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MDS-JA333ES

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General reviews on Sony MDS-JA333ES MDLP MiniDisc deck.
Read more reviews at eCoustics.com.

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Number of MDS-JA333ES Reviews: 1

Sony's nearly perfect new deck w/ MDLP

Reviewer: Gary in Minneapolis (garyb@quasimodoradio.com) from Minneapolis, Minnesota October 20, 2000

As a previous owner of Sony's superb JA50ES, I was delighted by a few welcome editions to the new 333ES An improved ATRAC "Type R", the option of two MDLP record modes, and the amazing Scale Factor Edit, a feature which allows you to change a track's recording level AFTER the track is recorded.

This last feature is ideal for those of us who have older minidisc compilations (recorded prior to the release of Sony's other great invention, the Digital Record Level adjustment) whose tracks suffered from wildly varying record levels.

The S.F. Edit features is very easy to use. And it does level things off nicely. But there are some shortcomings. For one, the level adjustments are not very fine and you can only increase a track's volume by 12db at a time (requiring multiple passes on some really soft tracks). Also, as you may have heard before, this process occurs in real time, so changing levels on an entire disc can be a tedious process. (Equally irksome, once a track's volume has been altered, the 333ES returns the disc to track one, instead of leaving it at the track where you left off.)

But on a positive note, another impressive feature of S.F. Edit is the ability to fade in and fade either end of an existing (already recorded) track. This is helpful, for example, if you want to fade in or out the applause/crowd noise on a live recording (to make it sound more professional) or just to end a song early.

The 333ES is, in my opinion, Sony's most attractive home MD deck yet and, like the 50ES before it, this heavy duty (with an emphasis on HEAVY) deck offers a myriad of ins & outs, including 2 digital optical ins, 1 coaxial digital in, and one of each of the above for digital outs. It also records in mono and, unlike it's predecessor, features MDLP2 & MDLP4. LP2 sounds very good & would be great for extended length party compilations (pop one in at your next soiree, come back about 3 hours later--can't be bad!). LP4, however, while acceptable for background listening, is not something I'll be using for critical recordings, and probably not much at all, due to its less than stellar (aka MP3-like) fidelity.

The reason I felt compelled to give this deck four, and not five, stars, was Sony's decision to alter the unit's Pitch feature. On older Sony decks, pitch could be adjusted both up and down (making the track either slower or faster). Now, for some inexplicable reason, Sony only lets you slow tracks down. Not speed them up.

I used this Pitch Control feature to create recordings for an exercise class (so all songs have the same beats per minute), so I'll miss it. (Why Sony didn't leave well enough alone is beyond me.)

In conclusion, though, this is an awesome deck. It's good looking, feature-packed, and sounds terrific. True, it's a little bit "spendy" compared to other decks with many of the same features, such as the Sony 940 (I got mine for $899.99 at Planetminidisc.com--who, while professional and speedy in their service, don't believe in double boxing delicate and expensive electronics). But the good news is, when you buy a Sony ES unit the the 333, you also get a FIVE YEAR WARRANTY. And THAT is something that can easily pay for itself.

Pitch control aside, it's a five star deck.

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