Re: MD: THX Certified?
Stainless Steel Rat wrote: It is certification. But is is also specifications. There is a separate setting on my THX receiver. I think this setting sets a certain EQ. Now this EQ can be set (if you know what it is) by the use of any equilizer. It is not unique to THX but must exist in it's specifications. As far as the rest of the specifications go, there is no question that you can buy equipment that is not THX certified but will exceed the THX specifications. Then why aren't this THX certified?? Because THX is among other things another way for George to make money. If you look at Lucas's track record, he really hasn't done so well in the hit movie business. His Industrial Lights and Magic are probably more profitable than many of his movies have been. For every Star Wars he has had 10 dogs. I don't seem to remember "Look at Life (1965)", "1:42:08: A Man and His Car (1966)", "THX 1138:4EB (1967)" (well that's here the THX comes from I guess) etc. American Graffiti and Star Wars (and anything anyone does with Spielberg, like IJ). I used to ponder whether Spielberg was so over rated. You know a bunch of cutsie movies that made a lot of money. But ever since Shindler's list I've shut my mouth. I wonder if Lucas owns a Mini Disc recorder? The way I look it it, if he isn't into the format, we can discount him straight out. Larry "THX Certification" has exactly as much meaning as "Microsoft Certified Software Engineer" or "Novell Certified Engineer". It means it passed a test. That's *IT*. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: THX Certified?
"Francisco J. Huerta" wrote: Home THX Controller - includes multi-channel circuitry and the necessary electronic enhancements (Re-equalizationT, Timbre MatchingT, and DecorrelationT, and more) to successfully render the film sound experience in a home. He's right about this Ratman even though I haven't a clue with Timbre matchingT and DecorrelationT are. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: what is an SACD?
Don Capps wrote: Funny isn't it? Remember all that "it's just ones and zeros" and "bits is bits" bullshit that Phillips/Sony were putting out in the early days of digital? If it was "perfect sound" then, as they so loudly touted, then why have they spend SO damned much money on improving it and pushing the technological boundaries in recent years? When you have a perfect format, how can you improve upon perfection? The problem is that until they insert a chip into our brain, we hear analog. All those ones and zeros are just feeble attempts to simulate a wave. Maybe we have been going the wrong way. All of this digital crap. maybe we should have been concentrating on ways to faithfully reproduce waves. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: THX Certified?
Stainless Steel Rat wrote: None of which is unique to THX-certified equipment. Individually. But the combination is what gives it a uniqueness. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Best buy, phasing out MD equip ??
Dan Scellen wrote: When I went to the same Best Buy a couple months ago to see about buying an MD minisystem, the salesperson tried to convince me that MD was dead. He said that it has no advantages over any other format. How can we expect MD to become mainstream like this? If I didn't know what I was talking about there, he surely would have convinced me against minidisc. Dan, this all goes back to the discussion that we frequently have here about what idiots they hire at best buy and circuit city. For example, I was in a Best Buy in a large upscale area north of Philadelphia. There were a young male and female sales person standing around the CD department. Now this is their department. This is where they work. one was the manager. You'd expect that they would have at least a minimal knowledge about CDs and the format. I asked them where the HDCD CDs were. The girl looked at the guy. and deferred to him. He said "what's that?!!! When I described HDCD CDs, they just told me that if they had any they would be mixed in with the other CDs. They didn't have a separate section for them. No kidding. How can you have a separate section for something they you don't even know exists!!! But what really gets me (most of my experience is with Circuit City, which I try to avoid buying things in if it is at all possible) is the attitude and arrogance of these stupid people. I'm sure there are exceptions (probably people working there until they find a job that they really want) but for the most part, the sales persons that they hire are losers who are really only qualified to be sweeping the floors. I don't understand how these places have gotten so big. Their prices aren't good either. But there seems to be some kind of price fixing going on because many of the competing stores seem to have the same prices. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: THX In Layman's Terms
Stainless Steel Rat wrote: Right, but it was not called that, it was called "Dolby Surround Sound". It was renamed "Dolby Pro-Logic" for home receivers to avoid confusion with 3-point surround systems. Dolby Surround Sound existed in home receivers before Dolby Pro Logic. Pro Logic was an improvement over "plain" Dolby Surround. It added steering logic to help direct the sounds to the proper speakers. Now Dolby Digital is a discrete set up while Dolby Surround and it's enhanced version, Pro Logic were matrixed kind of similar to SQ quadraphonic sound. The big improvement in Pro logic was the steering of the center channel. But like SQ you still only have 4 channels because the right and left rear carry the exact same information. LAS Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: what is an SACD?
Matthew Bullis wrote: I noticed this as a format that you can buy on CDNow.com for some albums. What is this format? Thanks a lot. Matthew Here's some information on the subject: http://www.dvd-audio.co.uk/dvda_sacd.html http://www.dvd-audio.co.uk/dvda_sacd.html - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: THX In Layman's Terms
Stainless Steel Rat wrote: Exactly. The trick is to use phase inversion to matrix multiple audio tracks together. Which sounds (heh) like it shouldn't work, but it does when done right. Many years ago before I owned a Pro logic receiver, I took the right + from the RT front speaker and sent it the Rt+ on a rear speaker I then took the Left + did the same with a rear left speaker and connected the - of the two speakers together. We used to refer to this a "hot wiring". Surprising (although you could not control the volume of the rear speakers with my set up) the results were often very pleasing. I don't know if what came out of the back was supposed to be there, but it sounded good. I was especially impressed with the movie "The Last Star Fighter". I had some friends over one night to show the movie and they enjoy it so that they applauded at the end! Now eventually I got my Pro logic receiver. The first movie I went to see was of course "The Last Star Fighter". When I listened, I actually thought that I liked the way my hot wired version sounded. Hot wiring can add a nice effect to music also. In theory it is supposed to give you the "ambient sound" which they claim is present on all stereo recordings. There is so much that you can play with when it comes to sound. In my humble opinion, much more than video. For video you want a sharp picture with good color reproduction and as much detail as possible. Grass should look like blades of grass. Not a green blur. Some people might like there picture a little more color intense, more "vivid", more blue, more red, etc. But these are all minor things when compared to sound. Carver of Carver electronics once noticed what he felt was a marked improvement in the sound while he had his fire place going. He experimented and added a circuit to some of his equipment that infused that background sound into the system. I can't remember what he called it. But since you don't see it as an option on equipment today, I guess other people's ears did not enjoy it like his did. But for all of the advances in home audio, in my humble opinion, stereo was the biggest. It created the "WOW!" factor when listening to music. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: THX...yadda...yadda...yadda...
jgvp wrote: All my McIntosh components are THX approved; however, a not too inexpensive THX module is required to be incorporated into the Control Preamplifier in order to complete the design and quality control for theatre sound reproduction. I have yet to purchase and have this module installed, so can anyone here state whether or not this is being "penny wise, pound foolish", if you get my drift ? Thanks. The best way to decide would be to go to a place like Circuit City and ask to hear one of their high end receivers that have switch able THX circuits (like Onkyo). Listen to the sound in the standard Dolby Digital mode and the THX mode and see if you feel it is worth it. Like speakers, you will have to hear them and decide for yourself. Also, who old is your receiver? With the new THX-EX and DTS-ES you may just want to wait a little while and buy a receiver that has these circuits. Then you can sell your old stuff on E bay. You never know how well you will do on eBay. I has listed stuff at a very low price just because I wanted to get rid of them. At the end of the auction sometimes I have been shocked to see how much they sold for. Once the other hand, sometimes stuff that I really thought was worth something would not move. But the nice thing about eBay is that their insertion fees are relatively low and you set the minimum bid. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: A question...
Don Capps wrote: Does anyone know of a MD Recorder that has a digital out (optical or spdif or what-have-you) other than the rather pricey HHB Portadisc professional recorder? Any? Since the first Sony MZ-1 portable, they don't make them. CD players are not problem. But for reasons I don't understand, digital outputs of any kind are not offered on portable MD gear. It has nothing to do with being able to make digital copies since they make home decks with them. Sorry. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: what is an SACD?
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === How does it stack up against HCDC CDs? larry Mario Diaz wrote: Super Audio CD is Sony and Phillips latest new hardware release. The sound reproduction is definitely superior to CD but they have a serious limitation. THE PRICE!! Even though SONY and others have come out with Economic SACD players that function very close to their high price items, the software itself is outrageoulsy expensive. They will not succeed with this format because of this reason. It's a shame because the music is better than analog - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: what is an SACD?
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Sorry that's HDCD CDs. Mario Diaz wrote: Super Audio CD is Sony and Phillips latest new hardware release. The sound reproduction is definitely superior to CD but they have a serious limitation. THE PRICE!! Even though SONY and others have come out with Economic SACD players that function very close to their high price items, the software itself is outrageoulsy expensive. They will not succeed with this format because of this reason. It's a shame because the music is better than analog - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: what is an SACD?
Don Capps wrote: They're both very good...very comparable to each other. It's just another in the long line of format wars Larry. Who knows which will be left standing when the dust settles? Buddhists have the right idea. They don't put too much importance on material things. That's one of those human weaknesses that make other people rich. I swear I have spent my life saving to buy things only to have them become obsolescent as soon as I finally get them. It's only been a few months since I got a THX/DTS receiver after having the same Pro Logic receiver for about 15 years and now they come out with THX-EX and dts-SE! Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: what is an SACD?
Don Capps wrote: The new technology is just around the corner. And computers? Even worse! Oi vay! Don C12 Some how I have managed too accept that computers price per new features ratio drop every day. I tell everyone that asks me what to buy, not to feel bad when in a few months they will be able to get either the same computer for much less or much more computer for the same money. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: THX In Layman's Terms
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Originally, Pro-logic was exclusive to movie theaters. Actually Dolby Surround preceeded Pro-logic. Dolby Pro-logic is an improvement over "plain" Dolby Surround in that it added stearing logic to increase the separation between the channels (especially important for the center channel which was not providing enough separation from the right and left). This because Dolby surround is a matrixed system and not discrete. There are limitations in channel separation when using matrixed schemes. The advent of home theater was born, I have read, came about kind of by accident. When prerecorded video tapes started coming out in stereo, the matrixed sound track was automatically carried over on to the tape. Since it it "piggybacked" there was no need to do anything special to have it present. It is just there. Someone got the idea of taking advantage of this matrixed information. Hi Fi VCRs made it even better. You started to see receivers with 4 amps two front and two less powerful rear channels. Early versions only had a preamp out for the center channel. Higher end Pioneer receivers offered a delay to the rear speakers. Until your post I always wondered why my system which had an early high end Pioneer receiver with Pro-logic but just decent sounded so good to people when I had them over to watch a movie. It was the delay. Since I just bought a THX/DTS Onkyo receiver, of course they had to come out with THX-EX and even DTS EX to make my unit obsolete! Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Best buy, phasing out MD equip ??
