Sony MZ-N707 Type-R net MD Walkman acquired for $5 today
 

I've always had a love for MD and found this set today for $5. Even came with a rechargeable battery.

To this day I still swear by Minidisc over the CD. The players are smaller and use less power, the discs are reusable, the audio quality is not at all bad unless you want to be REALLY fussy and it seems that in the right regions the stuff is everywhere. There is also that anti-skip protection that's almost bulletproof.
Only thing everyone universally hates is Sonic Stage.

Where I'm at, you never see anything related to MD. This is only the second item I've found in 6 years. Last was a Sony deck I found for a stereo system. Before that was a tabletop stereo that had a built in MD that I bought for mom in 2003.

Minidisc just didn't take off in the US, but I think it was slightly more popular in Europe.

Sony finally won a format war with Blu-ray...or did they? Now that everything is streaming I am not sure it matters much.

MiniDisc was also fairly popular in Japan as well, as I still see references made to the format in anime every once in a while...:scratch2:

Minidisc was insane popular in Japan. They even had it being used for data and image storage as early as the 90's. They were doing things with Minidisc that we never saw.

http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/P...7A/PDF-W77.gif

When I was there last year you could still easily find new media.

Wow .Great deal .I picked up the Sony MZ-R900 new back in 2001.It works great and sounds great.I used it for live recordings and off air radio recordings until I got my digital SD card recorder in 2007.I still used the MZ-R900 as a backup to the Roland Edirol R09HR digital recorder until I semi retired it 3 years ago when I replaced it with a Sony PCM-M10 recorder.As that that time it was a pain in the rear looking for blanks and also the internal flat gumstick battery was failing to charge.I got my last batch of blanks from B&H Photo in NYC.I dont know if they still carry them now.

http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-R900.html

Heres info and service manual on your model.

http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-N707.html

I have a Sony MZ-NH1, and it does make very good recordings. BUT my Sony WMD-6C with metal tape makes better recordings with amazing dynamic range and NO noise using Dolby C. Problem is nobody is making metal tape now, dam it. Still, Sony's MD format is a great medium for live recording, and is small enough to "sneak" into concert venues where other, more bulky devices might be detected. Gotta use those microphone glasses! :D
Kevin

Yes .Those old cassette portables did a nice job then or even now.I've use a cheaper model Sony for years before I got the MD for live stuff.No more tape flipping and batteries quitting during recording.I was shocked"Pun Intended" with the battery life with the R900 when I got it.The R900 came with the single AA clip on battery pack which is a life saver when I was using it for a long recordings.

Thats a good question on blank metal tape.I cant remember the last time I picked up metal tapes.The best bet is check over at AudioKarma on that and see who still sells them..

MiniDisc, DCC, and DAT are audio formats that I never seem to find locally, and usually cost too much for me on ebay....One day they will be part of my collection.

Amazon still has blanks and they also have the difficult to find 1400 ma-h gumstick battery:

http://www.amazon.com/Powerstream-Gu...7KZCJ144HPSSPV

I bought a couple of these batteries last year and they still seem to be working fine in my MZ-R90. The LIP-8 lithium cell that my MZ-50 uses is tougher to find. :(
Mostly using a PCM-M10 these days, also.

not affiliated,
jr

Yes, tape flipping. That's why I bought the MD with a mic input. I record live organ concerts, classic and unit orchestra (theatre organ) and my friend's 3 manual 25 rank Wurlitzer when he has an artist come to his home to play "The Monster in the House". It works out well, as I use both recorders with one mic, looping through one to the other. My MD now needs a battery, so I'm on the hunt. I'll check out what others have to say about that. Thanks for the continued post!
Kevin :thmbsp:
Oh , about metal tapes. The last time I purchased some was for a trip to the Atlanta FOX theatre in 2006.