It's a Mini Adventure... How MiniDisc Became Sony's Most Glorious Ever Format Failure!

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  • Опубліковано 15 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 125

  • @RonStephens-h7h
    @RonStephens-h7h 14 днів тому +1

    Hey guys, I was feeling Riff withdrawal symptoms and so I watched this episode thinking that I’d already seen it before, but now I don’t think I had. Maybe I fell asleep half way through as it’s so long 😂. Hugely entertaining as always. I now know more about minidisc than ever before. Hope you’re both well and have had a great Christmas. Looking forward to the next Riff. Happy new year

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому

      Thank you Ron. Like Arnie, we'll be back!

  • @jozefserf2024
    @jozefserf2024 Місяць тому +15

    Almost every single UK HiFi 'journalist' disparaged this wonderfully versatile recording format back in the day.
    There has never been a better sounding format for compiling your own 'mix tapes'.

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista Місяць тому +5

      I never disparaged it, I actually bought my MDS-JA555ES review sample from Sony! But I agree that it wasn't a good look for a hi-fi hack to support MiniDisc, back in the day. And yes, they're brilliant for compilations, recording off air, off UA-cam, transcribing old tapes and cassettes, etc. Still really handy, even today, if you've got a lot of legacy media.

    • @antunkatona5674
      @antunkatona5674 Місяць тому +3

      @@MrVinylista An excellent point! There are a lot of benefits to using MD. You can buy preowned discs, erase them and reuse them without any quality loss or compatibility concerns. Also, home decks, particularly Sony ones, had a magnificent user interface, both powerful and elegant, obviously drawing inspiration from the professional segment. I wouldn't have let that -555ES out of my hands either!

    • @nickevans3190
      @nickevans3190 Місяць тому +2

      Sony did bring out towards the end of the MiniDisc lifespan a Sony premium 80min blank discs

    • @nickevans3190
      @nickevans3190 Місяць тому +2

      What did you both think about the quality of original artist record shop brought MiniDisc do you think they sounded better than a CD equivalent and in comparison to the same album recorded onto a black MiniDisc even a jvc pro MiniDisc

    • @mrglasses8953
      @mrglasses8953 Місяць тому +3

      Surely CD-R sounds better?

  • @domfjbrown75
    @domfjbrown75 Місяць тому +8

    Can't go wrong with MD for mastering CD compilations. The editing is so good!!!

    • @Zimmy_1981
      @Zimmy_1981 Місяць тому +2

      @@domfjbrown75 agreed. I play a "game" with mine: try to label a track with the title & artist before the track ends 🤭

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому +1

      It so is! Nothing beats MD editing - and Sony did it the best.

    • @Zimmy_1981
      @Zimmy_1981 6 днів тому +1

      @MrVinylista agreed

  • @gohachi5313
    @gohachi5313 Місяць тому +5

    Man, I had that same MZ-R55 player as my first MD player. I loved it and recorded a lot of MDs using my PlayStation as the source for music recording from the component output on the back. I remember buying MDs knowing that it doesn't matter if it never catches on. My music is what I want to record and not something that the music industry decides for me. It makes it a lot more personal like the Mix tapes people used to make, but it is digital and didn't wear out or get chewed up by the player. Truly a great medium!

  • @marvins42
    @marvins42 Місяць тому +11

    WAS NOT, NEVER WAS AND IS NOT A FAILURE! I STILL USE MINIDISC TO THIS DAY.

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista Місяць тому +4

      Me too.

    • @jaybowles112
      @jaybowles112 Місяць тому +2

      No need to shout.

    • @Zimmy_1981
      @Zimmy_1981 Місяць тому +1

      Ditto. I have sold a deck a few years ago that was in the fire, it basically just needs some caps as there's a recording issue (one channel is out). Otherwise still works to this day. I have had a USB drive fail after a few months, which was looked after very carefully. It just quit on me😢

  • @DaveM-ez6cy
    @DaveM-ez6cy 17 днів тому +1

    Merry Xmas lads,cheers for the MD rant!
    I'm still hitting the highway listening to my Sony minidisc stacker and alternating with cassettes through the Sony car cassette player in my 92 4runner...... I love my "analog cars" too!!

