Couple of questions on HiMD

[Tom in RI]

Firstly, thanks to everyone who has contributed to this forum and especially to the owners for keeping it open. I have been lurking for a week or so and its been a great source of information. I have an MZ-R700 that I bought in 2001 or so and I have also inherited an MZ-R70 that I had bought for my son. He doesn't listen to any portable players at all, typically only on his computer or my stereo (kids!).

I have been happy with my player but haven't really used it all that much since I do most of my listening in the car. I am using it occasionally though and I wanted to know if the advances from my unit to the HiMD units are primarily in ease of use with regards to size of media and getting music from the computer, and I suppose, live recording. I have done almost all my recording via optical cable from an HHB Burnit 830 which I use mostly for cd playback at home. My question is, is there a significant upgrade in sound from the R-700 to the HiMD units or are the adavnces primarily elsewhere? If I look into an HIMD I have already narrowed it down to the MZ-NHF800 or the MZ-NH600D because, if I understand correctly, these two take a simple AA battery.

The other thing I am a little intrigued about is what other brands of MD are held in high esteem here. I saw a review of some Sharp units with the one bit and digital amp (Auvi) here somewhere that was glowing but I can't seem to find again. Were these units retailed in the US?

[bobt]

The biggest advantage of Hi-MD is the ability to digitally upload what you have recorded, as well as more capacity, if I were me I would get the 800 over the 600 because of the mic input, and slightly better quality of construction.

Have fun

Bob

[Tom in RI]

Thanks Bob. This is where I get a little confused. If I understand correctly, you can record in several different modes. So, any ATRAC mode is compressed when it is uploaded to the computer? Is it transcoded to wav as it is uploaded? Or is this a choice you make as the whether its wav or mp3? I really don't understand what PCM is, is that wav also? If so, can I use a wav editor, such as Goldwave, to edit that tracks at that point or do I need to do something else to them first?

[dural]

Hello there "Tom in RI"

You can upload the tracks in their original format in SonicStage and then convert to WAV (effectively exporting the file OUT of SonicStage) with Hi-MD (can't do that with pre Hi-MD units). PCM is essentially a description of the untouched waveform (i.e. no compression applied) it stands for Pulse Code Modulation. So recording in PCM mode would be the very best quality over the Atrac modes, although Atrac3plus SP (256kbps) is quite amazing really and only the VERY VERY discerning would identify any differences - as you would probably expect.

Your last question is a "Yes" - you could certainly use the WAV files exported out of SonicStage anywhere else you like, that support WAV.

Hope that helps.

[Tom in RI]

Well I have just picked up an MZ-M100. Very happy with it so far. I have a question about he gumstick battery. Evidently the unit hadn't been used for some time and when I charged the battery it didn't hold the charge very long. I put it aside and started using the dry cell attachment. But in reading the manual I noticed Sony recommended charging and discharging the battery several times. I am now on my third cycle of charge/discharge and it seems the battery is coming back to life. This seems counter intuitive to me. How many cycles would you guys recommend to charge/discharge? Thanks is advance for any help.

[Avrin]

Gumsticks used in RH[9]10/M10[0] tend to have their contacts oxidized quite quickly, even when not in use, and this leads to a seeming loss of capacity.

So I would recommend cleaning the contacts with a cotton cloth before using the battery. Then discharge it completely, and fully charge/discharge it again three times. This should give you optimal capacity. And don't forget to clean the contacts on a regular basis.

[Tom in RI]

Thanks Avrin, I seem to be having a little problem with recharging. When I plug into the ac adapter and push the button to charge, everything seems fine. But the unit stops charging within a few minutes. I push the charge button and it begins again. Is this an indication that the battery is indeed played out or is there something wrong with the unit?

[gujarati]

I have the same problem with my RH910. Gumstick battery won't hold a charge. And when I start charge, it charges very quickly but doesn't really charge. The battery and player was not used for last 2 years.

I also have an mz-e75 that I never got to work with gumstick (tried 3 different ones) , but works with external pack fine. Any suggestions?

[DreamOn]

I have the same problem with my RH910. Gumstick battery won't hold a charge. And when I start charge, it charges very quickly but doesn't really charge. The battery and player was not used for last 2 years.

Any chance that the battery's dead? dunno how good gumstick batteries are, but my old laptop's battery died in 2 months after no use...(NiMH battery, if you were wondering)

[Avrin]

If a clean gumstick refuses to charge properly, most probably it is dead.

[Tom in RI]

Gosh, I feel stupid for asking, but, is there any way to discharge the battery besides running it in the player? The GP's came in yesterday's mail along with a charger.