| Product: |
Sony Hi-MD Walkman MZ-NH1 |
| Date: |
31/10/06 (850 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Loads of storage capacity on Hi-MD disc, perfect for musicians recording on the move
Disadvantages: Difficult to source blank MD or Hi-MD discs from high street stores
Like most Sony products, this is ahead of the game when it comes to portable mini-disc players.
With a magnesium body, this player's built to last - and thank goodness for that. Considering it's capacity as a player and recorder, great sound capability and status as a Hi-MD player you won't want to part with this one.
So what's Hi-MD? I wondered that when I first bought it, and I still don't know all of the technical stuff. But all you need to know is this - you can use regular or Hi-MD mini-discs to record on. The difference is more than subtle, with a 1GB Hi-MD disc you can store ten's of cd's to playback, or data content.
This means, with USB cable supplied you can use this to download a broad spectrum of data such as Word files or documents. More than merely a music player, this has its uses in the world of work too.
As a self-employed musician, producer and DJ this allows me to do away with a seperate USB memory stick, recorder and MP3 player.
With this I can record live from a microphone, direct through a mixing desk, listen back to 10 hrs or more continuous music, save music and data files as I move from office to studio. I'm surprised it doesn't call my mum for me too!
When I first purchased it my one negative feeling was that Sony were attempting to control much of its use through its restrictive Sonic Stage software which in its attempt to combat piracy, was allowing only a fraction of the function I needed and that it could supply.
So my best tip - do without the Sonic Stage CD that they provide with the player and search for a more up-to-date version of it online via the Sony website.
I think after much cajoling they loosened some of their control and provided us a free download of Sonic Stage that actually does what you need it to do - such as file conversion and multiple recording.
Summary: Keep your MP3 players - this does it all
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Last comments:
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- 01/11/06 Both recording and playback are of a really good standard - input via line, USB, microphone and optical, with numerous options relating to compression etc.
This allows some control and decision making, the less you to try to squeeze onto a disc, the better the quality.
So if you're recording direct from a cd expect perfect sound, especially if you're downloading from a computer. Any live performances can be tricky at first, because it can be a bit daunting with the numerous options to control levels, file type - and of course a lot depends on how you situate any microphone (and how good a bit of kit this is to start with).
Ultimat ely when I bought this it was at a reduced price, as most high street stores were phasing out mini-disc's opting for mp3 players instead. But if you like your music live, an mp3 players not going to really cut it, so the reduced price was an added bonus.
I've used various mini-disc players/recorders in the past, but this was the first I bought, and I think I got the best deal. |
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- 01/11/06 This sounds like an interesting piece of kit. What's the recording and playback quality like? |
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