Donald Person wrote: Well everyone -- I think we're fighting a losing battle. This isn't a fight. Who cares if the rest of the people in this country are buying? As long as MD is big in Japan and there is an internet, there will always be a source of MD gear and blanks at competitive prices. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: DTS and THX
This is a little off topic (so what else is new?). I'm interested in your opinions of the quality of DTS and THX. DTS (Digital Theater Sound) is Spielberg's standard and involves special decoding as I am sure most of you know. While THX is belongs to Lucasfilms and is a standard rather than specifically encoded information. There is now also THX-EX which adds an addition matrixed surround speaker and can be set up with a separate 2 channel amp as 7.1 sound (I've never heard this set up yet). I don't see a mass growth of DTS even though the price of receivers which have DTS decoders keeps dropping and the number of units with them increasing. I only have a few DVDs that are DTS encoded and have not been personally blown away by their sound. I am actually more impressed with THX (I have a THX certified receiver). I still find it amazing that the defunct quadraphonic sound of the 70's has found a rebirth since the advent of the home theater. To get on topic. What do you see the future of MDLP as? This is just my humble opinion, but outside of Japan I really don't think it will catch on. It's a matter of too little too late. To me MDLP seems to be a desperate attempt by Sony to compete with the extremely long playing time of an MP3 CD or player. There has been enough criticism (unjustified in my humble opinion) the loss of sound quality do to ATRAC as it is. To further increase that loss seems pointless to me. I wonder if MD would have stood a better chance if Sony had "gotten it right" the first time around and not released the Mini Disc until it had the quality of at least their ATRAC version 3.5. Sony is one of the biggest marketers of planned obsolescence. When they first came out with their original Beta Cam (which was a record only system-you had to use a separate VCR to be able to play the tapes) auto focus was already popular on the 2 piece VHS cameras. But Sony intentionally left it off of their first version. I guessed correctly that when they introduced their second version a year later it included this feature at no additional cost. I'm not a big fan of Sony. I am frankly resentful of how they grabbed a major portion of the US music and film industry. I realize that the greed of the American industry had something to do with allowing that to happen though. What really bothers me is that Sony is not capable of making better music or movies than Americans are. They still use all of our American talent. They just own the company. If Sony had to depend upon it's own talent to create they would have been out of business in a week. Unlike the auto industry where the Japanese "killed" the US in quality, (the US has been spending years trying to catch up to the Japanese) the Japanese do not have the creative talent of Hollywood. While I am on the subject, do you realize how much revenue and jobs (not so much the high end/high paying directing, writing and acting as the poor technical people like electricians) the US is losing to Canada because of the tax breaks that the Canadian government gives US companies to produce their programs and films in Canada. It's too bad that it is the "little people" being hurt by this. Canada has lost hundreds of their most talented actors to the US over the years and lost the taxes they could have collected from their incomes. So if Canada had started it's own Hollywood with their own companies and started getting talented American actors to move to Canada from the US, that would be justified. But they are using our talent and high pay people. An actor can afford to spend months making a movie in Canada and coming back to the states to be with their family as often as they want. But the production people can't afford to do that. And I don't think Canada wants them to. They want to use American companies to gain employment for Canadian production people. Wiseguy, Millennium, Highlander (when they weren't in France), The X Files (until their 4th season when they began shooting in LA) and dozens of other "American" TV shows are filmed in Canada. Just my ten cents (inflation). Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: DTS and THX
Gerard Naude wrote: First off. MDLP is what long play was to home vcr's. Nobody ever raved about it, but eventually we all ended up using it. Recording 8 hours of video on a 4 hour tape? Pretty cool. Same with MDLP, people want more music together with less space. It will make it big, especially for MD enthusiasts and people who want practical solutions. Yes but some day when they finally allow the release of cheap recordable DVDs, video tapes will start to die down. Pre recorded DVDs are one of the fastest growing media ever released. Most modern Minidisc players/recorders really ARE indistinguishable from ordinary cd. I agree with you 100% TMd recorders have come a long way. Look at the Sharp Mt-77 for instance. It can easily hook up with your pc, for digital mp3 to md transfers, and even allows you to label your disc's from the pc. It can basically do what most mp3 players can do, but the media is cheaper, when compared to solid state music players. Agreed again. The next step for the Minidisc market, is to start bringing out players/recorders that also uses MD High Density discs. These discs can store around 640 megabytes, while a standard MD only holds 160 megabytes. Now imagine MDLP combined with High Density minidiscs. In theory such a disc could hold 300 mins of standard atrac compression, and 1200 mins of MDLP 4 musicIn theory anyway. That will give you close to 20 hours of music. I'm one of the strongest supports of MD and one of the oldest )partially because I am probably older than most people on this list (52). I purchased my first Sony MZ-1 less than a year after MDs first came out. I still find the quality of even the MZ-1 acceptable for use in your car for example. Regards, Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: DTS and THX
Neil wrote: I know you've alluded to it, but THX is just really a certification thing, the soundtrack on DVDs will still be either DD or DTS (for the foreseaable...). THX is just a certification of the equipment you use, alluding to the quality and integrity of the kit. Actually it is a little more than that. THX Select to qualify must include specific enhancements (Timbre Matching, Decorrelation, Re-EQ, etc.)" There is not THX Surround which is a combined effort of Dolby and Lucasfilms. Larry PS. I've been thinking about "Twister" and yes you are right DTS is VERY impressive when fully taken advantage of. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: deep optical question
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: If I pass the optical OUT of a DAT through the optical IN of a Sony MDS-JE630, then I take the optical OUT of the Sony to another device by simply pressing the record button of the Sony with no disc inside, is the passed-through input signal one that has been ATRAC'd and de-ATRAC'd, or has it been left untouched? I didn't think that you could get an MD recorder to go into the record mode unless there is a disc in it. Larry PS: This is a good one: "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything"Mrs. Osmond - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: OT: DVD Resolution
I think that I wasn't clear in what I was asking. I was not asking why analog looks better (film that is). What I was wondering is how they are able to copy film to video and it still looks better then video? In order to copy film to video, wouldn't there have to be some kind of device that was similar to a video camera to capture the images?? Once you go from film to a CCD should you end up with quality that is no better then shooting with a video camera in the first place?? But that isn't the case. Film transferred to video still looks better on TV than video. This is one that puzzles me?? Larry Anthony Lalande wrote: The reason why film usually looks better than analog video (i.e.: sitcoms) is because film is actual photography, and therefore has many times the resolution of video. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: OT: DVD Resolution
Steve, I remember Dynaco. Didn't they come in kits that you built yourself (like Heath Kit). Part of what you are saying about tubes and analog is unquestionably true. But I still have a Bogen tube amp. While they produced rich warm sound, tube amps introduce unacceptable (by today's standards) hum among other types of distortion. The reason that extremely high quality analog will always look better is because people are analog!!! We do not see ones and zeros and our brains make sounds and pictures out of them. Our eyes and ears are analog. They depend upon light and chroma and vibrations. Digital is a great means of storage because it can be duplicated with no generation loss. But all digital eventually has to be converted to analog in order for humans to see and hear it. The tube amp vs solid state is really not a direct analogy to digital and analog. The "richness" and "warmth" that is often refereed to with tube amps is actually distortion. Not all distortion has to sound bad. Except when distortion (that is any straying from the original sound or addition of sounds or colors that are not present in the original) we call it enhancement. Larry Steve Corey wrote: I've got an old Dynaco tube amp that puts out 35 watts per channel max, and it sounds better than the majority of modern amps out there. Film seems to behave the same way. Perhaps there is some sort of analog visual distortion that just looks good, in the same way that analog audible distortion sounds good. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: OT: Component Video Cables
Rodney Peterson wrote: My time is too valuable to bother with make it yourself cable. My suggestion doesn't involve "make it yourself cable". You purchase Radio Shack's best 75 ohm cables with gold "F" connectors, You buy 2 F to RCA adapters (I'm not sure if they are available gold plated) and you have what I feel is a good set of component video interconnects. Remember if you are using component video, you are still using analog signals. If I am not mistaken, component video is essentially the same as RGB. The black and white signal is piggy packed on one of the 3 colors. Unless you have HDTV DVD's (I don't think that they are available yet), although you can have a digital audio signal, DVD is still analog video and limited to 500 lines of resolution or so. Your HDTV is capable of displaying true digital video. But DVD's can not give you the resolution of HDTV. The best an HDTV will do for DVD's is give you the most you can get out of them. Also you can get true wide screen without having to letter box. But since there is maybe one TV show at this time that broadcasts in HDTV, ...sorry, I've gotten way of the topic and the topic itself has nothing to do with mini discs anyway. But we are kind of reaching a brick wall with Mini Discs outside of Japan. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: OT: DVD Resolution
OK, here's a dumb question. A DVD has digital information on it like a CD, no?? If it does, why can't they tap directly into the digital video output? HDTV is a digital TV. Are there special digital inputs so that if you had a digital source you would not have to use the analog component video?? Taking all of this into account, film still kills video. And film is analog. I can pick out any TV show that is shot in video vs film. There is a new TV show that is shot in HD video. At times it looks almost as good as film. But then the video looks sometimes creeps in. It's not going to happen because film is so expensive and complex compared to video. But if they really wanted to, they could improve the quality of film even more than it is to the point where the optics and not the storage media would be the limiting factor. I know I'm off the MD topic, but what really amazes and confuses me is that if something is shot on video tape you can tell. But when film is transferred to video tape it looks better than what you you have gotten in you had originally shot it on tape. Why is that? Getting back to improving film, they can always double the size although I imagine it would be pretty hard to work with 140 mm film. Larry Rodney Peterson wrote: Although DVD is output at 480i, and progressive scan DVD is 480p, a number of people are viewing them at upconverted 720p. While not true HDTV, it is a significant improvement over 480p from what I've read. Those people are using the same equipment I will be using: an HDTV with 720p display capability and a DVD-ROM from a computer output to the Key Digital VGA to component video adapter. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === The Ratman is right again. In fact the entire subjective topic of "high, low, or mid" quality makes no sense to me. There is no official classification in this regard. What parameters do you use? Technical measurements? Listening tests? After all that a high end system can sound really bad in a "bad room". The room is as critical any other part of the system. Larry There are two technical errors in that statement: ATRAC uses 5:1 bitwise reduction but no additional data compression. MD-74 can hold 74 minutes of music, the same as CD-DA, on a disc 1/5 the size of a CD because it is storing exactly 1/5 the number of bits. Bitwise reduction does not make the stream more compressible. | This is, coincidentally, why audio MD equipment would be very poor for | data storage. I believe this has been discussed on-list a few times. People have used inherently "lossy" analog schemes for reliable data storage and transmission for decades. It really depends on the modulation scheme used. It would not be as efficient as writing to the raw device but there is no technical reason why it could not work. -- Rat [EMAIL PROTECTED]\ Caution: Happy Fun Ball may suddenly Minion of Nathan - Nathan says Hi! \ accelerate to dangerous speeds. PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Going Out of Business
