Does anyone prefer mini dics to other recordable media? I got mine a few years ago and one for the car and I think they’re great. I hear they are popular in Asia and Europe but a lot of Americans I talk to don’t even know what they are. I hope they don’t become obsolete. I got burned buying a Betamax once and still think it’s better than VHS. The main reason I like Mini Discs is because I don’t like to carry CDs in my car (too big) and I don’t like MP3s.
I love my mini-discs. I’m even one of the seven people in the known universe to have bought pre-recorded MDs. The size is great, the random access is cool, the fact that I can interface my CD changer, PC and Mini Disc home deck rocks. The sound quality is more than sufficient for my non-audiophile ears. CD-R’s are nice and all, but having to worry about all that disc-at-once vs. track-at-once, close the session, close the disc stuff drives me crazy. Plus I can take a track or two from an old vinyl LP or a tape that’s about to wear out. What’s not to love?
I’m a happy MiniDisc owner- it makes good quality live recordings with a decent mic, media is now fairly cheap, and you can easily send MP3s to MD without much of a hassle. The editing features (move, split, join) are very cool.
I also use a CD burner so its not an either/or proposition. In the car I use the CDs, but for travel MiniDisc is the way to go… Its real popular in Asia and I wish it would pick up momentum here. I think in the US its not a “sexy” enough gadget which is why MP3 players seem to be more popular even though they’re much more limited in functionality.
I’ve got an MD player too but have been using it a lot less. That is, until I pick up that PC Link. (Anyone know where I can get one?)
Sound quality is pretty good and at least comparable to MP3. And when you consider the media, paying 100 bucks for a 32MB flash card or 1 or 2 bucks for a MiniDisc, I think in the long run, you’ll be more satisfied with the MD solution.
Thats not to say that there aren’t problems with MD technology. Real time recording is a hassle, I mean, if I want to run out quick and need something to listen to, I need to have had some forethought. Sure I can listen to discs I’ve recorded before but what if I just bought a new CD and want to listen to it, I’d need to lug the CD player. (Lug is pretty strong but it IS a bit bigger than your everyday MD player). MD players are also heavier when compared to most MP3 players I’ve seen.
All in all, its hard NOT to be satisfied with MiniDiscs in general. Recording on the fly, small and moderately lightweight and lots of attention from people wanting to know what the deal is with the remote on your shirt…
SouprChckn, what do you mean by a “PC Link Cable”? I used a standard 1/8" to 1/8" cable (available at any Radio Shack) connecting the speaker out on the sound card to the Line in on the MD- bear in mind this is a portable MD player. That was before I dropped ~$40 on a sound card with an Optical line out, permitting me to use to optical cable that came with the MD unit.