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому

      Good man. I've had 'Selling England by the Pound' on repeat on my Kenwood car MiniDisc player this past month. Into the future!

  • @andrewlittleboy8532
    @andrewlittleboy8532 Місяць тому +12

    I still love MD. It's a shame the British hifi media didn't want to promote it.
    Still looks futuristic to me and am patiently waiting for its return. 😊😂

    • @domfjbrown75
      @domfjbrown75 Місяць тому +2

      Because they're all divs lol

  • @paulwhite1109
    @paulwhite1109 Місяць тому +7

    I'm one of the three......who made it to the end! Good stuff as always guys.

  • @potsy1013
    @potsy1013 27 днів тому +2

    What a joy to hear people talk about minidisc and positive! I still love them. I had separate, car stereo and portable. My 12 year old son found the portable a couple of wks ago and is now using it 😃 Wonderful. Thanks guys.

  • @fitterstoke45
    @fitterstoke45 Місяць тому +4

    Thoroughly entertaining Riff, chaps: thank you. I still have my Technics SJ-MD100 Minidisc Deck hooked up to my second system and use it to record entire Radio 3 concerts in its Long Play mode. Loved the MD format back in the day and still do.

  • @tomeasterbrook9486
    @tomeasterbrook9486 Місяць тому +7

    If we’re asking for specials……….. : would love to see Mike’s Isobariks Saras and associated mountain of Exposure in a bit more detail

    • @domfjbrown75
      @domfjbrown75 Місяць тому +1

      Exposure rather than Naim? Awesome kit on both counts!

  • @garycarson3280
    @garycarson3280 Місяць тому +5

    Yes - The MZR-55!!! I had to have mine surgically removed from my ears as I always had it on. Still have it - in the box. Lovely piece of kit!!!

    • @Zimmy_1981
      @Zimmy_1981 Місяць тому +1

      Amazing, I can never hv anything on or in my ears for long periods 😢

  • @asrarul12
    @asrarul12 Місяць тому +3

    Whether these two knock the figures from the top of their heads, or they do homework before, they get the details spot on. Always a pleasure watching this channel. It's edutainment. Love from Bangladesh.

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому +1

      Thank you. I can remember all this stuff from when it first came out - but cannot remember what I did yesterday. I may need help!

  • @Jezza-m5k
    @Jezza-m5k Місяць тому +3

    Mike's Tascam... I want one! That Rush Special is long overdue🧐Great riff, as ever.

  • @jamesschneider3828
    @jamesschneider3828 Місяць тому +3

    Do I win a prize for watching the whole thing? And I didn’t even have a beer.

  • @DJNeiloSF
    @DJNeiloSF Місяць тому +1

    As far as I am aware, Minidisc is Magneto Optical media 😊

  • @kerracoustic3607
    @kerracoustic3607 Місяць тому +3

    Being entrusted with the responsibility of holding David’s TDK XA Pro 74 was an honour of such magnitude, eclipsed only by the sheer colossal bulk of Mike’s Tascam MD-801R (though I suspect the TDK may actually weigh more) 😀

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista Місяць тому +3

      Thank you Jes. As a great philosopher once wrote, "there are people who you'd entrust a TDK MD-RXG XA Pro with, and people you wouldn't..."

    • @antunkatona5674
      @antunkatona5674 Місяць тому +1

      @@MrVinylista LOLs!!

  • @ronaldmcwhinnie3497
    @ronaldmcwhinnie3497 Місяць тому +3

    Hi boys
    Love watching and all the chat.
    Used to have Sony minidisc and I do miss it.
    Wanted to ask you
    Years ago you talked about having a riff on David’s Sony Amp TA-F 70 which he had in his kitchen ?
    Another great Sony amp which I had but gave up the gost.
    Keep up the good work

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista Місяць тому +1

      Yes, the TA-F70 is on our to do list. I think it's one of the best Sony integrateds ever - and almost completely unknown in the UK. Coming soon...

