Good components, aluminium front panel

Not even near the ES level in terms of sound quality

First of all, to Brian:

These current pulse DACs and 24bit ADCs are good components, but they are not the only parts of the player that affect the sound quality (you can check my review of MDS-JA333ES).

Many of the components are same in the MDS-JA333ES, but still the ES sound quality is definitely superior compared with this MDS-JB930 deck.

Of course we have to take account the price. Keeping that in mind, I think this deck is great buy.

And most important is yet to come:

BRAND NEW MDS-JB940 DOES NOT HAVE CURRENT PULSE DACs !!! It has hybrid pulse DACs instead, and those are not nearly as good as current pulse DACs. Sony has seen that this 930 deck offers too much for the price.

It does not have MDLP possibility. So what? We are talking about HiFi here! If sound quality does not matter, you can always buy start of the range MDS-JE330 or whatever. My point is that MDLP2 and MDLP4 are for recording speech, not for music.

All in all, good deck with good components. But MDS-JA333ES is long way ahead in terms of sound quality. Believe me, I know, I own them both, and have no motivation to promote either of these decks.

Price/quality ratio? The best of all Sony Minidisc decks. And remember, DO NOT buy MDS-JB940, it does not have those current pulse DACs.

Similar Products Used:

MDS-JA333ES, MDS-JE510

Keyboard input, build quailty, undo feature, filters, pitch function, sleep timer, record level knob, date function (when recorded)

none that aren't mindisc specific!

well.......

i bought it JUST after it came out. My one had the natty "uk special edition" badge on it.

As a musician/producer it is a solid part of my studio setup.

I've used the pitch functions extensively for messing up samples and recording them back into my computer.

I've used it for cd backups of master tapes (better than losing it all together!).

And as far as anming things is concerned, the keyboard input has defineately helped!!!

I must also mention that the build quailty has been superb.
I've taken it all 'sorts' of places in the back of cars/vans with little or no padding (yes- i know- very dangerous!). and i've never had a problem yet.

The recording level knob is also good.
I've used it extensively as a live recording device for bands at gigs- one mix for the PA and one mix (via the buss) to the minidisc recorder.
Not as good as multi-tracking- but for these bands its great because they can at least hear there performance (and mistakes!) in a live setting.

Overall a very good machine- and after two years of ownership i'm still impressed!!!!

GET ONE NOW!

Similar Products Used:

n/a

Please read my review posted in the "other" catgory.

Bottom line: It's the best MD recorder you can buy short of an equivilent (if there is one) ES model.

I'm a sound-guy, not a feature nut. However, the 930 does so well on both
counts I'll even comment on features in this review :)

BUILD:

First off, the unit weighs like a tank and is rock-solid in feel. It's an ES
without the logo and you'll get that feeling the moment you try and lift if out of the box.

PLAYBACK SOUND:

It sounds audibly superior to any MD recorder I've used. The two I've had
the most experience with were the Pioneer 707 and the Sony 510 (I preferred
the sound of the 510 over the 707, BTW). IMO, the 930 blows both of them
away...really.

I'm an audiophile...and use my own outboard DAC for all digital sources in
my system (CD, LD, DVD, MD) so I'm not so concerned with the sound of the
DAC's in the 930--it's *recording* sound quality that matters most to me.
Still I'll say that the units own DACs probably sound better than the DAC's
in most better CD players. If that ends up being the case in your system,
just leave the MD in record mode and use it as a D/A converter for your CD
player! The 3 filter settings do slightly modify the sound. I think most
people will find one they prefer.

***The only downside to playback from the 930 is that the digital output
doesn't allow you to user-select 20 or 24 bit output for use with high-end
DAC's or other 24-bit compatible MD recorders. Bummer!***

RECORDING SOUND:

In a word..."virtually transparent". It's really that good. Of course,
you'll always be limited by the D/A conversion on the other end, but the 930
does a fantastic job of recording. The new ATRAC R makes a noticable
improvement over the 4.0 in the 510 (and is WAY better than Pioneer's 707
ATRAC chip, IMO).

ANALOG RECORDING:

LP's dubbed to MD sound absolutely superb. I downloaded alot of out-of-print
vinyl on my friend's high-end turntable and the 930 does them justice. You
always loose a *tad* bit of 'air' when going from LP to MD (I think more a
function of the 44.1 kHz than the quantization...since this MD deck gives
you 24 bits of res) but the effect would still fool alot of died-in-the-wool
LP lovers into thinking they're listening to a turn-table rather than a
"digital" (and compressed) recording! That warm, smooth, liquid sounding
midrange is still there on MD. The 930 has 24 bit A/D's and the ATRAC does
it's best to keep that 24 bit res on your MD after compression...and it does
an excellent job. Once you dub a bunch of LP tracks to MD from different
albums and take them with you in the car, you'll be surprised how the
mastering quality/sound of LP varies from album to album. Of course...the
same is true with dubbing CD's. The 930 tells the truth about your
recordings.

