Which was the SONY MD player (discontinued now) that was desired?
 

There was a Sony MD player that was "THE" portable mini disk to get. Anyone remember the model number? (It's was a few years ago - a professional one) I don't think it was the MZ-N1 (as I think this does take a mic) Alternatively, which ones will take a "MIC LINE IN" for recording live audio as back-up? Thanks.

Isn't MIC LINE IN a non sequitir? There's MIC IN and LINE IN, right? Or are you talking about something else?

Anyway, I have a Sony MZ-NHF800 which has both LINE IN and MIC IN.

Good luck.

Dennis

I have an old MZ-R55 that has both mic in/line in.

Thanks Dennis and Matt. I don't think these were the ones either, (it's one of those things where you know the number in your mind, can't think of it, but when someone says it, BAM, "Yup, that's the one!") I was thinking, "Something like 501?" (Or is that my Levi's??? haha) I'll look into these model you indicated here though. Cheers!

I recall somewhere that it was the MZ-N1, however, the new MZ RH910 is probably the best replacement as it has both line-in and mic-in inputs and the recording level can be adjusted whilst recording. A big plus is that the audio that you record can be uploaded to a pc - a major restriction on earlier models.

Thanks D,
I'll look into this one. It's probably cheaper too....................

It was the MZ-R37... absolutely. That was the mini-disc player that DV magazine said had better audio then any camera up to a $20K Sony.

Checkout www.minidisc.org for the full line up of mini discs, and some reviews. There is also a feature for feature list of the different models.

Dennis, I don’t think you can adjust the recording level while recording with the new models. I just checked again in the manual (I’m in the market for an RH910 or an RH10) and it looks like the new models work like the previous Hi-MD generation in this regard. You can adjust the recording level manually, but only before recording. I wish I were wrong, though!

Gary, look for "Hi-MD" minidiscs with MIC IN/LINE IN. As said above, the transfer to PC (digital) is much easier with these newer units.

Matt, "That's it!" it was the 37. But trying to find one may prove that the new Hi-MD is best. Thanks for the tip on the MD site. Very informative.

I have the r37 and have used in video projects. The weak link is the analog only audio out. This means you play it back into a sound card in real time and it gets re-digitized. On a typical PC sound card this introduces enough noise that the result is worse than camera sound. I finally bought a external AD converter (M-Audio transit) that did a much better job.

But at the same time I got an I-river flash mp3 player (to listen to music) and found that it worked much better. I would suggest you take a look at the I-Rivers also, which have been discussed on DVinfo. They have the same limitation as not being able to adjust levels while recording, but they are all solid state, record many hours of audio, and are a quick file transfer to the PC.

I have found the I-river to produce some self-noise with a lower power mic but to be great with a higher power mic (such as the ME66) or a more or less line level signal. I think the next step for me is to pair the I-river with a beachtek or some sort of mixer/pre-amp.

Keep in mind that the MZ-R37 was the only minidisc tested in that article. I don't think it was ever the intention to proclaim it the all time bestest in the world. Anecdotal wisdom has it that older Sony minidiscs had better preamps than the newer ones, but it's hard to really be sure if people know what they are talking about. Those old units also had older versions of ATRAC, so they may not necessarily sound better even if there is less hiss. This same anecdotal wisdom also has it that Sharp units have better preamps in general than the Sonys. Who knows. With a nice hot signal, or better yet a line level signal, my Sony MZN10 sounds pretty good to me. I can't say if the Sharps are better because I've never used one. I would say (unscientifically) that the MZN10 has lower noise than than N707 that I also have.

The last I heard Jay Rose was still fairly enthusiastic about that particular model... but it has been a year or so...

I had TWO mz-r37s... 'cause when they were phasing 'em out I bought a second unit. When I bought a DVX I stopped using the 37 all together since the audio is pretty good on the DVX. Well the one I still have saw almost zero use (been in a closet drawer for years) and if you want it you can have it for $50 plus $5 shipping. If you get it and don't like it you can send it back for a refund (minus ship).

Shoot me an email if you're interested and I'll send you some pics... BUT,

If it were me I'd try to get a Marantz 660... ALL of the little recording devices such as a Creative Nomad or any consumer MD player/recorder are lacking in their ability to run professional mics. You're pretty much stuck with battery powered mini-plug jobs.

Francois,

Thanks for the correction. I was under the impression that the latest units allowed that facility. I am currently using the MZ-R900, and am also looking at these new units.
There is another site
http://www.sonicstudios.com/tips.htm#himd
where one can download the manual. The following is an interesting comment from this site;
The RH910 HiMD model 'seems' to be reversing some of the analog recording problems associated with Sony MD models in general. Ability to transfer original analog .WAV files recordings using USB (for editing?) now appears possible, and is a first for this format, at least without resorting to a hack program. Someone needs to verify .WAV file on the MD deck is also accessible outside of the 'SonicStage' management program to appear like a regular audio file on an external drive as the owner's manual (.pdf) infers.

Cheers

This turned into a great, informative thread (although now I'm more confused than I originally was !!!! HAHAHA :) All good though. I heard (about a year ago, before all these new ones came out) that the 707 was top notch. I now may stick to a portable DAT recorder. My friend just lent me his Yamaha AW4416 (not very portable!), so we'll see what I can create with it! Cheers.