    • @ronaldmcwhinnie3497
      @ronaldmcwhinnie3497 Місяць тому +1

      Thanks for the info
      Yes I found it to be a one of the best sounding amps that I have ever had great dynamics and high power delivery
      Also good quality construction
      Thanks again for all the great shows

  • @kjbunnyboiler
    @kjbunnyboiler Місяць тому +2

    You forgot about the short lived “elcaset” guys! The “mix tape” reveal certainly brings a whole new insight into your early relationship🤣🤣, I guess I was one of three (as opposed to seven of nine)!

  • @renatomorais8136
    @renatomorais8136 Місяць тому +2

    Ah, thanks for this! I was trying to talk about those just the other day and couldn't even remember what they were called. I was describing them as floppy disc with a laser disc inside lol. Not a single soul knew what I was talking about. Had a Sony Minidisc small player like that walkman you showed and that came as part of a deal. But I never had a single mini disc to play with it. I don't even remember them being available in record stores around here, just 7 or 8 choices in hifi stores that carried the players.

  • @channelzero2252
    @channelzero2252 Місяць тому +2

    I own a Pioneer MJ-D707 minidisk deck. It's totally awesome.

  • @davidbaines5487
    @davidbaines5487 Місяць тому +1

    A thoroughly entertaining riff! I remember seeing a mini disc once and thinking, “what’s that, when did they come out?”. Now I know!

  • @nickevans3190
    @nickevans3190 Місяць тому +1

    Sony did bring out towards the end of the MiniDisc lifespan a Sony premium 80min blank disc

  • @TheAceRimmer
    @TheAceRimmer Місяць тому +1

    I used to buy HiFi for a retailer and on one of the Sony "Jan Trips" I got talking to one of their product managers, Atrac was apparently not only designed to sound good and give MP3 a run for it's money, but they also designed to codec to be efficient from a battery use perspective. MD was the perfect portable format, really tough, great sound and very small. In my grumpy old man opinion Sony were their worst enemy by not making it easier and cheaper for manufacturers to licence the technology, more brands would have made it more widespread (and cheaper). And, they didn't do a mark 2 (HI-MD) until it was too late, Apple had already launched the iPod so the writing was on the wall. Sony didn't think that anyone would buy an expensive portable player with a delicate HDD in it..... and as they say, the rest is history.

  • @laurieharper1526
    @laurieharper1526 Місяць тому +1

    Thanks for the trip down memory lane, gents. I still have my full size MD player, plus a rather smart MZ-R55 in gold. Haven't used them for years. I originally bought the full size one to master stuff onto from my Portastudio (remember those?). At the time, it was much better than my cassette player. I'll have to dig them out and have a listen.

  • @gaza4543
    @gaza4543 Місяць тому +1

    I love my pioneer MD player the D707 I discovered alot of music through that device, friends would record there CD's for me and vis versa, we would share/trade MD's around like they where Pokemon card's at high school. I think if it was more of a success Hi MD may have actually replaced CD and was probably the intent of that iteration. Imagine an unfolding protocol like MQA packaged onto future discs and hardware or simply even denser dual layer discs.

  • @MohsinWadee
    @MohsinWadee Місяць тому +1

    I wouldn't give Black Label to my worst enemy, World's worst beer. In fact it's not beer, it's swill.

  • @nickevans3190
    @nickevans3190 Місяць тому +1

    What did you both think about the quality of original artist record shop brought MiniDisc do you think they sounded better than a CD equivalent and in comparison to the same album recorded onto a black MiniDisc

  • @martinbishop2966
    @martinbishop2966 Місяць тому +2

    Great video as always and a great pair of machines, however, I have to question it's validity next to CD. A good idea but it was always doomed for failure as you can only have so many formats. As for beer, try Triple Karmeliet! 👍

  • @stephenfurley1025
    @stephenfurley1025 Місяць тому +1

    I got a Sharp MT-81 portable in an Argos sale, and was an instant convert - more so than with CD. My favourite though, was a Sharp MT-DR7. A 1 Bit item and really solid construction. After that was the Sony MZ-R55. I remember DP's reviews of Sony personals in Hi-Fi World.

