Sony MDS-JE440 User Manual

er operating in the record mode. Dur-
ing recording, the magnet assembly ac-
tually makes physical contact with the
top side of the disc. Like Sony’s low-end
CD players, the MDS-JE440 is quite
solidly built.

The MDS-JE440 comes with stereo ana-
log inputs and outputs, plus a Toslink
optical digital input. (A more expensive
model, the MDS-JE640, also has a
Toslink digital output, plus Toslink and
S/PDIF coax digital inputs.) The digital
input is intended for making digital
copies of CDs, DATs, or any other digi-
tal format from a player with a Toslink
output. 

Making digital copies of commercial

CDs that you already own is perfectly
legal as long as the copies are for your
personal use. Making copies of your
friend’s CDs is not legal. The MDS-
JE440 uses the Serial Copy Manage-
ment System, which allows you to
make a first-generation digital copy of a
commercial CD, but you will not be able
to make subsequent copies from the
first-generation copy. The MDS-JE440
has a built-in sampling rate converter,
allowing you to make digital copies
from 32kHz or 48kHz sources, as well
as the standard 44.1kHz.

In the conventional stereo mode, you

can record up to 74 minutes on a Mini-
Disc. But, the MDS-JE440 has three ad-
ditional modes that allow longer
recording time. The LP2 and LP4 stereo
modes allow two or four times the nor-
mal recording time, respectively. There

is a corresponding loss of fidelity, how-
ever, since the level of data reduction
increases at a rate proportional to the
increase in recording time. 

There is also a mono mode, which

gives double the recording time, but
with the same fidelity as the normal
stereo mode. Recordings made using
the LP2 or LP4 mode can only be
played on MiniDisc players supporting
the LP format (not all do). 

Using the basic recording and play-

back functions on the MDS-JE440 is as
simple as operating a cassette deck.
The bar-graph recording level indi-
cator is not active until you press 
the LEVEL/DISPLAY/CHAR button.
The deck allows you to adjust the
recording level for both analog and
digital inputs. 

If you have a CD that was recorded at

a low level, the MDS-JE440 allows you
to change the level while making a di-
rect digital copy. I know of few profes-
sional CD recorders or DAT recorders
that allow you to change recording lev-
els while recording via the digital in-
puts (HHB, Marantz, and Sony have re-
cently introduced professional CD
recorders with this feature). This can be
an extremely useful feature, and I’m
amazed to find it in a low-cost con-
sumer product (and I wish that I had it
in my professional CD recorder). 

When the level indicator is not ac-

tive, time and track information is dis-
played. Unlike most DAT or CD
recorders, the level indicator will not
function during playback. 

The MDS-JE440 is loaded with fea-

tures. The Synchro-recording feature
automatically copies track numbers
from a CD when digital copying is used.
You can manually add index points
during the recording process by simply
pressing the RECORD button. 

During playback, you can select spe-

cific tracks either with the remote con-
trol or by turning the AMS (Automatic
Music Sensor) button. This is the same
AMS system used by Sony in their low-
cost CD players. The deck allows you to
repeat a specific track, and also has
shuffle play. You can even produce
your own program by selecting specific
tracks for playback, in whatever order
you choose. 

Editing functions are also included

on the MDS-JE440. The deck allows
you to erase a specific track or even a
portion within a track. You can also di-
vide a track already recorded by
adding a new track number within an
existing track. You can also combine
tracks by eliminating a previous track
number. Whenever you add or remove
track numbers, the remaining tracks
are automatically renumbered. You
can also move tracks around, chang-
ing the order in which the various
tracks appear, and you can add names
to previously recorded tracks. The
MDS-JE440 even allows you to change
the recorded level of any track, after
that track has been recorded! You can
reverse any editing operation with the
UNDO function. A full-featured remote
control is supplied with the deck, and
runs on a pair of AA batteries (sup-
plied by Sony). 

I evaluated the sonic performance of
the MDS-JE440 by making copies of
some of my reference CD tracks onto
MiniDisc via the Toslink digital inter-
connect and listening to the results
using the player’s analog outputs con-
nected to my main system. The Mini-
Disc was not intended to compete soni-
cally with the Compact Disc, and in-
deed it does not. But, I was surprised
that the results were as good as they
were. 

The MiniDisc dubs show a dryness

and a loss of ambience. The soundstage
is also reduced in size, and there is a
slight edge in the high frequencies and
a graininess added to the texture. Note,
however, that I auditioned this unit with
my reference system. A system such as
mine is an unlikely place for a MiniDisc
deck to reside. When matched with
components of comparable price and
quality, the degradation caused by the
digital compression will be subtle, or
may go unnoticed altogether. 

I remember how distressed I was

with the sound of CD players back in
the late-1980s. The MDS-JE440 sounds
considerably better than a stock
Philips/Magnavox player from that vin-
tage (a CDB460, for example; we still
have dozens of these in service at The
Crane School of Music, so finding one
for comparison was no problem). 

76 audioXpress 10/01

System: MiniDisc digital audio system
Media speed: 400 to 900 rpm (CLV)
Error correction: Advanced Cross Interleave Reed
Solomon Code
Sampling frequency: 44.1kHz
Coding: ATRAC-3
Modulation system: EFM (Eight-to-Fourteen)
Number of channels: 2 (stereo)
Frequency response: 5Hz–20kHz, ±0.3dB
Signal-to-noise ratio: 96dB
Wow and flutter: Below measurable limit
Analog input: 500mV RMS; 47k

Ω

Headphone output: 28mW; 32

Ω

Analog out: 2V RMS; 50k

Ω

Power consumption: 15W
Dimensions: 17 

×

3¾ 

×

11¼

″

Weight: 6 lbs 10 oz