Well if you bought anything from Mercata, like I have, keep your fingers crossed that it does not break down for a while. They are going out of business. I have a feeling that "Iderive", which I believe is a related company may be in the same shape. I have not been able to access their website. I'm not surprised is Iderive is. They are the company that offered you money if they couldn't deliver their advertised item. I ordered from them and they couldn't. I had a great deal of trouble contacting them. When they couldn't deliver, they offered me the $25 plus free shipping if I was willing to wait for the item. I accepted. I got the DVD player but had to threaten them to get the credit to my account. They finally did credit my account when I gave them a deadline before "I took further action". But I didn't have any trouble with Mercata (except that they tried to over charge me on the sales tax). Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp MD 831 remote
The remotes that comes with most of the portables that I have seen have been disappointing, plastic pieces of crap. When I first got my Denon 70 (0r what ever it is called (a Sharp MS200 clone) it did not work properly right out of the box. I up graded to a remote made by sharp that had an LCD and was actually made out of metal. Oddly enough this remote came standard with the Sharp MD-ST60 player which sold for a relatively low price (for the time). Larry Anyone else noticed that the remote on this machine is of a very poor build quality. Mine started to lose the silver coating around the round STOP button and I've only had it a week! ZM - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sony E500 vs. E700 vs. E900
"J. Coon" wrote: I have recorded on my R30 and got a copy that was good enough to submit for a CD compilation, and so have a lot of other people. I'm sure they won't be able to do that with the LP mode. Jim are you saying that based on actual double blind listening studies that you conducted? OK, lets not get so technical. Have you listened to both and in your opinion with the trained ears of a musician and feel that regular ATRAC sounds better? After 25 years or so of having a highspeed drill blast my ears, I no longer consider myself qualified to judge. If you feel strongly enough that LP is not as good as standard MD, then that is good enough for me. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Subwoofer out
Stainless Steel Rat wrote: * Mike Burger [EMAIL PROTECTED] on Fri, 05 Jan 2001 | Typically, it's just the bass signal...to my knowledge there's not much of | a need for a stereo output to it. That is correct, especially as it is actually a crossover of the L and R channels. Stereo separation at that point is... pointless Actually, if you are saying what i think you are, having a separate left and right subwoofer, in spite of the commonly held theory, sounds different (if the channel separation is high and the speakers are placed far enough away) than a single subwoofer. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD Minisystems, Aiwa XR-H66MD
Dan said: Also, I was looking at the sharp MD-C2. I own a Sharp MD-CD2. I am very happy with it once you accept it's limitations. It is designed to be a complete all in one CD to MD copier. There are no digital inputs or outputs (everything has to be done using the Sharp's CD player (3 disc and the Sharp MD recorder/player (also 3 MDs). The CD player is not a "super" tracker. By that I mean that if you are the kind of jerk like I am who spends a lot of money on CDs and then just leaves them around to be to get all scratched, you may have trouble playing badly scratched CDs. But if you are like most people who respect their software (I am now very respectful of my DVDs!) the player will work fine. It will copy 3 CDs on to 3 MDs (digitally) at the press of a single button (if you want to do it that way). No, it is not high speed. Just normal real time recording. But who cares!! When you can put 3 CDs in your unit and then go to sleep, leave for work or school etc. and when you come back you have 3 perfectly recorded MDs, to me that beats a high speed recorder any time! The nice added feature is that it is both a CD changer and an MD changer. It will play 3 MDs one after the other. You also have manual control over editing functions (again if you are one of those jerks like me who hate to read the instruction manual, you will have to spend some time learning how to do this). However if you take the time to read the book, it is filled with instructions. The unit only has one set of jacks for an external analog source (such as a VCR). The unit can be lit up like a Christmas tree, or subdued by pressing the dimmer on the remote. Unlike most remotes that you find today, the remote has a limited number of controls. The only control that is really missing may or may not be important to you. It does not have the ability to tune in all stations. Only those that you preset. The equalizer is again limited. you don't have separate bass and treble switches. But this is fairly common with mini systems. Instead you have vocal, soft 1 and 2, flat, heavy 1 and 2. There is a "surround" button and an X Bass. The speakers are wood!! although not too heavy. They are 3 way base reflex. I got my unit from Mercata for just under $175 (which included shipping and sales tax since there warehouse is in my state). I bought it because we moved from a large house to a small apartment and I could not use the complete surround system that I used to have in my bedroom. There is even a cassette recorder/player if you still use cassettes (maybe you need them for the car). I don't regret buying it for a minute. Especially at the low price I paid. It has a energy Star sticker and does not distort even at maximum volume. Happy New Year everyone, Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD Minisystems, Aiwa XR-H66MD
I don't know much about the unit itself, but I have heard that Aiwa stopped supporting MiniDisc technology in it's new products. I don't know what the corporate climate is like at Aiwa, but you may find it difficult to get support for the unit. I know this is a great deal, but I've heard some bad things about the unit and was wondering if anyone else had some experiences to share. Also, I was looking at the sharp MD-C2 and the new MX30 (I've been unable to find an MX30 cheap enough for my poor ass :) ) If price is a concern, you can always look into the MX20. I think PlanetMiniDisc is selling the MX-20 for 280$ US. With your 10$ off, that brings you to within 20$ of your 250$ budget. $280 is TOOO high!!! Buy the MD-CD2. As long as they keep making MD products, I think that Sharp with have a had in them. I'm surprised to learn that Aiwa (which is largely owned by Sony) would make such a move. All of the Aiwa mini systems that I have seem included both TOSlink outputs and a "MD" choice as one of the sources. I just don't get it. MP3 is not a replacement for MD. What is the matter with the American (and many other countries outside of Japan) markets! People are so stupid. But I shouldn't be surprised. In a country that holds a national election and can't come up with two candidates better then Bush and Gore can we expect people to "understand" MD? Gore lost (well actually he didn't lose, since he one the popular vote) because of his lack of presence and his wanting to take credit for the past 8 years of accomplishments without acknowledging Bill Clinton. And s far as Bush is concerned, he is the MP3 of presidential candidates! Severely lacking, but simple. Inexpensive to initially "purchase" but totally impractical in the long run because he is too expensive to archive. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Which to sell?
Check ebay and sell the one that will get you the most money, probably the Sony. Larry Dan Frakes wrote: I have a Sony MZ-R50 in perfect condition and a Sharp MS-722 that is only about 6 months old (also in perfect condition). I am planning on selling one of them and getting an MR-R90 because of its size. I like various features on both of them, and I'm not sure which to get rid of! Suggestions and advice are appreciated. Any reason I should keep one over the other? - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: NiMH batteries in a NiCd charger?
No. Don't ask me the technical reasons, I'll leave that for Jim Coon or Ratman etc. All I know is that that I have tried and it does not charge them properly. Larry KVE wrote: Can I charge NiMH AA/AAA batteries in a NiCd charger? I thinking of "upgrading" my NiCd's (which are getting old) to NiMH to power my MD players and a Handspring Visor. If I need a different charger, what are the recommendations for NiMH (and, preferably, NiCd) chargers capable of charging AA and AAA batteries? Thanx! __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Lens Cleaners
Hi. Now there is also head cleaner. Although the lens doesn't not touch the MD, doesn't the head actually make contact? "David W. Tamkin" wrote: Matt Wall asked, | why should you not use a md lens cleaner as a maintenance thing? i've never | used one yet but am curious so i dont go doing something stupid. The cleaner has bristles for whisking dust or such off the lens, but the bristles can scratch the lens itself, doing worse damage. It's safer to blow the dust off with compressed air. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Dear Friends from the Minidisc Community,
I'm sorry to hear of your decision to close your business. As someone who once worked for a Web based company that was also forced to go out of business, I understand what you are saying. Best of luck, Larry - Original Message - From: "Peter Forest" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 8:00 AM Subject: MD: Dear Friends from the Minidisc Community, Dear Friends from the Minidisc Community, A few months ago, I decided to sell MiniDisc and accessories with a friend of mine on the Internet. For me, it was a "on the side business". I decided to do that because I am a music fan and I've found that the Mini-Disc was a good media to record and listen to my favorite music. It is recordable, can contain as much information as a CD, and is quite affordable to everybody. I decided to get involve in selling this type of media because I liked it, and to serve as much as I could the Minidisc community, period. To make money was not my first intention. I have also learn how complicated it was to build a business with a good service on the net. If anybody tried that already you probably know what I am talking about. All that is involved was in enormous amount of work for me. Building the web page, following up orders, organizing the shipping, purchasing and maintaining a minimum inventory, finding not expensive carrier for shipping, trying to have tracking capabilities for the service, etc. On the top of that, the follow up on those who were not satisfied and were complaining about every detail and were trying to get the most for their money.that was not an easy task, and I had to admit that I also have my own life and I started to feel the influence of this pressure that was just growing and growing. But, I remember my first goal. It was to help the MiniDisc community get good products at an interesting price. So, today, I am about to close my store on the Internet and I will do a Big Liquidation Sale for all the products I have in stock! I want to leave a message to those who have supported me during those few months. Thank you very much. Thank you very much also to those I tried to serve but I didn't meet your expectation. I feel sorry about that.but I learn something. The Internet is not an easy way to make business and build relationship, not more than in the real world. Maybe some of you will think I give up too fast, but it is too demanding right now for my personal life and for the real work I really do for living. This work is more related to the giftware wholesale market for the company Kheops International. I thank you all for your understanding and if you have any comments you can drop a word in my email, I will be more than happy to share your thoughts. I encourage you also to visit my competitors (especially Les lee from Music Mixers for his friendly and reliable service. (www.musicmixers.com) and those who give a good service to the Mini-Disc community and to see them as human beings who just want do their best to live in this business. Never forget that behind a Web page or a computer there is a human being with feelings and thoughts just like you, who only use this technology as a media to promote an idea or a product. Technology is neutral. The way we use it, depends if it's for good or bad. Thanks to all of you. Pierre Forest [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- ***Peter Forest*** www.kheopsminidisc.com www.kheopsinternational.com - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp vs. Sony ATRAC
Stainless Steel Rat wrote: Well, if you have a true line in on the other end, the impedance is high, which causes the built-in amp to cut out. Then you set the volume to maximum and you have a line out. I think that you may have missed my point. The fact that it can match impedance is not the important factor in this thread. The fact that every signal that comes out of a Sharp portable is "processed" rather than "flat" do to the lack of a true line out is the point that I am trying to make. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: ATRAC3, MD DATA, MDLP
Matt Wall wrote: where is this readily available software available from? url's anyone? That's what I'd like to know! Howard Chu wrote: Now that there's readily available software for encoding music into ATRAC3, has anyone used their MD DATA drive to write an MD DATA disc that's playable in an MDLP player? Howard, where did you hear about this. I don't want to come off sounding like a wise guy (I'll leave that for the Rat Man G) but you aren't by chance a disciple of the late Timothy Leary are you? BTW, despite what the Moody Blues sang, this time he really IS dead. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MP3 to CDR
"J. Coon" wrote: Is there a CD burner that will burn MP3 files and make an audio CD without having to save the MP3 file as a WAV file first? I'm not sure what you are asking. If you mean on a computer, this is a software problem. I think that there are programs that will convert MP3s on the fly to WAV files, but it is not the burner. I don't think that any of the music burners (like the Phillips) can read MP3s the way an Apex DVD player can. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD for recording sound for film?
