Very new to Minidisc, which one for me?

[emptythetill]

Hello.

So, I've decided I need to drop the MP3 players I own in the bin because after buying some new Grados the iPod's are sounding terrible, no matter how high I encode the MP3. So, as the only MP3 player which will sound good and play lossless is the Cowon which I can't afford right now, I thought about going to minidisc and recording from my Mac onto the disc in super good lossless quality.

But, which player is right for me? I'll be recording directly from my Mac, it doesn't need a mic on it, I'd prefer something with a rechargeable cell in it, and the headphone jack needs to be in a sensible place as the Grado jack is big. I'm not fussed about brands, I just want great sound in my ears and a fairly OK battery life.

Any help would be great.

Regards, A.

[bobt]

Hello.

So, I've decided I need to drop the MP3 players I own in the bin because after buying some new Grados the iPod's are sounding terrible, no matter how high I encode the MP3. So, as the only MP3 player which will sound good and play lossless is the Cowon which I can't afford right now, I thought about going to minidisc and recording from my Mac onto the disc in super good lossless quality.

But, which player is right for me? I'll be recording directly from my Mac, it doesn't need a mic on it, I'd prefer something with a rechargeable cell in it, and the headphone jack needs to be in a sensible place as the Grado jack is big. I'm not fussed about brands, I just want great sound in my ears and a fairly OK battery life.

Any help would be great.

Regards, A.

At this time your best bet is the RH1 or M200 ( which is the RH1 with a mic), they come with mac software, and you will be hooked. Check the classifieds section, levanel has a nice one for sale.

Bob

[emptythetill]

At this time your best bet is the RH1 or M200 ( which is the RH1 with a mic), they come with mac software, and you will be hooked. Check the classifieds section, levanel has a nice one for sale.

Bob

Hello.

Thanks for the reply, I've hunted but sadly it seems that player costs more second hand than a new Cowon S9! Maybe I'll start lower down the range, whatever I end up with will be better than an iPod I guess.

Now I just need to learn how to record good quality onto the thing.

E.

[Geissler]

What iPod have you got, and did you try .wav, .alac or .flac on it?

5 & 5.5G iPods can sound very good.

Can you even play flac on an ipod without hacking linux onto it?

Encoding mp3 at a higher bitrate would probably be an easier solution - but I suspect your gripe is with the actual ipod.

Just search the classifieds for any "netMD" compatible player, if you want to be able to download songs via USB. If you can live with realtime transfer and have a good soundcard, then get one of the classics with 80min discs. If I'm not mistaken the MZ-R50, MZ-R55, MZ-R900 and MZ-R37 are all held in pretty high regard.

[tekdroid]

Hello.

So, I've decided I need to drop the MP3 players I own in the bin because after buying some new Grados the iPod's are sounding terrible, no matter how high I encode the MP3.

Keep in mind Sony units have 5mW+5mW (into 16ohms) headphone outputs. If your headphones are high-impedance, you won't get great volume levels out nearly all Sony portable gear, MD included. Also keep in mind the small possibility that your headphones might not just be suited to the source or your ears...there's always that possibility. As for the big plug on the Grado, consider using a standard 3.5mm plug-to-3.5mm socket extension cable so as not to damage the MD, especially if it sticks out a lot and is pulled on.

Otherwise, enjoy

Keep in mind also that there are Sony models that play lossless and might sound great (except that lossless will be WAV, not anything like FLAC... so it's more cumbersome tagging-wise and size-wise..). Cowon is definitely not the only choice. Also, if net hype is anything to go by, certain Sandisk models are out now playing FLAC and apparently sounding good (I personally wouldn't trust anyone's idea of good sound without listening myself, but if that's something you might like, check out the Sandisk's Sansa Fuze and Sansa Clip).

http://www.sansa.com/

Otherwise go MD, especially if you are into recording live (and/or from optical and line in) and want decent remotes and a battery that can be switched anytime, anywhere, and doesn't need surgery and skill and $$ to replace when it eventually dies. I'd suggest an MZ-NH700 which has to be sourced second-hand now. It runs on a single AA battery. I know you wanted rechargeable but IMO everyone should have a charger and spare AAs now. You do, right? If you are OK with lossy audio and MD (which many like the sound of), there are far more you can choose from (with nearly always better build quality) in the regular MiniDisc range, and they nearly always run on an AA, too.

Edited March 14, 2009 by tekdroid

[Juan22]

Hello!

If you are looking for quality and not quantity, get a Minidisc player...its cheap, easy to use and sounds great.

If you want to TRANSFER files from the computer into the discs, you have two options, a NetMD or a Hi-MD. NetMDs' wont give you the best quality, the will give something around 132 KBPS, and another thing, you can not transfer your recordings into the computer (using sonistage that is. there is a trick to do this). If you get a Hi-MD you get the best quality (CD quality/linear PCM) and you will be able to transfer your recordings into the computer using sonicstage. (even on macintosh computers)

My personal advice to you is to get a MD, the earlier ones. (wich have no USB connection), you have to record in real time, analogue, do a bit of editing etc. but the soundquality is amazing! sometimes even better than CDs. I have two MD models, one from 1999 and 2000, and they work perfectly, sound great, look great....nothing better(for me at least).

