Trouble or Bad Luck

[JVCRob]

Hi,

I have a MDS-JB920 and I've run into a problem, but I'm not sure what's going on.

For the past 2 years I've been using either Sony or TDK discs with no issues at all, but recently I obtained some NOS Maxell XL-II & MD80 and I can't record on them.

The unit behaves as though it's recording but when I try to playback the disc it just skips and stutters, but if I put a Sony or TDK back in and it records and plays back perfectly.

So, have I bad batch of Maxell Discs, a pending fault on my unit or something else?

Thanks

Rob

[bluecrab]

I thought I had just replied to this, but I'm not seeing my reply, so I will try again.

Quite possibly "something else."

From http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDS-JB920.html :

Problems:
The disc drive mechanism has been shown to be finicky [link follows] when loading
discs, however Sony knows about the problem (an internal technical information bulletin has been published to SONY Service centers).

http://www.minidisc.org/jb920_slot_fussiness.html

Other users have reported Maxell-specific problems with this unit. For example:

"The 920 is the second MiniDisc Recorder that I have owned. It replaced a Sony 510 that had a bad case of loading errors.
Thankfully, I bought an extended warranty with the Sony 920. . .eight months out. . .it gives constant C-13 errors on Maxell Golds
The Good Guys of California are eating it on this deal. . .the solution is a new loading
mechanism (the one sold with the units is too narrow for the range of
acceptable tolerances of minidisc media)."

============

I think I have seen similar elsewhere. So even if you're not getting the C13 error, there could still be a problem with the Maxells. If it is worth your while, acquire an MD that is not Sony, TDK, or Maxell and see how that works.

[JVCRob]

Thank you for this, very interesting read.

I've checked through my MD collection and they are all either Sony or TDK, will have to see if I can acquire some other types maybe Sharp... on another note however I tried the Maxells in my Sony MZ-R501 portable recorder and they work great. Not tried playing back in the 920 though.

What would be a good step up from the 920? A 940 or 980?

Thanks again.

[bluecrab]

If the Maxells work OK on your MZ-R501, that would be further reason to suspect the 920 and not the discs.

The 940 would be a good step up from the 920. I have one, currently in use. The 940 is one of the great bargains in hi-fi, not just MD, IMO. It's easy to use, fully featured (incl. MDLP), and sounds very good. If you can find one in good condition at a price reasonable for you, I'd say grab it.

I have no experience with the 980. Never released in the US, I believe. At least one other member here (sfbp) has the 980, and perhaps if he sees this he will chime in. The 980 does have Type S, which could be important if you're using LP mode.

Then there's the 930. Again, I've never had one, but I know it's non-MDLP and that some 930s have a problem in Divide Rehearsal mode on the last track of a disc.

You can see much more about the 930 and many more units here: http://minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html

There are also some high-end MD decks you could consider: MDS-JA20ES, MDS-JA333ES, MDS-JA555ES, MDS-JA50ES, et al. However, most of these are hard to find and costly, when you do find one. I have the JA20ES and the JA333ES - I just got lucky a couple of times on the price. They do sound just great, though, especially the 333ES. But if you are happy with the 920's sound and features, there's no real need to leave the 9*0 series.

Good luck with it all!

[sfbp]

I like the 980, it's one of the last if not THE last deck they manufactured. As Bruce states it has the CXD-2664R chip which means Type-S.

I haven't used a 940 but I have several machines with the same DSP chip in, the CXD-2662R and I would say that they're highly reliable, even for LP2 and LP4.

Since you're in the UK, the 980 is a good choice as it only works on 230V. I had to use a step-up transformer for mine.

The 980 also has NetMD, but it's a bit slow and you can not send digitally from MD to PC.

[jim.hoggarth]

I have never had such a problem with the MDM-5A drive as used in the JB920. One of the links you include reads like advertising blurb to me, with no basis in fact. And I have never come across any reference to a redesign for the MDM-5A chassis or slot mechanism. Indeed, I actually regard this drive unit as the most reliable Sony ever made.

It seems to me you just have a ;aser unit that is 'fading' and needs replacing. That would account for a 'weak' track on recording, or an inability to read that track back without so many errors that the error-recovery coding cannot reconstruct the signal.

Jim

[PhilippeC]

I have a JB980 too.

[JVCRob]

Would you be able to repair this Jim?

Thanks

Rob

[jim.hoggarth]

Yes I would Rob. I will reply to your email soon - I am way behind with emails due to bad health (again!) and will get to yours eventually.

Jim

[bluecrab]

If Rob and/or Jim would be so kind, could the outcome of this, assuming there is one, be reported here? Thanks!

[jim.hoggarth]

If Rob and/or Jim would be so kind, could the outcome of this, assuming there is one, be reported here? Thanks!

I will try to remember to foolow up here. If not, give me a nudge.

Jim

[bluecrab]

Hi Jim,

DId you ever get around to this, Jim? I mean, work on Rob's 920? If so, what did the problem turn out to be?

Thanks,

Bruce

[SileEeles]

Probably late to this topic but I had some sealed Maxell XL-II 74 discs with when I bought my MZ-N510 unit and they have worked perfectly on both of my devices (510 and JE440), in fact the majority of my discs are all Maxell, the only one that's aren't are a couple Sony premium gold discs and a couple of 80 minute discs. The rest are Maxell. Never a single problem. Hope it gets solved if it is not already

[Syrius]

Another vote here for the Maxells. Have some that have been ticking for almost 15 years now, with no problems. Some Fuji brand discs started to develop pin holes and chipping on the magnetic layer in just about 4. Probably cheaply-made and simply bought by Fuji, and re-branded by them.

Hope to hear soon from the repair project.

[jim.hoggarth]

If Rob and/or Jim would be so kind, could the outcome of this, assuming there is one, be reported here? Thanks!

Due to the repair attempt on the write head (not down to Rob, but the prior owner), and the other fault I assumed to be the optical pickup, I simply replaced the drive unit with a known good worker. I have yet to try fix the original fault.

Jim