Guest Anonymous Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 Hello, I'm new to MiniDisc, and am trying to decide between these two models since they seem to be about the same price. I'm an anthropology student who would be using the MD for recording interviews that I'd later transcribe. I've gotten the impression that Sharp is generally better, but the Sony just seems to have a lot more features. Any comments on quality or longevity? Although I don't know much about MD right now, I'm sure I'll fall in love with it once I have it, so extra features wouldn't hurt (maybe this NetMD thing would be good to have?). Also, since I'm a college student without a ton of money, and these units both run around $200 (yeah, if I poke around I'm sure I can find them for a bit less), I was wondering if there were any older models that people would recommend (that I might find on eBay or such for $100). Or is buying older models risky since they'll probably die soon? Thanks, Tamara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugo Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 I am no expert, but I would think Sony MZ-N707 might be better for you. It uses common AA battery and has a much longer battery life. Frankly netmd is a pain to use, but it is a good feature to have. When you want to download audio files from computer to MD, netmd can do it pretty quickly. Have you considered Sharp MD-MT770? Its battery life is far away from N707 and it doesn't have netmd. However, as a recorder, it is very very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 I am also in the same situation as ttempeh between Mz-N707 and the Sharp MD-MT190. My use for these would be recording my bands rehearsals and also other bands live shows. I also have soon Boss BR-532 digital fourtrack for my home musicmaking needs(I am a guitarist), so I would also need to record directly from the 4-track to MD. NetMD would be also nice feature. I have heard and read that the Sharps have better mic input so that they would be better for live music recording. But will I manage with a Sony unit(I am not a terrible freak when it comes to sound quality, but it would be nice that the sound would be clear as in no distortions or cracks etc..). Type of music I am dealing with is mainly loud metal/hardcore/punk in small clubs etc. What do you think? Help is appreciated!!Choosing an MD unit is almost as difficult as choosing a digital camera--->I spent 4 months looking for a camera--->bought Canon A40. Thanks! -A-BH Finland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystyler Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 The MT190 is a great recorder. No frills, honest and tough. The "features" on Sony units I've found are either gimmicky, or next to useless, and the novelty soon wears off. I find Sharps much easier to use, and they are the live recorder's choice. If you have $$$, then look at the MT770 and DR7. Despite the claims, the battery life is faily simialr to Sony units. Sharp also conduct more "real-world" tests for battery life, but both manufactures (esp Sony) like to exaggerate. So take ALL manufacturer's battery life figures with some salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 The MT190 is a great recorder. No frills, honest and tough. The "features" on Sony units I've found are either gimmicky, or next to useless, and the novelty soon wears off. I find Sharps much easier to use, and they are the live recorder's choice. If you have $$$, then look at the MT770 and DR7. Despite the claims, the battery life is faily simialr to Sony units. Sharp also conduct more "real-world" tests for battery life, but both manufactures (esp Sony) like to exaggerate. So take ALL manufacturer's battery life figures with some salt.Thank´s for your quick answer!What am i missing in the NetMD feature if I end up with Sharp? Is NetMD any really good? In my knowledge, the only useful use for NETMD is the downloading music from the internet and it is not even possible to transfer MD-->PC straight but you need the additional MD-unit for this. Am i right? The idea of getting music from i-net is good but what about in reality? Thanks again for answering my newbie questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 Furhter to the Sharp issue I stumbled accross these units: IM-MT880 IM(MD)-MT899 These are NetMD-units. Any experience on these units? I didn´t find the EUR prices for these.Anyone? These might be also a good alternative to the world of Sony NetMD´s live recording in mind etc.. Thanks for comments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugo Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 They are basically the same, one is US version the other is Europe and Asia. You got the best of both worlds. The only 2 drawbacks are: netmd is not as fast as Sonys (about 8x in LP2?), it is quite expensive (even more expensive then DR7). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugo Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 sorry, it's more like IM-MT899 is for Europe and IM-MT880 is for the rest of the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystyler Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 NetMD is great if you own MP3s or wish to copy CDs fast, but the best quality you can do is LP2, as NetMD's "SP" is an upsampled version of LP2, designed to work with non-MDLP units. NetMD also allows you to title all discs via your PC. If you want NetMD+Sharp, the the IM-MT880 is the Japanese model, and the IM-MT899 is the rest of the world model. It is really an MT770 (MT888) that is slightly redesigned and includes NetMD. And Sugo hit it on the head, all non-Sony NetMD units download at half speed, AFAIK. Sharp Australia recommends $829AUD for the MT899, but you can find it for around $580AUD. So, assuming you don't pay full Sharp retail, you'll be looking at around 190 Pounds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugo Posted February 21, 2003 Report Share Posted February 21, 2003 IM-MT880 is the Japanese model, and the IM-MT899 is the rest of the world model. oops ... I double checked, Mystyler is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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