I contacted HHB by email about "refurbished" Portadisc units. They
inturn had these people contact me
about their "B stock" units. These units are like new with a "new"
warranty. These units are priced at US$ 995.
For more info contact:
Mark Haynes V.P.
Leo's Professional Audio
5447 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
phone- 510-652-1553
fax - 510-652-6575
email -
I told Mark that I would give this info to anyone in the group who might
be interested, so you may use my
name if you like.
Enjoy,
J. Young
oryoki2000 wrote:
>Re: Sharp minidisc recorders
>
>1. Sound-activated recording
>
>...Also called "Syncro" recording, this feature is available on the
>digital line, analog mic and analog line inputs on recent Sharp
>recorders. Sony offers this feature only on the digital optical line
>input. Could be useful in unattended recording situations.
>
>2. Adjusting the levels while recording
>
>...Sony now offers this feature, but only if you remember to change
>to the "manual record volume" setting each time you start recording.
>Without this setting, you have to pause the Sony to make changes in
>record volume. Sharp has always offered manual control of input
>level during recording. I think this is important primarily to rock
>concert-recordists, since the volume of the music changes so
>dramatically from song to song. For nature recording, you usually
>don't need to adjust the levels from the settings you choose when you
>first start recording. Some recordists even make perfectly fine
>recordings using Sony's automatic gain control, where the minidisc
>automatically varies the levels. I think what this means is that the
>levels don't vary much from the original setting.
>
>3. Input issues
>
>...A few inexpensive minidisc recorders (Sony MZ-N505 and Sharp MD-
>MT180) lack mic-level analog audio input. All other minidisc
>recorders offer mic-level analog inputs as well as analog and digital
>optical line inputs.
>
>...If you want to use higher quality mics there are two issues. The
>consumer-grade minidisc doesn't provide the 48 volt phantom power
>than many mics require. You'll need an external power supply of some
>sort. And the impedence level of the pro mic (typically 150 to 600
>ohms) is quite different than the impedence of the mic input on the
>minidisc (around 2000 ohms). This difference results in recording
>levels that are very low (that is, very quiet). You can solve this
>by using an impedence-matching cable like the Shure A96F ($35).
>
>4. Ergonomics
>
>...Sony and Sharp have both fallen victim to the "smaller is better"
>disease in the last two years. They're trying to make the minidisc
>player as small as possible to compete with the tiny MP3 players.
>The result is that you need to have the fingers of a Tokyo teenager
>to manipulate the controls of most players. There -- I feel much
>better now!
>
>5. digital transfer to Mac
>
>...No portable consumer minidisc has digital output. Since you're
>using a Mac desktop computer, which has a poor quallity analog audio
>input, your best bet is convert minidisc analog output to USB input.
>The Griffin iMic ($35) and the Edirol UA-3D ($200) have software that
>works with the Mac. The Edirol adds volume controls and a port for
>headphones so you can easily listen to what's happening during the
>digital transfer.
>
>6. Sharp advantages compared to Sony
>
>...The Sharp pre-amp for mic input in current models is reported to
>be superior to the Sony pre-amp (that is, the Sharp makes better-
>sounding recordings than the Sony when using a mic) by many people
>who post to Internet newsgroups. It's unlikely you will be able to
>test this yourself without buying two units and recording with the
>mics you want to use. Maybe Minidisco will let you buy two and
>return the one you don't like.
>
>...The new $290 Sharp MD-DR7 has "time shift" recording. This means
>that when the unit is in record/pause mode, the last 5 seconds of
>input from the mic is stored in a solid state memory buffer. Release
>the pause, and this 5 seconds will be recorded to disc. This is the
>first time this feature found in consumer-level (read: reasonably
>priced) gear. It's a big advantage when recording intermittant
>sounds like bird song. No longer will you have to guess when the
>bird is about to start singing!
>
>...Recent Sharp models can start, pause, resume and stop recording
>using the remote control only. The minidisc unit can stay safely in
>your pocket. Unfortunately you still have to look at the unit to
>check recording levels. For recording in extreme conditions, you
>could put the minidisc unit in a Pelican 1020 micro-case with clear
>top ($16) to keep it dry and dust-free, and run the mic and remote
>control cables out through a hole sealed with a rubber grommet and
>silicone.
>
>7. Sony advantages
>
>...US authorized sales, factory repair service. Many of the most
>desirable Sharp models are not imported to the US, and the
>Sharp "factory authorized" repair services in this country are a
>couple of independent repair shops that mainly know about Sharp TVs.
>
>...Sony portable minidisc units are ready to record considerably
>faster than Sharp when you change a minidisc. The Sharp units take 8
>to 10 seconds to read the table of contents of the disc before you
>can start recording.
>
>...Sony automatically adds a time and date stamp to your recordings.
>This is very convenient.
>
>8. Pro-quality recorder
>
>...Having read the above, you can see why many recordists who want to
>use minidisc spend the extra money for a professional model. The
>current favorite is the HHB Portadisc (usually about $1400, but a
>reader of this group reported seeing one for $995 recently). The
>Portadisc is large and heavy compared to the consumer minidisc units,
>but it's portable enough to carry around for field recording, and it
>solves all the problems described above. Sometimes you do get more
>when you pay more.
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
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