Back to the MD after iPod.

[Arr-Nine-Hundred]

Hi all, just wanted to drop a note here because I was curious if anyone has gone back to the MD fold after using digital players like the iPod.

I recently sold my iPod Nano as I was fed up with the sound quality. And even trialling the 6th gen iPods didn't impress me much (as Alanis used to say). No doubt people think I am mad for abandoning the ultra-covenience of the iPod. Ironically I still use iTunes as a way to record to my MD in realtime. SonicStage sadly is not network aware as far as I can tell and all my music is on a remote share.

Anyhow, now I am regretting selling all my MD gear back in 2005. I had a ton of great mixes on TDK XSiV discs.

I have an N510 but want to gradually build up my collection of players/recorders. I hunt them down on eBay these days. My wishlist is a N910 and R900 (my favorite from back in 2000).

I'm not interested in NetMD much or Hi-MD. I use SP for CD to MD recordings using optical cable with a Slimline PS2. SP is very transparent and theres just something very warm about the ATRAC encoding versus others. My rule is to use SP for CD and LP2 when recording realtime MP3s from my PC to MD.

Question: Is there any advantage other than speed in using SonicStage to transcode MP3 to LP2 versus recording realtime using the recorders encoder. My recorder has the Type-S feature. I heard somewhere the SonicStage LP2 encoder is not as good.

Edited July 24, 2008 by Arr-Nine-Hundred

[THIS SUCKS]

the encoder for lp3 on ss 3.4 and higher is much better sounding than the older versions. it still may not be as good as real time recording. do you want to sell your n510. i need one to replace my broken one.

[A440]

My rule is to use SP for CD and LP2 when recording realtime MP3s from my PC to MD.

Well, do what works for you but this doesn't make sense to me. CD is high-quality sound that you are compressing to SP, which is fairly high quality. MP3 is already compressed and you are compressing it to LP2, which is decent quality at best. When I tried compressing mp3 files to LP2 I got horrible artifacts, particularly on percussion sounds--cymbals and sometimes snare drums were unlistenable. Seems to me that to preserve what quality is still left in the mp3, you should also use SP.

At this late date I really don't see the point of transcoding mp3 to ATRAC. It's not like the Nano is the only choice among mp3 players. The old Cowon X5 is really prized among sound-quality maniacs, since it also plays .flac (it does have limited battery life, though). And the cheap Sansa Clip (no screen) and Fuze (like a Nano) are widely praised for sound quality. Do you really want to go through all the rigamarole it takes to make minidiscs?

Take a look at http://www.anythingbutipod.com

[dazzer1975]

And the cheap Sansa Clip (no screen)

The clip has a screen. OLED I believe

[Arr-Nine-Hundred]

the encoder for lp3 on ss 3.4 and higher is much better sounding than the older versions. it still may not be as good as real time recording. do you want to sell your n510. i need one to replace my broken one.

Thanks for the info and sadly nope, I'm keeping it :-) Easy to press volume up down buttons and takes AA's so I can use a high capacity 2600mah NiMH to make it last aaages. Lack of microphone-in is the only snag. I've seen them go for as low as £11 on eBay. It's my "take anywhere" player to be thrown in a bag, taken to the office etc.

Well, do what works for you but this doesn't make sense to me. CD is high-quality sound that you are compressing to SP, which is fairly high quality. MP3 is already compressed and you are compressing it to LP2, which is decent quality at best. When I tried compressing mp3 files to LP2 I got horrible artifacts, particularly on percussion sounds--cymbals and sometimes snare drums were unlistenable. Seems to me that to preserve what quality is still left in the mp3, you should also use SP.

Take a look at http://www.anythingbutipod.com

Thanks for the link and your recommendations for DAPs.

As for the rest - what I was getting at is that SP mode MD is really a replacement for a CD which I can keep safely away. Even in minutes, I can set synchrorecord on the MD and play on the CD with no fear about recording space. I have good ears and SP mode is pretty transparant compared to CD. I like creating disc compilations. I listen mainly to free electronic music which I source legitimately so the MP3 to LP2 is a good compromise because

a ) I build compilations of MP3s into a "mix" lasting 2h 30mins and can fit that on one LP2 MD

b ) While MP3 can be good if encoded properly, most of my stuff is 128 or 160kbps encoded by musicians who probably use the defaults - SP is overkill IMHO

c ) With Type-S decoding the quality of LP2 is actually pretty good! (check another thread on the first page about it)

Do you have a MD device with Type-S? If not, I recommend you evaluate it. It will pleasantly suprise you. Thanks.

