Taking portability to the extreme (Sharp MD MT888)

Member Name: baecpol

Product:	Sharp MD MT888
Date:	06/04/03 (575 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wide array of features, High quality playback and recording, Tiny

Disadvantages: Quite pricey

I purchased my MD-MT888H a couple of days back whilst in town with a mate. Id seen this model before, however the price tag in excess of £200 had always made me think twice before parting with my money. Im not sure why, however something dragged me into Richer Sounds on that fine spring afternoon. After a quick flick through the catalogue, I was amazed to see the MD-MT888H retailing at only £149.95, and I had to find out more!

The first thing that hits you about the MD-MT888H is its size. It's tiny enough to fit into almost any pocket, yet robust enough to last for years. It's also an extremely attractive player - it's composed of a 'chrome-like' metal, and has an attractive yet sophisticated LCD display, as well as a number of buttons and controls on the front. I was also impressed that the product came with a one years manufacturers guarantee, alongside the guarantee that was also handed to me in the shop. One thing that especially impressed me about Richer Sounds is the fact that if you're not satisfied with your purchase, you can take it back within 14 days for a full refund.

The MD-MT888H comes with a stylish remote control that easily clips onto clothing, and allows you to control every aspect of playback and recording, without needing to take the player out of your pocket. It has a similar LCD display to that of the player itself, but also allows you to view the album title, as well as the individual track titles, which I have found to be extremely convenient.

The player also comes with a tiny rechargable battery, as well as an attractive 'recharging station'. The battery lasts for 8 hours of continuous recording, or 13.5 hours of continuous playback when fully charged at stereo quality (As quoted by the manufacturer. When using minidisc long play however, the battery life is substantially improved, although you are likely to see a slight decrease in the quality of playback.

The player also
comes with a battery case which can be attatched for use with a standard AA battery, although this does make the player substantially larger so I wouldn't recommend using it. When using an AA battery in place of the rechargable battery the player's continuous recording life is increased to 9 hours, and continuous play is increased to 20 hours at the stereo playback level. However, for an optimum battery life, you can use the rechargable battery concurrently with a single AA battery, which could be especially useful if you are going camping, or attending a music festival where you won't be able to recharge the battery for several days.

The vast array of recording features on the MD-MT888H can make recording complicated at first (as I found), however it won't be long before you've mastered the art of recording, and titling your albums. Before recording, you have to connect the player to your Hi-fi by using either the optical cable, or digital cable provided. Recording with the digital cable is highly advisable for an optimal quality of recording, however as not all cd players have a digital input socket this may not be possible for you. This isnt the end of the world though, as recording with the optical cable still gives you a decent quality of recording.

Before recording, it's a good idea to syncronise your Hi-fi with the mini-disc player to ensure that the recording will be exactly the same as the album. To do so, you simply have to press the M button on the remote control, then select sync, and click on yes to confirm. Before recording you also have the option to select whether you want to record at stereo level, or at either the 2 times, or 4 times mini-disc long play level. Although by using the mini-disc long play feature you can fit up to 4 full length albums on one minidisc, I prefer to use the standard stereo setting for an optimal quality of recording.

After your album has been recorded, the process of nam
ing each individual track is suprisingly simple, and well worth the effort in my opinion. You simply use the M button to select the name function, and then use the keypad to choose track names. Once you've finished this, each time you play the disc, the name of both the album, and the track being played scroll across the screen on the remote control which is extremely funky!

Playback itself on the MD-MT888H is self explanatory, in fact even my grandma would probably be able to use it! You simply press the play button on either on the player or the remote control, and then control the volume and the track being played on either the player itself, or once more on the remote control. There are a number of different playback modes you can choose from, including a random mode, as well as a program setting allowing you to play back only to tracks you want to hear.

All in all the MD-MT888H is an excellent player, and at a price of £149.95 it also represents a sound investment. It also comes with a carry bag, and a set of earphones, although I decided to subsequently purchase a better set of earphones as I was dissappointed with the quality of the earphones provided. The wide array of features will keep you busy for hours, and the durability should ensure that you wont be needing to make use of the manufacturers guarantee.

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