[Noslack]

Vapman: recording from computer to Minidisc via the CAV-U5. The MZ-R55 has no digital output.

 

[vapman]

  Vapman: recording from computer to Minidisc via the CAV-U5. The MZ-R55 has no digital output.

I got excited and thought there was another way to get MD data off digitally! That's still good to know you can record to it. Shame minidiscs aren't a thing anymore really.

 

[Noslack]

Back into Minidiscs I received a pack of 10 Sony Bianca discs last week. Today I found a MZ-R700 (yellow) in a pawn  shop for 20 euro. The R700 is near new but came without the goodies (no adapter,no headphones, etc). The manual was there though. Testing the R700 proved it is fully functional. They had a battered Sharp for the same price too. Tempted.

 

[andione1983]

a couple in my collection

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[Noslack]

This weekend the Sony in-ear phones MDR-EX650AP I ordered arrived. Through these in-ears I hear how good Minidisc still is. For the first time I hear details never heard before. The MD-recording I made of "Jazz is Dead - Blue light rain" sounds amazing. Even Sting's "Best of" copy on MD is a joy to listen to with these in-ears. Magic!

 

[Noslack]

Amazing fact 1: last week I bought a MZ-R501 from a man in Belgium. He had new old stock 501's in box. The 501's sold out within a day. I bought one.
 
Amazing fact 2: last weekend I asked my local audio shop if they still had blanc discs. They had. The shop owner said: Minidisc.....wait I have one new in the back of storeroom somewhere. It was a black MZ-R500 with yellow display, complete set in box.
 
Both players are of course the entry level models but they changed hands for a bargain. I am happy with both!

 

[vapman]

  Amazing fact 1: last week I bought a MZ-R501 from a man in Belgium. He had new old stock 501's in box. The 501's sold out within a day. I bought one.
 
Amazing fact 2: last weekend I asked my local audio shop if they still had blanc discs. They had. The shop owner said: Minidisc.....wait I have one new in the back of storeroom somewhere. It was a black MZ-R500 with yellow display, complete set in box.
 
Both players are of course the entry level models but they changed hands for a bargain. I am happy with both!

two new minidiscs? i'm super jealous!!! I have a Sharp MD-MT15S on the way but it's not new or in box.
 
Does anyone know any MD repair services? It seems my MZ-R50's lost its ability to record without lots of skips and other issues
 
Still plays back fine so I suspect it's the record head motor... I don't know if I could even source the part I need.

 

[riredale]

Wow, talk about blowing the dust off of old equipment!
 
I began doing documentaries for DVD distribution about 15 years ago.  After a few years I began to experiment with 4-channel surround-sound for eventual inclusion on the DVDs.  Since my video cameras would only record two channels of discrete audio I needed a means of recording the additional two (rear) channels, and the only practical compact solution back in those days was Minidisc.  I settled on the Sharp MD-MT15 units (I have 3, named Huey, Louie, and Dewey, plus a dead one for parts) because of several factors: (1) could adjust record level while recording; (2) had a mic-in socket; (3) ruggedly built; (4) ran on 2 AA cells, available worldwide; and (5) excellent reputation for audio quality.  The biggest drawback (aside from the fact that it was MiniDisc and thus mechanical in nature) was that transfer to PC was analog at 1:1 real time.  No matter, the sound quality was excellent and the unit attached to back of the camcorder battery via velcro.  The whole setup looked professional and it was.  I traveled the world with those units and they never let me down.
 
Now, of course, digital is universal and MiniDisc is dead.  But the technology still works.  The ATRACS compression scheme was nearly bulletproof--there was only one test tone that would break it, and I can't find the link any more.

 

[andione1983]

Brought a mint condition Sony mds-je780 deck the other day loving ripping my cds to mini disc. Makes you appreciate an album again.

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[DR650SE]

I love just sitting and listening to minidisc from time to time. I'd love to make more albums, just don't have the time lately.

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[AUDIOBREEDER]

Found a R90 mini disc in pristine condition at a flea market today. I was not aware one could record directly into the mini disc via optical/line out. I had a black mini disc back in 2000 and got to load only one song onto it before getting the blue screen of death from Windows computers every time since then. The sound was definitely good and the md had a convenience factor from its small size.
So my question is this.
Is optical recording the same, less or better than cd sound quality?

 

[gikigill]

Optical is same as cd but nowadays you can use Sonicstage with USB capable units. Used to be an absolute dog but runs better since version 5.0.

I have a hefty computer too so that helps, especially more RAM and an SSD.

 

[the wizard of oz]

No, optical isn't quite the same as CD quality, and certainly not with non Hi-MD MiniDisc recorders.
Only Hi-MD is able to record in 1.4mbps 16bit 44kHz Linear PCM, in Hi-MD mode onto 1GB Hi-MD MiniDiscs (90 minutes of recording time worth) or Hi-MD formatted standard MiniDiscs (a bit less than half an hour of recording time worth -on 80 minutes SP MiniDiscs, even less on 74 or 60 minutes SP MiniDiscs).
On top of that, bit-perfect copy of a CD is only achieved through Onkyo Hi-MD bookshelf units (FR-B7 / FR-B8) at 2X speed (X2 Dubbing) via the CD Dubbing mode without the automatic digital recording level option (DLA Link Off) or through a Windows operated computer via Sony's NetMD Simple Burner software, not SonicStage, as for some reason, copying to SonicStage's library before transfer to a Hi-MD MiniDisc recorder would alter the file.

 

[zombywoof]

I loved my MD players in "the day."  Got the entry level models for all the kids and swapped discs.  I was surprised to see activity on Head-Fi.
 

 
Still have these around but they don't get used any more.  I wasn't sure what the interest might be in some used Sony MD players these days, but judging from the activity on this thread I see it is not completely dead.  I have just listed them on the For Sale/Trade Forum.  PM me if interested.  Hopefully someone will want to give them some love.

 

[happychef]

I loved my mini disc player beyond all measure, I would still be using it now if it hadn't lost the ability to record, it was 2010 and just couldn't seem to find a new one, I had to do the unthinkable and buy an iPod classic that I ended up living just as much and still use today