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How much should I hoard for a lifetime of MD use?

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Arr-Nine-Hundred

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I realise this is an open-ended question but I'm wondering how many units I should keep in my stock to last me... say... the next 50 years?

My usage is occasional use of SP and MDLP recording and playback. No Hi-MD. I have one R900 and one N710 unit in my "fleet".

I feel I have enough disks in my stockpile and I'll add the odd 5 or 10 pack once a year. However I feel I need at least one or two portable recorders in storage. The R900 and N710 are two favourites so I reckon I should get one of each at least. These are mechanical devices after all.

I'm just curious at the approach of my fellow MD users :)

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In case of a mechanic or an electronic problem of an unit in very good aesthetic condition, think of buying the same unit "for spare parts" just in case. I think prices will grow up with time, so this is not a bad idea to search for such units from now.

The fact that 3D printing exist nowadays, is also good news.

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50 years thats a long time. When I bought 3 Sharp portables long time ago I thought that was rather a long time view, thinking that maybe 3 year each and 10 years altogether -I am still on the first... As for portables I wouldnt bother with any that use the tiny lithium batteries, you want ones that use AA, You can bet they will be still available in 10+ years time. re prices. I just looked at Ebay at decks and it seems that prices have gone up rather a lot. I bought 2 immaculate Sony JB 940 QS deck each around £70 about 5 years ago now, I see that ones lower done are going for 150+ silly prices

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I realise this is an open-ended question but I'm wondering how many units I should keep in my stock to last me... say... the next 50 years?

My usage is occasional use of SP and MDLP recording and playback. No Hi-MD. I have one R900 and one N710 unit in my "fleet".

I feel I have enough disks in my stockpile and I'll add the odd 5 or 10 pack once a year. However I feel I need at least one or two portable recorders in storage. The R900 and N710 are two favourites so I reckon I should get one of each at least. These are mechanical devices after all.

I'm just curious at the approach of my fellow MD users :)

There is no need to "hoard" or stash a bunch of MiniDisc items. There is no guarantee you will live long enough to enjoy them all fully. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Collect a few favorites and enjoy those, but anything else, just sell it off. Honestly, this one guy from Texas was an MD fan, had a bunch of MD units, blanks and pre-recorded MD albums. He passed away, and not at an old age. He took none of it with him. His relative was left with all the MD items and sold them off. I happen to buy the pre-recorded MD albums that were left behind. Did I collect all these albums to keep? No. I sold them off one by one on ebay. So collect and few favorites and enjoy those. If you need MD blanks, there are plenty of people on craigslist nation wide that sell them cheaper than ebay. Good luck!

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My usage is occasional use of SP and MDLP recording and playback. No Hi-MD. I have one R900 and one N710 unit in my "fleet".

I feel I have enough disks in my stockpile and I'll add the odd 5 or 10 pack once a year. However I feel I need at least one or two portable recorders in storage. The R900 and N710 are two favourites so I reckon I should get one of each at least. These are mechanical devices after all.

If you love the R900 you should definitely get another one. Perhaps a brand-new unit. In my experience it´s an unreliable thing once it gets older. I own two (look almost like new from the outside) and both produce errors when recordings MDs (the ones recorded by the R900 won´t play well on others, doesn´t matter if portable or stationary). Of my more recent MD recorders, only the N510 records and works with good results. When it comes to reliability however, the best are in my opinion R30, R35, R50 and R55.

The best way to care for the portables is the purchase of a stationary unit. Use that for recording. The portable age faster when used for recording, their drive wasn´t engineered for long time recording. Playback however should work fairly well (because their laser only needs a tiny amount of power for playback compared to recording).

On the other hand, collecting these things takes time, money and effort. And all the while technology moves forward. I´m an MD fan but I´m well aware that my fandom (or the technology) won´t last forever so I´ve decided not to buy MD blanks or units anymore. If they go, they go. They´ve had their time, most of them have already lived long enough, I won´t replace them. And it doesn´t matter that I´d be crushed should one of them break.

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Good to see, I'm not the only forward thinking "hoarder". I probably have 10 portables. That counting the four Hi-md's I've acquired over the past six months. (3 of 4) are the same for that exact reason. Also, at the time it was cost efficient. Peeps were selling those units with one or two 1gb blanks. So I couldn't resist. The others are mostly mdlp units. I also have 3 decks, which I use to record tracks in my home studio. I also went through a phase of hoarding md blanks. I was smart enough to buy in bulk before my supplier got wind of the price hikings of others. I just wish, I was that smart about the Hi-md's though. I have at least 200 used blanks, plus another 80-100 new blanks. That should last me for the next 10-20 years I hope. If not, I'll go back to eBay for more.

We are unique in our enjoyment of such niche items. It's only right that we would want to preserve our ability to continue enjoying them. But, I've been hooked since '89. I still have a need for the last RH1's, to feel complete. Sometimes, its all about the chase...

Peace...Netm8kr

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I think i got 2-3 thousand used blanks and a couple of 100's new wrapped.

Maybe 4 or 500.. :-D

Concerning the Units iam right now clearing my stock a Bit.

If one is in the need of getting a Hi-MD Unit just ask ;-) I think i got enough .More then i could ever use for sure :-P

Cheers :-)

Dang dude! I thought I was out of hand! I am going to make my wife read your post! ;-)

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I don't think so. MD came out in 1992.

But the sentiments I agree with.

Hey, that was a long time ago. It gets a little fuzzy (LOL). I do still have my original bundle from '92. My parents gave me the option of that or the phillips cd recorder that was also new then. I had already chosen the MD route, when they told me my other option afterwards. I'm happy I went this route. I have always chosen the path less traveled.

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  • 3 months later...

My 15 year old JB930 seized up with an MD inside. Many thanks to AV Services in Mitcham, London who fixed the problem. (£100).

 

As a result of this, I purchased another JB930 from E-Bay.(£155).

 

My JB920 is still working as is my MZR55, both purchased in 1998.

 

Again from E-Bay, another two MZR55s (£86) and with a stock of over 150 blank MD60/74/80 I should be prepared for any possible problems in the future.

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I think i got 2-3 thousand used blanks and a couple of 100's new wrapped.

Maybe 4 or 500.. :-D

Concerning the Units iam right now clearing my stock a Bit.

If one is in the need of getting a Hi-MD Unit just ask ;-) I think i got enough .More then i could ever use for sure :-P

Cheers :-)

 

Do you own any EH series Hi-MD players?

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