My Sharp MD-MT821 is having problems.
Jul 17, 2002 at 2:40 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 57

acidtripwow

Headphoneus Supremus
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I tried to use it the other day when I was about to go for a walk and it showed "TOCERRORa". I looked at the manual and that specific error was not listed. I tried different MDs and got the same error. I'm going to buy a MD cleaner and see if that clears up the problem.
 
Jul 17, 2002 at 4:59 PM Post #2 of 57
Acid,
You are the next victim of "U Toc" errors. This is very sad that a mere perfect player is plague with this symptom. You probably can clean it up, but if nothing is improved and the unit stops play and record...then your chance is to get the optical system replace.

Purk
frown.gif
 
Jul 17, 2002 at 5:53 PM Post #3 of 57
If it doesn't work after cleaning it then I think I may just buy another one. It may be time for replacement anyway. What's the best sounding portable MD player/recorder around these days? I really like this Sharp unit because it had very good sound especially using the Sony 888 earbuds.
 
Jul 17, 2002 at 7:37 PM Post #4 of 57
both the Sharp 877 and the Sony 909 are very highly regarded when it comes to sound. the brands are pretty equal nowadays, with Sony having bass and treble controls.
 
Jul 17, 2002 at 8:42 PM Post #5 of 57
Those two models mentioned will give you a lot more flexibility than your older 821, like having MDLP (you can choose to record up to 320 minutes in stereo on a disc!) plus much better battery life.

The 8-step bass/treble tone controls on the MZ-R900/909/N1 series is very nice to have.

May your beloved 821 rest in peace.
biggrin.gif
 
Jul 17, 2002 at 10:18 PM Post #6 of 57
Arrrghhh! Dreaded TOC error.

My 821 has developed it twice. It's required visits to the repair shop each time.

OK, now the scoop. The 821 sounds way better than the miserable excuses of POS that Sony calls MD recorders these days. I've had the MZ-N1 (the 909 with NetMD basically) and the MZ-N707, and both blows goats for sound, and also blows twice as many goats for the idiotic recording 'features' in comparison to the MD-MT821. We're talking about a 3-year old MD compared to brand new ones, remember.

The fact that the 821 has stayed with me while the N1 and the N707 are long gone shuld give you a few pointers.

Look instead at the MD-MT770 or the IM-MT880. Practically the same great sound as the 821 (5mw @ 32 ohms, whereas the 821 has 10mw @ 16 ohms - and the Sony units have 5mw @ 16 ohms), even better recording features, ultra-cool remote, now with record button! and MDLP compatibility - you cannot go wrong.

With the IM-MT880, you get NetMD functionality. Personally I'm not a fan but it's occasionally useful. MZ-N1 users may rag you about the half-speed transfer rate of the IM-MT880, but considering the bulk of NetMD transfer is in the conversion time and not in the transfer time, it's not going to make a hell of a difference.

If that doesn't persuade you, I've just re-ordered an IM-MT880 after tryng various non-Sony MD's.
 
Jul 17, 2002 at 11:23 PM Post #7 of 57
However, I dearly wish I often had a 10 mW headphone amp. Did Sony ever have an MD unit with that much output?

The biggest grip I have with newer machines is the build quality. Unless you get the high-end, Japanese-made MD gear, you have a sort of flimsy unit. I do not advocate dropping an R909 or any new recorder, though, as there's so MUCH packed into that tiny shell.....

For live recoding, I still think Sharp units have an edge. BTW, the 877 should be available pretty cheap, since it has been discontinued.
 
Jul 17, 2002 at 11:56 PM Post #8 of 57
Acid,
If you prefer the sound of Sharp MD recorder, get the MT-877. The 877 is a very beautiful machine with excellent sound quality. It sound very similar to your 821 (I have the 831).
X-bass on sharp works excellent with your E888; however, the bass/treble adjustment on my R900 makes my 888 unusally bright and lack of impact. I still prefer the Sharp MD over the Sony. However, these days....there are less and less of the Sharp unit. Sharp used to have an upper hand in battery dep, and features...but now it is Sony.

Purk
 
Jul 18, 2002 at 7:54 AM Post #9 of 57
MT770 MT770 MT770...

The main reason for the Sony's gutless output is that they have extended battery life to ridiculous levels. And I can make a direct comparison for playback levels still, as I've kept the MZ-E501 (same sound volume and features as N1 and N707). The E501 for example has a ludicrous battery time - I can use this for a couple of weeks without charging! And I'd gladly give that up for better audio.

Features... Sharp v Sony is pretty much at parity these days, weighted towards different uses. Sharp still rules for recording (and lets face it folks - isn't that what portable MD's are mainly for? Otherwise you'd buy a deck and a player, right?) and Sony of course have to stick a Jog Dial on their unit to ease playback. The front panel controls are badly designed on both the N1 and the N707 (easy to mis-activate features), while the IM-MT880 and the MT770 feels rock solid and the controls are well laid out. The new remote blows away the Sony RM-MC11EL unit. Hell, I still prefer the MD-MT821 remote to the MC11EL.

While the N707 and N1 can make excellent recordings, the irony is that they can't do full justice to them in playback.

And remember, if you ever want to 'upload' your recordings to anything else like a PC and you don't have a deck, the Sharp units also have a higher-level Line Out mode compared to the R909/N1.
 
Jul 18, 2002 at 9:13 AM Post #10 of 57
Maybe my next MD recorder should be a Sharp model with that 10 mW headphone amp, or, at least, a 5 mW driven into a 32 ohm load.

