paulsrje Posted November 1, 2020 Report Share Posted November 1, 2020 I am looking to get my hifi set up back up and working,i have discovered a small problem,my existing md unit is a je 530.All my discs in the past 10 years are recorded at lp2. So looks like I need to buy a mdlp capable deck,the top of the range models seem to go for crazy money on ebay. I was looking at je 440,470,480 but cant find details, which is better? Any others I should consider? Thanks,I will go back to lurking after this as a lot of the discussions are a bit technical! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NGY Posted November 1, 2020 Report Share Posted November 1, 2020 Generally speaking, for MDLP playback a Type-S unit is the better choice. From your list above, it is the 480. But the audible difference compared to the Type-R units is marginal, as many people say. It also depends on what kind of music you listen to, and what is your amp/speakers setup. I cannot really comment on music genres, because it is rather subjective, but it does have its impact. On the stereo system: if your deck is (going to be) connected to your amp via digital audio (TOSLINK, SPDIF), then any device that already has such an output will do fine. Normally, there is no difference in the output digital audio stream, should it come from a higher or lower class machine, besides this Type-R/S thing. If you are using analogue audio connection (RCA), then the quality of the D/A converter - as well as the analogue output circuits' - comes into consideration too. As usual, the more expensive a device, the better is its analogue audio quality. sfbp can give a better picture on this, as he is recording in LP a lot, and he has multiple decks/portables in use, so he is very much experienced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted November 1, 2020 Report Share Posted November 1, 2020 Start by looking for a JE640. If you can't then a JE770 is good and additionally supports PC-Link interface (but not keyboard). The only type-S deck worth having is JB980 (the 780 is a bit flimsy by all accounts, as is the 770). https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-SONY-MDS-JE640-MD-minidisc-Deck-recorder-MDLP-compatible-very-rare/203088014924 Only problem is he wants way too much for postage. I'm sure you'll find something. Interesting trick: go through ebay and look at the concluded sales and see how much previous items went for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecrab Posted November 2, 2020 Report Share Posted November 2, 2020 If you do not require or want optical output on the MD deck, then any of the ones you mention should be fine—probably the 480 has the best specs of that lot. Many details (including all the 4*0 series) here: http://minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html I have 3 MDLP decks: MDS-JB940, MDS-E10, and MXD-D400 (CD/MD). Each has its own charms. I have also owned the MDS-JE480. Best of luck to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted November 2, 2020 Report Share Posted November 2, 2020 Agreed, this 480 looks good. You can even add optical output after the fact. Somewhere on this board are the details. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SONY-MDS-JE480-Mini-Disc-Player-Recorder-Deck-Stereo-ATRAC-MD-LP-MD-Remote-GWC/154150070016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M1JWR Posted November 2, 2020 Report Share Posted November 2, 2020 7 hours ago, sfbp said: Agreed, this 480 looks good. You can even add optical output after the fact. Somewhere on this board are the details. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SONY-MDS-JE480-Mini-Disc-Player-Recorder-Deck-Stereo-ATRAC-MD-LP-MD-Remote-GWC/154150070016 thats way top end of price range for one of those, apart from the type s and what features it provides, the 480 and 470 seem to be neigh on identical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgallen Posted November 2, 2020 Report Share Posted November 2, 2020 The 480 is likely to be the most affordable, but the 4xx series overall are heavily cost-reduced machines, built to a price to get MDLP and minidisc back into the mass market in the early 2000's. Very little I/O, no headphone jack, minimal buttons, basic display. 7xx and 9xx series have more features but eBay sellers want silly money. So if you're dabbling and you just want "a machine" then the 480 (or 440 without Type-S) will be fine. If you want something a bit more elegant if you have a nice hi-fi setup and deeper pockets then look further up the range. YMMV. 440 and 470 look like the same technical specs to me. The 440 case style is similar to the 520/530. The 470 (and 480) is the "E-line" case design. To review the terminology - Type-R gives "the best" SP *recording* but doesn't help MDLP. Type-S gives "the best" MDLP *playback* but doesn't affect recording or do anything for SP. I think the only Type-S decks are the x80 series. Type-R started with the MDS-JE530 deck which you have, which is an SP-only machine as you know. Regards, Kevin ETA - I'm with Stephen, the 640 looks a beauty. What about this one for less money than that 480 and it has the remote: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-MDS-JE640-Black-High-End-Minidisc-Deck-Minidisc-Longplay/184237759042?hash=item2ae56d1a42:g:ZSUAAOSwAppebTw- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NGY Posted November 2, 2020 Report Share Posted November 2, 2020 So funny how some guys trying to sell on ebay. 145€ for a 640 - even with remote included - is near to a "rip off". Few months ago I sold my spare 640, in near mint condition, barely used, remote/carton/manual/cables included, for about 75€ equivalent. And that was rather a high price that time, and I was glad I found a buyer. Back to ebay: I saw two 480-s on the UK site today, listed as faulty, with some drive/disc error, for 29,99 GBP. Both seems powering up, migh just be the belt. But even if the OP is gone, with a spare from axxxxpress for 18...20 USD these could be made fully functional again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulsrje Posted November 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2020 Thanks for the advice. Looks like a 480 for me as that fits into my price range. A 640 does look tempting though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfbp Posted November 2, 2020 Report Share Posted November 2, 2020 The 640 is probably my most loved and most reliable deck. Add that the fact your Euro-version comes with Coax on the second digital input, I think compared to the other one, it's probably an ok purchase. I had to change the belt, I think. All deck prices seem to have gone up in lockdown this year, everyone opening up their store cupboard and using MD again. If you need the convenience of the computer control, then you want a 770 (it's the only one available in non-domestic - "domestic" = Japanese for this purpose - model //except for the PC3// which has the PC-link interface). You'll still need a PCLK-MN10 or 20 but these don't cost that much to get from Japan as they are not heavy. Even then you have problems because I'm still too lazy (or incompetent) to figure out how to force the 32-bit PCLKUSB.sys driver to work on Windows 64. I'm sure it can be done, but I keep hoping someone else will do it. The PC3 is really nifty, can act as DAC and ADC, and is tiny. If you want to do really nasty tricks to get audio in and out you may need something that defeats SCMS, like the Behringer 2496 Ultramatch Pro - but I'm sure that can wait until you've "got the bug". Did you check the historical selling prices? You can easily see which decks didn't sell, too (eg for silly prices like 999.99 for a JB980). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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