Tim D
I got a pornographic memory...
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2001
- Posts
- 2,429
- Likes
- 10
I went to Fry's and noticed a really cheap co-ax to optical convertor for less than $20 bucks. So I felt now would be a good time to confirm my assumption that my Sony MD playback was superior to the Panasonic + Anti-shock.
The units are:
Sony R-30 ancient portable recorder, but I believe ATRAC 4
Panasonic SX-510, Anti-shock II
I already knew the anti-shock mechanism on Panasonic was pretty lousy in comparison to just normal MD playback, but with a true digital recording I had a true an easy way to confirm it now that I didn't have to go through DA conversions twice. Without a doubt there is a continuous dirty haze applied to the sound especially in higher frequencies with panasonic's anti-shock. I don't know if any lossy anti-shock scheme has really impoved significantly since than...I have my doubts that any lossy on-the-fly compression done by a portable CD player will compete with MD compression which is actually pre-recorded/compressed with superior compression technology.
Anyhow I didn't go very indepth but I just used Dream Theater Seasons of Change CD, my JMT amp and swapped the mini cable. When recording it digitally out of the Denon-370 I had both hooked up to my switcher so I could compare playback between my home Denon-370 and the Sony R30 during the recording process, and the Denon-370 just blew it away in all regards. I was almost having doubts that the Sony R30 wouldn't be an even match for the Panasonic because CD playback on my Denon was so much better.
When I finished recording the album, I compared the Panasonic without anti-shock to the Sony(no anti-shock settings...already pre-compressed and buffered). Even with the JMT amp and Ety4S, it was way too difficult to discern any consistent or large difference. However when applying the Panasonic anti-shock, there is no question that the Sony R30 which by default always has anti-shock was clearly better. This is a difference that I would be able to discern in even portable situations (assuming your portable situation happens to include an amp and Ety's of course). Anyways I found a big difference even on the Dream Theater recording, and I bet the anti-shock hazing/smearing would be even more evident on some of my other recordings.
Since the Panasonic I have without anti-shock sounds very decent especially from line-out, and the Sony R30 offers the same quality from its line-out WITH built-in anti-shock...I would have to say that IF I were interested in getting a new portable I would rather go the MD route. Especially now that I got a nifty deal on the coax-optical convertor. And considering the trend in Panasonic CD portables really haven't improved their sound...and it just seem to be instead playing catchup with their anti-shock while some MD recorders now sport Type-R or whatever, there is no question in my mind which appeals to me more. Even a 10 sec linear anti-shock is still more skip-prone than typical MD for plenty of reasons(CD disc is much larger and unsupported). Although I would love to get my hands on a linear anti-shock portable just to run it through some MD comparison testing.
Finally...my dinosaur R30 has a line-out...so I was also wondering what are some portable MD recorders that have TRUE line-outs.
I know portable CD players are always popular discussion...but I still think that if you have a home player with digital out...just grab a convertor if you need one, and a MD player. You also never need to worry about scratching your original discs on the go. If you feel that somehow your CD player will still sound much better even though it is more prone to jolts...thats fine too. Just realize that the CD format was first designed with home transports in mind, and moved to portable, whereas the MD format was always designed with portable transports in mind.
The units are:
Sony R-30 ancient portable recorder, but I believe ATRAC 4
Panasonic SX-510, Anti-shock II
I already knew the anti-shock mechanism on Panasonic was pretty lousy in comparison to just normal MD playback, but with a true digital recording I had a true an easy way to confirm it now that I didn't have to go through DA conversions twice. Without a doubt there is a continuous dirty haze applied to the sound especially in higher frequencies with panasonic's anti-shock. I don't know if any lossy anti-shock scheme has really impoved significantly since than...I have my doubts that any lossy on-the-fly compression done by a portable CD player will compete with MD compression which is actually pre-recorded/compressed with superior compression technology.
Anyhow I didn't go very indepth but I just used Dream Theater Seasons of Change CD, my JMT amp and swapped the mini cable. When recording it digitally out of the Denon-370 I had both hooked up to my switcher so I could compare playback between my home Denon-370 and the Sony R30 during the recording process, and the Denon-370 just blew it away in all regards. I was almost having doubts that the Sony R30 wouldn't be an even match for the Panasonic because CD playback on my Denon was so much better.
When I finished recording the album, I compared the Panasonic without anti-shock to the Sony(no anti-shock settings...already pre-compressed and buffered). Even with the JMT amp and Ety4S, it was way too difficult to discern any consistent or large difference. However when applying the Panasonic anti-shock, there is no question that the Sony R30 which by default always has anti-shock was clearly better. This is a difference that I would be able to discern in even portable situations (assuming your portable situation happens to include an amp and Ety's of course). Anyways I found a big difference even on the Dream Theater recording, and I bet the anti-shock hazing/smearing would be even more evident on some of my other recordings.
Since the Panasonic I have without anti-shock sounds very decent especially from line-out, and the Sony R30 offers the same quality from its line-out WITH built-in anti-shock...I would have to say that IF I were interested in getting a new portable I would rather go the MD route. Especially now that I got a nifty deal on the coax-optical convertor. And considering the trend in Panasonic CD portables really haven't improved their sound...and it just seem to be instead playing catchup with their anti-shock while some MD recorders now sport Type-R or whatever, there is no question in my mind which appeals to me more. Even a 10 sec linear anti-shock is still more skip-prone than typical MD for plenty of reasons(CD disc is much larger and unsupported). Although I would love to get my hands on a linear anti-shock portable just to run it through some MD comparison testing.
Finally...my dinosaur R30 has a line-out...so I was also wondering what are some portable MD recorders that have TRUE line-outs.
I know portable CD players are always popular discussion...but I still think that if you have a home player with digital out...just grab a convertor if you need one, and a MD player. You also never need to worry about scratching your original discs on the go. If you feel that somehow your CD player will still sound much better even though it is more prone to jolts...thats fine too. Just realize that the CD format was first designed with home transports in mind, and moved to portable, whereas the MD format was always designed with portable transports in mind.
