▸MDP-10

009   |   Lo-D   |   '93

Once in A ThousandYears

Lo-D, although it may seem like an unfamiliar brand, is certainly well-known to seasoned enthusiasts. It was the high-end audio brand of Hitachi, born in the late '60s. However, as the Japanese economy took a downturn in the '90s during the economic bubble, Lo-D eventually met its end when it was officially merged into the Hitachi  Group in Apr, '19.

During the early development of MD, when even the best-selling recording devices were a rarity, Lo-D, a non-mainstream MD manufacturer, fearlessly introduced what could be considered a luxury player. This demonstrated their remarkable confidence and courage.

The prototype may have originated from the Sharp MD-D10. the device featured a distinctive LCD screen on its body, which could easily lead one to mistake it for a recorder. It boasted an exquisite champagne color scheme and included basic line control operations. However, it's worth noting that the headphones were integrated with the line control, meaning that if the headphones wore out, the entire line control unit had to be replaced.

Perhaps its biggest drawback was its power supply. The rechargeable battery offered a mere 90-100 minutes of playback, and it couldn't be extended with an external battery pack. Purchasing an additional battery cost a significant ¥5,000. As such, its usability leaned more toward home settings.

Compared to the original MD-D10 prototype, the MDP-10 was not only low-key but also an extremely rare find. In Aug, '19, it was sold at an unbelievably low price of ¥24,000 as an 'unused item' on Yahoo Japan.

MD-R2