Mike Burger wrote: Sounds like he's been spewed at by someone who has no idea what they're talking about. I'd come back with "Have you ever actually listened to MD?" and then place my headphones on his head. Did you ever get the feeling that there is actually an "anti MD" faction in among Hi Fi journalists? Like that idiot Ken Pohmann (or how ever he spells his name). I have a friend that is a certified computer engineer. I was talking to him last night and he made an interesting point. On occasion his is asked to teach certification courses. The "normal" instructors are hacks who read books and attended labs, but have no field experience! He is out there every day straightening out companies networks that someone else was clueless about. He knows first hand the troubles that you run into in the real world. I'll bet that many of these Hi Fi Journalists, have very limited field experience. The have degrees from the University of Miami (like Pohmann). I don't know if the U of M has become a respected university, but when I was in high school, we used to joke about it being the college where all of the boxers and athletes graduate from. The used to tell me that you could take the diploma from there and make a paper airplane out of it. Again, this was a very long time ago. The university might be a well respected institution today. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Aiwa Car CD player with MD input
"J. Coon" wrote: and the neat thing about it is it has an auxiliary input jack on the front panel, where you can plug in a Minidisc player, or a one of those walkman tape players. Jim, To the best of my knowledge, all Aiwa in dash units have AUX jacks. I have been mentioning the Aiwa 160 watt AM/FM cassette that comes with 2 speakers, that is sold in Sam's Club for $99.99 for years now. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: md-l-digest V2 #806
"J. van de Griek" wrote: You'll get double the time back through saving on reboots, powering off and on, and reinstalling your OS. But how do you run all of the Windows programs that you have? I've heard that there are emulators, but do Windows programs run any faster under them? Also, I've heard that Linux has command lines that you have to learn? Thanks, Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Cedric's Question
James Jarvie wrote: May I make another suggestion? What about the Sony portable CD player with optical out? You could make digital recordings from it, and not be replacing a unit that you otherwise are happy with. The Sony CD portable with optical out goes for about USD 139.00 here in the states. I have, what was at the time, a top of the line portable Sony with an optical out. Not only is this a very convenient way to go (you can take your two portables to a friend's house and make MDs from his collection :) ) but this unit is the best tracking CD player that I have ever owned. Unfortunately like most Sony products, even though I have hardly used it, the remote died already! By the way, I don't know what MD blanks go for in La Belle France, since the last time I was there was 1993, but Pierre sells blanks through his on-line store. His prices are excellent as is his service. I concur. I have bought dozens and dozens of blanks and accessories from him. He is very good about returns too. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Speeding
"J. van de Griek" wrote: See, the problem in this situation is that the actual problem itself can be anywhere in either the burner, the media, the player, or in a combination of any of them... Hopefully, more and more drives will start coming out with "burnproof" technology, like the Plextor. That will end this debate. The real problem is the software/hardware combination. Like burnproof technology, a drive should be able to know when to write and when to wait. Kind of like printer spooling. You store enough the information so that where will be no buffer problems. The drive should have control over whether it writes or not if they information isn't streaming fast enough. Remember the old Star Trek where "Nomad" the "changeling" feeds the information to the ships computer faster then the computer can take it and the computer starts to smoke? The next time that it was going to transfer information, Spock (e.g. the "burnproof" technology) politely asked Nomad not to "send the data faster than the computer could handle it". Of course there is the occasional disc problem-some brands just seem to have problems with some drives. My daughter once had an HP drive that she had to return because it would only write to HP discs. But that's no assurance that an HP disc is good. I have had trouble with HP discs in my external HP drive from time to time. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Speeding
JT wrote: Neither of those are accurate. The *.cda files are a virtual filesystem Windows 9x imposes on CDs. There are no files on am audio CD, just 44.1KHz PCM audio data. The CD burning program converts the waves to that data when it burns the CD. No, I stated just what you mentioned above as a possible explanation: "(if they can't then the wave files are somehow automatically converted.." Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Speeding
"J. van de Griek" wrote: You didn;t see that noted because it's hogwash. Burn your audio CD's as fast as you want, your CD player will still play them at 1x speed, since that's what it's designed to do. That's right. I wonder where Mike got that one from? I think that he has either MP3 files or something mixed up with standard audio wave files. All CD players can read standard CDs (which are "virtual" files-if you ever check a standard audio file is registers on Windows Explorer as being 1 KB) and wave files. But either way the information is digital. It doesn't matter how fast you get the ones and zeros there. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Speeding
Jeanmougin wrote: I tought that when you burnt a CDR at speeds over 1x or 2x, u had more read errors. Not if your equipment can handle the speed. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Speeding
Nathan White wrote: You need to convert your audio files to *.cda (I think that's what it is) for CD players to be able to read it. That's probably why you can only play it in your cd-rom. Nate, I'm not sure if that is accurate. I believe that a CD player can also read wave files (if they can't then the wave files are somehow automatically converted because I copy wave files to CDRs all of the time and play them on regular CD players (you have to close the disc) Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: When Oh When.....
Alan Dowds wrote: I agree. I'm a journalist, and I love to use my 702 for interviews and note taking, but it's a pain to have to plug a mic in. Seems like in the past even the cheapest recording tape machines always had at least a cheap mono mic built-in. Surely it wouldn't take up much space, power or cost? This may have been brought up before, but Sony did make a unit like the kind that you are describing. The price was outrageously high! I'm not sure if they still make them. In the few years that I was selling MD gear on the net, we never had one inquiry about the unit (and we sold all kinds of stuff). http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-B3.html With recorders selling as low as $140 on Mercata now, it seems that it would not require much to just add an internal mike. But I think that they industry thinking was that the mini disc offered CD quality sound and that it was over kill to offer a dictation machine that used a mini disc. Even a high end micro cassette recorder is still only about $50 or $60 and the cassettes are cheap. But that doesn't mean that a low cost MD dictation machine still isn't a good idea. I haven't quite fully figured the MD manufactures out yet. It is obvious from the R and D and introduction of MDLP that Sony still believes that the MD is alive and well. But on the other hand they are trying to push their solid state Stick in the US. It seems to me that a $100 portable MD recorder is not out of the question and one dollar blanks are almost there too. With the right advertising push and some PC compatibility MD could suddenly become the next big thing. If Sony was really smart (especially if the Napster deal finally goes through) they would introduce a portable that could record in either in ATRAC or MP3 mode at the flip of a switch. The problem is that they would have to admit that their so called Data MDs are a rip off and cost the same to manufacture as a plain MD. Correct me if my math is off. The average MP3 file is about 3.5 to 4 MB. A 75 minute MD (why did they call them 74 minute when they are only a second short of 75 minutes?) hold about 140 MB of data. I have a directory that is 700 MB and contains about 225 songs. That's 3.11 Mb each. Lets us the number 3.5 MB per song. A Mini Disc should be able to hold 40 MP3 songs. That's a few hours worth of much (around 2?). Since these crap sold state MP3 players seem to be selling well, doesn't it make any sense that an "MP3-MD recorder would sell well? Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Tuner-less car MD players
Simon Mackay wrote: Hi everyone! Who remembers those cassette or 8-track tape players that were sold during the 60s and 70s, which were designed to be mounted under the dashboard of a car? A lot of these units didn't have a tuner and often played through a set of speakers that were often sold with the unit. A friend of mine had her 8-track in her glove box. In 1976 I bought a brand new Buick Skylark and told them that I did not want it with a radio. I was in to Quadraphonic sound. I ordered a Panasonic Quadraphonic 8-track receiver for my car and added speakers. I still remember riding around on this isolated section of the Air Force Base that I was living on. There'd be fog and I'd either be listening to "Dark Side of the Moon or "Wish You Were Here" (Dark Side of the Moon was on the charts for years and years. But I often thought that "Wish You Were Here" is as good if not better). Then my kids started to grow and that was the last time I ever saw any of P F's stuff. They say that Quad died because of a lack of the "WOW" factor. When you switch from mono to stereo, if it is done right, the resulting improvement gets people to say "wow!". But Quad didn't really do that. The problem is that Quad was a fake sound. Kind of like the old Beatles albums where the voices were coming from one channel and the guitar the other. Then someone started encoding movies in Dolby Surround and someone realized that when the sound track was recorded on to a video cassette, the matrixed surround was automatically carried over. So they started to come out with surround sound receivers and home theater was born. I saw the movie Tommy (The Who) in a theater in NYC that was set up for Quintophonic sound. The dBs must have been over 120!!! My wife and I could not hear correctly for days after we left the movie. Now Dolby Digital is 5 discrete channels plus provisions for the subwoofer (the "1" in "5.1"). One other reason that quad didn't make it was that cassettes were starting to really catch on. But Phillips refused to allow any format that was not backwards comparable with their original mono recorders. Quad would have had to be played in one direction using all four tracks. Then, during the 80s, some manufacturers supplied add-on car CD players that were designed around the same concept as these tape players -- no tuner and able to work with an existing OEM or aftermarket car stereo installation. I added one to (once again a brand new-I used to work just to be able to make car payments- (what an A hole I was) Surbaru Turbo XT Coupe. It had a section that I managed to fit into the dash and a "memory module" that was as big if not bigger than the Din sized dash unit that I shoved under the front passenger seat. The two sections were joined with three separate cables!! Big Fat Cables. It was a Pioneer unit and cost me about $300. I was able to buy an automatic switch from Pioneer that would either have use the outputs from the Clarion receiver that came with the Subarus or the Amp that the CD player was connected to. I had to get the dealer to get me a copy of the wiring diagram. It took me two full days to get it all installed. Why can't manufacturers work on car MD players that are designed like these earlier add-on CD and tape players. If they removed the tuner, they can sell these units for a lower price than the standard radio-MD units thar are sold nowadays. With regards, You can sort of do this by having a portable and a receiver that has an AUX input. That's what I use. Because the the cost, lack of models and poor reliability of the few MD car units that exist, I will not buy a car unit. Have a great Monday, Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Speeding
PrinceGaz wrote: is there any disadvantage to burning at 6x (the discs I have are rated for up to 8x burning) rather than 4x? I'd rather not go back to 2x burning but would a slightly slower than max speed; 4x rather than 6x give better more readable discs and be worth the extra six or so minutes needed. Not if you have a super fast system. But trying to keep the flow going at that rate can be difficult for most systems. I'd make sure that I closed down every other program when I was using it if I were you. I really like the Plextor 12X drive. They have their "burn proof" technology that will go back and "wait" if necessary so that you don't get any under runs. That may slow things down a little, but at 12 times, on a fast computer, it "spits" out the CDs. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Xitel MDport-DG1 or Soundcard?
