Sony is no longer making minidisc decks for the home? (1 Viewer)

[KeithH]

Matt, as I have said before, the 'JA555ES is the only component in a laundry list of ES gear that I have that failed. Hopefully the 'JA333ES will behave like all the other ES components I have. Time will tell.
Hopefully the dealer in the UK will get back to you. I know that www.techtronics.com will ship to the US. Just check with Pioneer to see if they will honor a UK warranty.
I know the TEAC deck turned out to be a disaster, but have you considered the Tascam MD-301mkII? I know that Tascam components are made very well. Anyway, I felt that the 'JA333ES was the right way to go for me, but maybe you ought to look at the Tascam deck. Denon also makes some pro MD decks.

 

[Jeff]

Anyone know anything about the MDS-E10 or MDS-E12? These models are never discussed. They aren't the most asthetically pleasing since they are designed for professional use but I'm still curious about them.
http://www.minidisc.org/sonyad_oct2000.jpg
Jeff

 

[Rachael B]

Keith, I see almost no difference in the sound of the Sony 920, Sony 520, and Elite player using them for transports emptying into a Denon D/A converter playing discs made off of CD's. The 920 and Elite make much better analog recordings than the 520. It's my estimation that the Elite has a wee bit better analog section. As much as I like MD, I'm tempted to buy a 333 because it will proably be the last ES MD for the U.S.

A dealer told me that Sony is "reorganizing" their audio products presently and doesn't have much to ship to dealers right now. They aren't shipping any ES recievers at the moment he said, he said...? I kind'a doubt they'd bother with an ES MD at this point, here. What's next an ES CD recorder???????

Matthew, you've painted yourself into a corner. You should have jumped when authorized dealers had Elite MD's for blowout prices last fall, maybe? You could proably get a brand new one for $200 to $240, or less, on e-bay if you dared and were patient. It's proably the best non-Sony MD recorder that's graced these shores. Your Denon is proably very close. I have a feeling it's the same model I had for a weekend four years ago. I was impressed with everything but the ergonomics and most especially the remote, no suprise there eh? Denon remotes have been lengendarily poor me thinks. Long live your Denon! Best wishes guyz!

 

[KeithH]

Matthew,
I would expect the Tascam deck to be better than the TEAC model you tried. As I said before, the Tascam division offers excellent products. The Tascam is worth a try if you can find one through a dealer with a good return policy.
Rachael,
Your information about Sony reorganizing its audio division is interestring. In case you haven't noticed, Sony has slashed prices on many products lately, including its ES receivers (only out a few months), the SCD-CE775, and DVD/SACD players. Tweeter is selling the DVP-S9000ES for $800, and a price cut from Sony is probably behind it. It seems as though Sony is trying to unload inventory. As far as I know, the 'JA333ES is still on the product range. It was on backorder with J&R when I placed my order last week, but J&R got it in, and I should have mine tomorrow (Wednesday).
If the 'JA333ES is as good a unit as I expect it to be, I think you would be very happy with one. That is, given your interest in audio and minidisc, an ES deck is a natural choice for you. However, I have to be honest with you. Had I never bought the 'JA555ES and been exposed to the quality of an ES deck, and were I not getting a check from Sony right now, I probably would not be spending so much on minidisc now. The 'JA333ES cost me $725 delivered, which is a lot for a minidisc deck. Granted, I am getting a top-quality deck, but it still is a lot for minidisc. The problem for me is that I miss having an ES deck, and I would not be happy with something like the 'JB940 in my main stereo system. So the 'JA333ES is it for me...hopefully.
Jeff,
I briefly considered the Sony 'E10 and 'E12 because I thought as pro decks, they might be more robust than Sony's consumer models, including the ES decks. However, I could not find much information about them on the web, including thoughts from owners. I just don't know if these are good-sounding decks. In the end, I decided to pass. I am hopeful that the problem I had with the 'JA555ES was a fluke and that the 'JA333ES will give me the quality I came to expect from the 'JA555ES.
By the way, I believe the 'E10 and 'E12 are the same deck, except that the 'E12 has balanced outputs. The 'E12 may have fewer digital inputs than the 'E10 to make room on the small back panel for the balanced inputs.

 

[Craig Ball]

This site help anybody?
http://planetminidisc.com/home-and-p...-minidisc.html
Craig

 

[Rachael B]

Craig that one and www.minidisco.com are my fav's.
Matthew, your deck must have been the one I test drove. You could get carpal tunnel syndrome from titling with it! Best wishes cats!

