[MacDEF]

Joe:

Do you need long battery life? If not, I would recommend that you find a used Sony MZ-R50. It's one of the all-time great MD recorders, built like a tank, with a separate, dedicated line-out jack.

 

[becomethemould]

the sharp 832 has a decidicated optical line out=) i think i got one of the last ones hehe

 

[fiddler]

Quote:

the sharp 832 has a decidicated optical line out=) i think i got one of the last ones hehe

Ummmm.. NO!
The 832 is pretty much the same thing as the 831.. Neither of them have an optical out... Um.. "optical line out"? What is that??? Hmm.. Oh yeah, I should also mention that NO CONSUMER-LEVEL MD PORTABLE RECORDER/PLAYER HAS OPTICAL OUT! Only the 'Pro' models and Sony's very first recorder, the MZ-1, have optical outs.

BTW, I second the MZ-R 50 recommendation.. I've read GREAT things about them.. One major weakness with more recent Sony units is the SLOW track access times.. That's not the case with the MZ-R50, as it has one of the fastest track access times among all MD units. I do believe I read somewhere that Sony has improved the access times with the MZ-R900, but still not up to the standards of the 50

 

[mbriant]

joelongwood: I second MacDef's suggestion. You can find them on E-Bay all the time selling from between $125 and $160...usually with a few MD's thrown in the package.

 

[MacDEF]

mbriant, fiddler already seconded it, you'll have to third it

 

[mbriant]

Doh !!!

OK. I'll second fidler's second.

 

[joelongwood]

Thanks everybody........I'm convinced. I'll look for a Sony MZ-R50........a bit bigger than I was planning on, but the line-out is paramount ........and it does look well-built.

 

[joelongwood]

Just got one on e-bay. Paid $150.....mint in box.

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1252504496

Thanks again!

 

[Gluegun]

Hey, does this new Dolby Headphone minidisk player have a line out?

http://www.sharp.co.jp/products/mdst880/index.html

 

[MacDEF]

Congrats! Hope you enjoy it -- I've had one for four years now, and I've never had a problem -- it's still my unit of choice for running through a headphone amp.

Besides the line-out, it was the last of Sony's units to feature a useable jog-dial and button layout -- with buttons actually big enough to push

 

[joelongwood]

I received the MZ-R50 about an hour ago........I'm in love with it! The build quality appears excellent..........a bit larger than the newer Sonys, due to where the buttons are on the protruding short side. But I like the buttons.....perfect for larger fingers. Beautiful layout of controls. The sound is also excellent, hooked up to my Penguin amp (through the LINE-OUT!) and Grado SR-100s. Just for the hell of it, I hooked up the earbuds that came with it......pretty bad! Everything sounds so muffled.....no highs at all. Bass is also a bit boomy. Back to the Grados.

Anyway, thanks again for everyone's recommedations to get this thing..........you were right on target. Now if was only red...............