Sony MDS-JA50ES
(1997 - 1999)

The penultimate MiniDisc recorder worth its salt.
Centered around the ATRAC algorithm in its penultimate verion (4.5) and built like a true ES unit, the MDS-JA50ES was an excellent recorder costing 180,000¥ and weighing 15kg. The Frame & Beam structure was here aided by BASC, mixing brass, aluminium and steel for even lower cabinet resonances ; two R-Core transformers feed everybody happy while the famed VC24 filter allows for four different LPF shapes.

It just is a pity the MiniDisc format itself started out so unausipcuously with the original ATRAC (3.0) which was... well... it really stunk.That is: people weren't used to crappy MP3s yet.
The MDS-JA50ES can be seen as the best possible iteration of MiniDisc ; yet to come was the upgraded MDS-JA555ES, ATRAC Type R and the ultimate Type S before said format was relegated to portables and unsuccessful upgrades (market-wise) like the Hi-MD or the earlier Data-Discman.

A fair review of the JA50ES is here, a detailed description lies here and the forum here.

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