Oh, I should add that due to the high-res nature of the analog-input during
recording, the best way to copy HDCD CD's is to decode them on an HDCD
DAC/CD player and feed the sound to the 930 via the analog inputs. This will
let your MD capture the 20-bit decoded sound (I've tried it both ways and
the decoded-analog route sounds better...naturally you should try it via analog and digital to determine which you prefer...which will probably be the decoded/analog signal).

DIGITAL RECORDING:

Ok folks, this is where things get really cool--at least for me. First of all, the 930 can handle up-to 24 bit PCM input (at 44.1 or 48 kHz, not 96 kHz) and feed this to the 24-bit ATRAC R codec without truncation (some MD decks will truncate the digital PCM input down to 16 bits regardless of what resolution their ATRAC codecs work with).

I've got an Audio Alchemy DTI Pro32 which takes the (cheezy) 16-bit PCM from CD's and enhances the resolution to 18,20,22,or 24 bits...and then sends that
higher-res PCM signal to whatever you want (a D/A converter...or in this
case...the Sony 930). This little "resolution enhancement" box makes CD's
sound alot better through my 20-bit D/A converter. And now for the first
time I can put that on an MD going DIGITAL (I used to enhance CD's, then
decode to analog, then record to my 707 and 510 via analog in which sounded
better than goind "straight" digital...neither of these units could handle
greater-than-16-bit digital input).

The results? My MD's digitally dubbed from CD (with 20 or 24 bit enhancement) sound *BETTER* than the CD originals! The Digital volume control is also a breeze to use...you don't have to do anything fancy like you had to do on the Pioneer 707. While you're recording digitally you just turn the rec-level knob the same way you would during analog-recording. Ahhhhh. BTW, I haven't noticed any sonic artifacts using the digital volume control (no hardening of highs etc.). Digital recordings that are manipulated to levels other than the original 0.0 gain sound just as natural as those that are left "flat" (some digital
gain filters can make the music sound a bit artificial...as all the
amplitudes are getting recalculated and that depends on how good your
filter's math is).

For the first time I prefer the sound of digital dubbing (with resolution
enhancement) to analog dubbing (also with resolution enhancement). BTW,
don't just go with the digital dubbing because it's *supposed* to sound
better. It may be technically more accurate, but depending on your system,
sometimes dubbing analog sounds "better" to your ears (often a bit more rolled off, which can sound "better" in bright-sounding systems). Try it both ways to
see which you prefer.

FEATURES:

The deck has all the normal features and then some. The thing I want to
metion is the keyboard input. WOW. This is by far the greatest feature ever to be included on a MD recorder and now I can't imagine living without it. You need a standard PC keyboard and the jack on the front only accepts one specific
type (I had to use an adaptor to get my extra keyboard to interface
properly) but the results are worth it. Editing now is a pleasure and not a
chore. Imagine naming tracks and discs with the ease you you type email!
Also, *all unit functions* can be accessed via the keyboard...it's not just
for name-text entry. It's a winner.

BOTTOM LINE:

The 930 is built like a tank and has DAC's that sound like a high-end CD
player. The unit sounds better during recording than possibly any other unit
out there...including many current ES units. That goes for analog and digital recording. Also the full-band-width 24-bit digital input lets you feed the 930 up-to-24 bit PCM data and get that resolution benefit on your MD's. This means this unit can record MD's that literally sound BETTER than our uncompressed CD
format: think about recording 24/96 DVD's and DTS recordings, in addition to your LP library (too bad it doesn't sample-rate convert from 96 kHz, otherwise you could record 24/96 DVD's digitally...although most DVD players
downsample/quantize anyway for their digital outputs). The keyboard is the
biggest pleasure of all. I can't wait to record MD's whereas it used to be a
chore.

Go get it if you don't have it already and feel free to email me with any
questions or comments.

DaViD Boulet dvdboulet@hotmail.com

The SOUND. Keyboard control. Both of Optical and Coax I/O. Filters.