JT wrote: Which one should i buy? Avoid the Xitel MDport-DG1. I tried it and it kept cutting in and out. One minute I could see the red light the next is was gone again. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: md-l-digest V2 #802
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === James Jarvie wrote: If you [...] plan to copy your CDs to MD and then eliminate your CDs (e.g.. sell them on eBay), this might not be the system for you Does anyone else see a flaw here? No. Larry is saying that if you plan to make master copies of your CDs and sell them you will not necessaruly get the best quality recording from this unit. He is using this as an example, and has not inferred that he supports doing this. James That's correct. I was just using that as an example. I was not advocating any particular practice. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Music and Computer adapters
Commun wrote: The auto track-mark feature avalaible on digital connections is very useful but there's a drawback sometimes. I bought the CD "The Corrs MTV Unplugged" and I decided to make a copy of it on MiniDisc. The first copy was digital. Nothing to say on sound quality but there was something unpleasant: due to the auto track-mark function: the songs ended abruptely. I'm not 100% what you are referring to. There shouldn't be any missing information, just breaks that might split up a song. If that is the case, as long as they are at least a few seconds long, you can edit out the marks to combine the tracks. This was all the more unpleasant that this album is a live album so you hear the band and the audience between the songs. So I erased this copy and decided to make an analog copy with my Sony deck MDS-JE530. Thanks to ATRAC-R and the ability to set line input level, this copy is as good as the CD and maybe more pleasant to listen than the first (digital) copy whose sound level was a bit too high for me. Just like the "flat" setting, the auto level settings should reproduce an MD which has the same exact levels as the original CD. It shouldn't cause overloading. If the levels are too high, then use your volume control. But on my non scientific A/B testing, I have found that the level of the original CD and the digital Md copy sound equal. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Napster and RIAA
"J. Coon" wrote: http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/news/535/?nl44 http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/news/534/#body The RIAA, and the Motion Picture Academy have always been happy when they were giving a free hand to do what ever they damn please. To a large extent, that's the way it should be. In the US we live in a capitalist country and if you don't like the practices of an organization, you boycott. Unfortunately, although strikes still go on, I haven't seen a good boycott in years. Boycotts work. If enough people stop buying a product, the person that they are boycotting against either comes to a compromise or throws in the towel and closes shop. The RIAA thing is really a minor thing compared to the drug industry and the banks. Lets leave the banks out of this because one could argue that since they do not directly affect the public's health and welfare, they should be deregulated. But the drug companies are another matter. Like anything in the health provider area, here there must be more government intervention. This is one of the exceptions to the "keep the government out of it rule, in my opinion. Drug companies have to be made to to realize (just as doctors and health insurance companies do) that if they can not police themselves, the government is going to have to take some steps. If you want to charge $400 for an MD recorder that cost you $25 to make go a head. But when they don't sell, that's the price the manufacture pays. If you want to charge $17 got a blank MD that costs you... But health care and medication are an entirely different thing. As a health care provider, if the government came to me and said, you are going to have to treat some people who can not afford your fees a reduced government subsidized fee, as long as I did not lose money, I think that I would have to work out an agreement with the government. I have never expected MP3 songs to be available totally free. If you want that, go to the radio and copy the crap off of an FM broadcast in analog (with the DJ talking through it and the ending usually cut off). For quality MP3 digital songs, I think it is fair to pay a small royalty. BTW, I have played around with my Sharp MD-CD3 a little more. If you are looking for the kind of quality that only ATRAC R will deliver and plan to copy your CDs to MD and then eliminate your CDs (e.g.. sell them on eBay), this might not be the system for you (just like any standard portable with ATRAC 4 would not be either). However, if you want decent sound quality to jog with or listen to in your car, this is the way to go. You load 3 CDs and 3 blank MDs and press CD to MD. Come back later and you have 3 digital copies of your CDs. You still have full editing and titling capability and can then go back and add more much to each MD. Since this is not a Sony product, you don't have to worry about end of search. Just place a different CD in and hit copy again. It will be added to the MD without deleting the songs on the MD. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: sales tax on interstate sales
===
= NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please =
= be more selective when quoting text =
===
David, their warehouse is in PA. The bad thing is that I had to pay the tax. The
good thing is that oft my order in two days.
Larry
"David W. Tamkin" wrote:
Larry's beliefs are a nice ideal, but they aren't the reality.
In the US, if a company has presence ("nexus" is the word the lawyers like to
use) in any state, it is responsible for remitting sales tax on sales to
customers in that state and permitted to collect the sales tax from the
customer instead of paying itself. Nexus is defined very loosely: if you
have a salesperson headquarted in that state, if your own trucks make
deliveries into that state (or go through that state on their way to others)
even if you sent that particular item by common carrier, if you have storage
in that state, if you advertise on billboards or in local newspapers in that
state, essentially if that state can find any excuse, you have nexus there
and must remit sales tax on sales in or into that state. And if you don't,
then the customer is responsible for paying use tax (though that's rarely
enforced unless the item is used in a business).
Apparently Mercata believes it has nexus in Pennsylvania but not in New Mexi-
co, so they want sales tax from Larry but not from Aaron. One music publisher
charges me Illinois sales tax if I buy their products from one of their sub-
sidiaries but not if I buy them from another.
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Re: MD: Hertz
Stainless Steel Rat wrote: I think you are confusing dialect with slang. No dialect. Slang is the use of a word that is not generally accepted by scholars as a proper word. Dialect is the pronunciation and sometimes addition of words into a language that make it different from the way others speak the language. It has to do with which syllable the accent is placed on words too - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hertz
Bish Ashleigh wrote: Larry - you must be aware that the correct English spelling of 100 cm is one Metre. A meter is an instrument that measures a variable. As we in England seem to be the ones who originated the hash that eventually became English, 'twould seem most fair if our spelling is more correct that the bastardised U.S. versions that we oft smirk at! Perhaps you were sleeping, after all? What is spoken in the us is American then I guess. An English dialect so to speak. But the English have alone a pretty good job of bastardizing their own language. There is the Queen's English (so day it will be the King's again) and there is everything else like Cockney. That sounds just as bad as anything that we Yanks have done to proper English. The Australians have done a pretty good job of bastardizing proper English (I love the Australians, but I don't care for the way they have handled your language. About as bad as Cockney. I agree that cycles per second is more descriptive than Hz ... aren't we an odd lot who prefer to use dead men's surnames to decribe a scientific process than to call a spade a spade. Why do we do that?? It makes no sense does it? Also, someone claimed that Hz in universal. Is it really??? Is it used in every country in the world? Once again I start this dumb thread that should have probably been just ignored and it receives response after response. When I make what to me seems like an important contribution to the list and is on topic, people usually ignore it :) Well I hope that everyone has a great Halloween. It's just not the same when you don't have little kids anymore or live in a location where your door bell keeps ringing. I live on the highway and no one comes to us. BTW (totally off topic) this is actually a pagan holiday. It was banned by the Church. But that wouldn't stop people from practicing it, so they dubbed it "All Saints Day". But it is really not a religious holiday. I love it though. Actually I have a tie in to MD. You could make a great scary MD collecting all kinds of sounds and setting your MD player to continuous play. Then stick some speakers outside of your house and let the fun begin. Tomorrow is hump day (gotta get over the Wed. hump). Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Sharp MD-C3
I received my Sharp MD-C on Tuesday. I have it at my office and really haven't had much time to "play" with it. So far it appears that if you press the CD to MD button, it will copy CD #1 to MD #1 and so forth. I don't think that it will continue to copy CD #1 to MD #2 if MD #1 is full. At least it didn't in the test that I performed. The specific ATRAC version is not given. I guess that the unit was originally designed for release in Europe because the equipment browser gives the price in GBP. The overall sound quality is what you would expect from an inexpensive mini system. Actually considering that it sold on Mercata for under $200 this system offer's a lot for the money. The speakers are made from particle board rather than plastic. It has the typical "juke box" look as far as the lights go that you have come to expect from a teenager/young adult mini system. But being able to copy 3 CDs to 3 MDs digitally is impressive. I would expect that the copies are at least as good as you will get from a portable. In many respects this unit is more impressive than a high speed dubbing unit. While a 4X unit will finish a disc faster, you still have to be around to change the disc. Here you can load 3 CDs and just leave them. When you come back later, you will have 3 MD copies. On the down side, this is strictly a self contained unit. The only jacks are for one AUX input. There are no digital or even analog outputs (just a headphone jack). But this a unit like this, why would you want to bother making copies to a separate unit? The tape day is a dead give away that this is no high end system. On the other had there are still many people out there that need the use of a cassette deck so one is included. As always, I'm sure that the weak links are the converters. But where you plan to listen to your MD is important. As I have stated many times, I can't see making MD copies to listen to on your $10,000 system when you have the original CD (or a friend burned a copy for you on his computer). For the car and jogging, the quality of the MDs made from this unit or any portable are fine for me. I tried to compare the original CD to the MD copy, but you can't do an instant A/B switch so the lag time makes it a little more difficult to be precise. Both the CD and Md sounded about the same to me considering the limits of this system. The unit is rated at 50 watts per channel RMS. That's not too bad. Most units of this type will list the wattage at the point just before the unit explodes, not RMS. Why back when RMS was adapted as a standard to force component manufactures to compare apples to apples. Before that, you often saw numbers like 500 watts!!! That number was the number the unit could reach nano seconds before you house burned down. BTW, when they came out with RMS they were still using cps! Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hertz
Stainless Steel Rat wrote: One could say the same thing about metre, litre, gram, Newton, or any other unit of measure that we use. That may be true, but in the case of cps, we had something in place that was descriptive. Just because we use non descriptive terms for many things does not make dropping the one descriptive term that we had excusable. There used to be only two different types of gasoline to choose from. Regular and hi test. If you drove into the gas station today and asked for high test, the kid would look at you like you are nuts. But what does "extra", "premium", "super", "ultra", etc. mean?? What not say "87", "89", "93" etc.? In the case of premium we are using 3 syllables to describe something that only has 2. In the use the term metre is not used (unless they changed that too while I was sleeping) it's meter). Metre is used in Europe. Using any word to describe the processor of a computer is really useless, because there isn't always a true relationship between the "processor speed and the actual speed of the computer. It's one more way to fool the consumer. There should be a standard that reflects the true overall benchmark of a computer that is listed on each computer. The benchmarks for the processor, hard drive, video card, memory, etc. all have to be considered. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharps's MDLP portable recorder