Edited July 24, 2008 by Arr-Nine-Hundred

[Strungup]

Well, do what works for you but this doesn't make sense to me. CD is high-quality sound that you are compressing to SP, which is fairly high quality. MP3 is already compressed and you are compressing it to LP2, which is decent quality at best. When I tried compressing mp3 files to LP2 I got horrible artifacts, particularly on percussion sounds--cymbals and sometimes snare drums were unlistenable. Seems to me that to preserve what quality is still left in the mp3, you should also use SP.

He isnt "recompressing " he stated he was recording in real time from the PC out , If you recompress an MP3 , yes you will get artifacts ( bad ones at that ) but recording in real time can actually clean up the source a little , I have experienced this many times . You have gotten to used to conversion in the computer

real time although a pain to some , generally yields much better results . My R50 , just plain sounds good to me , even thought I have the RH1 , and several others of a later period .

He makes perfect sense to me

[THIS SUCKS]

the best lp2 i have heard so far is actually on my mz-n707 unit which is not a type-s unit. but i think it really depends on the unit.

[tiberiusbeekirk]

I too just got a N510 after a short time away from MD's,

I still can't afford anything better. so I keep hunting down cheap MD units

so far, I bought a Sony N510 and a Sharp MS-721 in just one week.

my wish list is a HI MD unit but I doubt I could find one priced at $30 or so.

I haven't listened to my old mix discs yet on the 510.

[greenshank]

FWIW...

didn't impress me much (as Alanis used to say)

Actually that was Shania

SonicStage sadly is not network aware as far as I can tell and all my music is on a remote share.

Not sure why you think that. I just happily (ok, ****ing slowly, but it was very remote) imported a file using SS 3.4 across a network from a remote computer. In fact SS did tell me that it was not a local file and did I want to copy it to be local and then import it, so it seems to understand the concept. Maybe not practical, depending on the network, but possible.

What happened when you tried?

[Arr-Nine-Hundred]

Not sure why you think that. I just happily (ok, ****ing slowly, but it was very remote) imported a file using SS 3.4 across a network from a remote computer. In fact SS did tell me that it was not a local file and did I want to copy it to be local and then import it, so it seems to understand the concept. Maybe not practical, depending on the network, but possible.

What happened when you tried?

Shania, of course. I sit corrected sir!

I am using the version downloaded from the Sony website as of say two weeks ago. The Import file/folder dialog did not have an entry for "Network" so I perhaps incorrectly assumed local storage only. I am sharing all my media via Samba (essentially the same as Windows File Sharing/CIFS) from a Debian Linux server running on one of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSLU2

Please tell me how you enable remote shares to be used? Thank you.

the best lp2 i have heard so far is actually on my mz-n707 unit which is not a type-s unit. but i think it really depends on the unit.

Luckily the MZ-N707 does have Type-R though.

[greenshank]

Shania, of course. I sit corrected sir!

That's ok, I had to check. I knew it wasn't Alanis but I would have guessed Britney! Not quite my cup of tea.

I am using the version downloaded from the Sony website as of say two weeks ago. The Import file/folder dialog did not have an entry for "Network" so I perhaps incorrectly assumed local storage only.

This is on Windows I suppose? (Or does SS run on Linux these days? Wouldn't that be nice.) You just have to follow any normal method of seeing a remote share. Assuming for example that your server is called myServer and the share is called myShare, I would have thought that running Windows Explorer, selecting Tools -> Map Network Drive and typing in \\myServer\myShare as an address would get you there, since after that you should be able to see it if you navigate to My Computer in SS's Import Files dialog. If you're a CLI junkie like me then "net use Z: \\myServer\myShare /persistent:yes" would do the same thing (using Z: just as an example drive letter there).

Alternatively (and this may not have the same persistence; I haven't tried it) you can bring up SS's Import Files dialog and simply type \\myServer\myShare into the File Name box; this should then show you everything in the share's top directory.

Does this make sense? Try it out.

[Kardon]

My path of music devices has gone a similar route, started with some cheap NetMD units (started late), then got a NH600d, but I didnt really understand what the format was all about, I dont recall ever buying more discs, what I did was try and squeeze the most music on one disc.

