Sony MDS JA-50ES DAT Recorder – Quick Impression
MD to the max
Underestimated machine with fantastic build quality and superb sound quality, almost as good as the XA50ES CD player. People who believe that MD never matured should listen to this one. Sadly the transport turned out to be unreliable: I’ve sent it in for repairs 3 times, same story for the JA30ES. The display would show “No Disc” after loading a disc, and occasional dropouts. This is a shame because all other (much cheaper) Sony MD recorders I’ve had have proven highly reliable. The ones still in use (2015) all still play with never a single issue.
Hi Christiaan.
Greetings from Athens Greece.
Just yesterday i got in my hands a JA50ES..
It was supposed to be dead.
I cleaned the laser lens, still when trying to read DOC i had a disc error msg.
BUT ! Ifound out that when i tilted the machine standing on its left side on table it reads and plays ths md in seconds!
I tried to turn only the laser block on the side with the machine still flat it plays perfect as well.
So everything has to do with gravity..
I tried everything, every ribbon tension but not any success..Its really a mystery and its NOT a weak laser problem!!
Interesting… looks like it may have to do with the laser focus servo system calibration being off.