  • @ronaldmcwhinnie3497
    @ronaldmcwhinnie3497 5 днів тому +1

    Happy New Year
    Hope all is ok with you as I haven’t seen any new riffs

  • @matthewhilty4209
    @matthewhilty4209 Місяць тому +5

    Sadly both my Minidisc decks have given up the ghost so I moved on. Maybe someday I will attempt to repair them.

    • @davidp3096
      @davidp3096 Місяць тому +3

      If yours are not loading or ejecting discs then I can help

    • @matthewhilty4209
      @matthewhilty4209 Місяць тому +2

      @@davidp3096 That's the case with one of them the other one has a bad screen and a loading issue (that one was sent back to me not repaired due to lack of parts). I will have to pull them from the closet and get the full model numbers.

    • @Zimmy_1981
      @Zimmy_1981 Місяць тому +1

      Bad screen is a tough as u will need a donor deck. As for loading issue, did u do the micro switch fix?
      The 1st one can be belts or same switch, sad fate for them tho. If I were near u I glad would have at least attempted to repair them😢😢

  • @Ricky-cl5bu
    @Ricky-cl5bu 7 днів тому +1

    Where are yous hope yous are ok , you haven’t been about for a while, have yous still got a hangover after Christmas 😊

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому

      Thank you - and I wish! Sadly I had to take a break from Riff due to the sad death of my mum in December. Mike and I will be back soon...

  • @antunkatona5674
    @antunkatona5674 19 днів тому +1

    After having rewatched this, for an unspecified number of times, I am convinced that Mike ruined it! What a cheek!! Apologising to the manufacturers!!
    To get quite personal here, any manufacturer that wasn't involved in Mini Disc isn't worth their salt! Speakers are easy! Amplifiers too - that is why Exposure makes them! But, if you can make an MD deck, you can make anything!
    I think that the number of views proves that this video was a success, despite Mike's best efforts to derail it. So, dear viewers & David, just keep doing the opposite of what Mike does and you'll do just fine in life!
    Heh-Heh!
    Cheers!!

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому +1

      Thank you so much. Now you know what I've had to put up with since the late 1970s!

    • @antunkatona5674
      @antunkatona5674 6 днів тому +1

      @@MrVinylista I can only imagine!! Tell you what, you can annoy him further by doing a sequel to the MD Special! ;) You can tell him you have an Exposure MD deck that you are saving for the end of the video. Being gullible as he is (how else can you explain all that Exposure stuff?), he will believe you. The thought will entertain him until you tell him the bitter truth. Cheers!

  • @TheFilwud
    @TheFilwud Місяць тому +1

    Ooh! You swines! I saw that Tascam, searched, found and ordered one! Then looked a bit further and realised that like my Sony MDS JB930QS it hasn't got MDLP modes. So once it replaces the Sony (if it sounds as good or better) I will still need the more humble JE480 to play the many LP2 mode discs I have. Anyway, it certainly looks the part and I can't wait for it to arrive! Nice show, I enjoyed that but really would like to see the machines in action as well as the discussions.

  • @elkartian
    @elkartian Місяць тому +1

    Sharp had their own attrac which for me was far better soundwise than Sony

  • @elkartian
    @elkartian Місяць тому +1

    Sharp MD R2H player is fabulous

  • @martinscase3904
    @martinscase3904 Місяць тому +1

    That has to be the most wonderfully meandering waffle-Riff yet! Love it!
    I have a Yamaha MDX9 recorder - picked it up in a charity shop for £20 15 years ago or more. I've really loved it although I currently don't have space for it in my setup. Of course, I rushed to check out the age and discovered on 'MiniDisc Wiki' (😅) that it's a 1997 model using 'ATRAC Sharp 7' gubbins.
    IMHO it makes great recordings from vinyl played back through an external DAC and is very sweet indeed to operate. Must make space and hook it up again. Cheers!

  • @mauricewatton9130
    @mauricewatton9130 Місяць тому +1

    Throughly enjoyed this Riff as usual gents.