Anyways, after a Dell DJ, iPod photo, Creative Zen VisionM, Black iPod video, White iPod video, iPod touch, Shuffle, and another ipod photo, I've returned to MD as my format. I have over 50 MD's now, and I couldnt be happier. When I returned I got a N1, I began recording MD's in realtime (from a slimline PS2 aswell!) to SP from my CD's. After the N1 shit the bed and stopped recording properly I used a NH3D I had acquired from TBR to record a CD to 352kbps Atrac in sonic stage, and I could tell the difference in quality had improved.

After that I started re-recording all of my MD's into Hi-MD format, One CD per MD. I still havent completed swapping all my discs to Hi-MD, but I'm close. The N1 has become a piece in the museum, and I use my NH3D to listen on the go, and a RH1 to record the discs. I now have a EH1 in the mail, and I'm looking for a NH1 I dont know what it really is that draws me to the format, the quality certainly is noticeable, and the cool-factor is unrivaled, but I think the units, and the quality that is just so rare now-a-days that keeps me hooked.

PS: The only iPod I use at all would be my iPod touch, and that is exclusively for browsing the forums+ebay around the house.

[Arr-Nine-Hundred]

My path of music devices has gone a similar route, started with some cheap NetMD units (started late), then got a NH600d, but I didnt really understand what the format was all about, I dont recall ever buying more discs, what I did was try and squeeze the most music on one disc.

Anyways, after a Dell DJ, iPod photo, Creative Zen VisionM, Black iPod video, White iPod video, iPod touch, Shuffle, and another ipod photo, I've returned to MD as my format. I have over 50 MD's now, and I couldnt be happier. When I returned I got a N1, I began recording MD's in realtime (from a slimline PS2 aswell!) to SP from my CD's. After the N1 shit the bed and stopped recording properly I used a NH3D I had acquired from TBR to record a CD to 352kbps Atrac in sonic stage, and I could tell the difference in quality had improved.

After that I started re-recording all of my MD's into Hi-MD format, One CD per MD. I still havent completed swapping all my discs to Hi-MD, but I'm close. The N1 has become a piece in the museum, and I use my NH3D to listen on the go, and a RH1 to record the discs. I now have a EH1 in the mail, and I'm looking for a NH1 I dont know what it really is that draws me to the format, the quality certainly is noticeable, and the cool-factor is unrivaled, but I think the units, and the quality that is just so rare now-a-days that keeps me hooked.

PS: The only iPod I use at all would be my iPod touch, and that is exclusively for browsing the forums+ebay around the house.

Wow - thats quite a collection of digital players you have been through :-) I've owned an iRiver H10, Sandisk Sansa and a iPod Nano 2nd Gen.

I too am happier now, not only because the sound quality is lots better but there is something else... "less is more" perhaps. I have used the money I saved to buy CDs and I budget myself to 1 or 2 CDs per month so I am forced by my own restrictions to choose carefully. I like this way better.

I'm still on the lookout for a mint condition blue N910 on eBay. I have been tracking R50 auctions too and have been shocked at the high prices these fetch, almost £70 (approx US$130). Bidding is also fierce. There is definitely a retro collector movement going on.

I think it is good that I ditched the Nano when I did:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7569922.stm

[GQ Smooth]

Wow - thats quite a collection of digital players you have been through :-) I've owned an iRiver H10, Sandisk Sansa and a iPod Nano 2nd Gen.

I too am happier now, not only because the sound quality is lots better but there is something else... "less is more" perhaps. I have used the money I saved to buy CDs and I budget myself to 1 or 2 CDs per month so I am forced by my own restrictions to choose carefully. I like this way better.

I'm still on the lookout for a mint condition blue N910 on eBay. I have been tracking R50 auctions too and have been shocked at the high prices these fetch, almost £70 (approx US$130). Bidding is also fierce. There is definitely a retro collector movement going on.

I think it is good that I ditched the Nano when I did:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7569922.stm

I too am happier with MD. In my time I have had a few Ipods, I even had the Sony A808. MD meets all my needs. I use my MD deck to tape(LP2) and my NH1 as a player only. With my MD deck I can also listen to my Vinyl collection, many of which are not availble on CD.

