Rating: 
Summary: MZ-N1 - Best portable minidisc player/recorder!
Review: (If you want to read more about minidisc as a format vs mp3, go farther down in this post)The MZ-N1:
I got this about a month ago and I love it so far. -Sound: 10/10, It's minidisc, it's got MDLP, it records in Type-R, it sounds excellent.
-Base unit control: 8/10, the controls on the front could be better, but I use the remote anyways. And the jog dial is an excellent of controlling this unit.
-Size: 10/10, so small, so light!
-Remote: 10/10, the remote is great, it is very easy to skip to whatever song you want with the easy-to-use job dial. The display is bright and clear.
-Battery life: 10/10, it keeps going, and going, and going...
-NetMD software: 5/10, It has a long way to go, but if you use the realOne plugin instead to download your music it works much better.
-Durability: 6/10, doesn't feel as sturdy as previous models
-Headphones: 2/10, the folding design *sounds* cool, but it hurts to wear them but the headphones that come with portable electronics are never good. Haven't heard of Minidisc yet? A technically superior format to store music on, the minidisc was introduced in 1992, and yet never caught on in the USA. In Asia Minidisc made it big and is there to say. (As was clearly evident when I just visited Japan) But in the USA, minidisc was ignored for one reason or another, and has been compared to the Beta-Max format. Which is an interesting comparison, because just as BETA was techincally superior to VHS, minidisc (I believe) is Superior to the MP3 format. But minidiscs are making a comeback! Now all the new models are able to download mp3's from your computer as well as do all the things they were able to do before! In minidisc you can store your music in 3 different levels of quality called SP (highest, near-cd quality, ~320kbps MP3 quality, 80 minutes per disc), LP2 (medium quality, ~192kbps MP3 quality, 160 minutes per disc), and LP4 (medium-low quality, ~96kbps MP3 quality, ~5 hours per disc, ideal for recording lectures, ect... or if you don't have stringent music quality standards) The minidisc's themselves (That hold the music, not the players) are small and durable, about the size of a 3 1/2 floppy, but very cool looking. They cost about [$] each (5 hours of music on a [$] disc, beats solid state flash cards anyday) They come in many different styles of all different colors. They also can be recorded on over a million times, and with the tracks already on there, you can divide the tracks, rearrange them, recombine them - it's like be able to mix on the go. The players very light and easily fit in a shirt pocket (About on par with a solid state mp3 player in size). Now you're probably wondering why someone would choose a minidisc player/recorder over a mp3 player (and in some of the newest models, recorders as well). I personally have had and used mp3 players from when they first came out with a Rio 300, and then moving on to a Rio 500. I've used some of the mp3 cd-players as well - though their ability to hold tons of music is nice, I don't really like their large size. Plus, as a medium, I find CD's to be fragile - they scratch very easily. Minidiscs however have a CD-like disc on the inside (magneto-optical instead of pure optical like CD's) that is protected by a shell, which makes minidiscs very durable. I can throw them on the floor of my car, or in the glove compartment and they will work flawlessly when I put them in my player. Solid-state MP3 player have a few disadvantages (and advantages) compared to minidisc players. Why Minidisk is better than mp3:
- You can bring along many minidiscs (which cost ~$2 each and store up to 5 hours) while flash cards are $$$ and it is only practical (for normal people) to own around 1 or 2 flash cards for their player. If you want to travel with music you want something small (Minidisc beats mp3-cd players) and that stores lots of music (Minidisc beats solid-state mp3). I traveled with a Rio, and I got REAL tired of those 25 songs after 2 weeks...
- You can record anywhere: when I hear an excellent track on a friend's discman (or home system, or mp3 player, or any audio source!), I can hook up my minidisc player right then and there and record the track onto my Minidisc!
- The battery life is massive - 110 hours on the mz-n1!
- You don't need to be tied to your computer to use it, though you can take advantage of your computer to use it if you feel like mp3 advantages:
-Easy download to your player. But now with minidisc NetMD you can download your mp3's from your computer at high speeds that are almost as high as mp3 players, but they don't need to be as high because you only need to record a mix of your mp3's once, and then you can keep it and just swap discs. When you want new songs in a mp3 player you have to go to your computer every time, you can't just swap discs (unless you got mega-$$ for flash cards)
-I'm out of other reasons. Go buy a Minidisc player/recorder!
Rating:
Summary: To the guy below - get your facts straight
Review: Creative Labs is a Singaporean company.
