[reciprocum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nywytboy68 /img/forum/go_quote.gif What is the max size sdhc card it can utilize. I have 16gb cards and would like to know if they're compatible. Also, does this unit have a FM radio? Thanks for your time.

In the manuals the tables (for the amount of music/recordings) stop at 8GB. But I would have to test with a bigger SDHC card to say if this 8GB limit is realy there.
Even if it is some future firmware update might clear it.
I am using an 8GB SDHC.
I am more afraid of the "450 files limit" (somewere in the manual) than the 8GB limit.
Maybee its bad translation and the limit is:
- 450 recording files limit ? (no patience to test that sorry)
- 450 tracks per album limit ? (maybee the software/firmware bit that lists the current folder contents cannot build a list with more than 450 items)

As I have been auditioning/testing the A7 mainly with full WAV rips my 8GB gets filed with only ~250 tracks, but I will (today) format it and reload it full of small MP3s just to clear this 450 limit thing.
Stay tuned

Edit - No FM radio (but you could get that from the manual too

 

[tds101]

Thanks for the info - didn't see a radio listed and wondered if they just omitted it in the translation of the manual. The file limit thing is something I'll wait till you (I hope) get to test. Thanks again for the info. Still appears to be a great player IMO.

 

[shigzeo]

voted no: i meant to vote yes. please consider the yes to have one more and the no to have one fewer. i feel an idiot. i started in md camp, so recording is important for me but afterhaving used many many players/'recorders' they all are complete shyte unless you record for only like 5 minuts to 30 minutes. hours upon hours of live recording is silly on these units.

my sony 828 does a phenomenal job of quality recording but i have not tested its capabilities over one hour yet.

 

[tds101]

My A829 doesn't do recording as I have the Sonic Stageless version.

 

[reciprocum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif voted no: i meant to vote yes. please consider the yes to have one more and the no to have one fewer.

Then, as of this post, the voting now stands correct because I also switched camps (read above about using A7 as the PTH unit for the SE530s) but from the YES to the NO.

 

[reciprocum]

So I formated my 8GB SDHC flash card (with the Kenwood), loaded it with a trimmed (so that it fitted on the 8GBs) copy of an MP3 library (with the card on the PC's SDHC compatible card reader) totalling 1502 files in 192 folders (no one folder/album has more than 30 files/tracks in it).
Reinserted the card in the Kenkoowd and... ...it does not get past the "Please Wait" boot-up display.

With no SD card inserted it boots quickly, with an 2GB it takes longer, with an 8GB filled with ~250 WAV files it takes even longer, and with 1502 MP3 files it just doesnt boot up completly to the usable menu display.

After 0h30 I gave up waiting and since the A7 was frozen, not even reacting to the power-off, I risked hot-removing the SDHC card.
No smoke came out but stil a frozen A7.
Tried my luck connecting via USB cable in hope it would snap out of boot-mode and into connect-mode: no luck.

Where it not for the "reset" hole (wich worked !) I might have had to wait 2-3 weeks for the unit to discharge or had to open it to disconnect the BAT...

So I must conclude that there realy is some kind of file quantity limit and so, if you are into having moderate music collections with you, then you should avoid this unit.

So an 8GB SDHC will get you around 17 CDs worth of WAVs, mixing in some MP3s you might get close to the 40 CDs worth before filling up or touching the 450 files limit.

A7/SE530 hiss: it is definetly there (as expected) but more often than not the studio recording itself has/adds even more hiss than the A7.


EDIT - For the A7 owners out there: don't bother buying bigger than 8GB cards, at least not until some future firmware update clears up (?) this file quantity limit. But I suspect this limit is related by the amount of RAM the microcontroler might have available and there would be no fix for it firmware wise...

EDIT 2 - Now down to 423 files on the SD cards and it boots alright (~30sec) but only 2.5GB used out of the 8GB cap. Clearly the A7 is geared towards WAV recording/playback. Even 320kbps MP3s wont fill up an 8GB card before hitting the 450 files wall.

 

[reciprocum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by reciprocum /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... Battery meter: still shows "full charge" after 10h recording/playback !!!

I realised I made a major error when reporting this: I simply forgot that whenever I connected the USB cable for transfering files I was also charging the A7

So after all the battery meter probably is linear. I still believe that the announced 19hrs recording/playback time are not exagerated.