Leon wrote: Hi all, Here's the replacement to the 831 (I think): Some relatively new features: - intro-scan if you're in LP2/4 mode, plays the first 5 seconds of each track; there's still no program play; First of all, do you read Japanese?? I went to the link and nothing was in English?? The only problem with long play MDs are that everyone has all of this money invested in standard MD. If you have a portable a deck and a car unit, you can sell the one that the new one replaces (the deck if you are buying an LP deck or the portable, if you are buying an LP portable. If you buy a portable, I guess you can do what I did, if you don't title much. Sell both. But that will not solve your problem in the car. If you use a portable in the car it's not as bad. You just have to sell everything else and take the new unit everywhere. But there are loads of boom boxes and mini systems out there too. I have had a deck (which a sold) and several portables. Using the portable for making digital copies of CDs is a little bit of a pain. I just bought one of those mini systems from Mercata. It is going to be great to be able to not have to worry about finding my digital cable and taking the portable over to the CD player etc. So for now you will still be stuck with the CD player to portable situation if you buy a portable LP MD. But your new MDs (in the LP mode will only work in the new unit. You cant play them in your boom box, mini system, car unit, deck etc. In order to take advantage of the new features and length of the LP unit, you are going to have to use it for every thing. That means until they come up with a car LP unit (which will probably cost a small fortune) most people are going to have to use those crappy cassette adapters. Just about the only unit car units I know of having an AUX in put are Aiwa (which are good units in my opinion) and a real cheap and crap Radio Shack that puts out about 1 watt.. So if you don't have a unit with an AUX you are going to get crap sound in the car. The cassette adapter, like tape itself is limited to 15,000cps. If you have a CD player in your car and no cassette, what do you do? Don't get me wrong. I think the idea of LP is great. The only problem is like all new things while fortunately IT is backwards compatible, your old stuff is not "frontwards" compatible. Well it could be worse. DVDs are great, but you can't play a video cassette on them. At least with the LP MD units, you can get rid of any older units you have and still play your old MDs on the new unit. I suppose that the real advantage of the LP mode is for use in the car. I do may people jog more than 80 minutes at a time?? So eight minutes if fine for most things. And if you have long lectures or want to sneak it into a concert, the LP units are great. If LP catches on eventually you will see most regular MD units phased out (at least in Japan). It's like HI Fi VCRs. They were a $1000 when they first came out. Now it really doesn't pay to buy a VCR that isn't HI Fi. If you save $20 you are lucky, the price is so close to a non Hi Fi. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hertz
Yann Weber wrote: I'm sure people with german sounding names will highly appreciate such an intelligent remark. Especially regarding Heinrich Hertz who was Jewish. Well now there you have me. I did not know that and I am Jewish. I guess that it was wrong of me to draw any conclusions from a name. But my statement was made in jest anyway. I just don't like them doing away with cps and that's what it is really about for me. It is easy for someone who grew up using Hz to be comfortable with the term and accept it. But what if you spent your youth drooling over Fisher stereo components (Marantz too). These were the kings about 38 years ago when I was a kid. I would wait for Hi Fidelity magazine to come out each month and read all of the specs. I used to get to read them in my high school library. Then came Hi Fi / Stereo Review (which is now called Stereo Review). Everything was about cps. It's like the people in Florida. The federal government decided to rename Cape Canaveral (sp?) Cape Kennedy without ever consulting with them. For years the name on a map depended where the map came from. If it was actually made in Florida it still said Canaveral. All of the national maps said Kennedy. The people actually fought so hard they finally changed it back. That's the way it is for me and cps. This is not a problem for me, but in the 1930's and earlier, there was actually resentment by German Jews against the "lower class" eastern European Jews. So if it was 1930, maybe I'd have an other reason for not liking the name Hertz if I were pure eastern European. Actually I'm not sure where my father's ancestors are from, but my mother, of blessed memory, was born in Austria. The old Groucho Marx joke about not being allowed too join a country club because he was Jewish and then later being asked to join (that where the famous line comes from "I would not belong t an organization that would have me as a member comes from, sort of). Actually, it had nothing to do with his being Jewish at all. It was the fact that he was an eastern European Jew and the club was a German Jewish country club. According to the famous hollywood Rabbi, when asked when the class thing would end, his replay was "when the ugly German Jewish girls marry the Eastern European Jewish doctors and lawyers" This all comes from a really great book that I would highly recommend, "An Empire of Their Own, How the Jews Invented Hollywood". Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: jumping to eighty-minute discs
"David W. Tamkin" wrote: How do you figure that? 128-kbps MP3's take almost a meg per minute, David, the problem is that Bruce is thinking in megs and computer files not PCM. If the MD could store MP3 files and then further compress them through ATRAC he would get the length of music that he thought. But first of all, as you know MDs can only deal with uncompressed analog or digital (PCM) music. Second of all even if it could store computer files and compress them 5 to 1, imagine what a song would sound like that had been compressed twice by two different techniques? In saying compressing compressed files, not decompressing MP3 and them encoding them to ATRAC. But that's nuts to even think about doing. Compressing music 5 times is already pushing the envelop. I do have a question though. MP3 files have a bit rate of 128 and under ideal conditions it has been argued that MP3 files sound as good as ATRAC. Lets just accept for the moment that under ideal conditions that is true. If Sony wanted too get as much time out of an MD as possible why did they choose such a high bit rate in the first place? It's kind of hard to really tell using things like Napster because the quality of the MP3s can vary depending upon the source that you are getting them from, but in my experience, MP3 with a bit rate of 160 and the the "standard" 128 sound exactly the same too me. I doubt that even listening to those files with real high bit rates would do any more than just take up more megs. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hertz
"J. Coon" wrote: It is still used as shorthand, and it means Hertz now. I don't the sound of it, sounds to Nazi to me. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: jumping to eighty-minute discs
Bruce Preudhomme wrote: Yes, you are both right! There is a lot I don't know about mini-disks and haven't take the time to learn. I did assume that the data on mini-disks was virtually uncompressed so that is why I mistakenly thought their capacity to be the same as CDs. I should have thought it through but heck that is one of the nice things about mailing list, that you can tap the resource for some good knowledge. Thanks for all your helpful information! I wouldn't consider using 74 (actually 75 minutes because it's 74 minutes and 59 seconds-this is the first time I ever remember a product being understated!!). Seventy five or 80 minutes is a decent chunk of time for music. After all you don't want to have too many albums on one disc. Probably if they could make 100 minute discs it would then cover all bases. The 75s will handle long CDs and the 100s can handle 2 average size albums. I doubt that there is any way to encode an MD (without further compression and without losing total computability with existing units) that would be 100 minutes long. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: jumping to eighty-minute discs
Bruce Preudhomme wrote: Yes, you are both right! There is a lot I don't know about mini-disks and haven't take the time to learn. I did assume that the data on mini-disks was virtually uncompressed so that is why I mistakenly thought their capacity to be the same as CDs. I should have thought it through but heck that is one of the nice things about mailing list, that you can tap the resource for some good knowledge. Thanks for all your helpful information! I wouldn't consider using 74 (actually 75 minutes because it's 74 minutes and 59 seconds-this is the first time I ever remember a product being understated!!). Seventy five or 80 minutes is a decent chunk of time for music. After all you don't want to have too many albums on one disc. Probably if they could make 100 minute discs it would then cover all bases. The 75s will handle long CDs and the 100s can handle 2 average size albums. I doubt that there is any way to encode an MD (without further compression and without losing total compatibility with existing units) that would be 100 minutes long. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Shrp boom box md
Aaron Prager wrote: I just ordered a Sharp MD722 from Mercata.com. Although there is a tax column in the invoice that was sent to me, the tax amount was listed as 0.00. New Mexico does have a sales tax, but, like every online merchant that I have purchased from, no tax was charged. Aaron Prager They had the sales tax listed on my invoice and it was not correct. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hertz
"J. van de Griek" wrote: I doubt it will outperform my 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera (3.2l flat six)... :-))) Don't you remember that commercial for a small inexpensive car? I can't remember which car it was but they say "We test our car against a blah blah and we blew their doors off". Then we tested our car against a blah blah and we blew their doors off." "We tested our car against the Porsche 911 which costs $60,000. Well they blew our doors off. Our car costs $10,000. For $40,000 you can buy a lot of doors". Of course I paraphrased the whole thing. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hertz
"J. Coon" wrote: Hey, us engineers don't want just everyone to know what the stuff means. WE go to school for that. If every bloke know what it meant we'd be out of a job. G I thought that only applies to lawyers G. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Shrp boom box md
"J. Coon" wrote: Hey Mercata has the Sharp 3 MD / 3 Cd, am fm tuner, tape cassette boom box for $189 rihgt now. -- You must have caught the tail end. It's 7 AM EST and their gone. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hertz
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I would guess it had something to do with adhering to the international standard units of measure. We were unwilling (or incapable) of converting our use of miles to kilometers, but the engineering community was more flexible than the public. Now we have to get the engineers to convert nuts and bolts to metric so that we don't have tow keep buying two sets of tools. Often something will use both (like some cars). Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hertz
Stainless Steel Rat wrote: Not like there is anything to convert. 1 Hertz = 1 cycle/second. They just gave the unit of measurement a name (like Newton, Watt, etc). -- But it makes no sense to me to take something that is descriptive and give it a name that tells you nothing. CPS means cycles per second. That makes sense and tells you exactly with it is. Hertz or HZ means nothing and even if you only use the HZ, all you are saving is one letter. Now what about computer speed. It is also given in HZ. Since cycles per second is referring to sound and waves, what's it doing in computers. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Maybe it's all in your heads
After seeing the $185.00 price for the Sony MDX-D3, I went to read some reviews. The reviews were fine. Some poor schmuck paid $400.00 for a unit whose list price is supposed to be $299, but what can I tell you. It was the second review where something struck me. The reviewer stated "The sound quality of the MD is impressive. It may not quite be CD quality (it's inherent to the compression scheme used for MD and not limited to the MXD-D3), but it is quite excellent." Come on! He didn't really hear a difference, his mind told him they were "not quite CD quality" because he mind told his ears that these were "compressed" and therefore could not sound as good as the original CD. He didn't do any A/B testing. He just "knew". I'm beginning to think that Sony did not do itself a favor by explaining how it was able to fit all that stuff from a CD on to the tiny little MD. If we were left in the dark or given an explanation that would not automatically cause any hi fi buff to assume that the MD could not sound as good as a CD, would this whole "is it as good" thing ever have come up in the first place?? OK, until about version 3.5 or 4 of ATRAC, each generation might have had some need for improvement. But by version 4, they had come pretty close to perfect. Even the CD isn't perfect. The dynamic range of a CD is still not as great as some of the music recorded on it. This is probably best found in classical music. I'll bet that a live version of the 1812 Overture, if they had canons firing would have a dynamic range that exceeds 100 dB. One last thing, will some other old fart in this list tell this old fart why they changed the nomenclature for frequencies?? It used to be 20 to 20K cps (cycles per second). That made sense. What the hell is a Hertz?? A rent a car It's like someone deiced that HZ looked great even though it has absolutely no meaning and started tacking it to the end of numbers. "How fast is your computer?" Why it's 500 hz. The only hertz I know of are people that come into my office with abcessed teeth. That hertz! Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Strange Happenings and SCMS Killers
Ian Horsey wrote: Hello I'd been worrying for a while about how incredibly quiet the mailing list had become over the last three weeks as I had received no messages! So I tried to post the one below and was told I wasn't a member anymore! Is someone trying to tell me something?? That's strange. But "regulars" on the list has thinned down to a few handfuls of people. A few years ago there were dozens of posts every day. Now if I get 10 that's a lot. I think that maybe the smart people finally got a life leaving us e mail junkies :). It's a shame. What the list needs to keep going are new members. Does anyone know what happened to Colin B. from Australia? Anyway, I remember a while ago someone posting that Stippler had stopped selling their SCMS stripper kits, but that another company in the Netherlands were selling them. Sorry, I can't help you with that one. I can see where you would record say your own band and then want to make digital copies of the original analog recording. But the first copy would be no problem. After that while you couldn't make a digital copy from the digital copy, why would you want to? You are going to experience generation loss. I don't know if it would be audible on the first copy, but I'm sure that it would start to after several. We have been discussing a high speed CD to MD recorder that will record at 4X. If you need multiple copies from your original live recording, a high speed MD to MD recorder would make more sense to me than an SCMS stripper. Just my opinion, Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Xitel MDport-DG1 or Soundcard?
