dannox02 Posted May 19, 2004 Report Share Posted May 19, 2004 Hi all, I'm looking to purchase something to replace my old portable CD player and MD seems to look like a good alternative to a CD/MP3 player but I'm not sure what to yet. btw, I'm only willing to spend less than $200 Cdn. Anyway... I have a few questions: 1) There are two models I'm looking at from Sony MZN420DR and MZN510. The 510 is not displayed on sony.ca anymore but I can still get it a futureshop. Anyone know what the differences are? Which would you recommend? 2) If I go with the 510, does it come with the old software? Does sony provide free upgrade to version 2? Will it work with the 510? 3) I've been poking around this site and it looks like there are some alternatives to the sony software like Nero. But I'm still pretty confused about how files are actually transferred to the MD. I've been importing all my CDs with iTunes into MP3 format.... if I transfer these to MD do I get song names, artist, album etc.? How long does it take to create a MD from MP3s? Finally, since these MDs don't offer line in recording (and I wouldn't use it anyway)... the only good reason to get a MD over a new CD/MP3 player is size/portability.... any thoughts? Well, let's start there... I'll probably have more questions later.. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anont Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 Finally, since these MDs don't offer line in recording (and I wouldn't use it anyway)... the only good reason to get a MD over a new CD/MP3 player is size/portability.... any thoughts? Battery life is much better, and you can just replace the AA battery instead of re-charging. If you're not going to be recording live music on it, I'd only recommend an MD if you go on long trips where the battery life is important... Because, CDs are more convenient (in that you don't have to record CDs to your MDs), cheaper (both to purchase, and that you don't have to buy blank MDs), and have better sound. Also MP3/CD players mean you can listen to MP3s should you want. And MP3 players are smaller, hold more music, and are generally more convenient. Plus the MP3 software for MDs is just terrible. Then again, if you're on vacation or on the road, having to drag along an iPod re-charger (which often doesn't work with foreign electricity) is kind of a drag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannox02 Posted May 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 Well, when I say CD/MP3 player, I mean a portable CD player that plays MP3 discs. I'm not really considering a standalone MP3 player because they don't have enough capacity... and the ones that do (i.e. iPod) are too expensive and have really short battery life. I'm looking for something with high capacity and long battery life... I've been doing some more research and it looks like the 510 has line in and AC power (plus a car kit accessories), but the 420 doesn't (sony seems to really love removing features from new products!!!). The only disadvantage I can see to the 510 is that it comes with the older software, and it doesn't look like sony offers free downloads of version 2. On the other hand, I've read so many bad things about the software that I'd want to use realone or nero for creating MD.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squaredcircle Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 Don't worry about the software. http://www.sonydigital-link.com/DNA/nmd/nmd.asp?l=en Or here: https://secure.thefilingroom.com/signin.asp...ilingroom%2Ecom user: sonicstage password: minidisc Converting MP3s to MDs (which use ATRAC compression) means compressing them twice, with loss of sound quality. You're better off using Simpleburner (the good part of the Sony software) to go from CD to ATRAC. But if all you want is something to play your MP3s, save your lunch money for an Ipod mini. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJ Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 If you have a lot of MP3s already, MD is more of an investment (you have to have Sonic Stage re-encode your MP3s to Sony's ATRAC format, and as squaredcircle said, that gets messy). The portability is pretty cool, and the MD discs are nigh invulnerable (I've had one on my dashboard for a month, in the sun, and it played fine this afternoon). Also, consider a Panasonic CD/MP3 player--good battery life, nicely built and will play a 10-hour MP3 disc without blinking. If you want something smaller, they do make 3" CD/MP3 players. It's a weird compromise, but boy are they cute. Can't vouch for the battery life, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannox02 Posted May 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 Thanks for the replies I'm getting closer to a decision here :wacky: What about the 510CK vs the 420? I'm definetly leaning towards the 510 since it's only $30 more and has AC input + line in. Is the 510 a decent player? I guess I don't really have a whole lot of choice for the price range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mAjEsTiC Posted May 28, 2004 Report Share Posted May 28, 2004 the 510 is a decent enough unit for the price...otherwise wait till the new Hi-MD units come out... :happy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkmaster Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 I bought one of these units back in December 03 and have been very happy with it. I use it in my truck with the car kit, and as a traditional walkman. Plus my girlfriend keeps liberating it to take to school with her :-) Sonic Stage 1.5 (included) is a very stable and easy to use program, but has the drawback of three checkouts per track. I did however find it very easy to import my MP3 files as well as rip my CD's into it directly. I've been playing with Sonic Stage 2.0 lately and it doesn't seem to like my MP3's, but i'm not sure if it's the program or just me trying to use it while exhausted. Plus the line in option is VERY handy, especially with Princess Auto selling the TOSLink cable for MD recorders for about $4.00 canadian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 hey maybe you can save about 30-35 dollars more to get an md with a remote? those are really handy. this is the cheapest model with one: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetai...d=&newdeptid=19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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