I've always sort of liked the looks of the 877, but the tiny buttons might drive me crazy. Anyway, good points about the timeless "Sony vs. Sharp" debate, as this will rage on, endlessly, on these boards.

If the R909 did not have on-the-fly recording level adjustments, it would not have suited my purposes as an excellent, all-round unit. At least Sony finally listened to live recording enthusiasts who were getting pissed off that their recorders did not have this necessary feature.


Magicthyse, do you like your MZ-E501, otherwise?
 
Jul 18, 2002 at 9:42 AM Post #11 of 57
Not really. I only got the E501 because I needed something that could play back MDLP discs after getting rid of the NetMD units. I don't record in LP, but my friends do.

It's cheap, it's simple, it's as light (it's probably lighter but who careas about a few grams) and about the same size as the N1, although it looks smaller due to an indented lid design. It works with my collection of RM-MC11 remotes.

I don't really like the 501. I didn't have the chance to listen to it before I bought it, and silly me, I thought "Hey, it's a player, so maybe they've equipped it with a better output stage?"... How wrong I was. It's the same result as the N1 and N707.

It does what I bought it for - play back MDLP discs. But, I still carry the 821 around far more even as a player which kind of defeats the object of the 501. Sod's Law being what it is, every time I've been given an LP disc recently, I've had the 821 with me. This is what's lead me to upgrade the 821 quicker than I would have liked.

The only situation where I've found the output stage of the E501/N707/N1 better than the Sharp is when using the EX70. I can crank up the treble on the EQ to get back some of the top end that's lost with those canalphones - and both Sharp and Sony units have ample power to drive an EX70.
 
Jul 18, 2002 at 12:10 PM Post #12 of 57
Quote:

Originally posted by Magicthyse

OK, now the scoop. The 821 sounds way better than the miserable excuses of POS that Sony calls MD recorders these days. I've had the MZ-N1 (the 909 with NetMD basically) and the MZ-N707, and both blows goats for sound, and also blows twice as many goats for the idiotic recording 'features' in comparison to the MD-MT821. We're talking about a 3-year old MD compared to brand new ones, remember.


I've seen you mentioning this more then once now, and I have absolutely no idea where you're coming from with this. I own the N707, Sharp 831, and a Kenwood Sharp 821 clone, along with the Sony E900, E95, and actually have a R909 incoming, and all the Sonys easily tie with the Sharps in sound quality, if not bettering them. The only recorder I have that downright sucks compared to the Sharps is actually the venerable R50, but I didn't get the R50 for its sound. The Sharps actually fall victim to having a slightly fattened bass with bass boost off, and is not as tight as the Sonys are capable of. Some people may dig that extra punchy bass, but I certainly don't. Sound quality wise the only thing Sharp has going for them now IMO ever since Sony introduced the bass/treble control is the 10mw amp, and that point is totally lost on me since I only use earphones with my MD players.

I think Sonys do full justice to their recordings. Certainly enough that I can hear the difference between Type R and ATRAC 4.5 using a Sony.

So I dunno about the Sony bashing, but I do believe the Sonys with bass/treble controls are very competitive soundwise with the Sharps, particularly the current day Sharps, if not bettering them. IMHO.
 
Jul 18, 2002 at 12:32 PM Post #13 of 57
Quote:

Originally posted by Vertigo-1


I've seen you mentioning this more then once now, and I have absolutely no idea where you're coming from with this. I own the N707, Sharp 831, and a Kenwood Sharp 821 clone, along with the Sony E900, E95, and actually have a R909 incoming, and all the Sonys easily tie with the Sharps in sound quality, if not bettering them. The only recorder I have that downright sucks compared to the Sharps is actually the venerable R50, but I didn't get the R50 for its sound. The Sharps actually fall victim to having a slightly fattened bass with bass boost off, and is not as tight as the Sonys are capable of. Some people may dig that extra punchy bass, but I certainly don't. Sound quality wise the only thing Sharp has going for them now IMO ever since Sony introduced the bass/treble control is the 10mw amp, and that point is totally lost on me since I only use earphones with my MD players.

I think Sonys do full justice to their recordings. Certainly enough that I can hear the difference between Type R and ATRAC 4.5 using a Sony.

So I dunno about the Sony bashing, but I do believe the Sonys with bass/treble controls are very competitive soundwise with the Sharps, particularly the current day Sharps, if not bettering them. IMHO.


From your profile:

Music Preferences: Female Ballad songs, Anime/Movie Soundtracks, Instrumental New Age, Orchestra/Symphonies

Need I say more.

Sony would sound just fine with weak-ass music. You're probably right in that way - if I wanted to rustle up some Telemann or some Mandy Moore, I'd probably agree with you. The fact that you have the 707 and an 831 - and you think they equal each other bears that out squarely.


Try this Vertigo:

Take a decent piece of portable ear gear capable of reproducing all frequencies fairly well, like a KSC-35. Now put on something which is slightly more 'rocky' but won't upset your Bond-loving sensibilities so much... Let's say 'Angel's Son' by Sevendust. Now play it on the 831 on flat EQ, the 821 clone (if the amp is the same) on flat EQ, then play it on the 707 with flat EQ. Compare, discuss and say "Sharp Rocks!"
 
Jul 18, 2002 at 3:11 PM Post #14 of 57
I have not listened to any Sony MD players but I do like the sound of my Sharp 821 a lot. I did have a JVC 9000 executive system that had a MD player/recorder but found my Sharp to be a much better recorder. This is why I will probably get another Sharp although the features of the latest Sony MD players is very impressive. I've looked up some of the reviews of different Sony and Sharp models and will go over them soon.
 

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