 |
Sony MD Walkman MZ-N1
by perkulator
This portable mini-disk is so good I have ended up with two! This is mainly my fault as I discovered when I was on the beach during sumemr time listening to the crisp quality mp3s which I had downloaded from my computer to the minidisk. I made the mistake of opening the machine up to change the disk, unfortunatly it wasnt just the new ... disk which i put inside. Just a few grains of sand had crept into the door mechanism and had managed to jam the locking system to keep the door in place. Sony have a tendancy to rip people off when it comes to getting repairs so I figured it would cost less to buy a new machine. I took a look around at the other products on the market and none of them could beat the weight, battery life, style and quality of sound which this litle beauty could acheive. As I had two I wasn't as scared to open the 1st one up and remove the grains of sand myself, and for something which sony would charge me £100 just to even look at it, I did it for free! Both of them now sit on their own docking stations and hook up to a brilliant mp3 library storage and music transfer program for the minidisks. These mini disk players are LP4, LP2 and Stereo meaning they can store up to 4 times more music than on an ordinary CD! Transferring times depend on the format to which you choose for the mini disk to record. The batery lives on these things are absolutly stunning, 4 days non-stop! and as soon as they are back on their docking station they automatically charge up again within 2 hours. Of corse you dont need to use the computer to transfer your mp3s and cds to minidisk, the player also has Analogue and digital optical connections to you can basically record off anything. I have transferred a load of LP (records) onto minidisk not only to save physical space in my home but to also help me out with navigating theough the songs. I can create splits in tracks, label tracks either on the player or on the computer. With this player you can do anything you ever imag
ined!!
Read the complete review |
 |
Sony Net MD Walkman MZ-N10
by Flup
After looking at various options for holding final versions of tracks from my small home project studio, I settled on MiniDisc after doing a blind A/B comparison with some other media. Despite the fact that the data is compressed (using the ATRAC3 format), I couldn't reliably tell the difference between MD, DAT, analogue tape and ... CD. MiniDisc seemed a great solution: cheap reusable durable media, lots of inexpensive equipment, magnetically stable.
I settled on the MZ-N10 mainly because I'm a sucker for good-looking gadgets, and it definitely falls into that category. It's silver all over, feels durable and well-built, and comes with a little cradle that both charges the battery and provides a USB connection (of which more later). On the left-hand side of the unit is a jog dial which is used to navigate menus (pressing the dial away from you selects options, which feels very natural). The traditional transport controls are all on the front panel, along with the volume control.
First, the sound quality, which I can only describe as excellent. There are three levels of compression available, the highest ("LP4") giving about five-and-a-half hours per MD. Although LP4 gives an ever-so-slightly duller sound, the difference is only really apparent when making a direct comparison, and this high level of compression allows me to record an entire band rehearsal without having to worry about turning tapes over or running out of memory. When recording a live source, the unit inserts track markers whenever the input signal falls below a certain level, which conveniently splits up such a recording. It's also possible to insert track markers at regular intervals, although I haven't found a use for that feature. Internal battery life is excellent, and on the odd occasion when extremely long continuous operation is required, an external battery compartment (supplied) can be clipped on, which holds a single AA battery.
Operationally, the unit does everything you'd expect, but my main niggle is the LCD display. It's not backlit, and it looks like a design decision has been made to make it look 'right' with the unit's silver styling. The upshot of this is that it can be extremely hard to read if not directly illuminated, and I often find myself squinting at it.
However, the functionality provided by the USB connection makes extensive use of the LCD unnecessary if the unit can be placed in its cradle. The supplied software ('SonicStage') is a little cumbersome and the user interface somewhat over-engineered, but once you get used to it, it's invaluable for editing track names and controlling the device remotely. It can also be used to transfer MP3s and tracks from CDs to the unit digitally (i.e. very fast), although the half-hearted attempt at rights management can make this a confusing and complex process. Regrettably, there is no provision to transfer data from MD to the computer digitally, which is a real shame: the only way to get MD tracks into the computer is to play them in.
Niggles aside, this is an extremely capable unit which has proved itself again and again. I would recommend it to anyone with similar needs to mine. However, users simply requiring a personal audio solution might want to consider a solid-state device like an MP3 player, which will be far more flexible in terms of digital track management.
Read the complete review |
 |
Sony Net MD Walkman MZ-N710
by chateauferret
This seems to be the audio equivalent of a supermarket trolley - it has a unique ability to do whatever it wants despite the user! The worst problem is the unpredictable behaviour of the remote controller and the ease with which you can end up, for example, listening to tracks in a silly order. It's actually very good as a ... portable recording device and an MP3 player with a substantial capacity, without the bulk of a jukebox, and with good battery life. Recording four hours of classical music gives adequate quality for portable listening. It isn't really loud enough using the provided headphones, unfortunately, to drown out train noise or other people's walkmen. Transfer via USB is somewhat slow and a firewire connection would have been useful. The supplied software is dreadful, and comes with ludicrous copyright protection devices which really inhibit sensible use, but this can be circumvented by downloading something like Real Player and installing the Sony minidic module.
Read the complete review |
