GA Russell Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 I don't crosspost normally, but this time I will. I have already asked for opinions on AAJ and Jazz Corner, and I am interested in the views of the Organissimo gang. I'm thinking about buying a MiniDisc player/recorder. Do any of you have one, and if so what are your opinions? Do you have a model to recommend? Net MD or HiMD? Or is an mp3 HD like iPod the way to go now, and if so why? All informed opinions welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom in RI Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 I bought my first mini disc player three years ago and have since bought two more (presenting the others to my two kids). I've been happy with the 3 Sony players we have. From what I understand the compression system used by minidisc players is considered inferior to that used by Ipod. Still, for a small portable I haven't had any issues with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgraham333 Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 I have used a Sony Mini-Disc player for several years. I currently have the MZ-R90. I used itprimarily for travel. I'm using past tense because I am now using the Rio Chiba 256mb flash based MP3 player for my portable. Mini-Disc was great for good quality recordings and for portability, before you could get hundreds of songs on a device the size of pack of gum. Making Mini-Discs is a bit more difficult than copying mp3 files to a device. So now my MZ-R90 is just sitting in a drawer, along with a few dozen discs (mostly compilations) that I recorded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 I've had my Sony MZ-R30 portable since around 1998. I've also had a Sony MDS-JE510 stereo component for several years. In terms of performance and utility, both of these have been nothing less than superb. I'm still using the same rechargeable battery pack for the portable, and it holds a charge far longer than any other rechargeable device I've ever used. Recording with either has been a breeze (I've used the portable to record off the computer). I haven't explored the capabilities of MP3 players, but I wonder if they can do all the things an MD recorder can do (the things that CD recorders- at least the stand-alone type- can not), such as dividing and combining tracks, moving (sorting) tracks, etc. I've always enjoyed the editing capabilities of MD. No doubt you can travel a bit lighter with MP3 players due to their storage capacity, but I've never wanted for more when I've traveled with my MD's. In one of those CD travel cases (that were designed to hold a portable CD player and a few discs), I can get enough MD's for a three week vacation and never listen to the same thing twice. I guess it would be nice to have the capacity of an MP3 player, but then again it would be harder to decide what to listen to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 I've used a MD recorder ( ultra cheap Sharp model- built in timer to allow programmed recording ie night time) for the last 5 years or so to record radio broadcasts of jazz on the good old BBC, only recently have I changed to recording to my harddrive directly and burning a CDR from there. MD by comparison sounds nearlyas good and is far more user friendly. I've not explored MP3 but don't feel the need to carry around thousands of compressed music files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonym Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 Funny this should be brought up right now because I am planning on buying and iPod this afternoon! I have used MD as portables for about 4 years now. The first top of range Sony broke when I dropped it on kitchen floor tiles. Insurance replaced it with the then top of range Sony (the N1) NetMD. I have used this less, aminly because work situation has changed; ie. I had the old one on 4-5 hours a day at work -- perfect for the job. I have, as many have, recorded jazz broadcasts onto MD in LP2 and still listen to these at home, albeit with expensive Grado 'phones. I want the iPod because, well it's an iPod, and on trips I won't have to make decisions about which MDs to take. I am only to blame being a bity of an anorak because all my MDs consist of 2 to 3 max. albums in their entirety. I can't bring myself to make or listen to compilations. Also I have this idiosyncratic method of putting for example, all of my Jarrett ECMs on to discs containing other Jarrett represented on ECM, no other label etc. I'm sure I am not alone here in these ways of the jazz or music fan. Have a look here, MD forum for a very biased and youthful look at the pros and cons. BTW, new model 20gig iPod, engraved, with free delivery --- £219 from Apple.co.uk I am tempted. If you fancy my Sony Net N1 with discs (about 50 pre-recorded 2 to 3 albums per disc), carry case, remote and spare, brand new battery from N1, plug ni compartment for AA battery, Open MG software disc etc., in box. Make me an offer. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybleaden Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 I have had a few minidiscs for years and think they are great and were sooooo much better than discmans for skipping etc Saying that I am getting close to buying an mp3 player for the ease of transfer etc but will keep one of my minidiscs I am sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardbopjazz Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 I bought the very first Mini Disc player in 1995. Sony MZ-R2. I loved it. I have a MZ-R30 as well as a unit that is part of my stereo setup. Get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 Like Clunky I use my minidisc (I have both fullsize and a portable but both are budget items) for recording from the radio. The beauty of the minidisc is the editing facilities and their ease of use. I'm not sure I'd recommend minidisc for any other purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 One advantage of recording LP's onto minidisc instead of CDR is that you can index the tracks whenever you want to (after the recording is made). With my stand-alone CD burner, I have to monitor the recording and hit an indexing button after each track. If an OOP LP I've recorded on MD comes out on CD, I can easily erase that LP from the MD and reuse the disc space. I don't know the average size of an MP3 player, but my portable MD fits easily into a shirt pocket for walks and bike rides. How is it "easier" to record onto an iPod than an MD recorder? I don't see how recording an MD (whether from radio, LP, CD, CDR, or cassette at the stereo; or from the computer using a portable) could be any easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 I use minidisc for recording from radio, too. It seems that the compression is not as much as it is with MP3s, thus sound quality seems to be better (I read an article in a German newspaper on this topic, recently, and they said minidisc was still the best among "walkies" and portable sound devices - obviously they didn't include CD/CDRs). Editing is extremely easy with MD-players, you can set marks during recording, or after - like an old floppy you can "save" the disc, then you can't delete it accidentally, can't move tracks etc. I have many LPs on MD as well, and if I don't really sit down and listen, I often just put in the MD-copy. I only have a small player (have had three, all Sony, the first two gave up, each after maybe two or three years of heaviest use), but you can of course always connect such a "walkie" with a hifi-set. ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockefeller center Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 (I read an article in a German newspaper on this topic, recently, and they said minidisc was still the best among "walkies" and portable sound devices - obviously they didn't include CD/CDRs) A Sony ad for their ATRAC3 format? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 (I read an article in a German newspaper on this topic, recently, and they said minidisc was still the best among "walkies" and portable sound devices - obviously they didn't include CD/CDRs) A Sony ad for their ATRAC3 format? Didn't seem so, no, was in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine" and to me it seemed well-informed and serious, but then I am not at all an expert... It was sort of a comparison of the available formats allowing digitalization of music. ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted August 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 Thanks for your input, guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcoliv Posted August 25, 2004 Report Share Posted August 25, 2004 i´m an enthousiastic about minidiscs. i have 2 models in the house both from Sony. the sound quality is far away superior than mp3s. Marcus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted August 25, 2004 Report Share Posted August 25, 2004 This is the model I have--it has great sound and has proven to be very reliable. It is amazing how long it will run on its rechargeable AA battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted August 25, 2004 Report Share Posted August 25, 2004 Nice lookin' unit, Chris. Here's mine, photographed from different angles : Very informative site: http://www.minidisc.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vibes Posted August 25, 2004 Report Share Posted August 25, 2004 Jim, thanks for posting those pictures of your player. I believe that's the very first MD portable I owned, and I haven't seen one of them since 1998 or so. I've missed that jog dial/button ever since I sold it to a friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmilovan Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 I've read something about Sony MZ-NH700 and it sounds very interesting to me. It has 44KHz 16Bit PCM linear non compressed recording function. It is great, and you can upload such recorded material to computer via USB cable. And it has mic in as well as line in. It sounds sooooo nice! Anyone tried this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.