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What is your favorite SP-only unit?

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Christopher

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I was listening to my MZ-E7W [pics in my sig], and the question came to mind,

What's your favorite SP-only unit? I think the MZ-E7W is mine for it's unique backlit watch remote functionality, definitely oddball. :happy: I assume the 'R50 will be popular with quite a few people, and some others. What about you?

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Hi kurisu, I spent a long time trying to find a MZ E7W with no luck, they must be very collectable now. I can't help wondering why the wireless remote models never seemed to catch on. I have a couple of SP units the MZ R37 and the MZ F40. to tell the truth I haven't even used them for a couple of years, but I would use the F40 if I had to only because of the radio, even though the fm tuner only goes up to 100MHz.

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Hello aihe. :happy:

The E7W is indeed a rare model, and I was quite surprised I was able to pick a somewhat near-mint one off eBay for only $100 US! It doesn't get much use these days, as I find myself not having much time to sit and enjoy some music.

I see that you have two [!] MZ-E606W's! Are they both the same color, or what? I know it's a MDLP model, but it still is pretty keen. Looks like you have a pretty good collection of md units, period.

btw - How's the radio reception on the F40?

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You managed to get your E7W for US $100 near mint! I seem to remember that they were pretty expensive when they were first released (US $350 plus?) You must have been rapt to find a deal like that - good on you.

Both the 606's are silver. At the time I got them from HyperJacks that was the only available colour. (I think I would have gotten one of the blue ones)

It is a great model (if only it had a radio I would use it exclusively for listening) Nowdays I use one of the 606s and the 810 for playing/recording.

I've just dusted off and tried the F40 (hell its bigger than I remember) the radio reception is as good as all the other models, the only drawback, apart from its humongous size and weight, is not being able to access the FM stations above 100MHz.

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Not bad, I suppose..have you ever desired another SP-only unit, though? Surely the E300 isn't at the top of the list for you..

Trouble is, never owned any other SP only units that I liked, and I'm happy with a mix of SP and LP2 recordings. Love to have an R50 or an R91 I guess, but probably won't get round to it now...

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Haha - she'd likely kill me if she knew how much 'disposable' income I've spent on this little hobby... I've been a bit better lately, but God help me when Hi-MD comes out. :wacky:. Then again she's had the benefit of getting some old units of mine. And I have to do the recording as she won't touch that side of things...

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  • 2 months later...

My only SP-only unit is the Sharp MT831, but it's my favourite unit of all the ones I own (including MDLP units). I've never really used MDLP anyway, so the 831 feels like a fully functional unit.

What I really like about it are the details - I think it was a pioneer for MD units. The charging cradle is really well thought out, allowing operation while charging the battery. It has features, which may have been the first time implemented on an MD unit(not sure about that), such as a defeatable beep and backlight on the remote, as well as defeatable features like auto play.

The other thing that I like about the unit is the accessories. The remote is easy to operate with the jog dials, which also come in handy for titling discs. The AA battery pack is also nice and solid, unlike the ones on units from other manufacturers.

Of course, there's the meaty 10mWx2 amp, great sound quality, simple layout, solid craftsmanship, and stunning looks. Combine all that, and you've got one solid MD player.

I don't use the unit much for recording, but if I did, I'm sure I could write a couple more pages on how well it performs at that as well.

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I picked myself up an R30 at the weekend.  So that's my favourite SP only MD now - my first "classic" unit. It is huge however, compared to say my N910.  That line out is sweet though and the lack of motor noise is something to behold...

I just found an R30 at a yard sale yesterday for $15 US. ^.^ It's scratched up pretty bad and the paint is peeling off in places, but it works wonderfully.

It really is an interesting unit, but it is friggin HUGE. >.>; It does really have quiet operational noises... haven't used the line-out for anything so I don't know how good it is. >.>;

But it sounds pretty okay (recorded a disc last night on it) for being as old as it is, althugh nothing compared to a disc recorded with my R900.

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Yeah, I got my R30 cheap too, not that cheap, but in very good nick. I'm using it mostly with the battery add-on pack (2 AA's) as it didn't have an adapter. Now that's what I call HUGE - the whole thing just fits in my old cassette walkman case and weighs a ton.

Sounds good when Type-R SP tracks are played on it, and with an amp and good phones it really comes into its own. Now I know what I've been missing all these years...

Cheers

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I curse the day that I sold my Aiwa AM-F70; that was quite a recorder back in the day. Sure, it was sort of dorky looking and tape-player huge, but the EL backlight (and backlit buttons), jog dial, and track search functions were sweet. Never mind the bad battery life and the little head-magnet that had to be constantly glued back on to be able to read discs....

I recently picked up an old MZ-E40 for all of $20. It's for the console nook in my car (the front LCD panel and controls are perfect for that), and works great. Some old things actually are good so long as one has a reasonable use for them.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I started with a generic, but nicely working R37. Sold it and got a Sharp SR60, which I love above everything Sony makes, except for the 10 sec antishock protection.

Got also an E 35, but I find myself going back to the SR 60, as it seems to be just right in every aspect.

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used to own an r50 until my sister lent it to someone and they trashed it. just remember it was a very sturdy unit, with great battery life (it had a removable lithium ion battery) and a jog wheel which made titling easier than the forward and backwards keys. also remember it was the first to have a backlit remote.

also have a r91 which is on its last legs i.e. occasionally does playback but no record.

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  • 2 weeks later...

MZ-R50. :happy:

Oh, but I imagine I'm a wee bit biased. :grin:

(Also sometime in Oct. I'm going to buy my friend's MZ-R37 for like $20. She uses a N410 now, so she has no more use for it. I figure why not. :laugh: Maybe I'll do some comparisons for the hell of it. :rasp: )

One SP-only unit I've had my eye on is the MZ-E35. I love the stylings of it (or lack thereof).

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  • 3 weeks later...

All things considered, my MZ-R50. This was an early Japanese released model that with the right combination of button presses would shut SCMS off: even saying so on the display. The firmware was updated on the model to defeat this within a month or so of it's release, but I got the early buyers advantage.

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The r50 is thick like a brick, and twice as silver!

Seems a few of us like our tanks..... even if mine is broken.

The R50 certainly has some heft to it. It's nice to open it up and see that all of the inards are made from metal as well. Best construction of '97. (That's when my unit was manufactured anyways. :happy: )

Zombie, your R50 lacks recording ability right? (Or has it gotten worse. :ohmy: )

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