> First I'll explain what I want to do:
>
> 1. Listen to music that I have in mp3s and CDs in a compact player
> 2. Use this player while running or travelling.
>
> As I see it, either a minidisc player/recorder or one of the new mp3 =
> players (like the Rio) would let me do the above. I'm not too concerned =
> with sound quality as long as I can't tell a big difference between the =
> two. I'm not really interested in pre-recorded MDs.
Most people don't bother with pre-rec either. They're usually so expensive
here in the UK that a CD and a MD blank is the cheaper option :)
Listening to a MD through a reasonable (but inexpensive) pair of headphones,
I can certainly tell the difference between tracks recorded from CD and
those from MP3 (I use a soundcard with a digital out, etc.). Although the
new Rio 500 is meant to sound better than it's predecessor and it's rivals,
I doubt it's better than MD. I've listened to several MP3 players (not the
500 yet though), and wasn't impressed at all.
> Here are my concerns with MD:
> 1. Expensive
Not really. Again, I'll just go from the UK prices (cheapest prices I found
quoted) -
Rio 500 (64mb) - 190 UKP
Rio 300 + extra 32mb memory - 165 UKP
(and remember, a remote will add 17 UKP to that price)
Sharp MDMT20 - 149 UKP
Sharp 722 - 169 UKP
Sony MZR37 - 149 UKP
Sony MZR55 - 169 UKP
Aiwa F80 - 199 UKP
Work out how much music you'll want to have on you, away from a computer
(say a long journey or holiday). Then add the cost of extra memory for that
much music (say 1mb per minute). Then compare against how inexpensive MD
blanks are.
Add battery costs (AA nicad(s) and a charger, or replacing alkalines) to the
MP3 player prices too - all the MD units listed include a battery pack and
mains adaptor/charger.
> 2. May be a dying medium?
> MD isn't very popular/common in the US and very few people seem to be =
> aware of it. It hasn't been marketed much and there's the possibility =
> that newer things will replace it (like Mp3 players, CD-RW, and maybe =
> writable DVD). I know you all will say that minidiscs are better but =
> if the format dies out or doesn't get greater support, it won't matter =
> how much you love it. =20
It's a pity that it's not marketed enough, but seriously, what does it
matter? As long as you can buy the hardware, get it repaired if it goes
wrong, and buy blanks, you're set. While I was at school we could just swap
tapes when we got bored with our own music, but MP3 players can't [1]
transfer between units anyway.
I use MD because I can get the hardware I want/need *now* - home hifi decks,
cute little mini systems with MD, in-car MD players/changers and good
quality portables that I can use to listen or record stuff [2] wherever I
am. I just can't be bothered hooking up patch leads all the time like
friends with MP3 players do.
CDR(W) is too bulky; a workable DVD-R(W) solution, with actual products
available and reasonably priced blanks is years away.
> I'm also worried that if the music industry cracks down, they may =
> somehow make it impossible to rip CDs or record mp3s (might take a few =
> years to happen but it might happen).
Doubtful (as someone else pointed out), but the beauty of MD is that you can
just record in analogue at almost-as-good quality. If a secure internet
music distribution system comes about that will only let you play a track on
one computer (yours), only using their software, standing on one leg and
between 9:17 and 10:26pm [3], then it's no problem. Plug a lead from
soundcard to MD and record away.
Same goes for other audio formats - if something better comes along, or even
improvements to the MP3 format (like variable bitrate encoding), the current
players could well choke on it, or you'll be forever relying on the
manufacturer to update their software.
> I'm considering the following MD players/recorders:
> Sony MZ-R70 - $179 at eMall
> Sony MZ-R37 - $159 at eMall (MSRP is $299!)
> Sharp MD-MS722 - $225 at freeshipping.com
>
> If I get an MD, I'd probably get the MZ-R37 but I'll listen to =
> opinions...
OK, here's mine - it's ugly, bulky and it's got a poor remote (no LCD). The
extra $20 for the R70 is well worth it. The Sharp is a very nice recorder,
but that extra $45 isn't really worth it in my opinion. Have a look at the
Aiwa models as well (F70, F80).
> I'm not sure if it's worth the cost though.... Give me opinions on =
> whether you think I should get an mp3 player or an MD...
Here probably isn't the best place for an unbiased opinion on the matter
(but then nor is a forum of MP3 player users). However there are many people
here who've used MP3 players in the past, and quite probably some converts
(search the archives on minidisc.org). I feel the MD community is friendlier
and easier to get help and advice from too.
Some more things to bear in mind -
- MD may take longer to record [4], but it tends to be semi-permanent. If I
download an album, I record it on to MD and it stays there unless I decide
it's not worth keeping (the disc then gets re-used). I also have a couple of
"temp" MDs that I record any current tracks that I like onto, then just
delete and re-record individual tracks when I get bored of them.
- MD isn't as small as the smallest MP3 players, but it's easily small
enough for me. I carry my R55 in a pocket and it's small and light enough
not to notice.
- Recording MP3s onto MD isn't quite as straightforward as transferring them
to an MP3 player. No big hassle, basically you have to set levels and get a
Winamp plugin that adds a 3-second gap so that the recorder sets track marks
in the right place.
- Do you want to bother selecting and transferring new tracks to a MP3
player every day or so? I'm not organised enough for that, I just grab a few
MDs before I leave in the morning :)
- High quality (192k or so) MP3s don't fit very well in the limited space of
MP3 players. If you're looking at transfer times, include re-encoding time
if you use high bitrates normally.
- If you record from CDs a lot, factor in hard drive/CDR costs for storing
MP3s and the time to rip/encode. MD is much more convenient for recording
from CD.
- MP3 players are mostly first-generation products (Rio 500 is 2nd gen).
Thus many seem to be unreliable or poorly made - an MP3-fanatic friend is
now on his 4th player because they keep breaking on him. I'm not saying MD
is fault-free (there's a page linked from minidisc.org that logs people's
problems with thier MD units), but it's been about for significantly longer,
most of the mistakes were made years ago and the players today are better
built than all the MP3 players I've seen.
- The "solid-state so no skipping!" advantage of MP3 players isn't that
relevant really. I've never skipped any MD players that I've used, but it
might be a consideration if you're knocking the player about all the time
(look through the archives for people's experiences with MD and running). MD
is significantly better than CD at skip protection - smaller media and
40-second buffers help a lot.
Good luck with the decision - I've tried to be balanced and show
advantages/disadvantages of both, but in my opinion MD is *much* better :-)
--
Simon
[1] I know they *could* - but the RIAA won't let them, so it's a moot point.
[2] The other big draw of MD - truly portable recorders. Record band
practices, interviews, gigs, whatever, at superb quality wherever you are.
[3] Hey, it could happen :-)
[4] Sony have a 4x CD->MD deck out, the MXD-D3. I'm expecting other
manufacturers to make something similar soon (sharp have a 2x CD/MD hifi
system already), and at lower prices. Something to bear in mind for the
future..
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