  • @andrewlittleboy8532
    @andrewlittleboy8532 Місяць тому +1

    Don’t forget hiMD had around 1Gb of storage so could make cd quality recordings.

  • @Ricky-cl5bu
    @Ricky-cl5bu Місяць тому +2

    Dave and mike yous are the the most Hifi people I’ve ever seen 😊 class

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому +1

      Not sure if that is a compliment or an insult! 🙂

    • @Ricky-cl5bu
      @Ricky-cl5bu 6 днів тому +1

      @ 😂 it’s a compliment

  • @davidp3096
    @davidp3096 Місяць тому +1

    I recently listed a load of used minidiscs on the bay. I feel somewhat guilty. Am I redeemed for watching to the end?

  • @kjbunnyboiler
    @kjbunnyboiler Місяць тому +2

    Afternoon gents👍

  • @martinrose2833
    @martinrose2833 Місяць тому +1

    Silly buggers you owe me half an hour 😂

  • @mrglasses8953
    @mrglasses8953 Місяць тому +2

    MiniDisc wasn't a failure though, it was fairly successful in the UK in the late 90's and was a success in Asia (esp. Japan.) It only really failed in the US.
    Sony also developed "Hi-MD" capable of storing 1GB and fully uncompressed CD quality PCM audio

    • @Zimmy_1981
      @Zimmy_1981 Місяць тому +1

      @@mrglasses8953 correct. I was looking for a comment of this sorts. Thanks

  • @melchior-chr.v.brincken8006
    @melchior-chr.v.brincken8006 Місяць тому +1

    I hope you do not consider it bad manners if I pop a question: Is the TASCAM case able to support a Sugden A21SE on top of it?

    • @christopherrigby2798
      @christopherrigby2798 Місяць тому +1

      I'll tell you one thing: Don't put anything on top of a lightweight MDS JB 470 - the mechanism will hunt!

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista Місяць тому

      Easily. You could probably sit on it and use it as a chair!

  • @asrarul12
    @asrarul12 Місяць тому +1

    Watched a second time. This episode is superb.

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому +1

      It takes about 20 minutes for my medication to kick in, too!

  • @gordonbeall6667
    @gordonbeall6667 Місяць тому +1

    Ok, so last time you went down to the pub before recording and @MrVinylista lamented they were not there “long enough”. This time it’s apparent that to right a wrong the guys returned and then… never left!!

  • @DimasFajar-ns4vb
    @DimasFajar-ns4vb Місяць тому +1

    mini blueray disc will be amazing sir

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому

      Now there's a thought. Someone call Elon Musk!

  • @dean6816
    @dean6816 Місяць тому +1

    Does the Tascam have the horrible SCMS?

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista Місяць тому +1

      Yes, but you can switch it off via the menu.

    • @dean6816
      @dean6816 Місяць тому +1

      @@MrVinylista cool

  • @robertgough5804
    @robertgough5804 Місяць тому +1

    Nice quick turnaround😂now whens thexmas edition

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista Місяць тому

      We were hoping to do a Christmas special, but sadly my mother passed away in December and I just was not in the mood.

    • @robertgough5804
      @robertgough5804 7 днів тому +1

      So so sorry. Best wishes for a better new year. Remember when you are ready you provide good banter and larfs for loads of riff raffs

  • @m3n9111
    @m3n9111 Місяць тому +1

    Ok hear me out here.. what if we take a minidisc deck, open it up, and replace the laser with a Blu-ray laser! Then update the dac to handle HD audio formats! A regular bluray cd can hold 25gb in a single layer.. if shrunken down to the MD size it would still have a capacity of around 5gb in a single layer.. thats enough for a full album in HD PCM or DSD

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому +1

      I like your thinking. My kind of guy!

  • @domo3552
    @domo3552 Місяць тому +1

    I haven't even started watching this Riff, but knowing your enthusiasm for acronyms, I can tell you that ATRAC stanfds for adaptive transform acoustic coding.
    There you go, Riffers, put that in your pint and swallow it.

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому

      Thank you. Extra point for telling me what 'ATAC' was - and who used it?