 

[Rachael B]

Matthew I do not know. Mabe Keith does since he was on an MD quest recently. I imagine if you found one you'd stand a good chance of getting a close-out price. Best wishes!

 

[KeithH]

Matthew,
Truthfully, I am not sure if the Tascam deck is still available in the US. A few months ago, I noticed that samash.com was blowing out its last four units, and they were all demos. Try www.fullcompass.com , and call Tascam (go to Link Removed for the phone number).
Matthew and Rachael,
I still do not have the 'JA333ES. J&R made a mistake when they said on Monday that they had gotten it in (recall it was on backorder when I placed my order last week). They said it would go out on Monday and that I would get it on Wednesday. When I called on Tuesday morning for the tracking number, I was told that they didn't ship one out because they didn't have it. I got a call back late Tuesday morning from a customer service manager saying that they did find it in their New York City warehouse and that it would go out overnight so that I would have it Wednesday. Once again, I called Wednesday for a tracking number, and once again, I was told that they did not have it because once again, someone made a mistake in checking inventory. Now a customer service manager is trying to get an ETA from Sony. He said that once he has an ETA, he will give me a call.
I guess my minidisc ordeal will never end. :frowning:

 

[KeithH]

Matthew, in going through some old audio magazines tonight, I came across the August 2001 issue of What Hi*Fi? (UK), which has a review of the TEAC MDH-500i. It is reviewed in an article along with the Sony MXD-D4, Yamaha MDX-596, and Pioneer MJ-D508. If memory serves, the Pioneer 'D508 was once available in the US. Anyway, they gave the TEAC deck four stars out of five for sound quality, build quality, features, and the overall rating. It was rated basically the same as the three other decks. Obviously, opinions vary. Given the problems you had recording with the TEAC deck, I wonder if you had a defective unit.

 

[KeithH]

Matthew said:

Someone from audioreview.com had bought one and it broke one month later (in 10/2001). He was still waiting for it to be repaired in 2/2002.

Gee, that sounds familiar. So, Sony is not alone with poor repair service. Of course, the 'JA555ES cost a lot more than the 'D508.

I doubt the reviewer(s) in What Hi*Fi? tested the analog recording quality of the TEAC deck or any of the others included in the article. They commented on the sound quality of MD recordings in comparison to the corresponding CDs, so I am sure they only tried digital recording.

Best of luck in your search for the Tascam deck. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Rachael B]

Keith, suprise, suprise, suprise! I have a Sony 333ES playing right now. A salesman at a local dealer had been trying to sell me his last fall. I called him up to see if he stille had it, he did. He's let me have it to test drive. If I like it and I do, it's $500. It looks brand new. Even all the cables were in the box. It plays very well as a transport into my pre. I may not have time to record with it for a few days as I have Easter company. My first impression is that it does out-perform the Elite and 920 as a transport. I'm about 90% sure I'll keep it. I'll take it into the stereo room and try dubbing vinnyl with it next week proably.

Matthew, good luck with your new player!

Best wishes cats!

 

[KeithH]

Rachael, wow! That's great news! Glad to hear you were able to get your hands on a 'JA333ES and that you like it. I would be curious to hear what you think of the sound using the analog outputs in comparison to the sound when using it as a transport. Now if I could only get mine.

 

[Rachael B]

Keith, the first time he offered it to me he wanted $650. I'm glad I didn't take it then. He got it on an employee discount and he proably paid about the $500 he asked for it this time. So, I figur I'm making out like a bandit. I'm going to keep it, well, I'm up to 98% sure after listening even more. Best wishes!

 

[KeithH]

Rachael, $500 is a great price for a barely-used player. At $650, I would have recommended you go with a new unit. J&R took $25 off the price of the 'JA333ES for me due to the two inventory screw-ups mentioned in an earlier post, so I am actually paying $675.

 

[KeithH]

Matthew, Oade Bros. quoted me $415 for the Tascam deck a couple of months ago. Your post jogged my memory. However, I don't recall if they had it in stock or had to special-order it. I am pretty sure they had to special-order the Sony pro minidisc decks at that time. In fact, I am not sure if they stock any consumer minidisc decks these days.

