Hello! Here's some info for Canadian MD-list members: London Drugs stores (located in western Canada) have the Sony MJ-L1 flat-style MD component system on clearance sale for CAN$499.98 (approximately US$330). I bought one, and I thought I'd write a review of it in case anyone else is interested in buying this attractive MD stereo system. CAN$499 is an amazing price; the last time I saw an MJ-L1 in a store it was about $1300. A large grayscale picture is at: http://www.vanderidder.nl/SONY-WEBSITE/images2/hifisys/R972452.JPG The MJ-L1 system comes in a few pieces: the HCD-MJ1 flat component system, the SS-MJ1 speaker system and the RM-SMJ1 remote control. The unit is made in Japan, and it is of very high quality. In my opinion, it is very stylish, modern and expensive looking (something you would want to place out where it can be seen, rather than hidden in a cupboard like most stereo equipment). HCD-MJ1 flat component system main unit: The main unit contains a CD player, a minidisc recorder, a tuner, an amplifier, and a silent cooling fan. It is 17 inches wide, 11 inches deep, and 3.75 inches tall. The display and almost all controls are located on the top surface, which is made of a thick piece of aluminum. There is a jog dial which is used for character entry, FM tuning, track selection, and bass/treble/clock adjustments. The unit has one set of analog inputs and one set of analog outputs. There are also connectors for FM and AM antennas. The front of the unit has the CD and MD eject buttons, and a motorized door which opens to reveal the CD and MD slots. A built-in clock provides daily wake-up timer, record timer, and sleep timer functions. Amplifier: 30W RMS per channel. There are bass and treble (+/- 10dB) controls as well as a balance control. There is no loudness or bass-boost feature. The display has a 13-character text display, a 20-track music calendar, a volume bar graph, a timer mode indicator, and animated CD and MD icons. When the volume is adjusted, the text display shows the volume level in dB. The unit's buttons have LEDs next to them that illuminate or flash (presumably to give you a hint as to which button to press). There is a 2 year warranty. Tuner: There are 20 FM presets and 10 AM presets. A tuning mode button selects the function of the jog dial (it can be used for manual tuning, automatic (seek) tuning, or preset selection). Radio stations can be given 10-character titles. The display has "TUNED", "STEREO" and "MONO" indicators to indicate if a station is properly tuned in and whether or not it is in stereo. CD player: The MJ-L1 has a single-disc CD player. Discs can be given 10 character titles, but the disc title cannot be displayed while the CD is playing. There is an animated spinning CD icon in the display. The display shows elapsed time, remaining disc time, or remaining track time as well as a 20-track music calendar. The manual claims 2Hz to 20kHz frequency response. MD player: The MD player performs all of the usual functions (divide, combine, erase, title, and move). There is a rehearsal mode for track division (just like on the Sony MDS-JE510) where the jog dial is used to move the division point forward or backwards in steps of 60ms. Program-play and shuffle-play modes can be selected. There is a 20-track music calendar. There are only two recording level settings for analog recordings from the unit's RCA-jack inputs: normal and "attenuate". A "REC LEVEL OVER" indicator lights if the input signal is too loud. The recording level of the radio is set automatically. CDs can be digitally copied to MD, and the CD title is copied automatically to the MD. Track marks are copied properly for CD-MD recording. The "Level Sync" feature can be used to automatically set track marks for analog recordings. An animated spinning minidisc shows in the display (it even spins in the correct direction and at the correct speed depending on if you press play, >>, <<, or pause). Track title, elapsed time and remaining time can be displayed. SS-MJ1 Speakers: The speakers are silver with blue grilles. They are passive 2-way bass-reflex type speakers, with a 5.125" woofer, a 1" tweeter, and a front-facing flared port. They are relatively thin (6" thick and 15" tall), and they are surprisingly heavy for their size. RM-SMJ1 Remote Control: The remote control is very slim (as thin as a minidisc!) and tiny, with a silver face to match the MJ-L1 system. It can control most of the functions of the unit. The remote control commands for CD and MD transport functions, power, volume, and tuner preset +/- are the same as those used for standard full size Sony audio components; numeric buttons are not. Remote control range is adequate but not exceptional. The sleep timer can only be enabled from the remote control. So far, I am very pleased with this product. Sound quality is quite good (excellent when connected to a subwoofer), and it operates flawlessly. On a similar topic, I purchased (and returned) a Sharp MD-X5 minisystem a few weeks ago (available at Future Shop on sale for CAN$250 (US$165)), and it was more difficult to use than the MJ-L1. I returned it because it gave me a UTOC error if I tried to edit any MD that was recorded by my Sony MDS-JE510. The Sharp MD-X5 would then refuse to eject the MD until it was unplugged and plugged in again, and it would display the titles of that first disc for any subsequent disc that was played. All of the Sharp MD players at the store did the same thing - I was surprised at the questionable quality of their products. I bought the MD-X5 primarily because of its PC keyboard connector for MD titling, however the UTOC error problem meant that I couldn't actually title any of my MDs. The MD-X5 also had a poor amplifier section; there was a noticeable hiss from the speakers, and the wake-up timer and sleep timer functions were badly designed. I was unimpressed by the Sharp MD-X5, but I like the Sony MJ-L1 a lot. I've heard that older Sony MD players can have optical block failures though, so I guess there's always something to worry about. Oh well... Matt :) ----------------------------------------------------------------- To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
