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Going for an older recorder

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andy29

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Hello, I have an MZ-NF610 and a Sharp deck, and I was thinking about making my next buy one of the older portable recorders for a change, like the MZ-R3/30/35/50. I know the quality won't be the best and there won't be things like MDLP, but that's fine. I just wondered if there was anything I should watch out for...

I like the idea of being able to use AA batteries, and I see that you need an external holder for most of them. It looks to me like you really have to get one with it, because unless I've been searching for the wrong thing it looks like they're expensive and difficult (for what they are) to get separately - unless you guys know where to get them? Also I've noticed that the R3 seems to be the opposite way around to the others, using AAs itself and a lithium pack in an external holder. That seems like the better way since you can recharge them without taking them out. But does it work like that, and do any of them refuse to work with Ni-MH AAs, especially if you don’t have the internal pack? Or is it better to not worry and just go with a lithium pack - do the ones you see on eBay tend to be any good?

There are things I've noticed while looking around here which wouldn't be immediately obvious, like not being able to (easily) turn AVLS off on the R3 without the remote control. Is there anything else like that, or any reasons to avoid any of them?

Thank you for any advice, I hope I didn't blab on too much.

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Personal experience only here, both MZ-R2 and MZ-R3 can often suffer from weakened laser read suspension, leading to intermittent ability to read/play discs -  there is a workaround fix, but it is tricky to do. MZ-R5ST is really a very good acquisition indeed and the R30/35/50 derivatives are very reliable too.

 

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I actually don't use portables all that much—I do have a few, and I recently acquired an MZ-N510 to use with PC/SS. Although I've never owned any of the machines you note, I will say that the R3 sticks out from that list (not in a good way) because it is ATRAC 3, while the 30/35/50 are all ATRAC 4. That's a bigger gap than it looks like numerically. Since you have a Sharp deck, you could also consider an older Sharp portable.

Edited by bluecrab
typo
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Heh, the MZ-R5ST does look very nice, probably a bit too nice for me at the moment though. Maybe I will put it on the list of things to get one day. I actually got the NF610 a decade ago, the NetMD attracted me but it sadly got pushed aside by a 128MB MP3 player after half a year or so. I listened on the bus to college with earbuds and didn't take much notice of the quality. It's only recently that I've come back to it and I'm trying to make better use of it. How things have changed.

I see what you mean by the laser read suspension problems... that's exactly the kind of surprise I was worried about. It's a shame they decided to use the cheaper parts.

I didn't realise the older versions of ATRAC would be such a big step back. My Sharp deck is actually an MD-R1 MKII which I didn't notice was so old until I've just had a look. I wonder how it compares. Maybe I'll have to have a play with some sounds.

Seems like it's narrowing down to an R30/35/50, or a Sharp one.

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I would go for a sharp MD-MT88 OR 99 I have a number of these and have nice thick metal cases that shame later models from any brand. They take an AA battery,  can be recharged in situ, have a mic input and also optical/line in, is also LP2 & LP4 - but has no tone controls. I bought 3 of these ages ago thinking that if they each last 3 years I have 9 years. I am still on the first one, very  tatty but sound. Also has a nice  large non recessed display AND  unlike Sony ones will erase discs that have been  protected  ( not with the tab of course ) They normally come with a small remote control.

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i didn't realise the older versions of ATRAC would be such a big step back. My Sharp deck is actually an MD-R1 MKII which I didn't notice was so old until I've just had a look. I wonder how it compares. Maybe I'll have to have a play with some sounds.

Hi folks.

Just record your MDs in SP mode (better with a type-R recorder) and then listen to them with your old MD player ;>)

 

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Freddy, those Sharps look great. Looks like they do plenty of things, and I like that they do sound activated recording too. Shame about the lack of date stamp, but there you go. Seems like they don't tend to go for much money at all, especially if you consider that you don't need to buy a special battery or AA holder as well as the recorder itself. Being able to use and recharge an AA with no extras is very attractive.

Philippe, it's useful that the old units will still play newer SP recordings, at least it lets you still make some use of them if you need a good quality recording.

Edited by andy29
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I have two old units : MZ-R55 and MZ-R35 . My brother doesn't use its MZ-R30 anymore so he will get it to me one of these days. I like these old units, they are buil like a tank and are more like micro-decks that portable units for me.

Edited by PhilippeC
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 I like these old units, they are buil like a tank and are more like micro-decks that portable units for me.

​Me too, my first MD unit was an MZ-R30 in 1997. I tested it out the other day on mains and it still works flawlessly. Wasn't game to test the weird rounded rechargable battery which I still have. I still have all of the hundreds of recordings I did on it from optical on PDCP and they still sound great. Those were great recordings. Definitely a mini deck.

Last year after I sold my Hi-MD walkman and discs (ebay prices too good) I bought a mint MDS-JB980 for a good price. I'm still playing with it and as a DAC it is great and I think I can top my R30 recordings with Type S and analogue source from SACD but not by much.

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I have a JB980 too. Use it like a DAC too.

Sorry footmobile, SP recordings (R30) cannot be "topped" by type S. Type S enhance LP recordings during listening. But, you can re-record your old albums (I know this is one of Hercule's Jobs) with a type R unit like your JB980 (Type S include type R). 

 

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I have a JB980 too. Use it like a DAC too.

Sorry footmobile, SP recordings (R30) cannot be "topped" by type S. Type S enhance LP recordings during listening. But, you can re-record your old albums (I know this is one of Hercule's Jobs) with a type R unit like your JB980 (Type S include type R). 

 

Thanks for your reply Philippe,

Yes my CDP-991 redbook CD player isn't a slouch in the DAC department but the 980 is just better so I run optical from it to the 980 then analogue from 980 to amp. Also have my DVD player usually occupying the coax input.

Ah yes when I referred to Type S on the 980 I was aware that it includes type R, but wasn't aware that only type R is the active system for SP recordings even on a type S deck.

As for re-recording I don't have a lot of the CDs I recorded in the 90s. I was in a Japan club at university in Australia and the Japanese and Australian students pooled their CDs for MD recording. I also joined up at a japanese convenience store in Sydney to rent their CDs and VHS and dubbed a lot of stuff from there..

Since then I have actually acquired the original CDs to a lot of stuff I recorded then (Jpop CDs from the 90s are now dirt cheap in Japan) but now I'm actually more interested in recording live concerts onto MD from laserdisc. I'm happy with the quality of the recordings I made on my R30 and now want to record new and different stuff I guess, just hopefully a little superior on the 980...

Edited by footmobile
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IIRC, the CDP-991 has a CXD-2552 DAC, while the 980's is CXD-2664 (there could be a letter appended to either or both). So it's no surprise that the 980 might sound better. I do something similar with my Kenwood MD-9020 (AD-1855) and MDS-JA20ES (CXD-8735N); that is, opt. out from units with lesser DACs and so forth. That includes running opt. out from my MXD-D400 (Type S) through the JA20ES. Makes the 400's LP sound even better. 

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