Need to get an MD - Thinking of getting the MZ-N910 or MZ-n10

[Kyouken]

Hello there,

I have a wedding reception coming up and the system they use is Mini Disc, I have never had

an MD player so know very little about general usage and the potential pitfalls.

I do not need Hi-MD (they said it needs to be MDLP) and I am thinking of getting an MZ-N910 or an MZ-n10

both seem to be well regarded. Is there much difference between the two?

The other question I have are based around copying music to the mini discs. Basically I want to transfer

some tunes from my PC to it which I assume you do via USB using sonic stage.

My question is can you use the discs and listen to the music in other MD players or are they locked to

the player they were recorded to?

Are the any other potential problems that I may not have even contemplated?

Cheers.

[sinus]

My question is can you use the discs and listen to the music in other MD players or are they locked to

the player they were recorded to?

no, they're not locked.

[Kyouken]

Thanks for the reply I really appreciate it.

[KJ_Palmer]

However, if you record in MDLP mode (LP2 or LP4), the disc won't be playable in non-MDLP units, ie. ones made before the year 2000 (and a few afterwards). If you record in standard stereo mode, the discs are playable in any unit.

The N910 is a very good recorder, though the N10 being a 'flagship' model (and 10th anniversary MD celebration unit) has a few fancier features. You can view their relative merits in the Equipment Browser on the minidisc.org home page.

Edited August 11, 2008 by Barock

[sinus]

However, if you record in MDLP mode (LP2 or LP4), the disc won't be playable in non-MDLP units, ie. ones made before the year 2000 (and a few afterwards). If you record in standard stereo mode, the discs are playable in any unit.

Yeah, but "they said it needs to be MDLP"!

Of course you can always download an LP2 as SP to the MD machine (if I remember correctly) but the quality will be LP2 or worse. real-time recording was not an option of the OP, right?

rgrds

[A440]

Do you actually have someone selling either the MZ-N910 or N10? They are not being made any more.

The N10 is impractical. It needs a DC adapter AND a cradle to recharge. The MZ-N910 needs only the adapter. I would hate to be dependent on a cradle.

For your purposes the MZ-N707 or even the MZ-R700 would be sufficient. But all of those MDLP NetMD units are going to be old.

[Kyouken]

Again thanks for the help everyone.

I am going to buy one off ebay and they seem to go for reasonable money. cheapest £30/$60

Recording wise I am going to do it in a couple of formats, best quality which i believe gives 80 min?

over two discs. The total amount of music at most will be 2 hours 30. Then again I may spread

it over a few discs as it will be stopped and started for entrances and exists and stuff. Not really

that relevant but that's how things will probably be done.

Recording wise is there any difference in quality if I rip my CDs to sonic stage and transfer to the MD

or recording live from the CD to the MD? I assume it is easier to organise things through sonic stage.

one more question is there much difference in quality of discs? any brands or types I should be aware

of good or bad.

[sinus]

Recording wise I am going to do it in a couple of formats, best quality which i believe gives 80 min?

over two discs.

Recording wise is there any difference in quality if I rip my CDs to sonic stage and transfer to the MD

or recording live from the CD to the MD? I assume it is easier to organise things through sonic stage.

one more question is there much difference in quality of discs? any brands or types I should be aware

of good or bad.

SP is the best quality you can get with legacy MD. on an 80 minute disc will fit 80 minutes. less quality = more space.

The best quality you will get with "live" recording from CD if you want to record in SP mode. In LP mode there should be no difference.

Best brand: TDK

worst in my experience: maxell

[THIS SUCKS]

if you use sonic stage you cannot record in true sp. you only get lp2 132k quality padded up to sp292k so your old machines will play it. if you want the best quality you must make th recording on the unit and set it to record in sp mode. use the computer and sonic stage for titling the sp disks and to transfer in lp2 132k mode. lp2 might sound good enough and you may not notice the difference. it is much easier to use sonic stage.

[A440]

More bad discs:

HiSpace

Memorex

Stick to Sony, TDK, Denon or Fuji unless you're desperate. You're probably not going to have much choice of disc brands.

Also, note, you won't be able to use 1GB Hi-MD blanks in the older units--just 74 or 80-minute discs.

-------------------

Make sure your Ebay seller posts a sharp photo of the unit and look at it carefully. Look for paint worn off the buttons or wear around the stick or wheel. If it looks really worn out don't get it, because repairing a broken unit is not cost-effective.

I have had good and bad luck on Ebay. One was a complete scam--broken unit advertised as "mint." Another was not working but the wheel that didn't work looked brand new, and I think the seller was just ignorant (and did an immediate refund). Others worked beautifully. Try to get some kind of guarantee from the seller, and test out every function of the unit as soon as you get it.

Definitely be careful about the N10. Someone might be selling just the unit without the cradle, or the internal battery might be dead.

Also, many people love the MZ-R900, which has a metal case that's more sturdy than most. You'll have to tape the battery latch shut if you're using the unit in a pocket for any stretch of time, because it opens too easily, but it was the top of the line at the time.

Edited August 14, 2008 by A440

[kino170878]

When you say bad discs, what exactly do you mean? That the discs become unreadable, or that the shutters break off?

I recently got a lot of minidiscs off ebay and many were Maxell. Should I get rid of them?

Edited August 14, 2008 by kino170878

[sinus]

When you say bad discs, what exactly do you mean? That the discs become unreadable, or that the shutters break off?

I recently got a lot of minidiscs off ebay and many were Maxell. Should I get rid of them?

Not if they're working - there are also good maxell blanks but if they have a plastic shutter you should be careful. had a five-pack of them and every single of them was faulty, and they were new. I just wasn't able to complete a recording and it was a vinyl recording!!!! :-!

[THIS SUCKS]

i have had several bad maxell disks with metal shutters they were from the color collection. the metal shutters fall off all the time anytime they feel like it. the recordings were fine . i just left the shutters off on some of the disks. they work ok with out them

[A440]

I just wouldn't use Maxell, Memorex or HiSpace for live recording or any important moment that can't be duplicated. But as long as you have the Maxells, you might as well keep them for portable music playing and more casual recording.

I've had Sony Hi-MDs go glitchy, too, for what it's worth. Not many, just a few. But we're stuck with them.

[Arr-Nine-Hundred]

I had an N910 agggeeeess ago which I'm now trying to source again - they look great and the volume/cue controls were pretty easy to operate (they are the compass points on a good size circular plastic control on the front of the player). The menu joystick though was very fiddly, especially as the stick had to be depressed to indicate selection. Sometimes this causes the stick to register up or down instead (had this problem with certain Sony TV/DVD remotes too).

If you need just MDLP though and you do not mind recording in realtime then you could save some money by going for an earlier model like the R900. If you buying to keep though the N910 is a great choice.

Edited August 19, 2008 by Arr-Nine-Hundred