[ferzala]

I'm also happy after getting back to MD after 3 years using Ipod. My iPod Photo died after 3 years of regular use. In fact I never stopped using MD since I use it as standard for radio broadcasting, but my regular player was the iPod. Now my iPod is not working anymore I got back to my old MZ-NF610 on which I enjoy SP recording and editing while riding on the bus on my way to the office, I enjoy listening to AM/FM radio and trasfering either to PC or my JE630 or my DAT recorder. In order to substitute the iPod Photo I purchase a little OEM mp4 player (it looks as a little iPhone Touch). I'll never buy an iPod again! I have MD decks at home, studio and car so, bye bye iPods!

[Kardon]

I think its impressive how well these devices hold their value in comparison to other electronics, but because of that, me choosing Minidisc over iPods and other MP3 players isn't for a monetary benefit.

[Strungup]

If none of you have ever heard the SONY TC-D5M cassette deck ( yes I said Cassette) then you really do not have a true appreciation yet for " What has come before" MD is the Best consumer invention they ever made.

Pro's use it even though it was made for the consumer , Where does the iPod fall in that catagorie ,......

It Doesnt , it is mearly another tool of Instant gratification , versus Quality of Production .

Back to the TC -D5M ,...... Quality of Production ........ If you listren to NPR , or National Geographic , or PBS , or Battlefield News , Safari expeditions , many movie soundtracks , and the list goes way on and on and on , .......then you have heard this deck ....... TAPE , pure ANALOUGE , and Truely Amazing....... MD brought some of that to the consumer , Analouge inputs ,....... Analougish sound quality with no noise , Cant put your finger just exactly on why it sounds better , it just does , sound quality .

It was from a time period before the Instant Gratification of Downloading whatever your heart desired .

With MD it was MADE to SOUND GOOD , ......... It wasnt designed as a downloader , that was an afterthought ..........way after .

You really need to hear the thunderstorm I recorded on my TC-D5m with my AT-822 Stereo Mic .

But I am keeping that recording for myself !!!!!

Edited August 26, 2008 by Guitarfxr

[aidanjansen]

Personaly and im also speacking for a few others here, but i think ppl are going for minidiscs and CD's again coz we're all so f**king sick of ipod. sure its convientient, cool, small, etc. but everybody has one, the sound quality and batt life are atrocious, and apple buolds in planned obselecence so withing 3 or 4 years your ipod is a brick that cant hold its charge or work with your computer.

plus MD just has the cool factor. like bringing back the 90's one piece at a time.

[Arr-Nine-Hundred]

Personaly and im also speacking for a few others here, but i think ppl are going for minidiscs and CD's again coz we're all so f**king sick of ipod.

There is definitely a "Familiarity breeds contempt." thing about iPods. Apart from the tinny sound, I do not think they are bad, just mediocre, bland and not very interesting anymore...

When I had my blue N910, everyone showed interest in what it was (this was when the multi-coloured iPod Mini was in vogue). Then again, in the alternate universe where MD became the dominant format and iPods were the niche...

http://transom.org/tools/recording_intervi...0502.tcd5m.html

I like this: "All metal, reliable, simple, and fixable, it runs on two D-cells, not Satan's Rechargeables."

Satans Rechargables -- thats excellent!

My father told me years back about how these days things are not built to last - they are disposable plastic. I have to agree and it makes me sick to be honest.

I still have my metal cassette Walkman, its a treasure that I will never sell. I did have a high-quality Sony cassette deck (the kind with digital recording level meters) up until about 2005. I had some great compilations that I recorded on Metal (Type 4) cassettes that I preferred listening to over the CD originals. It's just something about that analogue sound. I cannot think of anything these days that will get a legendary status like the Nakamichi Dragon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakamichi#The_Dragon_and_Special_Products)

[jupitreas]

I recently did just what the initial poster described.

I went 'back' to MD after using MP3 players for many years (after I found a very cheap Hi-MD unit on Amazon). I did it for the sound quality, that is the simple reason. I travel a lot and when sitting in a train, plane or bus on a planned journey, the comfort of using an mp3 player with a lot of storage isnt really that much of an issue, at least not to me. For pure portability, I use my mobile phone (SE W950i), which I am carrying around with my all the time anyway. Since most of us are likely cellphone users, might as well get one that doubles as a decent mp3 player, right?

The Hi-MD player has a specific use for me and it serves this purpose perfectly.

[Strungup]

@ R900....... I know very well about the Dragon !!

You probably had the WM-D6C Cassette deck , I had one of those as well .

