Minidisc

[cjackson]

I'm thinking about getting a Mini-Disc Player/Recorder for my seperates.

I have looked on the bay for the decks and all I see mostly is Sony ? Are Sony the best ones to get ?

My system is mainly Technics, I'm not fussed about keeping the system all the same so I don't mind mixing and matching!

I've spotted a few Pioneers up there but I am not sure whether they have the same issues as the CD Players and what lazer replacements ?

Thanks folks, Looking forward to your replies!

 

[John Duncan]

Why?

 

[cjackson]

Why not lol, I have a boat load of mini-discs given to me by a friend when his deck died.

I also have a huge amount of Cassettes that I want to throw out and thought it may be good to stick 'em on to mini, they will take up a lot less room!

 

[Anonymous]

i had a cracking sony minidisc deck that i sold on ebay, only sold cos it was a steel finish and all new kit was matt black, sonys will defo be the best without any doubt, ive got a few black ones and the sony was king...

 

[JonnyD]

Hi,

I had the Sony MDS-JE480 back in the day (2002 ish!) and it got plenty of use for a few years, it was a great deck, really easy to use, and sounded great as far as I can remember! It's in my parents loft as I live in Switzerland now, but when if/when I get back to the UK I'll dig it out for old times sake!! I loved minidisc as a replacement for cassettes, so easy to make "mix tapes' on them!!

My portable sony MD recorder unfortunately died back in the early 2000's, otherwise I'm sure I'd still be using it.

good luck with your hunt! That's got me quite sentimental!

 

[bretty]

I thought Minidisc was a great format, although typing in track/album names with the in-line remote was a proper faff.

I still have mine, but haven't used it for years.

This threads made me dig it out of the cupboard. I still think it is a beautiful bit of kit.

This is mine, the MZ-R909, from 2002:

boxlrg.jpg

 

[cjackson]

Thank for all the quick replies!

They are all excellent!

It's looking like I'll be going for the Sony then, they look like top pieces of kit!

As for all of you diggin' out the MD Decks, look what I started lol

As for the typing in track names n stuff on the deck I have had a go at that before and it was a right ol' faff, Some of the Sony decks on ebay have a keyboard connection and I have plenty of those laid around!!!

Thanks everyone so much for the responses! Much appreciated and you helped me make up my mind!

 

[El Hefe]

If you can get the deck at a decent price, go for it. I still love my deck and still using the MDs to record my drumming sessions.

 

[Anonymous]

I've got one of these, might dig it out for a laugh I think I got it around about 1998, and I loved it then when I was in college!

 

[JamesOK]

I had a Sony MDS JB920 (I say had its currently sitting atop a wardrobe and hasnt been used for years. I really liked Minidisc as a format, and found it especially good for listening in the car. You could just take a disc out of the player and chuck it on the passenger seat, no concerns about scratching it or anything!

Not really sure why it died such a death. Am I right in saying its still used professionally for portable recording in radio and that kind of thing?

bretty:

I thought Minidisc was a great format, although typing in track/album names with the in-line remote was a proper faff.

Very true statement by Bretty, an absolute pain. However, if you got the newer version of the player I had (the JB930 I believe) you could plug a computer keyboard in to the front of it and type in the names that way!

 

[Anonymous]

Don't forget, if your minidisk has an optical in, pressing record without a disk in it turns the machine into a free DAC.

I don't know if all machines does this but mine does. The sound from my tv is transferred optically to the deck and then via analogue to my amp. This give better sound quality than the TV's in built sound card.

 

[Big Aura]

JonnyD:

I have one of those still - on an extremely bumpy van ride through the Atlas mountains and into the Sahara all of the tiny screws vibrated out of it, so it ended up being held together with selotape. heh.

 

[Anonymous]

i used to have this lil bad boy http://www.hardwarezone.com/img/data/articles/2004/1050/sony_hi-md_recorder.jpg.

it was sony's update of the minidisk format although i didnt hear much more about it after having the player. I was always blown away but the fact the disks were 1gb, and i could carry way more music than my mates with the normal minidisk. battery life was always good too, one AA battery lasted about 24 hours. Oh the days of just sticking another battery in and not having to recharge!!

 

[Anonymous]

I still have a Yamaha MDX 793 which is currently under the bed in my spare room. It ended up there when I upgraded my Amp and speakers and needed the rack space. I had actually forgotton about it till I spotted this thread. It was brilliant, both build and sound wise. It was a versatile bit of kit and the discs were very handy and compact. But...... do you remember betamax.........?

 

[El Hefe]

Was feeling the blues today so spend the whole day going through my MD collection. Very nostalgic indeed. My Sony deck still gives out good sound quality. Very satisfying.

 

[Anonymous]

Its a pity this format didnt last. I still have a technics sj-md100 unit and a sony portable player mze-909. Tried using the player last week but after having to carry 5 disks with me it wasnt long before I gave in and returned to the ipod.

 

[Anonymous]

After updating my home cinema kit i had a spare shelf so decided to put my Sony deck in there (MDS-JB940) as i have a lot of compilations on the discs i love the better sound with my rel sub hooked up, even in LP mode the discs still sounded good.

I got the 940 as it had a digital record level as well as analogue. I remember transferring all my vinyl on to md then again onto mp3.

I don't use it much but wouldn't sell it as i think it's great.

 

[El Hefe]

bigfella99:

After updating my home cinema kit i had a spare shelf so decided to put my Sony deck in there (MDS-JB940) as i have a lot of compilations on the discs i love the better sound with my rel sub hooked up, even in LP mode the discs still sounded good.

I got the 940 as it had a digital record level as well as analogue. I remember transferring all my vinyl on to md then again onto mp3.

I don't use it much but wouldn't sell it as i think it's great.

I agree. eventhough the format died, I will never give up my deck for its SQ and even looks. Unless Sony stops supporting any services required for the unit.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

leenorris78:Don't forget, if your minidisk has an optical in, pressing record without a disk in it turns the machine into a free DAC.

And, similarly, if you have a soundcard with an optical in, it makes a great ADC (Analog to Digital) for recording your vinyl to digital formats...mine still gets lots of use exactly in this way...

 

[Anonymous]

I still use my sony unit to record discs for the car as its a good sound & a lot more durable .

 

[Tonya]

MiniDiscs were great, correction, are still great.
Just took delivery of a spanking new Teac deck and it sounds just fine.
The format is not as popular as it once was, but then again it's proving to have a lifespan longer than my old DAT recorder ever did!

I remember buying a Sony MZ-1 portable MD machine eons ago and it was so advanced for it's time when it came to sound quality and sheer convenience in the good ol' pre MP3 days.

I still have an old 4-track PortaStudio beasty in the basement that uses MiniDiscs.