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm extremely happy with my Guillemot MaxiSound Fortissimo card. Only $50USD, and it came with an optical digital output. All I needed to buy was the TOSLink cable and mini-adapter. Where did you buy it? Is there a description of it on the net? Fifty dollars seems very low for a complete sound card with a digital optical output. The TOSlink transceiver alone costs about $10. Thanks, Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Xitel MDport-DG1 or Soundcard?
Aileen Chen wrote: I like my SoundBlaster Live! with the LiveDrive... got no real reason why, but it is pretty reliable and it comes with the good Creative Labs name... If I were ready to build a new system (that's the way I'm going to do it with my next computer) I'd put a Sound Blaster Live Platinum in it. This card has all of the jacks and ports in the front (it replaced a drive bay cover). You constantly read "Sound Blaster compatible". So why not get a Real Sound Blaster in the first place? Stay away from Turtle Beach or who ever makes them now. Roland makes an amazing sound card with a separate "port replicator". It costs about $400! I think it is designed mainly for musicians to use (although it will work fine for anyone if you want to spend the money). It's kind of crazy that the companies we trust so much for audio equipment don't make the sound cards. Don't you think there should be Onkyo or Pioneer or Rotel or what ever sound cards? Even an Aiwa might be nice. These are the companies we trust every day to provide the equipment that we listen to music on. Larry Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: copying sound files to MD 1x (was question)
"David W. Tamkin" wrote: The exception is certain CD-MD combo units that can copy from CD to MD at 2x or even 4x; but if you're recording input from an external source, David, do you know of any specific model that is on the market today that will copy CDs to MD (in digital transfer) at a rate of 4x?? I'd be more interested in something like that than an MDLP 4 unit. My goal is to copy all of my CDs to MD. I've started to stock up (thinks to Peter and "his" coupons on MDs). Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: The proper use for MIni Discs
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === J. Coon" wrote: I think you are short sighted. MD has more uses than just copying CDs. 1. It is a learning tool for students. a. Take it to a lecture and record it with a microphone. b. have a friend take it to a lecture if you have a hangover and need to sleep it off. c. Take it to a jam session to record new tunes tol learn 2. It is a practice aid. a. Record a tune you are learning, and play along with it. b. set it to repeat problem sections of a tune so you can hear it and practice that section. c. Record a band practice so you can play along with it later. 3. It is a cheap way to make a demo CD. a. Record your band on MD, edit out the mistakes and talking and dump it to a computer CDROM. b. Use the time and date stamp to see how long the cut will be. 4. It is a way to improve performances. a. Record the performance and listen to it afterwards. b. Record the tunes at a practice, and use the time/date stamp to see how many tunes you need for a gig. 5. It is a way to prepare a presentation. a. record your presentation and play it back tosee what needs to be improved. 5. It is a way to record business meetings. a. set it on the conference table with a mike and if you use one with time and dates stamping you knowwhen it was recorded. 6. Use it to master a CD a more than one CD has used a minidisc recorder to produce all are part of it. 7. Use it for a guided tour. A. record details on certain parts of the tour. play back that track when the bus gets to that site. 8. Use it for a back up band for a low paying gig. Yes, All of the above are true, but a cassette would do fine for many of your choices at a much lower cost. I was thinking of the most common use for the largest number of people. I was lucky enough to snag a couple of tickets to the Elton John concert held in my little sh!t hole town last Wed. He recorded a live greatest hits lp at Madison Square Garden this weekend. He wanted to try everything out an a smaller audience before the big gig. I thought of bringing in my Aiwa F70 with it's little tie pin stereo mike. I was afraid they would check. Also, I thought that it would not pick up the sound. What I schmuck I was. No checking not at our new arena. Also, they played so loud that I would have picked up every note. Screwed up again. I'll bet it would have sounded half decent (although I was on the side so forget stereo-anyway the sound was so loud you can forget stereo again. Fantastic concert I just lucked out on how I managed to get the tickets. Usually don't have that kind of luck (I'd rather have all my kids, wife and friends healthy than that kind of luck if I ain't have both). Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: The proper use for MIni Discs
"J. Coon" wrote: The problem, as I see it, is the manufactures want to keep producing newer models, like the auto firms do. They should take some of the good designs and keep producing it until they can produce it at costs competitive with tape recorders. With all the mechanical krap in a tape recorder to transport the tape, it has to be just about as expensive to make as an a MD machine. Sure the MD has a laser, and a servo motor, but if they made enough of them they would be cheap too. Several years ago Sharp came out with what I consider to be one of the best MD portable recorders ever made (just my opinion), the MS200. It was large by today's standards. But sturdier. It has a slot in design, which if you ever try using a unit facing the long way is an advantage (the slot facing up). It just occurred to me that when people give the thickness of a clamshell unit they never state what it is when the unit is opened. Anyway, it came with a 6 AA battery pack. This unit could play for a very long time. The remote that came with it stunk. But they offered a remote with a digital LCD which was diamond shaped and great. But instead of introducing the next model while continuing to product the MS200 at a lower price, Sharp discontinued it. It introduced the least reliable MD unit ever produced in it's place the 702. It has got to cost money to "retool" any time a new unit is manufactured. So as they kept mass producing the 200, their price per unit should have cost them less. I mainly use my units in the car and I don't hear any improvement between the 200 (I actually have the Denon clone) and new units. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: The proper use for MIni Discs
Simon Mackay wrote: MD isn't just useful for music on the move (car, portable) but for "presentation" applications. This is where audio is used as part of a presentation or similar application. The buffer comes in handy on MD decks equipped with auto-pause and fader; which brings MD into this realm. A track could contain a sound effect; music used to dance to, sing to or line some "patter". When I wrote my note, I was referring only it's use with regard to music. I should have stated that. There are many non musical uses but these have never been "pushed" (the manufactures haven't done a very good pushing job of any kind) by the manufactures. There has only been one unit that I know of specifically designed for business and it is was expensive. There is no question that these units (and especially the new LP units) are great for "taking notes". But the primary use for the mini disc will always be for music. The percentage of units never used for music is probably close to zero (as opposed to those tiny mini cassette units that are never used for music). Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: sec: unclassified The proper use for MIni Discs
"Cramb, Kevin" wrote: I couldn't agree more, especially the protection aspect, my one year thinks that MD's are the best toys and get scattered around the house. Try that with ya shiney discs ;-) With the exception of the data compression (OK bit wise reduction) that an MD has which is a lossy technique (even though for most people it is probably not audible) the MD beats the CD in every respect. CD are the "Big Lie". When they were introduced they told us that they were indestructible. But after a day (I'm referring to the early players) you might have skipping or "sticking". Get a concentric scratch on a CD and forget it. MDs are just these happy little discs in their nice little shells. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: The proper use for MIni Discs
Yesterday it occurred to me that all of this arguing about how close an MD copy comes to the original CD misses the point. MDs should not (in my humble opinion) be considered substitutes for CDs. Unless you want constantly buy CDs only to make MD copies of (since prerecorded MDs are rare) and then sell the CDs at a loss, it makes no sense to play MDs in an expensive home system while their original CD sits on the shelf. If the CD is available, play the CD. The beauty of the MD is that it has sound quality almost as good as and possibly, to the human ear, as good as, a CD. While being smaller, better protected, etc. It is the ideal very high quality portable music medium. Use it in your car, jog with it. Sure you can buy an expensive deck. Great for making the highest quality MD copies and titling, but why play back the MD on your $10,000 stereo unit? Play the original CD. You want a copy so you can listen while your wife uses her copy of the CD in another room, that's what so called CD burners are for. Their prices have dropped way down, as did the price of CDRs. So wanting an extra copy of a CD is no longer the reason for copying it on to Md. Portability is the answer. With all of the other noise in your car, or while you are jogging with a pair of (even if they are very high quality) headphones, you are still not going to have the sound quality of a listening room designed specifically for audio. So don't go crazy trying to argue about whether an MD copy is just as good as a CD. It's MUCH better than tape! Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Bad batteries and Noise from car adapter
"J. Coon" wrote: Jim I have this old, broken 486 75 notebook computer that I use every once in a blue moon to check my ebay sales when my wife is on my computer. Nothing on it works. I have to use an external monitor, a serial mouse, PS2 keyboard and a PC card modem to get it to work at all. It does not have a USB. But none of that has anything to do with the e mail problems. Since I don't use it too often for e mail, no one ever pointed out the problem before. I have to check my settings to see what is going on. I have a feeling that I need to set it to "text and HTML" or something like that. If you are still getting the problem with this e mail, then I have a major IP problem, because this is a totally different computer. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Digital output on portable Mini Disc plauyers
When I bought my Sony MZ-1 in 1992 or something like that, it was by today's standards, big and heavy. It had no remote, but it did have a numeric keypad and a DIGITAL OPTICAL OUTPUT!!! Why did all of the manufactures universally discontinue including a digital optical output on their portables? Now if you say, "to save money", that is a reasonable (to he manufacture, not he customer who has been paying outrageous prices for portable recorders for years) answer. But if you say to avoid making copies, we all know that isn't true because all of the MD decks have digital outputs. Because of SCMS, the digital output had a limited use until now. But now more and more receivers are including digital inputs. My theory is that the longer you can kept the "chain" digital, the better the fidelity. CD players have been available (on higher end portables only-I haven't seen any at Wal-Mart) with digital out. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sony MZ-E33 Batteries?
Don't through out your money on Sony batteries. Buy Rayovacs at Wal-Mart. A 4 pack cost about $10. If your player allows you to recharge them in the unit, you will probably have to strip about a half inch of the bottom of the label off of the battery. The screw you Sony batteries usually set it up so that they have a third contact for charging which makes contact with the lower eighth of the battery. I use a Radio Shack one hour NiMH charger. They cost about $30 for the one hour model (slower ones are less). You can also by a Ravovac charger. Cheap, but slow. Sam's club had a set of AA AAA and a charger (Energizer brand) batteries on sale the last time I was in. I think the entire set was bout $25 dollars. Why not Sony?? First, hard to find. Second, you will probably pay $10 to $20 for each battery!! Radio Shack sells them too, but their price is too high. The Sony's claim (on the label) to be 1400 mAh. The Rayovacs used to say 1200, but the new ones say 1300. I think that they are all about the same. They are just playing games with the numbers. Larry Chris Moore wrote: I have a question for you all. I purchased the new Sony MD Bundle they have out now that comes with the JE-330 deck as well as the MZ-E33 MD walkman. I use the walkman an awful lot because it's little enough to fit in my pocket easily, and consequently I go through a lot of AA batteries. I have heard that Sony sells special NiMh batteries for their walkmans and AC adapters that simply allow you to recharge them..is this true? If so where could I purchase a rechargeable battery and adapter so I can quit running up my bill at Wal-Mart buying AA batteries? :) - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sony MZ-E33 Batteries?