To Analouge !!

on a Side note

From 1957 , an Article about "Audiophilia "

Monday, Jan. 14, 1957

Audiophilia

A new neurosis has been discovered: audiophilia, or the excessive passion for hi-fi sound and equipment. The discoverer: Dr. Henry Angus Bowes, clinical director in psychiatry at Ste. Anne's Hospital for veterans at Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Que., himself an audio fan. Tweet by tweet and woof by woof, at a research meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, Psychiatrist Bowes spelled out how audiophiliacs behave.

Most of them are middleaged, male and intelligent, drawn largely from professions requiring highly conscientious performance (the church, accountancy, medicine, especially psychiatry). They are often single (or if married, childless). They rarely play any musical instrument well themselves. The hi-fi devotee, Dr. Bowes found, "is very frequently of compulsive personality, and tends to go through rituals in the playing of his recordings." What distinguishes the psychopathological addict from the enthusiastic followers of this (or any other) hobby? Dr. Bowes answered: "His tendency to become preoccupied with, and dependent upon, the bizarre recorded sounds . . . combined with the urgency of the need and the final insufficiency of all attempts to satisfy it ... The sound is turned up and up until it reaches the physical level of pain . . . One addict told me he would not be satisfied until he could hear the drop of saliva from the French horns."

Those who are not well organized emotionally, said Dr. Bowes, "will treat their hi-fi set as the emotionally immature treat a car—as an expression of aggression, as a power symbol." To many it has a sexual connotation: addicts may be seeking a "sterile reproduction without biological bother," and in extreme cases, a record collection becomes a "symbolic harem." Significantly, says Psychiatrist Bowes (married, no children), an addict's wife almost always demands that the volume be turned down: "Perhaps in the male's interest in hi-fi she senses a rival, as shrill and discordant as herself."

An unconscious motive for buying expensive equipment is often a desire for revenge, said Dr. Bowes. "One very compulsive patient, who found the sexual side of matrimony completely nauseating," he recalled, "was financially ruining his fairly wealthy wife by his extravagant purchases . . . while she obtained instinctual gratification elsewhere. As he somewhat ruefully remarked: 'She's interested in low fidelity and high frequency.' "

Edited August 28, 2008 by Guitarfxr

[BIGHMW]

Although I now use an NW-HD5 DAP as my main player (ATRAC/SonicStage support was mandatory for me during this transition) , I still swear by MD and Hi-MD for all of my recording needs, including using my arsenal of MZ-RH1's (I own three of them, all 3 black, all 3 U.S.-market models) as uploaders (to my HD5) and my arsenal of legacy units as recorders.

Now, starting with myself and GuitarFxr, let's all convert my old high school classmate and legendary model Cindy Margolis into an MD freak just like us, and her contact address is cindybiz@aol.com. Let's get her to ditch her soon-to-be obsolete iPod in favor of the technology that NEVER goes obsolete and always seems to hold up its resale value..... MiniDisc and Hi-MD!!! We'll also teach to say what I do when it comes to my loyalty to the MD format:

ATRAC OR DEATH!!!

Edited August 29, 2008 by BIGHMW

[Strungup]

Sorry dude , I am more of a Jessica ALBA GUY M'SELF !

[1kyle]

I'm also happy after getting back to MD after 3 years using Ipod. My iPod Photo died after 3 years of regular use. In fact I never stopped using MD since I use it as standard for radio broadcasting, but my regular player was the iPod. Now my iPod is not working anymore I got back to my old MZ-NF610 on which I enjoy SP recording and editing while riding on the bus on my way to the office, I enjoy listening to AM/FM radio and trasfering either to PC or my JE630 or my DAT recorder. In order to substitute the iPod Photo I purchase a little OEM mp4 player (it looks as a little iPhone Touch). I'll never buy an iPod again! I have MD decks at home, studio and car so, bye bye iPods!

The BEST IMO real time system which gives you the flexibility of ALL worlds is to do the following

1) Rip CD's to FLAC and save on your computer.

2) Use a SQUEEZEBOX DUET with optical out to record to your MD -- you can then chose SP or any of the other MD / Hi-MD recording formats depending on the disc. The SQUEEZEBOX will handle WIRELESS or WIRED audio streaming at very high quality.

3) Use SB (or SS) to add track info to your MD's -- if you are using CD's you can get the track info automatically.

