Tascam MD-801RMKII
A rack-mount MiniDisc deck built for the studio, not the living room - 20-bit conversion, AES/EBU, and a pitch control that steps in tenths of a percent.
Overview
Pick one up and the first thing you notice is the weight: 8 kg (17.6 lbs) in a 3U chassis measuring 482 x 132 x 353 mm. This is not a consumer MiniDisc deck wearing rack ears. Tascam built the MD-801R Mk II to sit in a professional rack, and the manual is blunt about installation - pull the feet with a Phillips screwdriver, and leave at least 1U of empty space above the unit for ventilation. The rear panel looks like a studio interface, not a home stereo: XLR balanced analog in and out at +4 dBu, RCA unbalanced at - 10 dBV, AES/EBU digital on XLR, coaxial S/PDIF on RCA, and BNC word sync in and thru.
The converter spec is the headline for anyone recording. It has a 20-bit A/D converter and an integral sampling frequency converter, so the deck can digitally record material at 48 kHz or 32 kHz into the 44.1 kHz MiniDisc format. The digital inputs accept sampling frequencies from below 32 kHz up to 48 kHz. Playback specs are strong on paper: frequency response of 20 Hz - 20 kHz ±0.5 dB, signal-to-noise above 101 dB on playback (1 kHz, A-weighted) and above 94 dB on recording, THD under 0.006%, and wow and flutter listed simply as unmeasurable. Error correction is ACIRC, the Advanced Cross Interleave Reed-Solomon Code.
Two features separate the R from the P version. The MD-801R Mk II records; the MD-801P Mk II is playback-only, and the manual's power figures reflect the difference - 33 W versus 29 W. The R also has a replace-recording function that lets an engineer punch into the middle of a track while retaining the track title, plus selectable Copy ID modes including the SCMS standard. Monaural recording mode doubles the available time on a disc, which is handy in a voiceover or broadcast bay.
Pitch control runs ±9.9% in 0.1% steps, and the digital output sampling frequency tracks it - the AES/EBU output always leaves at 44.1 kHz ±9.9% as set by the pitch control. Word sync input is 75 Ω BNC at 44.1 kHz, ±6%, and the word sync thru is auto-terminating, duplicating whatever arrives at the input. The optional BU-801 RAM buffer module adds flash start of track playback, and tally signals are sent to a controlling device at the end of each track. These details only make sense if something else in the rack is driving the deck.
Metering assumes professional headroom. A nominal analog level (0 dB) reads - 16 dB on the deck's meters, leaving 16 dB of headroom above the nominal point. The balanced inputs carry trimmer potentiometers with 11 dB of adjustment range, - 4 dB cut to +7 dB boost, shipped at the standard +4 dBu level. Nominal impedances are 2.2 kΩ on the balanced inputs, 8 kΩ unbalanced, 11 Ω on the balanced outputs, and 220 Ω on the unbalanced monitor outputs. The headphone jack is a 1/4" stereo type, 50 mW + 50 mW into 32 Ω.
Control options are extensive for a MiniDisc deck. The D-sub 25-pin REMOTE CONTROL connector takes the optional RC-801 full-function remote, the RC-FS10/20 flash start controller, or the simple RC-8. A 37-pin D-sub carries TTL-level remote, a 9-pin D-sub provides RS-232C serial, and there's a PS/2-compatible mini-DIN keyboard input. The manual notes that many operations can be conveniently carried out from a standard keyboard. The PW-1XMD cable handles title copying between units.
On service, the manual states plainly that the MD-801 is a precision piece of engineering with no user-serviceable parts inside, and it warns against attempting repairs. It also cautions against severe shocks or vibration - despite the buffer mechanism, there is a risk of data loss, particularly while recording. The display can throw Disc Error! for a wrong-type disc or a damaged U-TOC, Disc Full! even when the recorded total is under the disc's nominal length if the U-TOC is complicated, and Eject Error! that may require a power cycle. None of that is unusual for the format, but check it before buying a used unit with an unknown disc history.
Period coverage is thin. Pro Audio Review (February 2003, p.78) listed the MD-801R Mk II among recorders and players in its coverage. By the early 2000s the pro MiniDisc deck was a niche tool rather than a frontier product. Treat these as rack furniture with a finite service life. The format is obsolete, the parts situation is what it is, and the value sits with anyone still running an MD-based workflow or archiving discs. Buy on cosmetics and function, test the eject mechanism and both digital input formats, and confirm the word sync thru behaves.
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