Sony MZNHF800 Hi-MD Mini Disc Walkman Digital Music Player

Rating:
Summary: Do not buy this product, unless losing tracks is your goal!
Review: Do not buy this product, unless losing tracks is your goal. At first, we were very happy with this mini-disc, as the sound quality (if you buy the Sony mic) is impressive. However, when we downloaded the files (which we spent a month live recording) to the software included with the device, they were not able to be burned to a CD, and they were unable to be transferred back to the mini-disc. This came after extensive researching on the Sony web site, downloading the additional upgrade and WAV converter, etc. etc. I spent an hour on the phone with Sony support, at which time they told me to re-transfer the files, which not only was bad advice because it did not transfer again, but it then erased all of the original tracks on the mini-disc. After spending 2 hours on the phone with Sony support, they had no solutions, told us our files were in "limbo" and told us we may not be able to use these tracks and that they would have to call us back. While we waited, we came up with our own backup idea, which would lose sound quality but at least save our files. Sony then called us and recommended the same idea, only they recommended we buy an additional backup disc. We bought two. Good thing we backed it up TWICE, because not only did the software delete the first disc of music, but it also erased part of the backup disc due to an error message that came up from the Sony software (not a computer error, but a SONY SOFTWARE ERROR). Sony support gives you an event number when you call, and they are very courteous, but one event number is not going to cover all of the problems that we encountered with this software. Also, if you call after hours, they ask you ten minutes worth of your personal information and THEN tell you that they are closed and you are not given the option to leave a message. There is no telling when the software is going to fail, and we had to take a gamble with our last disc. Experimentation with tracks is unthinkable, as we were constantly in fear of losing material. We tried to get through the transfer process as fast as possible, for fear of another error message intruding and erasing tracks. We finally got the software to agree with the idea of burning a CD, only to transfer them to the CD in random order (not the order we transferred them). After throwing that CD away, we re-organized the files on the screen, and burned another CD. We had carefully purchased Sony Cds, since we wanted the quality to be top notch. We found that the ONLY Cds that did not come out with a clear recording quality were actually the Sony Cds. We tried three Cds just to make sure it wasn't one bad CD. Maxell and Philips actually worked much better with the Sony software-- they were flawless. Sony had static throughout the entire CD. All were the same download! Another complaint is that the instructions regarding burning a CD from live audio are not complete. They lead you to the point of transfer from mini-disc to hard drive, and then you are responsible for finding out the remainder of the process (converting files and burning to a CD). Obviously, Sony has now upgraded their product to allow for CD burning, so they should include some information with their product which tells you to upgrade and to use the WAV conversion tool BEFORE you transfer the files to the software included with the product. Why can't Sony make this compatible with Media Player, for example? Why does it have to be Sony software? Their software obviously needs to be researched further before more people lose valuable recordings. There is no safeguard against lost files. I would recommend buying a DAT recorder or another alternative if you are serious about recording live music. If you decide to purchase this product, I recommend first upgrading to SonicStage 2.3, downloading WAV converter tool (available on Sony web site), and then pray. I at least hope this advice will save you the 30+ hours we spent just at the computer, plus the additional finances that we incurred (cables and discs) just to back something up that should not have needed to be backed up.


Rating:
Summary: I really love this!
Review: First of all, I want to preface this review by noting that I am not a major techie or very much into the whole music downloading file sharing thing. I originally purchased this minidisc unit so I could make recordings of the talks I give and be able to transfer them to my computer. I never thought I'd use it for anything else.

When the product arrived, I was intitally skeptical. It is small (which is great), but accordingly, the buttons are also tiny, and the lettering is so small as to be virtually impossible for my over-40 eyes to read. I feared that this would be more complex than I bargained for. Not to worry. The product manual was clear, and operation of the unit is actually pretty easy. It is so simple to transfer cd's onto the minidisc player, and the sound is fantastic! In addition to the self-recording I had bought this player for, I now find myself constantly bringing it to the gym for my workouts and on trips so I can bring my favorite music with me. It turns out I really love this toy! As far as the problem that a few reviewers mentioned about converting to WAV format for uploads, Sony has now released a free WAV conversion program available on its web site, and there are other conversion options out there as well.

Reasons for giving it 4 stars instead of 5: The buttons and the lettering are tiny and not the most intuitive. More of a problem at the beginning than now. The software is easy enough to use, but it crashed a few times-- a problem that Sony acknowledged with some XP updates and that I was able to fix (I think), but still annoying. But all in all, I'd highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: No problems ..........just challenges
Review: Having lost the 707 Mini Disc player which I had for 2 years, I have just replaced it with this model.

I picked this model because it offered everything I needed at a reasonable price. I could not find any reason to buy the 900 for $50 more. The MZ-NH1 has backlit LCD which is good for recording in a darkened venue, and is made from Magnesium which is tougher, and has a rechargeable battery. Worth $110 more? I don't think so. It is also better than the 810ck which the technical data says does not play mp3s.

I use the MD mostly for self recording, voice lessons etc, and occasionally for mp3 playback. Having also got the new 1 gb 45 hour disc mini disc, I am happy because it is now possible to get on one disc what I previously had to spread over 34 standard 80 minute discs. If I want, I can store about 900 songs, or 70 cd's, or save a whole year of voice lessons.

