MINIDISC SONY

[PELUDITO]

Hi everybody since a long time, i am about to buy a Minidisc Deck and so confuse about which model, i have read enoguth about Atrac systems and the question is If is better more Old because inside components or is better JE440 who is more spartane and chipper but improvement Atrac system ? I know J920 had a cood A/D converter and it can be used like DAC, JE 440 too ?? thanks in advance ! Manuel

 

[cgutz]

I would get one that has later versions of ATRAC, starting with version 4 or newer.

My Je330 has version 4.5. Even though an entry level unit, it is a very nice sounding , still in use after all these years.

Check out this site, if you haven't already: http://www.minidisc.org/minidisc_faq.html

 

[Franksta]

I am a minidisc fan also. I found a few of my players cheap at thrift stores early on. I have a home deck in 3 of my systems. I only recently did a little more research on the different models and their capabilties. If I were to start over I would do it this way.....If I only bought one unit and I wanted to record from a line in like from a turntable or cassette and I also wanted to copy CDs I would get one of the MXD-D models. They are a minidisc and a CD together in the same unit.

I have a MXD-D40. It is a great machine! Although they are getting hard to find and expensive. The MXD-D40 is a Type R Atrak and supports MDLP. If you make a recording in real time on SP from the CD side you really can't tell a difference in it and the CD (I Can't). It is capable of recording the CD at 4X speed but the resulting quality is similar to LP2 quality. I have an optical cable hooked from my computers soundcard directly to the unit and when I record from Tidal's stream (FLAC) at SP speed the result is amazing!

There is also the MXD-D3 combination unit but I'm not sure if it is Type R or not and I don't believe it supports MDLP. Then there's the MXD-D5 which has a 5 disc CD changer and MD combination. It is even rarer and usually more expensive.

So, even if you have a few systems and you want to play MD on them you can get a portable or 2 and play them where you want. As long as they were recorded on the MXD unit with Type R you can hear the difference on any player even if it is not Type R. I like the MZ-N707 portable. It supports MDLP (which I rarely use). And it is also a Type R recorder too. That is if you ever wanted to record remotely. That Type R recording from a portable is amazing quality but still not as good as the MXD-D40 recorded in real time at SP. So, If I only had one choice for a home unit and 1 choice for a portable those would be the ones......Sony MXD-D40 and a Sony MZ-N707. The MXD-D40's with remotes have been running $250+ recently and the MZ-N707's can sell from $50-$100 on Ebay. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

 

[Poinzy]

The MiniDisc -- the "Not Quite A CD".

 

[Franksta]

I agree with cgutz too. I have 2 of the JE330 units and they are very reliable where some of the other units have had problems. The ATRAC Version 4.5 is really hard to tell any difference in it and a Type R recording. The JE330 are a cheaper alternative to what I mentioned and they have a digital input.

 

[dlucy]

http://minidisc.org/index.php

 

[luxmaster]

Big minidisc fan here and owned many different ones. I dont care for mdlp as it does reduce the quality of the music like mp3. I would stick to the qs or es standard however the 440 and 330 sound good to. Just not top quality build. The je510 and 520 are high on the list for problems. The all in one mxd series sound good and are fun to play for easy recordings. But are very much plasticy.

 

[luxmaster]

Also like the OP said can't really tell the difference between older Atrac vs newer

 

[WaynerN]

I have the MDS-JB930. Nice machine.

 

[petemcfc]

Pioneer MJ-D707,its suffering from TOC errors which is a shame.

 

[PELUDITO]

Thanks you guys for your advices, i think i will go for Sony Mds JB920, in minidisc.org i found that have a nice dac, atrac 4,5 and a solid construction When i have this deck on my hands i will let you know how about that, thanks again, greetings from Argentina !!!