damnspynovels Posted October 7, 2014 Report Share Posted October 7, 2014 Me again. So I just got the N707 in the mail. Have to say, this is the first portable I've held since I sold my R90 in 2001 - and I'm pretty shocked by the build quality (i.e. it's not great). Yes, I recognise that back in the day, the R90 was a more premium product (as were all sony recorders I think?) - and it wasn't until the next few years that cheaper models and plastic casing became more common. So I'm wondering what disadvantage I'd have from buying something like an R55 - which was pretty solidly built. Would there be any audible difference? If i record all my discs with my Type-R 940 in SP, would the playback on an R55 or other player from that era be any worse than the N707? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trott3r Posted October 7, 2014 Report Share Posted October 7, 2014 What atrac version did the r55 have? v4.0 or v4.5 would be fine. Are you using the r55 on the move? If so then if you dont have isolating earphones then you will not notice the difference. TBH I like my r50 and i doubt there will be much SQ difference between that and any of the other MD portables i have ie rh1 rh10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilippeC Posted October 7, 2014 Report Share Posted October 7, 2014 I am not sure that the Atrac version of the player have any matter if the record has been done with type R Atrac 4.5. Not sure but is this not just a question of the generation of the Digital-Analogic conversion ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted October 7, 2014 Report Share Posted October 7, 2014 This article may be of interest vis-a-vis R50 vs R55.http://www.minidisc.org/repair_info.htmlEveryone seems to say the R50 (and its contemporary/near-relative MZS-R5ST) is the best portable Sony ever made. As this is SP-only I have developed preferences on models with the newer codecs, and I think the second generation Hi-MD (RH10 and RH910) sound really good. Unfortunately the RH910(M10) seems to have a lot of problems in almost every case. The drier all-digital amps in EH70 and NH1/RH1 are some people's choice, however the analogue side of the RH10 has a very warm sound.Generally the Hi-MD units play all previous recordings very well. The reason for this may be the use of the more recent Type-S DSP chip in every Hi-MD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damnspynovels Posted October 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2014 This article may be of interest vis-a-vis R50 vs R55.http://www.minidisc.org/repair_info.html Everyone seems to say the R50 (and its contemporary/near-relative MZS-R5ST) is the best portable Sony ever made. As this is SP-only I have developed preferences on models with the newer codecs, and I think the second generation Hi-MD (RH10 and RH910) sound really good. Unfortunately the RH910(M10) seems to have a lot of problems in almost every case. The drier all-digital amps in EH70 and NH1/RH1 are some people's choice, however the analogue side of the RH10 has a very warm sound. Generally the Hi-MD units play all previous recordings very well. The reason for this may be the use of the more recent Type-S DSP chip in every Hi-MD. Settled then, I'm on the look out for a relatively mint r55. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted October 8, 2014 Report Share Posted October 8, 2014 Settled then, I'm on the look out for a relatively mint r55.Huh? That article goes on and on about how the R50 is better, doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damnspynovels Posted October 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2014 Huh? That article goes on and on about how the R50 is better, doesn't it? oh so it does. i get them mixed up. i can see why the guy thinks the r50 is the best one made, considering his thoughts about putting buttons on the casing where there's fragile parts beneath etc. i just don't like the look of the r50 personally. i had an r30 and it seems pretty similar - although i will admit the jog wheel was great for titling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddyjollo Posted October 10, 2014 Report Share Posted October 10, 2014 I think the Sharp budget MT-88 & 99 are the best made portables - solid ally case that is quite thick, mostly metal, very little plastic. I have 3 of these things bought from a clearout of Argos UK long time ago, I thought then that if they last me 3 years each I have 10 years of use - the first one still going strong & the other 2 untouched other than now and then give them a bit of use to make sure they dont degrade. The one I have been using all these years looks a bit tatty from all the finger touching. Has a very nice clear display also. Compare that to the Sony NH 600 and you see how cheap and nasty this later budget model is, even if it sounds good - and the display is not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another MD fanatic Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 I always used to use Sharp portables, MT20 & SR75 to be precise, and I used to swear by them. That was until I got a Sony MZ R700. Without doubt the R700 has a more detailed sound, there are definitely bits of low level detail that I can hear more prominently. Of course whether or not this would be noticeable listening through some earbuds while on the bus to work is debateable. But I do think it's sad that as the technical specs and features of most MD's increased over the years the build quality decreased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDietrich Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 oh so it does. i get them mixed up. i can see why the guy thinks the r50 is the best one made, considering his thoughts about putting buttons on the casing where there's fragile parts beneath etc. i just don't like the look of the r50 personally. i had an r30 and it seems pretty similar - although i will admit the jog wheel was great for titling. The problem of the bending casing was exaggerated IMO. The MZ-R 50 bends too if you push the two buttons beside the display with too much force. I have yet to find reliability problems for R 55 models. And you´re right: the R 55 is beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arr-Nine-Hundred Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 Me again. So I just got the N707 in the mail. Have to say, this is the first portable I've held since I sold my R90 in 2001 - and I'm pretty shocked by the build quality (i.e. it's not great). Yes, I recognise that back in the day, the R90 was a more premium product (as were all sony recorders I think?) - and it wasn't until the next few years that cheaper models and plastic casing became more common. So I'm wondering what disadvantage I'd have from buying something like an R55 - which was pretty solidly built. Would there be any audible difference? If i record all my discs with my Type-R 940 in SP, would the playback on an R55 or other player from that era be any worse than the N707? What I've noticed is that from the introduction of NetMD the cost-savings started coming in and maybe the build quality took a hit (maybe Jim Hoggarth can confirm?). So you'll have an aluminium front case but the rear will be plastic (N707) versus all metal (R900 and similar vintage). The newer portables had Type-S which is the only advantage but it's only a marginal improvement anyway. Give me solid build quality and my all-metal case of the lovely R900! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 Give me solid build quality and my all-metal case of the lovely R900!My only 900 arrived busted. What about the 909??? That seems a killer on build quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDietrich Posted October 22, 2014 Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 My only 900 arrived busted. What about the 909??? That seems a killer on build quality. The R909 is more fragile than the R900. I have them both and I´m afraid they all aren´t the most robust units. The last indestructible unit was the R90/91 IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted October 23, 2014 Report Share Posted October 23, 2014 I have the R35 and the RH1 and I must admit the RH1 is incredibly fragile looking. In fact out of all the audio players I have ( DAP, Cassette, MD ) it is the one least likely to be used purely because of the build quality. The R35 on the other hand is built like a tank, it really does feel like a premium product and it sounds pretty good too. MD was a massive leap in SQ in the nineties. I love cassette but the R35 leaves my WM-DC2 for dust despite it being one the best ever cassette Walkmans...............apologies, I digress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.