Why not Minidiscs in the US?

The CDR has pretty much made the minidisc obsolete. Although minidisc should be great for car use because one doesn't have to deal with a case and being compressed makes it easier to listen to in noisy environments.

When the Minidisk format was introduced in the US by Sony, it had a luke warm reception. Even though the players were/are good sounding units, consumers didn't want to spend money on pre-recorded Minidisks, which were more expensive than CD's. Most people used them for personal recorders, to take music on the go, they were a good digital recorders, again with the advent of CDR, price became a issue.
In the present competitive consumer environment, the price will determine the success of the format rather than the best sound/quality.

Hi, I own (2) Sony ES Minidisc recorders right now,
and they`re BOTH the SAME model, the
MDS-JA3ES. I found the first 1 locally for $425
back in Feb. 2001, got the second off of ebay
in NOV. 2004 for $285 TOTAL with shipping from Canada.
The Minidisc is ALOT BETTER than a CD-RW,
as far as EDITTING goes, BUT the CD will
ALWAYS sound much better than the minidisc.
That`s why it did not take off here in the states.
I used to own the MDS-JA20ES unit too, but the
JA3ES sounds better, and has 2 mic inputs,
Great for LIVE recording drums and guitar for demo`s.
I`ve got extra blank minidiscs for sale if you
need some.

Thanks so far to those who responded! Frankly, I think the minidisc sounds equal to CD's, at least to my ears!
Also, I feel the minidisc has the advantages of small size and re-recordability going for it. I own a cd burner and haven't invested in CD-RW discs as they seem too costly.
Just my opinion.

I have a Sony MD portable and love it. This is my second one in the past four years. I do have to say that IPODs, and other flash and mini hard drive units are attractive, too for portable use.

I used a compressed ATRAC file for listening on this unit and can get 160 minutes of audio on one disc. The sound quality is comparable to higher bit MP3 and very good for music on the go.
As for the home MD units and noncompressed ATRAC-I just think that it never caught on here. The portable units are great though and since they can do field recording also are unique.

I think mp3 players are the problem for the md camp , and cdr as well ,i have 2 minidisc decks MDSJA-30es & MDS -470 with long play , i think the fact that it is a data reduced format is what makes people think it will sound bad , but mp3 is so popular that it must be ok , its all in the mind , i must admit if they reduced md blanks to the same price as computer cdrs i think md would be more popular, its a price per disc issue as well.

I've been using mini discs since 1998 and have appreciated their forgiving nature during recording. I still use the JA20-es and a portable (which helps me ignore the sleep apnea machine I sleep with and sometimes my wife's noise....oops, I mean sounds) They were promising as the previous posters pointed out and I believe while not quite as dynamic as a cd their ease of use is still cool. I copy from cd to mini disc and have built a library that many friends have enjoyed.

I was a huge MiniDisc proponent when I worked for Sony, and few were sadder than I to see the format tank.
I adore my MDSJA30ES but occassionally ponder listing it for sale here. The only thing that stays my hand is that I'm not sure I could get better than a marginal price for it.