After using Sony's MDS-JE520 for some years I've decided to have a new ATRAC-R deck. The ES series was really expensive and I choosed the JB930 model which is completely satisfying me for more than a year. I have one of the latest 930's so there is no divide bug. The sound is really great. Recordings are really outstanding. I was comparing CD to MD record quality with friend's SONY MDS-JA20ES, and I liked mine much more. This is really ES model placed in QS cover.

Similar Products Used:

SONY MDS-JE520

Really good sound. I was surprised at the how easy MD is to use - really good.

I have not found any - there is no loss of recording quality that I can identify - which is a big surprise

I wanted an easy and cheap way to archive some of my tape recordings. I saw the MDS - JB 930 QS at my local store. I knew already that MD could sound good despite compression. I am afraid I that I fell for all the facilities and super build quality straight away. I thought that is was super expensive ES gear. Once the store manager told me the price I had to buy it there and then. Next surprise is the sound - it is excellent on all inputs. I have vinyl replay also and the MD recordings still give that solid sound typical of analogue. Oh! It goes without saying that I used decent quality cables for the connections rather than those in the box. Mine saves the TOC even if you press the on/off button. I have not tried keyboard yet. My only problem now is that I have too many remote controls in the house.

Similar Products Used:

I use Audiolab pre and main amplifier with spendor SP1 speakers. I also have Revox B77 HS tape recorder.

Build Quality,Current Pulse D/A Converter,VC Filters,and overall sound quality

None worth mentioning

I bought this unit wanting being new to Mini disc. I expected it to sound good but inferior to my Sony DVP-600D 5 disc DVD/CD player (that uses the D/A converters in my Yamaha RV-1105). Boy was I wrong!

The 930 sounds absoulutly fantastic due to it's Current Pulse D/A converters. Sounds much better than my CD player. Bass is very strong,mids are very solid and clear and the highs are airy(using VC filter) with no distortion. Also, the soundstage the 930 presents is very,very well defined. The VC Filters do a great job of toning down my bright Yamaha receiver. I use the analog setting 95% of the time. The 930 sounds as good as any mid-line CD player.

I don't do a whole lot of editing, most of the time I just throw a CD in and let the Mini disc player record the whole thing. One editing feature I do use alot is the Keyboard input. This makes naming tracks so much easier becuase you don't have to hunt for letters in a menu.

I would recomend this unit to anyone remotely interested in Mini Disc. Great job Sony!

Sound quality is close to the orginal CD. Keyboard input, digital in/output.

TOC writing pretty slow.

I bought this open box item and it is working great for my stuff recording. It is fabulous that I can digitalize some of my old tapes (10 to 20 yrs ago). Digital filter works good to create a cleaner and smoother sound.

Build quality, keyboard input, editing & recording options, date and time stamp, coax & optical digital i/o

Limited character display length, music-synch record button on remote only

A great minidisc recorder that has the quality of the ES line at about half the ES price. This unit is made in Japan. I mostly use the analog setting for the D/A filter. Can use it as an D/A converter by pressing record button with no disc inserted. Variable line and headphone outputs have wide adjustment range. Digital copies of CD recordings are virtually indistinguishable from the source, with the exception of a few HDCD and audiophile discs. Unless you have an outboard HDCD decoder, minidisc copies of HDCD recordings sound better when recorded from the analog output of an HDCD player.

Only a couple of nit picks. I dislike the auto pause technique that keeps recording up to 30 sec of blank space after the last recorded track before back spacing to the end of the last track. The character display is too short and you have to scroll the display to read most titles.

Great sound, very close to CD. Keyboard input for editing.

None found (TOC update is not an issue on my unit).

This is my first step in to minidisc and I have to say that I'm very impressed. I can't handle using cassettes any more and I've been trying to convert some of my friends to MD.
I have made several recordings from CD using the digital connections between the units and the sound quality is very good indeed. There is only a slight difference between the MD and the original where the high freqencies aren't quite as crisp as my CD but the overall sound is pretty much the same otherwise. As mentioned in other reviews, the keyboard feature is wonderful. Editing is so easy and you can also control other functions using the keyboard.
As for the TOC, I have not had any of the problems that others have had. If you press the eject button after recording, the unit will automatically update the TOC before ejecting the disc. Even if the power button is pressed the TOC will be updated before the unit switches off. Maybe I've got a higher revision model but it works perfectly on my unit. The whole idea is that if for example you delete a track by mistake it has only happened in the unit's memory (TOC not updated yet) and you can 'undo' the mistake. Once you're happy with the editing just press the eject button and the TOC is written.
This is a great unit that is worth every penny. You will not be disappointed with the sound from this baby!