Buyers Guide: MiniDiscs

Apart from remarkable sound reproduction and unparalleled convenience, MD also benefits from supreme editability. At the touch of a button, you can delete tracks, cut them up into sections, move them around, join them together or split them in two - features previously unthinkable as part of a non-professional format. And then there's labelling: you can input the name of your disc (using letters, numbers and various symbols) and then title each individual track. All this information is stored on the TOC (Table Of Contents) and displayed on LCD/LED readouts both on the main body of the unit and, in the case of portables, the remote. It just gets better and better, ...  Read the complete review

If you decide to buy a Minidisc player, get the best one around. New Minidisk players are coming out all the time, and if you go for one which you are buying because it is cheap, there is no point in buying one. You see, when you buy a Minidisc player, as some people know, you will be sucked into loving it. Then you will wish about buying the next model up and spending that extra £30 instead of buying your one. If you are looking for portability, you may as well buy an MP3 player. Although some Minidisc players are extremely small (namely the Sony MZ-R900), MP3 players can be the size of a stick. But with MP3 players, the sound is not that good, and you can ...  Read the complete review

I have been the proud owner of a portable minidisc recorder for over 2 years now. It has travelled the world with me and has been more useful to me than any walkman ever could. This category doesn't involve the naming or shaming of models so you will have to wonder till the day you die what I have. Minidisc Pros : EVERYTHING.(almost) You have a re-recordable medium, laser to laser copying, instant access to tracks, re-ordering of tracks, disc/track identification, high capacity batteries, small light machines, "indestructable discs" etc etc..... Cons : They are still a little expensive if you want a decent quality of sound. The ...  Read the complete review

Repeat after me... "I shall only buy a minidisc if it is one that allows me to record!". Far too often when I leaf through so called 'Bargin' pages of catalogues I come across cheap mindisc machines that on the surface look unbelievably good value. Only when you read the small print do you see that these machines will not allow you to record from CDs onto blank minidiscs. There is no point buying a minidisc player that will only allow you to listen to prerecorded minidiscs. Prerecorded minidiscs are just as expensive as CDs and you will find yourself buying albums twice, once on CD and once on minidisc. The whole point of owning a minidisc player ...  Read the complete review

When buying a minidisc you should always ignore the name on the front, don't just buy a Sony because it's a Sony. PORTABLE OR NOT Get a portable recorder if you are going to use it outside the house and if you have not got a huge budget. Otherwise get a home deck or if you are loaded get a home deck and a portable player. WHAT TO LOOK FOR Look for one you like to look at, one that is small/lightweight or like me, the one with the best sound and the best battery life. The JVC700 is the best at the minute with 74 hours playback and the best sound. It comes at a price (£250 and is pretty big). This is the first MDLP portable (can ...  Read the complete review