Richard Lang wrote: I don't see why you'd use non-rechargeables except in an emergency - once you've spent the initial outlay (a charger and a few batteries) you're basically running your MD walkman free of cost (at least until you've charged and drained all your AAs 1-2000 times each!) Why don't they lower the power requirements so that MD recorders can accept 2 AAA batteries? Then they could make the units as small as they are now and not have to play with gum packs. The gum packs are very expensive and I have had nothing but bad experiences with the Li Ion versions lasting over a year or 2. The NiMH come in AAAs. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MiniDisc Weekly News for 15 October 2000
Peter Forest wrote: We have them for $2.00 each only inside continental US... Contact me at : [EMAIL PROTECTED] for me details about this... o Minidisco has the best deal going for 80-min MD blanks at [3]USD$2.09 per disc. First off, let me start by saying except for this list and a few emails, I have never met Peter. I am not a French Canadian landsman of his or anything like that. I just think that I have a pretty good idea where he is coming from. At times Peter may seem a little over enthusiastic and maybe even a little pushy. But I believe that this stems from is sincere love for MD and desire to make every effort to save people money. Kheops Mini Disc is not something that Peter is depending on to make a living. He is part of the Kheops Art Glass company. I have kept my mouth quiet for a long time, but I have had some very negative experiences with Mini Pisco. Even though I have a great deal of respect for Eric Woudenberg, I was very upset when he put their banner on the community page. I am really holding back here. I'm simply going to leave it by saying Mini Disco and I don't dance. Peter may over do it a little. But when someone post an e mail stating that Mini Pisco has the lowest price on such and such, and it just isn't a fact, I think that someone has a duty to correct them. And also to tell us were we can get a better deal. If Peter had the connections in Japan, I think that his company would have all of the best features of Nic Boyde (SP?), and MiniDisc NOW! with none of the negatives. If the distributors that MDN had would start their own website, you would see the largest selection and lowest prices ever. Plus they stand behind what they sell. Unfortunately the main distributor is a very large, very Japanese company. Although the sales manager in the MD department is receptive, the owners are not interested in expanding to do business with the West. They are old school Japan. They make large sums of money selling in their own country and that's the way they are happy. It's our loss. But there is nothing we can do. Getting Sawada Denki to set up a web site was a big deal and a feather in Rick's cap. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MiniDisc Weekly News for 15 October 2000
"J. Coon" wrote: YOu have what for $2.00? I am confused. Jim, put your reading glasses on and see what was included in his he mail. I put a box around it: We have them for $2.00 each only inside continental US... ___ ! o Minidisco has the best deal going for 80-min MD blanks at ! ![3]USD$2.09 per disc. ! !__ ! Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hi-Space Minidisc Sale $1.49 each.
Peter Forest wrote: Send me an email if you want to receive a rebate coup. by email since they are banned here !!! BANNED HERE? BY WHO??? THIS IS THE FIRST THAT I AM HEARING ABOUT SOMETHING BEING BANNED!!! ARE YOU SURE THEY ARE BANNED ON THE LIST?? Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MDLP
Check out the FAQ on the MD community page. I believe it has nothing to do with further compression (or more correctly bitwise reduction). The just lower the bit rate. If you go use Napster you will always see a bit rate listed for each song you search for. The higher the number the larger the file. For MP3s 128 seems to be the most popular number. But you will find a variety of different numbers listed. The smaller you make the file, the more you can fit on the disc (obviously). As far a blowing away MP3, if you mean in terms of storage time, again depending on the bit rate, A CD of MP3 files will have a much longer playing time than an MD in the LP2 mode. From statements made on this list, the LP4 mode's sound quality is not suitable for music. Larry Phat Ha wrote: If the normal ATRAC is able to compress CD music at a ratio of 5-1 and the new MDLP format is able to squeeze four (4) times as much audio data onto the same disk then ATRAC isn't MDLP compressing CD music at a ratio of 20-1? If so, this blows away mp3 ;^) OO OO OO OOOO OO OO OO OO OO OO OOOO OO OO OO OO OO OO OOOO OO OO OO OO OO OO OOOO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OOOO OO OO OO OO _ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: ATRAC-R
Tony Antoniou wrote: So what is HiFi? Whatever appears to be of greatest fidelity to the individual. THAT is HiFi. There is no ultimate answer. Tony, this is one time that I have to disagree with you. It is only semantics but your statement is incorrect. Don't confuse the terms fidelity and better. Fidelity is an objective term. It means faithfulness. Which means that the what you hear is as close to the original as possible. It is true or "faithful" to it. Better is a subjective term. It can be what ever the individual wants it to be. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: ATRAC-R
Tony Antoniou wrote: So what is HiFi? Whatever appears to be of greatest fidelity to the individual. THAT is HiFi. There is no ultimate answer. Tony, this is one time that I have to disagree with you. It is only semantics but your statement is incorrect. Don't confuse the terms "fidelity" and "better". "Fidelity" is an objective term. It means faithfulness. Which means that the what you hear is as close to the original as possible. It is true or "faithful" to it. "Better" is a subjective term. It can be what ever the individual wants it to be. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: [Fwd: ATRAC-R]
=== The original message was multipart MIME=== === All non-text parts (attachments) have been removed === Honestly, I only sent this e mail once!! Welcome to the wonderful world of the internet. === MIME part removed : message/rfc822 === - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sony MZR-37 at amazing price at Mercata !
"J. Coon" wrote: Peter Forest wrote: Now, it's a great deal to buy from Mercata (www.mercata.com) If enough people e mail in at say $75.00 that would drop their selling price to say $100. But I'll bet that you would have to have 20 million people mail in. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: What version ATRAC?
Steve Corey wrote: What version of ATRAC does the Sony MZ-R90 use? And what version is Sony ATRAC up to? Is there a site somewhere that lists versions of ATRACs and that has examples of music encoded in the various versions? In spite of any places where you see ATRAC versions for Sony portable MD recorders listed, to the very best of my knowledge, they are all just guesses. It is my understanding that Sony has NEVER released the ATRAC versions of their portables publicly. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Boomboxes from outside the US?
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === The do sell "broadband" units in Japan that are so called "international" units. I think that they are made for tourists. Larry Dale Greed wrote: [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Since we're on the boombox topic, are there any MD boombox/portable stereos a vailable where MD is more popular, like Europe or Japan? The only problem with this approach is that AM and FM radio bands differ from country to country. For example, in Japan, the FM band runs from 76-90MHz, eliminating 75 percent of the U.S. FM spectrum. This makes it a non-starter for me, because one of the reasons I would want a (battery-powered) boombox would be to take it on vacations to the beach, where I like to listen to (and record) local radio. There are _very_ few, if any, DC-powered foreign boomboxes with "wide spectrum" radio coverage (usually called "tourist models"). G. For more info on boomboxes, see the MCP table at: http://www.minidisc.org/boombox_table.html Unfortunately, information on DC power options is sketchy at best. === Dale Greer Bored? Visit my web site and be bored some more. http://home.sprintmail.com/~dalegreer/MacMD.html - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: US model MXD-D5C... Keyboard in and ATRAC Type-R?
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Sony has never been very forth coming about the ATRAC version of their units. I think that most of the things you read on the net (unless you specifically see it on a Sony site) are just a guess. Larry Brian Youn wrote: Hello, Just got my MXD-D5C from Crutchfield yesterday afternoon, and was pleased to see that Sony apparantly added a keyboard input for the US model (it is on the back of the unit). I don't believe this was on the Japanese model, or at least the Japanese press release made no mention of it. If there's someone in Japan on this list that can verify this, I'd appreciate it. But what I'm really wondering is if the US model still has the ATRAC Type-R. The manual makes NO mention of it, and I can't find any definite info online anywhere. I can't see why they would take it out... I do know that the Type-R isn't supposed to work when you're going at high speed or when recording in LP mode. Anyway... the unit is pretty decent. You can't eject an MD when the power is off, which is lame. The keyboard doesn't let you control some editing functions as you can on the 940 (only track titling and basic controls for the CD and MD players). You can't get into the edit menu by pressing ESC, and you can't select a track by pushing the number keys (this I'm not sure if you could on the 940...) But with high speed dubbing, MDLP modes, Scale Factor Edit, and a keyboard input, that tackles the four major points for me. Now if I could just be sure if the Type-R is in there... --Brian Youn-- The University of Texas at Austin Electrical and Computer Engineering, 5th Year - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MZ-R90 Charging Weirdness
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: You make a good point. I think I'll take that advice. Thanks for the perspective. I was only looking at the trees. Leland Like I said before, we used to include the stepdown transformers at our cost when we sold a unit. There were are probably still are internet dealers that will tell you that you don't need one. I can't understand how they could say that since I know that the Denon (Sharp clone) that I have will not work if you use the 100 volt transformer in the US. I accidentally forgot to use it once and that's how I found that out. But it is a good thing, since it protects the unit. Unfortunately several of the places on the net were you could get a really good deal either went out of business or stopped importing to the US. Sawada D. comes to mind. They had great prices but communications were a little difficult. If you didn't specifically order the transformer, you didn't get one. For a while there were "Mini Disc Wars". One company offered a warranty and the other specifically stated no warranty. After a while they no warranty place had to cave in. Larry. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Let's get back to basics !
Dodge wrote: Once a week is fine by me ! Any time there is a good deal going on is fine by me! - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MZ-R90 Charging Weirdness
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There have been many reports of Sharp based units being very demanding about having the exact power supplied to them. My voltage is 120 (measured with a DVM at the wall). Can you think why my R-90 or R-900 wouldn't give the "Hi DC in" error message they are capable of if the voltage is really a problem? It seems to me, the manufacturer would only put this kind of message in if they were able to detect when the voltage would cause damage. Why should they? If you use a unit designed to work with a 100 volt transformer, it will void the warranty if you use 120 volts. The company doesn't have to honor the warranty. It's your problem. Why will a Sony work and a Sharp will not? Two possible reasons. The first is that Sharp simply wants you to get the most out of your unit and doesn't want to take chances (my faith in Sony is that strong). The other may be the same reason you can over clock an Intel process but would be taking a chance doing it with an AMD. The intel has a greater tolerance. They just don't specifically make 500 HZ processors and 550 HZ processors for example. They set specific requirements for each to be labeled as such. If a process can meet Intel's specifications with regard to temperature, etc. then it will be labeled a 550, other wise it is lower. Intel's specs are tighter than AMD's. They might say that in order to receive a 550 designation, the processors temperature can not exceed say 100 degrees. While AMD will allow 130. But why would anyone who just spent $400 on a unit (MD) be willing to take a chance over a $20 stepdown transformer? Anyway, I suppose I haven't really put it to a rigorous test. I usually use an offline charger for the batteries. Since getting the R-900 however, I have recorded about 45 hours worth of material in the last 2 weeks using the 100V adapter and have not noticed any problems, no error messages, unit stays stone cold (LP2 recording runs cooler as one might expect, 2 x the time for heat to dissapate). Do you really think there might be long term effects? Leland, I don't sell these things any more, so there is nothing in it for me. I personally would not risk the $400 over $20. That's just being penny wise and pound foolish. Running a 100 volt unit at 120 volts, can't be good for the unit. Regards, Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: buy com R-37 $179US
Peter Forest wrote: be careful, this unit is great but take a closer look to the accessories they provide with it. The one that my friend receive for $179 had no rechargeable batteries include, no AC adaptor, no remote control... There was only a cheap headphone and a digital cable supply with the recorder player. For $199 Circuit City has the model with the PC link. Assuming that it has all of the other standard accessories, I'd pay $20 more for a model with the PC link. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
