[NewBee]

I am new to this forum and portable audio so forgive my ignorance or misuse of terms.

I want to know if there is such a thing as a hard-drive or flash memory based MD player?

I read most of the stuff and conclude the following.

1. MD sounds better than MP3/WMA/RA. I like the 300B-EL34 tube sound to my music.
2. MD's drawback is similar to CD's and Tapes. You gotta carry and change. I conclude this is why ipod and other are so popular.
3. Size and battery life is very similar except for those tiny MP3 players that have flash memory. Current MD play is ok on size and good on battery life.
4. ATRAC is the best format - but LP2? LP4 is almost as good in MD world. I never heard an MD before so I have no comparison but I can really tell the difference between a CD and an MP3 even ripped at a high bitrate.
5. Batteries are usually easier to replace and get in MD's. Proprietary Stinks. Especially when you travel a lot.

Now for the million dollar question.

Is there a hard-drive based or flashable memory based MD player that is good sounds and the Sharp and Sony ones that are recommended in this forum?

If there is not, there seems to be a large community that would like such a product. Why don't we ask Sharp or Sony to make one? A harddrive or CF/microdrive/SM/SD card MD-ATRAC format music player with a good amp built into it that would be small and compact like the iPod. Also a replaceable/rechargeable batteries and a good remote is key. A AM/FM/WB radio would be nice as well but not necessary.

Would any good DIYer like to make one. I bet this would be a true killer product for people with some money and like to hear quality music but want the convience of todays technology. I also believe in simpler is better and innovation beats useless features.

Please no rants, tangents or off the cuff replies. Time is money and wasted time is better off listening to music.

Seems like very few companies today make stuff people really like or want that is afforable. all they want is to make a quick buck.

 

[zowie]

Quote:

Originally posted by NewBee Is there a hard-drive based or flashable memory based MD player that is good sounds and the Sharp and Sony ones that are recommended in this forum?

Did you happen to notice what MD stands for?

 

[Punslayer]

There are indeed flash-based players which use the Atrac3 codec, the Sony Network Walkman's. Unfortunately i don't believe they can use the Standard Atrac codec. Sony did announce a 40GB hard-disk player at CES, and i'd imagine it would be able to use some form of the Atrac codec, but which exactly i don't know yet.

 

[jughead]

Here are some links to the MemoryStick-based ATRAC players from Sony:

Link1

and

Link2

I hope that helps...

 

[NewBee]

Thanks for the links!!! I will check out.

I do not reply to wise ass comments.

 

[Taphil]

Does LP4 really sound good? I tested it out once, and it sounded like a 128kbps mp3. LP2 was ok, but still not that great compared to a well-encoded mp3.

edit: sorry, I realized my post was a tangent.

 

[NewBee]

I checked out the links. looks nice but it still does not meet the bill.

1. The transfer is USB - Firewire is the way to go. I work with computers all the time.

2. I don't do dumb copy protection. Shame on Sony. After all they invented the walkman. I bought it I can use it anyway I like as long as I don't make illegal copies to sell or distribute. Music companies need to get a clue. DMCA will get revamped in the Supreme Court once Bush gets kicked out of office.

3. ATRAC3 sounds fishy to me. Never heard it but if it goes from MP3 to ATRAC3, this can't be good. Like in computers, garbage in, garbage out.

4. The memory is still a problem. I want to use a 1gig microdrive or a 256/512 CF card. I also do not want to carry around something that can break my toe if i drop it. Anyone who travels for a living can attest to that.

5. Ranting on good information is OK. It teaches us newbees something.

 

[Watchdog]

Quote:

Originally posted by NewBee I checked out the links. looks nice but it still does not meet the bill. 1. The transfer is USB - Firewire is the way to go. I work with computers all the time. 2. I don't do dumb copy protection. Shame on Sony. After all they invented the walkman. I bought it I can use it anyway I like as long as I don't make illegal copies to sell or distribute. Music companies need to get a clue. DMCA will get revamped in the Supreme Court once Bush gets kicked out of office. 3. ATRAC3 sounds fishy to me. Never heard it but if it goes from MP3 to ATRAC3, this can't be good. Like in computers, garbage in, garbage out. 4. The memory is still a problem. I want to use a 1gig microdrive or a 256/512 CF card. I also do not want to carry around something that can break my toe if i drop it. Anyone who travels for a living can attest to that. 5. Ranting on good information is OK. It teaches us newbees something.

As for comments on 2 and 3, with big hard drives so cheap now, I keep all my files on my hard drive in Wave format, uncompressed and use RealOne Player to transfer to my MD. This avoids the stupid check in/out procedure and allows you to make as many copies as you want. Also since I start with a Wave file I bypass the mp3 to ATRAC compression. I also find that this is less time consuming than what I used to do for mp3 CD's which was rip the CD to the hard drive, encode to mp3, then spend time deliberating over what songs I wanted in which order. MD's editing features allow me to throw on whatever songs I think I might want, then once on the disc you can re-order or delete to your hearts content. This has saved me a lot of time.

In response to 4, one of the things I love about my MD player is it's small size and lightweight. Also discs can be purchased quite inexpensively and each disc is roughly 140 MB, so carrying 5 small discs (Sony sells 5 packs with a carrying case for 5 that's really small) gives you 700 MB for about $10.

I've also found battery life to be really good for MD, though I suppose it's quite good for PCDP as well now. However hard drive based jukeboxes have quite poor battery life, which is a pain for travelling.

I've had PCDP's, cassette walkman, flash based mp3 players and MD. For my purposes I've found MD to be the best format by far.

 

[NewBee]

Thanks for the great comments Watchdog.

What MD player do you have model, price, and store purchased at?

Also are you using the ATRAC or ATRAC3 format?

What is you opinion of ATRAC3 in terms of sound quality vs ATRAC if you have heard both. I heard Rock and Pop music it is hard to distinguish but jazz and classical and folk is very noticable.

BTW, I am trying to find someone that is a good DYIer that would make a harddrive based ATRAC player. Not an easy task.

Cheers

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Indeed ATRAC3 is crap, especially if your source is mp3 anyway.

You're much better off buying an mp3 player. Whoever told you that MD is better than mp3 does not know about high quality mp3 encoding.

www.hydrogenaudio.org ->mp3 forums

 

[NewBee]

Anyone know where I can get a Sharp MD-MT877 for the best price in DC, CO, or NJ?

Also does anyone know when the Sharp NetMD player is coming out in the US?

Thanks

 

[skagen]

If you're in NJ and willing to travel a short trip to NYC, its worth finding out what the asking price is for the Sharp at the store on 324 Canal St. They don't offer warranties like you can get at Best Buy or or J&R but they pretty much have all the latest stuff from Japan, unlike most of the stores on Canal or even the bigger chains. I bought a Sony PCDP there and found the pricing to be very compettive, espcially factoring the shipping costs from online places.