Glad to hear that you were able to track down the Tascam unit. Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[Greg Schwabacher]

Hey guys-
I don't want to pooh-pooh your efforts, but I think it might be premature to be trying to scrape up all the home MD decks you can find. It's pretty clear that Sony's home audio line is in a state of flux right now (as evidenced by all the price-slashing going on). Couple that with the new NetMD functionality and new ATRAC algorithm showing up on the latest portables, and I think it's reasonable to assume that it'll only be a short while before new home MD units incorporating these features ship to the U.S. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the assertion that home MD is leaving the U.S. market was just speculation on Keith's part, anyway.
I'd hate to see you dropping all your hard-earned cash on units that, at the end of the day, will be obsolete compared with what's just around the corner.
I'm almost positive that if home MD were getting ready to disappear, we'd have gotten wind of it on minidisc.org.
Of course, I'm awfully glad my 'JA20ES is still alive and kicking!

 

[KeithH]

Greg said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the assertion that home MD is leaving the U.S. market was just speculation on Keith's part, anyway.

Not really. If you read my initial post, you will see that a salesperson at OneCall said that Sony has stopped making "full-sized" minidisc components. Maybe he was wrong, but it was an interesting comment. Neither OneCall nor J&R have the 'JB940 any longer, and both told me that it has been discontinued. Sony has announced the release of a 'JB980 in Europe later this year, but there has been no announcement of its release in the US. Sony also discontinued the MXD-D5C and MDS-PC3 in the US and has not announced replacements as yet. So, the only Sony home minidisc decks currently in production, assuming they are still in production, are the MDS-JE470 and MXD-D40. Is anything coming down the pike? Beats me.
Note that I am not making a rash purchase out of fear that minidisc will shortly be extinct in the US. At least not yet. My 'JA555ES died and could not be repaired by Sony, so I have ordered a 'JA333ES with Sony's money to replace it. I don't think purchasing the 'JA333ES is rash in any way. It is an excellent deck. That said, I do wonder how much longer Sony will produce ES minidisc decks. Sony seems to be pushing minidisc more and more as a portable format, and there has to be very limited interest in ES decks. We like them, but most people who spend as much on an audio component as what an ES minidisc deck costs don't want minidisc. Anyway, maybe a new ES minidisc deck is coming to replace the 'JA333ES, but I haven't heard anything to that effect. I have yet to hear of the 'JA333ES being discontinued. Frankly, at some point down the road, it wouldn't surprise me if Sony discontinued the 'JA333ES and didn't replace it. Sony once offered both the 'JA20ES and 'JA555ES at the same time. Now they only offer the 'JA333ES. The next generation could yield bupkus.

 

[Thomas Newton]

Couple that with the new NetMD functionality and new ATRAC algorithm showing up on the latest portables, and I think it's reasonable to assume that it'll only be a short while before new home MD units incorporating these features ship to the U.S.

The NetMD stuff adds SDMI-style copy protection, where you are forced to "check out" and "check in" tracks -- this is an improvement? Naturally this is in addition to SCMS and royalty taxes.

As for the LP2 and LP4 modes, I'm not sure they would be of much interest to people who shop for "ES" and "Elite" decks because they want to get that last bit of sound quality out of SP mode. LP4 at a compression ratio of > 20:1? I can't picture that being too appealing for music.

 

[Thomas Newton]

Come to think of it, LP2 and LP4 modes have already shown up on some home decks.

What has me puzzled is why some new decks lack a keyboard input (PS/2, USB). Titling using a remote is a royal pain!

 

[KeithH]

Thomas, I agree that the LP2 and LP4 modes are likely to be of little interest to the average owner of an ES minidisc deck. However, Sony is including MDLP into all of its MD players, portable and home, now. This reminds me of a discussion on this site recently about why Sony would include MP3 CD playback on its forthcoming ES DVD/SACD player. I wouldn't use the MP3 feature. I just don't do MP3. However, with the minidisc players, it's just as easy to record in LP2 or LP4 mode as regular mode, so I would probably give LP2 a shot. Some people have said that LP2 sounds quite close to regular minidisc, so I would like to play around with putting 148 or 160 minutes of music on a disc. That would be pretty cool. The only problem is that the minidisc decks in my second system lack the MDLP feature, so I would be limited to playing such minidiscs on the 'JA333ES in my main system. Oh well.

I too wonder why Sony has not included PC keyboard inputs on more of its minidisc decks. Although the 'JA333ES has no keyboard input, I have it covered. The 'JB930 I have in my second system has a keyboard input, so I use it for disc naming. I tend to use the MXD-D3 in the second system for recording due the ability to dub at 4x and the 'JB930 for disc naming. The 'JA333ES and 'JB930 are for playback.