I was ready to take the plunge for a HiMD last summer, and then I discovered this board and heard about the JB3, which Creative was selling new in the box at closeout prices (less than HiMD). For me, there are two things that cripple the MD as a useful taping rig:
1. Must go thru menus for manual levels EACH time you go to record - it doesn't even remember settings when doing a disc flip. Doing that in the dark (backlit display or not) would be very frustrating. My old MD (R50 and R55) can go directly into manual level mode.
2. 90 min maximum for PCM 44.1 - the disc flip is a major PITA. (how long does a HiMD take with a 90 min PCM file to write the TOC?)
The JB3 solves both issues, at the cost of size - no doubt the MD is stealthier (and, fwiw, has mic level inputs).
Right now, the holy grail for hobbyist tapers doesn't exist - it *could* have been the MT, if the bugs had been dealt with prior to release, and it *might* be the new Edirol R09, which won't be out for at least two months.
Until then, we compromise...