One thing that none you guys are aware of, is that in order to record on a mini disc the manufacturers have incorporated an algorithm which compresses the music, before it does this it filters out certain components of the music that most of us can't hear directly, consequently fidelity is lost in recording and does not compare with DAT or hard disk recording. I use a sony but only for recording live sessions so that I can use it later for ideas for tunes and songs. If you do a listening comparison with CD's and DAT you will hear the difference. A friend of mine who is a professional uses one for all his recorded backings on stage because of the ease of accessing the tunes.

Garry