  • @markmclaren7577
    @markmclaren7577 Місяць тому +2

    Mini Disc was a great format have you guys been watching Simon at real ale craft beer channel he's always exposing the beer companies for rebranding beers to make them look like drinks from other countries so the can charge us more money for sub-standard drinks

  • @m6j159
    @m6j159 Місяць тому +1

    Mike was 'Biden' his time, before he made his Trump joke! 😉 Thoroughly enjoyed that, Gents...thank you👍

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому

      Funnier than most of what passes for comedy on TV, in 2024!

  • @nickevans3190
    @nickevans3190 Місяць тому +1

    Absolutely a tip top hi-fi rift going back memory lane in 1999 i purchased my last MiniDisc player/Recorder the Sony (MZ-R50/S) with clip on AA battery pack which cost me £199.99 It sounded fantastic and I sold it in 2001 to a band who were going to record their songs and send MiniDisc demo discs to record companies 😀 I also owed the poor cousin to mikes beast of a full size unit i had as part of an excellent mini hi-fi system my 2nd system a TEAC 500i system and the MiniDisc Recorder/Player was the TEAC MD-H500i what a machine, 😂😊 amazing quality back in the day, many thanks to you both for a highly enjoyable rift and I'm looking forward to your Christmas 2024 special show or shows and finally dave is pronounced SO- KNEE 😂😂😂

  • @nuznikas
    @nuznikas Місяць тому +1

    Bush first thing in mind alt rock and razorble suitcase

  • @peterpanjaeger9546
    @peterpanjaeger9546 Місяць тому +1

    Suuper …who‘s the BIGGER one …😂❤️

  • @oliverbeard7912
    @oliverbeard7912 Місяць тому +1

    How many cars (Volvos?) does David own? I'm not from Swindon and I like XTC!😊

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista 7 днів тому +1

      Sadly my orange Volvo C70 recently found a new owner - Ged from Northumberland. He's loving it, and I'm missing it.
      But I am back driving my MG ZT now, which has a dealer fit option MiniDisc player - so the natural balance of the world has been restored!

  • @eddiebaby22
    @eddiebaby22 Місяць тому +1

    I'm one of the last 3 viewers , I'm s sad :D

  • @4p-is-3
    @4p-is-3 Місяць тому +2

    I really like dat.

  • @davidanderson3425
    @davidanderson3425 Місяць тому +1

    I wasn't a big fan of the Sony MD sound and found the Technics machines (SJ MD100 and SJ MD150) smoother and more like a good analogue tape recording.

    • @MrVinylista
      @MrVinylista Місяць тому

      They got better as they progressed. 1992 to 1995 was rubbish, 1996 to 1998 pretty good, 1999 to 2005 great - for a compressed format. The later the ATRAC, the better.

  • @DavidSusiloUnscripted
    @DavidSusiloUnscripted 24 дні тому

    Only a failure in North America where minidisc players prices were close to a CD burner, blank MD cost the same or more than CDRW, and pretty much zero prerecorded MD. Everywhere else in the world MD was a success. Perhaps learn the facts before blurting nonsense in your “informational” video.

  • @hoobsgroove
    @hoobsgroove Місяць тому +1

    well I didn't get a reply to my last comment on your last show disappointed why is that😮 come on guys it's Christmas a bit of entertainment for us poor mortals, see some of your hidden talents you might not know.

    • @Hi-FiRiff
      @Hi-FiRiff  Місяць тому +2

      So sorry about that... I'll have a search through now and see if I can find it.
      Mike

    • @hoobsgroove
      @hoobsgroove Місяць тому +1

      @Hi-FiRiff ok Mike! I wonder if it didn't show up a lot of my comments don't seem to not show up for no reason.

  • @MohsinWadee
    @MohsinWadee Місяць тому +1

    Fire Mike. He's horrible.

  • @pittsburghpenguinstv9735
    @pittsburghpenguinstv9735 Місяць тому

    unsubscribe

  • @hamidrezahabibi8111
    @hamidrezahabibi8111 Місяць тому +1

    I admired MiniDisc from SONY and still. 💎🫡🇯🇵👹