A major problem was managing the discs, and often running out of space to record a voice lesson or a performance. You can imagine how much easier it is this way. Another major problem was transferring self recordings to the computer, because the supplied software does not accept self recordings, apparently Sony even wants to control your self recordings, in addition to mp3 copyrights.

There are so many different ways to get mp3s now, I am not sure why this is even an issue. But it sure it frustrating and time wasting for people using this device legitimately. Ironically tranferring Mp3s is a very straightforward check in/out method.

I can only assume this has to do with potential unauthorized live recordings. There is no way these precautions would deter a determined bootlegger, so what is the point of making it more difficult for everybody?

I use my computer line in to record in real time, which can be a drag, and then using Cool Edit to tidy up, and edit the tracks and convert to mp3s.

I also bought the Sony Stereo microphone ECM-DS70P which gives excellent reproduction.

This MD is a great machine, and I highly recommend it. If you find this review helpful please click yes.

Rating:
Summary: Huge Disappointment
Review: I just purchased this Sony Hi-MD with the expectation that I could record my own home-made music, upload it to the computer, and burn CD's - a reasonable expectation. Warning to all musicians: You cannot burn CDs that will play in ordinary CD players. It's some sort of proprietary file known as ATRAC. Completely useless. Avoid the disappointment and heartache. Stick with something that will record and create WAV files. Otherwise...the sound quality is fabulous...just know you'll be the only one hearing it.

Rating:
Summary: Great player / recorder, but no backlight
Review: I'm happy with the 800 except for the lack of a backlight on the main unit or on the remote. Many descriptions of the unit on the www (including the one here at amazon) indicate that the remote is backlit. Not! The 900, which is $50 more has a backlight but has a very dorky battery arrangement: you have to use a proprietary Sony NiMH battery, and if you want to get the claimed 30 hours operating time, you also have to attach the screw-on AA battery adapter. This is a really stupid design on the 900, IMHO. The 800 just uses a single AA, which can be a rechargeable NiMH. The 900 also doesn't have a radio. I'm not sure why anyone would buy the 900..

I also bought the ECM-DS70P stereo mic, which attaches directly to the unit's mic mini-jack without a wire. Very Cool. You can monitor the recorded sound through the headphones.

Rating:
Summary: Can not upload music recorded before to PC
Review: If you hope you can upload music you recorded before, you will be disappointed. You only can upload music recorded with this player. Another problem is that you can not record FM program even though the player comes with a FM tuner.

Rating:
Summary: Great Little Machine
Review: Many of the reviews of this machine contain old or incorrect information. There is a WAV converion tool at this point, and you can burn CD's that will play on any CDR compatiable player right out of sonicstage. I have done this, and I have recorded live music and burned CD's, and recorded Cassette tapes, and burned CD's. It's all there on Sonicstage 2.3.

Good:
1. You can do all the things mentioned above.
2. Huge amount of space on a disc. I recorded old radio programs onto a HI-MD disc at 48bps, and got the claimed 45 hours (or close to it) on the one little disc. No good for music (at that rate-music sounds great at 132 bps and above), but great for voice.
3. The machine has a mic input for live recordings. Sounds pretty good at higher sample rates.
4. The machine can be used as a data drive like a memory stick. Just don't fire up Sonicstage and go to MY COMPUTER. Very easy to use.
5. The Sony Music store is OK, and I enjoyed the five free downloads.

Bad:
1. The build quality seems not that great (this is where the machine loses the star). The little metal clasp that "snaps" the two parts together seems very light (but I notice this same clasp is on a MD I have used for two years with no problems).
2. The disks are hard to get (but that is changing), and a little expensive (but not bad for the capacity).
3. Doesn't make me want an ipod any less.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent recorder - superior compression
Review: This Hi-MD recorder meets any requirement a music fan can have. I bought it last week and started downloading my music immediately. The sound quality it achieves in high compression is astounding. It really overcomes LP4 limitations of the old Netmd format. The process of transferring the music with SonicStage becomes very easy with the Import Folder option so All your music can be imported to SonicStage with just one click. I have also used the upload feature and the process is very easy. You can just record anything with your Hi-Md unit, upload your tracks to your PC using SonicStage, then transform the tracks to Wav using Hi-MdRenderer (http://www.marcnetsystem.co.uk) and then burn a CD. The process is easy and quick and the Md quality is preserved. I loved the unit and encourage everybody to buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible product--a real disappointment
Review: This product deserves zero stars; unfortunately, the lowest you can rate a product on Amazon.com is one star. I bought the Sony MZ-NHF800 Hi-MD player/recorder to replace my relatively new and hardly used MZ-N707, which, one day, when I plugged in the headphones, refused to play. I was pleased with the N707: the sound quality was phenomenal. The sound on the NHF800, however, is atrocious. No matter how I adjusted it, my MDs sounded awful. Very tinny, as if the sound is coming through a tin can. The bass is a joke. The sound quality on my old cassette Walkman (remember tapes?--that's what came before MDs and CDs) is superior to the sound on the NHF800. That is not hyperbole. I am now using my old cassette Walkman instead of the MD player because the sound is better on the former. Sony ought to be embarrassed. In addition, the MZ-NHF800 is poorly made and very flimsy. I doubt it will last long. The design is not user-friendly. It's easy to locate a track on an MD, but that's about it. Everything else is a pain--and I haven't even gotten as far as installing any software. Called Sony to complain and they were quite rude and spectacularly unhelpful. I am extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with this product, and will NEVER buy another Sony item again.