[SRV]

After four years my portable cd player finally died on me, and i've decided that rather than replace it with a new cd player i would instead finally get into MD, This sharp player, the mdsr60s is the first i've seen to catch my attention, but i thought i'd get some thoughts on this player from you guy's first, or recommendations on a better player/recorder. I do not plan on using an amp for a good while, and i do not listen to mp3's so the ability to play them is not important.

 

[andrzejpw]

Hi SRV, and welcome! The sr60 is a fine player. Great introductory player! It is a bit older though. . . you might want to consider the sharp mt90, mt180, or mt190.

 

[Pepzhez]

Ah, the sr60. I absolutely love the Sharp sr-series! I have two of them that I use every day. Very nice players/recorders and were a bargain for their price. The sr series was discontinued, I would guess about a year ago, but you can probably get an excellent deal on them new, if you can find them (which I guess you have).

I highly recommend them, as they are extremely well built and durable (mine have been around the world, one was accidentally dropped in an airport and took a hard fall and still works perfectly). I suspect some people here will want to warn you that the sr60 lacks a dedicated line out, but I have never found that to be a real problem. In fact, using the headphone out as a line out works just fine - and the sr60 DEFINITELY sounds far, far better than any Sony PDCP I've owned. Better DACs, I surmise.

Where did you happen to find it, BTW? If I could find a new one for sale, I'd love to get one for my girlfriend.

 

[andrzejpw]

No doubt, the sr series is/was amazing. The only problem I see is that the warranty may be out of date. . . although my sr60/mt90 have never had problems.

 

[SRV]

Thanks for the replies, its good to get some positive feedback. I actually found them for sale on amazon.com, its about 140 for a new one but they have several used for about 89 plus shipping. I think iam gonna go ahead and give them a try, the 24-bit dac has swayed me into buying one, as i've never seen one on pcdp before.

 

[Pepzhez]

I have to say that my Sharp sr's are the most rugged and durable MD portables I've owned. Isn't it odd that these "budget/entry level" units are still going strong when I've had too many expensive Sony untis die on me for one reason or another? I wonder if the current Sharp offerings are as well made as the sr series? (Besides, I really like the way these units look - very sleek and Japanese.)

Anyway, glad that you found one. I'd recommend that you go for the new unit and avoid buying used, just for peace of mind.

I guess no one here has ever started a "Classic MD Portable" thread. I'd definitely put the sr-series at the top of my list:

1) Terrific sound
2) Recording flexibility (change levels on the fly, etc.)
3) Nice styling
4) Durability
5) Unbeatable performance/price ratio

Not to mention none of that ridiculous Sony "end search" garbage!

I'm off to look them up at Amazon. Thanks.

 

[zowie]

Really outstanding sound and feautres for the money.

Some reliability problems with this model. Make sure you get a warranty.

 

[MacDEF]

The Sharp SR series offered some of the best bang for the buck in MD portables. While they didn't have as many features as some of the better (and more expensive) models from Sharp and Sony, for the money you paid for them they were a steal.

 

[andrzejpw]

The sr series never claimed, or was meant to, compete with the higher end models. It was just a great way to get into minidisc, and they could take anything you threw at them.

 

[Pepzhez]

They were not "high end" but offered all of the features one will ever need - a high quality player and recorder, not at all lacking in any essential features. Lacking in bells and whistles, yes, but who needs that? The only *possible* omission is a dedicated line out, but I've always found the sr's headphone out to work perfectly fine for line out purposes. (Again, sounding much better than Sony PCDPs' dedicated line out.)

A Sharp SR60 in tandem with a JMT CHA-47 Altoid amp and Ety ER 4S's is a magnificent set up, to say the least. Even the most expensive currently available PDCP's don't come close, though I suspect that has everything to do with the inferior build quality and sub-par DACs in those things. Portable MD players/recorders invariably feature much better quality DACs than their PDCP counterparts, for some reason (MD users are more demanding? Sony and Sharp wish to impress new users? Who knows the reason?)

And they are RUGGED. Zowie, what are the reliability problems you're talking about? I've never had any or heard of such, so I'm just wondering. Thanks.

 

[Braver]

sr60 reliability problems? gimme a break! my sr50 (same thing) survived 2 years of heavy-use (it's pretty much dented and scratched all over). it gave me some probs recently, but it was just a little dirt/dust buildup in the lens-mechanism and it was easily removed (involved upening it up, but no sweat there).

I'd opt for a MT80 or 90 tho. same high-standard build, reliability and sound, but a few hours more from the battery and 40sec shock-resistance instead of 10.

 

[Steril]

It was a very good portable MD recoder. Well, it was accidentally broken in my backpack in the train buy someone who walked on it...

But it is a very good budget unit.


Now I bought a Sharp MD-MT 88. This is the successor of the MDSR60, with MDLP (Long play feature). Same features, different look (i preffered the MDSR60), but longer battery life (this of the MDSR60 isn't that long) and bette schock memeory, as Braver says...

You might also consider the MD-MT 170/180/190/200 series, also composed of budget model, and that now replaces the MD-MT 80/90/88/99.

The price of all those portables MD recorder should be aroud $150...