 

[shigzeo]

bad bad bad reciprocum. most recorders now days should get huge battery life. my old md recorder got 9 hours on pcm recording and the one before that about 12. my current sony has never been used for more than 8 hours but im sure i could squeeze 9 from it.

by the way: it really really records well. sorry nywytboy68 that you don't have the atrac version: but be happy you don't have to deal with windows when you don't even use windows. it is a bloody shame. ive tried everything to get compatibility layer to run sonic stage but none work. bloody bloody sony and their fixation on strange roadblocks.

 

[streamlined]

Please keep posting your impressions on device, if it's possible.

 

[reciprocum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by streamlined /img/forum/go_quote.gif Please keep posting your impressions on device, if it's possible.

Of course I will, but from my PMs I am aware that there are at least two more kenwood owners/users in this forum that have yet to come forward with their opinions

Due to hollydays season I have been unable to secure a D2 for a direct SQ comparison.

Altough the 450 file count limit is an uncofortable one I do not find it too limiting because I tend to hear mostly WAVs (classical and Jazz) and 256kbps+ MP3s for the rest of the music. And having 450 files in internal memory (MP3s) and another max 450 files in 8GB worth of WAVs on the SDHC card has been enough for me soo far.
This 450 files limit is clearly firmware related because whenever I delete a track from memory it takes almost as long to rebuild the internal track list as it takes to boot, both times proportional to number of files in memory.

With the Shures SE530 SQ is very good but I find the SEs very unconfortable to wear (due to internal ear foam pressure), and it takes them (or is it my ears?) at least 15min playback time before the SQ peaks.

I love the rugedness of the kenwood, being able to slip it between my bed's matress and the bed's wooden frame, being able to navigate the menus one handed an in the dark without needing to watch the screen at all (impossible on a touchscreen D2), placing it under my swimsuit in the beach without woring about the sand grains getting to the touch screen.

Ocasional recording as proved to be fun too, and I suppose it might even be invaluable in some situations where you might need to take notes but you have nothing at hand to write.

 

[streamlined]

Can you attest following statement (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f43/fs...-red-348355/):
"...while using auto rec mode to record, if the voice/sound gets too loud, then the player will produce some background noise. But this problem does not occur when using manual recording mode"
Is this really an issue?

 

[CML86]

Quote:

Originally Posted by streamlined /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you attest following statement (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f43/fs...-red-348355/): "...while using auto rec mode to record, if the voice/sound gets too loud, then the player will produce some background noise. But this problem does not occur when using manual recording mode" Is this really an issue?

Since that's my player, let me clarify the problem. For some reason when I use the Auto Rec Mode, the player won't adjust the recording volume properly according to how loud the sound gets. It always uses the highest record level which is extremely sensitive to any sound around the environment. As result, whenever the sound gets loud, and reaches over the peak that the player can handle, then a noticeable background noise would occur. However, I guess that there's something wrong with my player, because I'd contacted two owners of the MGR-A7, and they didn't have this problem at all.

 

[reciprocum]

I have a few recordings where the sound does get quite loud: it is a Powered ParaGlider 2 stroke engine warm-up recorded at close range.
Its an 8mb and 20mb files that I can post a link to if someone provides an FTTP resource, alternatively PM me your email (if you can take attachments this big)

 

[streamlined]

Is there any chance to compare these two technologies concerning sound quality? Supreme Ex is implemented in Kenwood HD60GD9 DAP, for example, and MGR-A7 features plain Supreme.

 

[reciprocum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by streamlined /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is there any chance to compare these two technologies concerning sound quality? Supreme Ex is implemented in Kenwood HD60GD9 DAP, for example, and MGR-A7 features plain Supreme.

On A7 "Supreme" works only for MP3 files.
I have tried but failed to notice any effect of "Suppreme" on 320kbps MP3s and only a marginal one on 192kbps MP3s.
I found more significant difference from 192kbps MP3s to 320kbps MP3s and then - depending mostly on original recording quality - another improvment from 320kbps MP3s to 1410kbps WAVs (especially in Classical and Jazz).

Just to make sure I tried ripping a CD in lossless WMA and feed it to the A7 and it is not supported, just lossy WMAs.