MiniDisc Separates Still worth it?

[amardilo]

I have a chance of buying a Sony MiniDisc player MDS-JE780 or a MDS-JE480 at a cut down price (mates store is closing down and he is selling off his display stock). I currently only have a handful of MiniDisc tapes (they ones that are a few years old and that I made myself on my now broken portable MiniDisc player).

My question is even at 50% off is it still worth buying a MiniDisc separate? I already have a SACD player and most of my audio collection is on CD.

I kind of want it, but I don't see why I would really need it.

Both units will match my kit perfectly as I have a Sony AV reciever, Sony SACD player and Sony DAB Tuner. I also have loads of blank MiniDisc tapes too, but no player.

[rEVILospud]

I have the 480 model and although I don't use it much the sound quality from digitally recorded sources is very good in my opinion.
It's always a handy piece of equipment as you can record from many digital and analogue sources easily; e.g. radio, mp3 player etc.

I would be very tempted if I didn't have one, especially @ half price.

BTW: how much is the 780? Might be good for the NetMD functions (faster than realtime recording is always a bonus!)

[amardilo]

He is offering me the 780 for £100. Its unboxed but he still has the box and bits (he says its never been turned on and he is a good mate that I trust and he said if I go for it he will test it out before I take it home). Thinking I may go for it.

He also has a 980. Are there any major differences between the 780 and the 980?

[rEVILospud]

£100 for the 780 seems bloody good to me, I'd buy it.
I bought my 480 about 3 years ago (I guess!) for about £120 and it's still taht kind of price new now.

Sorry I don't really know the differences, I could only afford the cheapest one at the time

[nsherin]

AFAIK, the 980 has a much better DAC than the 980, but shares similar features. It also has a PS/2 keyboard socket and digital coax in/out sockets, as well as the usual phono/optical connections. I've had the 480 and now own a 980 deck. Sound/build quality is miles apart and I can highly recommend the 980.

[shahedz]

i have minidisc seperate, i rarely use it. but i have about 100 minidsics so bought it for that, also for quick recording its great. for that price i would get it

[amardilo]

Can I playback HiMD disc's on the 980?

Can I record from my DAB tuner onto MD?

I think I'll make the jump and go for the 980 (my mate said he will offer that to me for £150 although it has been used for demo/show).

The rest should appear on eBay sometime soon.

[nsherin]

£150 for a 980 is a bargain - I bought mine for £250 back in January. At the price you've been offered, I'd go for it!

The 980 won't deal with HiMD discs at all. Recording from DAB onto MD will work fine, as will other sources such as CD, tape, vinyl, FM etc.

[anorakus]

It looks like Sony have discontinued the 980

I hope this isn't the beginning of the end of Sony's support for Minidisc. I love the format - I have the older 940 at home, and a walkman and car player - and I think it's a shame it's been killed off by the MP3 and CD-R, neither of which hold a candle to minidisc IMO.

A.

[nsherin]

Agree - and MiniDisc has superb flexibility for recording, with the ability to split/join/fade/move around tracks without having to go anywhere near a PC.

[CJROSS]

Well that is me up to my 3rd Sony MD Deck, just bought a 920 Deck+46 Blank MDs to add to the 510 & S50 I own already, have a Sony MD Car unit & E40 personal.

No recording format can let you record from Digital TV or Radio, DVD-V, DVD-A & Vinyl as easily as MD. Currently making compilations up from T in the Park & Jools Hollands Later from this year.

Buy those decks now chaps and blank MDs whilst you can. I'll use this medium till my last deck dies. If non-digital recording is important to you then its the only way to go IMHO.

[Helicon]

Support for MD has been dwindling for years now, and i think you're seeing the last legs at the moment. I can't think of any other manufacturer with a deck on the market, bar the pro Denon's if they still make them, and Teac have one or two i think, but again, i think it's pro market.

From my experience, the ES models were (obviously) by far the best, being pretty hard to distinguish them from the original. Not bad going for a highly compressed format! The QS series ones were a nice balance of sound and build quality against price. The E series just went downhill towards the end with regards to build and sound quality. But hey, they were cheap.

[mannyo]

I have a DHC-MD595 mini system, a large number of discs and a 6 MD changer in the car. The format looks like dying though, just like DCC did if you can remember that.

[Fluke]

For what its worth, I'm very impressed by the musicality of my budget Sony MD (fullsize), on recording from vinyl its pretty impressive with lots of headroom, vitality and dynamics - the only downside is a slight lack of detail and imagery.

[CJROSS]

Originally Posted by Fluke

For what its worth, I'm very impressed by the musicality of my budget Sony MD (fullsize), on recording from vinyl its pretty impressive with lots of headroom, vitality and dynamics - the only downside is a slight lack of detail and imagery.

Yep, also recording SACD & DVD-Audio 24/192 Stereo from the analgoue inputs is a very nice way to make "audiophile" compilations I find.