted in the demise of the great minidisc phenomena...yet another example in history of a Concorde moment (no "superSonic" pun intended - just simply that they invent/create the best, only to let it go and be replaced by the inferior).

Edited April 10, 2008 by rosjos

[Strungup]

I've just re-read my rant again. To tone it down (for those who may have been put off), what I meant was the popularity of inferior and more fashionable portable devices has resulted in the demise of the great minidisc phenomena...yet another example in history of a Concorde moment (no "superSonic" pun intended - just simply that they invent/create the best, only to let it go and be replaced by the inferior).

And to think , it was the faulty Tire of another Airline , that did the Concord in ............. The Irony of it all