Use the computer to store the music. The SQUEEZEBOX handset allows you to choose what you want to play -- then just use real time to record if that's what you want to do.

At this point in time I wouldn't recommend storing ANY music in a computer library that's in a closed or proprietary format such as ATRAC.

A quicker way of creating MD's however is to use NERO and SB (Simple Burner) or SS if you must.

NERO will burn Audio CD's directly from FLAC if you add this plugin to the Nero directory -- no SP here but you have LP2/LP4 or HI-SP/Wave etc depending on your disc.

download the plugin from this site

http://www.bitburners.com/nero-audio-plugins/

load to “\Program Files\Common Files\Ahead\AudioPlugins” directory.

Note the site refers to Nero 6 but works for later versions as well.

Burn the Audio Cd as an "Image" and use Nero's drive image to mount / unmount it --SB / SS will then treat this is an audio CD which you can then get track info etc etc.

If your FLAC encoder has created very long file names shorten these before burning your "Virtual" audio CD. You won't lose the CD info when SB / SS does the lookup.

You can create a virtual audio CD in literally minutes at the most.

Works a treat.

Cheers

-K

Edited August 29, 2008 by 1kyle

[jupitreas]

With MD it was MADE to SOUND GOOD

I really like this comment.

I find that this is very true. MD might not be as convenient or as robust as the mp3 players of today (no album art, smaller storage, slower uploading) but for sure, they sound damn better than even the high-end or 'audiophile' mp3 players out there. Even the cheapest MD player simply blows all mp3 players away.

As I said earlier, if you want to listen to music casually on the bus to work, just get a mobile phone that doubles as an mp3 player. You need to carry around that pesky leash anyway, so why not get some use out of it? For longer journeys or vacations; however, the MD player wins for me since it offers superior sound quality.

[sinus]

Even the cheapest MD player simply blows all mp3 players away.

simply not true, sorry!

[jupitreas]

simply not true, sorry!

hahaha

well, lets just say that even the cheapest MD player blows MOST mp3 players away then

[aafuss]

I like how easy it is to record a MD-much easier than having to use a iPod with a attachment =, then transfer the file to the PC.

The N510 lets me easily record and transfer music on my PC to a MD blank with little fuss.

Much better than the iPod.

[ratbagradio]

That may all be true in regard to audio quality but the minidisc doesn't offer the ease that mp3 devices do in regard to platforms like podcasting. If you listen to spoken word podcasts and podcasted radio programs, mp3 players are get up and go/take away essentials.

They're great for 'disposable' audio.

Why people would want to use them for listening to music amazes me -- the iPod generation will be one made up of retarded ears and it will set 'sound' back a generation at least.

Even my teenage kids only listen to mp3 music even at their computer desk.

But the main thing: horses for courses. The thing that amazes me so much about the minidisc format is that it's a superb recording device and an audio player -- all in one. And its built like a Rolls Royce.

Wow!. There's millions of ignorant people out there I reckon.

I've only got the one HiMD but I'm going to get another for playing audio so that I can just keep it plugged into a set of speakers as I build up my collection of music > MD recordings.

I get into discussions with community radio folk who reckon they'll give MD the flick for the newer flash recording formats like Edirol. But there's a price issue and a tape issue. And while it is easier to upload your audio to a PC that's what you have to do.

In many ways the minidv format in camcorders parallels the minidisc universe and there is a strong push , well advanced, to move beyond the mini-dv format-- despite the video quality and despite the ease of have small archival discs. Theres' this disdain being fostered for tapes or cassettes or discs as the web ether is supposed to supply all our media needs.

In fact, what's happened is that the world has be suckered into a fetish with digital squishing as though everything has to be processed through a computer and come out in DVD or CD format to be a 'real' commodity; all your whole collection of music must fit in your pocket (in the off chance that in the space of one day you'll want or need to play all 500 or 5000 or whatever tracks -- and share them with nobody outside a tinny speaker setup with a docking unit)

[Strungup]

And your computer in the Background quietly says , without your noticing it

" Resistance is Futile ,....... All will be assimilated , we will control "

[Petter156]

This was a pretty interesting read for me in my current situation.

I´ve been using Minidisc for 7 or maybe 8 years. A long time, anyway. But recently I´ve been looking to switch to an Ipod Touch.

I really like Minidisc. I love having a concrete physical medium to hold in my hand. I like having the artwork as a sticker glued on to the disc. I love how easy it is to record onto the format.