So you have three options as for Minidisc, choose the one that you consider best!

Edited March 15, 2009 by Juan22

[A440]

Sorry to be a party pooper, but MD is not the sensible solution for most people's portable music player needs, especially someone new to MD who'd have to start chasing down used equipment and elusive blanks.

Look for a solid-state player that plays .flac or .wav, or a slightly older hard-drive player (like the Cowon iAudio X5) for more capacity, or a player that gets good reviews for sound quality. iPod has always touted its design and convenience, not its sound.

Minidisc doesn't have the capacity of the hard-drive or solid-state portable players, and it's way too inconvenient for use as just a player. Blank discs are also getting harder to find. Old MD units are playing compressed music, and while 256 kbps SP--one album per disc--sounds good, it's still compressed sound rather than full-on fidelity, and it's going to leave you with a whole stack of discs to deal with.

The site www.anythingbutipod.com is a wealth of information about mp3 players. I love my minidisc as a recording unit, but only a few diehards would recommend it now as a medium to get started with.

Encode your CDs to .mp3 at 256 kbps or 320 kbps or alt-preset-insane on LAME, get a player known for sound quality like Sansa Fuze or something from Cowon, and take it from there. Even the dinky little Sansa Clip is supposed to have good sound quality, according to reviews.

[kino170878]

Sorry to be a party pooper, but MD is not the sensible solution for most people's portable music player needs, especially someone new to MD who'd have to start chasing down used equipment and elusive blanks.

Look for a solid-state player that plays .flac or .wav, or a slightly older hard-drive player (like the Cowon iAudio X5) for more capacity, or a player that gets good reviews for sound quality. iPod has always touted its design and convenience, not its sound.

Minidisc doesn't have the capacity of the hard-drive or solid-state portable players, and it's way too inconvenient for use as just a player. Blank discs are also getting harder to find. Old MD units are playing compressed music, and while 256 kbps SP--one album per disc--sounds good, it's still compressed sound rather than full-on fidelity, and it's going to leave you with a whole stack of discs to deal with.

The site www.anythingbutipod.com is a wealth of information about mp3 players. I love my minidisc as a recording unit, but only a few diehards would recommend it now as a medium to get started with.

Encode your CDs to .mp3 at 256 kbps or 320 kbps or alt-preset-insane on LAME, get a player known for sound quality like Sansa Fuze or something from Cowon, and take it from there. Even the dinky little Sansa Clip is supposed to have good sound quality, according to reviews.

I think the beauty of minidiscs is the removable medium. They just look cool, sound fantastic, and there's nothing else like them.

I agree about the low availability of discs, this is a big problem. I wouldn't encourage anybody to start fresh with this format right now unless you have specific requirements on the recording/editing side. However if you really want to experience your music collection and actually *listen* to tracks rather than just fly through them then minidisc is probably best for you. Sound quality is a priority with all Sony devices, it's the one thing they've always got right.

Edited March 17, 2009 by kino170878

[bobt]

Sorry to be a party pooper, but MD is not the sensible solution for most people's portable music player needs, especially someone new to MD who'd have to start chasing down used equipment and elusive blanks.

Look for a solid-state player that plays .flac or .wav, or a slightly older hard-drive player (like the Cowon iAudio X5) for more capacity, or a player that gets good reviews for sound quality. iPod has always touted its design and convenience, not its sound.

Minidisc doesn't have the capacity of the hard-drive or solid-state portable players, and it's way too inconvenient for use as just a player. Blank discs are also getting harder to find. Old MD units are playing compressed music, and while 256 kbps SP--one album per disc--sounds good, it's still compressed sound rather than full-on fidelity, and it's going to leave you with a whole stack of discs to deal with.

The site www.anythingbutipod.com is a wealth of information about mp3 players. I love my minidisc as a recording unit, but only a few diehards would recommend it now as a medium to get started with.

Encode your CDs to .mp3 at 256 kbps or 320 kbps or alt-preset-insane on LAME, get a player known for sound quality like Sansa Fuze or something from Cowon, and take it from there. Even the dinky little Sansa Clip is supposed to have good sound quality, according to reviews.

really beg to differ, I've got an 80 GB ipod, and several MD's, I prefer the md's any day, spend more time looking for music on the pod, simple disc change on the MD, plus most AFAIK mp3 players don't have remotes, so you have to take them out of pocket etc, and refine your choice, if the guy wants MD, help him out, if you don't like it, well!!!

Bob

[KJ_Palmer]

Not much minidisc promotion happens around here anymore. Too late for that probably. Oh well, never mind...

