Inspired by a recent thread here on MiniDisc I dusted off my Sony MDS-JE520 with the idea to use a MD walkman in my car for albums / music that aren't available on streaming (don't have a CD player in my car, in fact I never had ... I did have at one point an in-car soundsystem that had a MD player). So I hooked the MDS-JE520 up to my Marantz CD6007 using the optical connection and started recording a CD but sadly it records it as one track which is a bit of a drag. I had hoped that using the optical out / in of both that the Automatic Track Marking would work. Checking the manual it does say that it should possibly work with non Sony players but not guaranteed. Since I have still plans to convert one of my spare bedrooms into a home office where I will need a decent sound system as well I am thinking about at least getting a Sony CD player that will communicate well with my MD deck so I don't have to edit post recording. I guess a CD player that was released by Sony around the same time as this MiniDisc deck would be a safe bet but have no clue which one that might be. Anyone have any experience with said MiniDisc deck and Automatic Track Marking using a Sony CDP that might point me in the right direction?
Is your portable minidisc player a NetMD model? If so, write discs directly to your NetMD portable player using the Web Minidisc open source application. You can record in SP, LP2 and LP4 formats using the web interface.
I've never had any issues with track marks being transferred over to MD with a CD or DVD player's Optical/Coax hookup. Used Sony, Panasonic, Phillips CD players with no issue. The Marantz is probably a little different? I have a Sony MDS-JE520 also BTW. If your using an SCMS stripper, that's a different story, for me track marks don't transfer.
Anymore MD users that might have some recommendations when it comes to a good Sony CDP of the same vintage (around 1998) that will both be a good secondary unit for my home office as well as communicate properly with my MD deck?
see that Sony does admit that the 520 might have this issue. The Sony CDP-XA20ES was my choice. I used it, and others, with a variety of MD decks (including the JE510, which carries the same warning as the 520). I did not experience the one-big-track issue with any combinations of CDP/MD, Sony or otherwise. There's a good chance that most any Sony CDP with optical out should work.
Most of the Sony CDP-CExxx series (5 CD carousels) should fit the bill. I have a couple that even came with a "works with minidisc" sticker (or something similar).
An update: a local vintage audio dealer had a Sony CDP-EX320 in pretty good condition for sale for EUR 40 so made an appointment to bring along my MD deck and once hooked up using optical it worked like a charm i.e. Automatic Track Marking. Sadly the remote was missing but upon returning home I noticed the remote of the MD deck had a dedicated CD section and lo and behold it worked like a charm. I am now thinking to complete the set and get a time appropriate (from around 1998) Sony amplifier as well. That would make it a nice home office set.
Sony stuff sure seems bulletproof from the 90's. My DVP S500 player has never faltered and has seen heavy use for 25+ years, especially during the DVD era. It is still my CD transport.
Sounds like the best of all possible worlds for you. There are plenty of MD folk who have all-Sony separates. Good luck with the new kid on the block!
I don't call Sony from that era bulletproof. Philips CD-PRO or CD-PRO2 is the closest to that you get in the CD and digital world. As those worked for a living, in failure is NO OPTION environments. As in jukeboxes, in bars, where the public can be disorderly and destructive. Sony was very good then. Philips CD-PRO mechanisms are still serviced and supported today (as many still earn their living in jukebox duty).
