Minidisc Overview / Sound comparison

This is an introduction / overview / own opinion to a digital audio storage format, the Sony MiniDisc. After using MP3's for several years I came back to physical storage media. At the end of the video is a sound-comparison between an MP3 player and a MiniDisc player. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• MiniDisc
• MD
• Sony
• MP3
• ATRAC
• Mini Disc

[Zunecrazy]

You know, I picked up a minidisc player the other day (old formats fascinate me) and I'm shocked to find that they sound absolutely amazing. I've been transferring music using the optical from my PS3. Incredible bass and vocal clarity!

[Legion2000]

@Zunecrazy

Yeah I experienced the same which led me to stick with the format. I hope you will have a lot of fun with it ^^

[domon123sback]

What software do you use to make your md labels??

[Legion2000]

@domon123sback

It's called MD-Cover

[laxiton]

@Legion2000 Excellent video! I have an old Sony MDS JE510 (yes I bought it in the nineties and absolutely still love it for the same reasons mentioned).

I've read it's a 20 bit A/D.

If the 1BIT is better than the 24BIT of the portable one in the video... how does that stuff work? Higher is usually better so... I'm confused. I'm looking at buying an MZ-RH1 too, can't find info on the A/D but I bet it's reaaaally good. One of the last... Yep strange days :-) Bedankt.

[Legion2000]

@laxiton

The 1Bit / 24Bit thing is extremely confusing imo ^^ I heard of both things: "the higher the better" and "1-bit is the most precise" or something similar. I have the feeling, that my sharp 24-Bit recordings sound better than my Kenwood 1-Bit recordings though, but maybe it's the ATRAC-Format used (Sharp uses it's own ATRAC).

What do you think?

I saw a MZ-RH1 lying around in a store nearby for 300 Euros xD It's too much for me though, don't want to use Hi-MD anyway.

[cartoonworld1000]

I hear Killer Instinct music in the background. Awesome!

[Neojhun]

I was a teenager when MiniDisc was in it's hay day and i loved it. I never could afford my own one but i played around with my cousin's one. They are simply better quality than chinese MP3 players & iPods. Even if they are not made by sony, the minidisc technology was always backed by highquality components. Then NetMD came out, that was awesome. It was probably the first portable media which allowed you to swap in & out lossless audio.

[Neojhun]

@laxiton 1Bit & 24bit are not just incredments in data. They are totaly diferent digital audio formats. Infact both are just difrent ways to mathematicaly describe a wave. 24bit is now the typical format known as "PCM" where wave is described as Time & Intensity. 1bit is a newer digital format called "DSD" where a wave is described by translating density of bits. Mathematicaly 1bit should be infintiley better but in reality 24bit is nearly indistinguishble.

[davidRios622]

To me is exactly the same .., Both use almost same tech specs (bits per sample, sample rate, compression). But I like how it looks...., Like total recall Schwarzenegger movie...,haha

[laserdiscphan]

Great video! I still use Minidisc too, but I've been using the format for a while now. I bought my first portable in 1995 (a Japanese Pioneer unit), and I have several decks and portables including two car stereos with MD players!

So long as blank media is made for the format, I'll keep using it!

[chadergeist]

I feel the same way too. Those MP3 and Ipod crap, the music lost it's soul and sound horrible. A joke. You can do alot with a MD that those two crappy inventions (MP3 and Ipod) can't give you.