Edited March 17, 2009 by Barock

[Juan22]

If he took the time to search this forum, create an account, tell us about his problems etc. then thats because he is interested on MiniDisc! otherwise he would just go buy an ipod...dont you think? he knows he wants a MD, lets help him choose one that suits his needs. he has the mp3 experience and he now looks for something else, he decided to investigate this format and I assume he is expecting us here to help him.

If I were him, Id be frustrated with those answers. I assume publicity and people around him are telling him to buy the ipod, but hes looking for something else, so he comes to this minidisc forum expecting information and insight into the MD system...then all he gets is a reply telling him ''sorry, MD is dead, get an ipod''...

The MiniDisc format is not popular, never had been, but as long as theres people interested or curious (like him) then its still alive, I strongly encourage you to get a MiniDisc, try it, and I bet you will like it.

I live in Colombia, and even here I can get all the blanks and hardware I could ever need...and even if the stores stop selling it theres always the internet.

get a used unit, try it, and if it turns out you dont like it you can just sell it again.

Sometimes one might think one is the only person still using this format...wich is good in a way, but then you see someone else with its MD and you know this format is not dead. last week I was on the bus coming home from university and I saw this girl with my same unit in her hand, it felt great to see other people enjoying the format!

Edited March 17, 2009 by Juan22

[bluecrab]

last week I was on the bus coming home from university and I saw this girl with my same unit in her hand, it felt great...

Juan22, I am glad for you - perhaps even envious - and hope the rest of your bus ride was equally enjoyable. You DOG, you!

;-)

If I am being anglo-centric here, then I refer you to

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=unit

[garcou]

I ve made several blind testes to compare pcm vs atrac3+ 352kbps (ripped in high quality): it is very hard to distinct them, even with difficult musics like Miles Davis Jazz.

I use PCM on 1GB himd for very important musics, and atrac3+ 352kbps (high quality ripped) for others.

To listen in the street or in the car (using MZ-nh900 combined with connects2 adapter and sony cd car reciever), 1GB disc full with 6 hours atrac3+ (high quality ripped) recordings is more than perfect.

Anyway for all recordings, I make a lossless bakup using AAL (advanced atrac lossless)- high quality - 352kbps (bitrate of the lossy part), and I keep it on DVDs.

When I want to offer a copy for a friend or my girlfriend, I use this backup: transferring a complete LP record (60 min of music) to 80 min regular MD with MZ-RH1 takes less than one minute: and you obtain a tip top quality recording !

for French md lovers, the cheapest way to buy 1GB hiMd are:

http://www.busiboutique.com/cgi-bin/shopdi...catalogid=57651

(shipping 8 )

http://www.e-avantage.com/product_info.php...ducts_id=180017

(shipping 6)

[Juan22]

Juan22, I am glad for you - perhaps even envious - and hope the rest of your bus ride was equally enjoyable. You DOG, you!

;-)

If I am being anglo-centric here, then I refer you to

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=unit

Needless to say, by unit I refer to my minidisc model hehe. but she was pretty good looking too and yeah it was a very pleasant bus ride in deed, mainly because I managed to get a seat, instead of having to ride on foot for the whole hour!

cheers

[jpteasy]

Ah, a new MD recruit. i wish my friend could also understand the value of MD in 2009.

To help in your quest to decide if MD is for you I have given below the reasons why i personally use MD. To make all aware i have various mp3 players including iPod and so I believe i can be slightly unbiased.

- I like to make playlists, or in the old days "a disc". Its funny because I find myself using the same playlist that I have created for an MD to make a playlist on my iPod Touch.

- A HiMD disc is the equivalent of two or three iPod shuffles, but because of the removable nature you don't have to use a really low bit rate. You can use Atrac3+ at 48kps but you don't need to.

- The sound quality of all my MD units is crystal clear dependant upon the encoding. I have returned recently to standard MD recording via optical as its just as good as PCM to my ears.

- The ease at uploading HiMD recordings to Sonicstage is marvellous andif done using PCM can be moved onto a hard drive etc for other uses.

- The Li-Ion battery in my 10 year old MZ-R35 is still going strong

- My MZ-RH710 can last for days on a standard alkaline AA battery

- The shock protection in HiMD players is so good you'd think it was solid state

- I have too much choice on my iPod Touch and I find I am flicking through songs whereas I listen to them when I choose a disc as your mind has committed to the selection

- I use my iPod Touch and my Sony Ericsson Walkman phone as temporary music players if ever I don't have my HiMD with me.

- For me personally, to get satisfaction from my iPod and Mp3 players I need to encode them in AAC at 192kps. i can't afford space and time to mess around with FLAC and once recorded in a lossy format its a big no, no to convert to a smaller size

- I can record any sound source with the right leads

- if my PC broke I wouldn't need it to record my music

I hope the above helps a little. at the end of the day it is how "you" enjoy your music

I'm currently stocking up on blanks of standard and HiMD nature because i know eventually the supply will dry up, but I know for certain that my units and discs will last at least a further 10 years because of Sony's build quality and the versatility of the power supply. Who knows Sony may revisit like the have done previously with the cassette Walkman.