stargazer_tom1 Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Hi guys, Been using my NH1 lately for the fact that it sounds awesome compared to many flash based players i have been using over the past years (cowon s9, nwz-a818). I have been comparing SP and hi-sp aurally and i think i prefer sp in terms of subjective sound quality. Hi-sp is great as it sounds fantastic and you can fit loads more on a disc than sp but i think sp has a slightly better sound to it. Technically should hi-sp sound better as its a more advanced and "newer" codec than standard sp. I have also been pondering about high-end md decks i cant seem to understand how a $1000 md deck is justifiable. Are you not better off to buy a $1000 cd player to listen to you music if you initially ripped your cd collection to md? Can someone please tell me if it is truly possible to rip a cd to md and the md to sound "better" than the CD? I really don't understand why such expensive md-decks exist. look forward to your answers!! Thanks guys!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilippeC Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Here you have right now a huge choice of decks << 1000$. Prices are not decided yet (imagine just the work to take dozens photos every day, to check current european prices on the web and to care about your work and your family at the same time) but coming soon. http://forums.sonyinsider.com/index.php?showtopic=24831 On my opinion, my SP only Sony MDS-B5 deck sounds much better than my MZ-RH1 at 352kbps. Sadly I cannot compare to an Onkyo Hi-MD deck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philippeb Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 On my opinion, my SP only Sony MDS-B5 deck sounds much better than my MZ-RH1 at 352kbps. Sadly I cannot compare to an Onkyo Hi-MD deck. I concur. A MDS-JA333ES deck playing SP sounds better (to *my* ears) than any Hi-MD codec played by the MZ-RH1. Deeper, warmer, softer, more analog-like. You can easily find new or used decks for less than $500 on Ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stargazer_tom1 Posted December 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 so what do people prefer hi-sp or sp in terms of sound quality not portability etc? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted December 13, 2009 Report Share Posted December 13, 2009 so what do people prefer hi-sp or sp in terms of sound quality not portability etc? Thanks! IMHO sound is subjective, what you want to sound better, sounds better. To be truly objective, not subjective, you need two or three sources, all matched to the Db in volume, playing the same material, at the same bitrate, and have someone else, switching randomly the source. Only then can you see if you really notice the difference. After all that has been sais, I do concur, that Sony devices have a dufferent "sound" than other devices, but unless it it is rigidly controlled, it is hard to say which "sounds" better. JMHO, pardon for the rambling Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilippeC Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Bobt is right like you know. Everybody as his own criteria. For example I like so much the sound with DFX Audi Enhancer that I re-record most of my MDs from my computer after ripping in Flac format my Cds. Perhaps I get a little far from original sound but it is the sound I prefer. It will not be the same for classical music I think (quiet music in general), so I will correct my jugment at that moment. Also, now that I got my first deck, a professionnal one, MDS-B5, I don't listen any more to my walkman at home ! The difference of dynamic is huge. Sound better perhaps because sound is louder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stargazer_tom1 Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 I agree sound "quality" is extremely subjective what sounds better to me might not sound better to you. I just want to know if hi-sp is a better codec than sp in terms of its ability to mimic the source precisely as opposed to the obvious smaller file size than sp. I know SP was designned to be indistinguishable from a lossless source to most people is high-sp even better at capturing compressed audio and being indistinguishable from the source? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcou Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 I concur. A MDS-JA333ES deck playing SP sounds better (to *my* ears) than any Hi-MD codec played by the MZ-RH1. Deeper, warmer, softer, more analog-like. You can easily find new or used decks for less than $500 on Ebay. Try miles Davis "kind of blue" , and you will change your mind: sp is full of horrible artifacts, while atrac3+ 352kbps is cristal clear... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philippeb Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 Try miles Davis "kind of blue" , and you will change your mind: sp is full of horrible artifacts, while atrac3+ 352kbps is cristal clear... Garcou, I carefully emphasized that my opinion was 100% subjective. My ears do not appreciate Miles Davis (sorry). And I actually prefer MONO over SP (so does my wife). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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