However, recently my RH10 has started to give me more and more issues. I´ve already had to buy a new battery for it a couple of times. It´s started to skip at times when I´m only walking with the unit in my pocket. The power gets randomly cut now and then, often enough for it to be annoying. All of this is leading me to believe I´ll have to get another music player soon. And minidisc is a dying format, I believe. It´s not dead yet since, obviously, we´re keeping it alive. But it´s getting harder to find discs and units, and the general trend is moving stuff into an all-digital world.

So, I just don´t know if it´s worth it to get a new MD Walkman if this RH10 dies. Because it is a hassle getting music from your PC to minidisc, at least compared to an MP3 player. And the iPod touch is very cool and easy to use. Then again I wouldn´t want to keep my entire music collection on my PC. And even bigger-capacity MP3 players have limited capacity. I´m looking at a 32GB touch, but that seems so limited. Then again, you could carry more music with you with a iPod touch - and you still have to swap out discs/music on an iPod at some point. Then there is the thing about sound quality... And the iPod outputs, what, 3mW to my headphones? Compared to the 5mW I get from the RH10.

Can you tell I´m conflicted? I guess a switch would have to be made sooner or later, I´m not just sure I want to. Not yet.

[pata2001]

And the iPod outputs, what, 3mW to my headphones? Compared to the 5mW I get from the RH10.

Dunno about the Touch, but the I think the regular iPods deliver 30mW on the headphone out.

[THIS SUCKS]

i read that too. regular ipod 30mW output

[Petter156]

Okay, maybe I´m getting mixed up - how much does the RH10 output?

[pata2001]

Okay, maybe I´m getting mixed up - how much does the RH10 output?

5mW. It's in the manual.

[Strungup]

Dunno about the Touch, but the I think the regular iPods deliver 30mW on the headphone out.

That would explain a lot about battery life , why they are struggling to get it better , 30 vs 5 is a pretty big difference .

And Why push 30 mw , of Not so great sound ,?? Louder = Better ???? not in my book .

[bobt]

That would explain a lot about battery life , why they are struggling to get it better , 30 vs 5 is a pretty big difference .

And Why push 30 mw , of Not so great sound ,?? Louder = Better ???? not in my book .

Back in the day in stereo shops they always played the speakers they wanted to sell a little louder than the ones you wanted, perception is all, even if it's wrong

Bob

[pata2001]

That would explain a lot about battery life , why they are struggling to get it better , 30 vs 5 is a pretty big difference .

And Why push 30 mw , of Not so great sound ,?? Louder = Better ???? not in my book .

What battery life? The iPod classic is rated for 36hours of audio. I don't see that as "struggling." Higher output means iPods can drive higher impedance headphones. Other players have around the same output too. Cowon products like the D2 even has 37mW output.

[Strungup]

What battery life? The iPod classic is rated for 36hours of audio. I don't see that as "struggling." Higher output means iPods can drive higher impedance headphones. Other players have around the same output too. Cowon products like the D2 even has 37mW output.

Have you actually seen the Battery in the iPod ???

they are WAY bigger than the RH1 battery , the RH1 battery ONLY has 370 ma Capacity , VS 2000 ma capacity or better of the iPod

so to take 370 ma and make it last as long as it does on the RH1 , considering all the tasks it is performing at its voltage level is a Marvel

To take well over 2000 ma ,and make it last 30 plus hours of JUST playing audio with no moving parts , or control systems integration , and laser management focus controls , bit decoding , or anything of the same nature .

to make that statement means you just do not understand electronics .................

36 hour on a huge capacity battery is NOT a magic feat ........ 12 -15 hours on 370 ma 's with all the Management systems involved ........ IS

[pata2001]

to make that statement means you just do not understand electronics .................

I don't (never claim I did), and neither do 99.9% of the consumers, which are the target of these products. All I see is I can play music on the device for x hours vs y hours. I don't care how the manufacture achieve that, and neither does everybody else. All I want is long battery life, and to me 36 hours is longer than 12 hours, simple. To me, a device with high-res color screen, higher output, a hard-drive, proper music playback, and video playback capability, yet can still achieve that sort of battery life is still a marvel. The original question is about headphone output. Having something that can drive more headphones and still have a good battery life is a plus for many.

Edited October 12, 2008 by pata2001