Rating:
Summary: BEST OF THE BEST: SONY MZ-N1
Review: First of all, I'm an electronics addict. Second of all, I'm a diehard Sony fan, so I know their products like the back of my hand. This fine piece of equipment has reached #1 on my charts of rating not only minidisc recorders, but all forms of portable devices like mp3 etc. On top of all this, I owned three minidisc recorders before this one, and i love it. Half a second & you're hooked up to both your computer and power--simply by dropping the little guy right into the cradle. Of all the features Sony makes available for all of their portable devices, this one's got it all... The backlit remote that actually has the same if not more power over editing than the main unit. The unit has a pretty nifty tucked-away jog dial for easy scrolling thru titles & options. oh yeah, in case you didn't know...HIGH SPEED TRANSFER!!!! yeah, after using the OpenMG software with the MZ-N1 for music to and from the PC, you will never go back to anything else, i'm serious. The last thing that puts the icing on the cake--this thing is by far the smallest of any of Sony's minidisc recorders, which means that if it's Sony's smallest, then you know it's gonna be the tiniest guy you'll get ahold of. Once again, I've done all the research for this puppy and all in it's league, so i know the goods...the MZ-N1 is the best of the best.
Rating:
Summary: Best Thing i ever bought
Review: I got a minidisk player last year for christmas. I couldn't deside between a Mp3 or this. These are way better! The minidisks players cost about the same as a GOOD mp3 player. The minidisks hold way more music for way less. You can fit about 60 songs on one disk. They are small, light and the batterys last for more then 10 hours, also, the battery doesn't take very long to charge. GET ONE, It is worth every penny!
Rating: 
Summary: bah, Sony, you could have done better....
Review: I have had the Japanese import model of this unit since early February, and I must say that overall, this model is model was well worth the four hundred fifty I paid for it. It's light portable and fits easily inside the felt baggie that comes supplied with the unit. In the six almost seven months that I have owned this unit, a couple of things have happened. Since I had the Japanese model, I got the newer, slimmer, RM-MC12ELK remote supplied with mine. The US models are supplied with the older RM-MC11EL remote. I must say that US buyers surely did get the better remote. My 11EL remotes from my previous R900 and my portable CD player (D-EJ955) have lasted longer and put up with more wear and tear. About one month after, the text started wearing off the remote and button functions began to malfunction. The hold switch was hard to move, and the volume/track changer button was hard to pull in and out. So here's my fair warning: don't import. Now for the software; the bundled OpenMG Jukebox completely stinks. You really need to have a fast computer with plenty of RAM to have this program work fast and properly. I bought this unit expecting to have the ability to do two things: one being to UPLOAD, and two to end files to my MD in SP Mode. OpenMG Jukebox does support SP files, but are only transfered at the sound quality of LP2. The CDDB function on OMG doesn't work right until you have to manually configure it. Simple, OMG [is not good], bottom line. Now the other bundled software, SimpleBurner (also known as Quickrip) works fairly better. SB allows you to put a CD in and burn it directly to a MD in LP2 or LP4 mode, but don't count on fast conversion times. All of the software must convert the music files to ATRAC first, which takes about 3 minutes per song, depending on size. This was something I was also not aware of when I bought this unit. Now, one person has found a very nice way to get around all of these software problems. All you need is Nero, and your good to go. I myself prefer this method more than just regular software. ... The battery times are once again fudged by Sony. In my tests, I have never cranked out 86 ours of playback using a fully charged gumstick and an external AA battery. The closest I got was around 53 and a half hours. Sony needs to take a lesson from Sharp, create smart chargers. Ni-MH gumsticks suffer from the memory effect, which occurs when the battery is charged when it doesn't need to be. Your battery will last shorter and shorter until finally you get around 4 hours of playback. Sharp, has a function built into almost all of their models which checks to see if your battery is full or not and starts a discharge of the battery, that way fully discharging the battery before it recharges it. For the unit itself, I really like the design and functions, but there are still some issues that Sony has still not fixed. One is the End Search function. I know they've done a little better by making you disable the function on a menu, but if you forget to press End Search before you record, you still have the dreaded problem of recording over previously recorded songs. Another problem is the battery door. You would thing that after many years of having the same flimsy plastic that they'd learn that it should be magnesium alloy or some sort of aluminum composite. A fourth being the volume buttons. Lousy placement. You drop the unit on the side that has the volume buttons on it, you may have one heck of a problem. Many people on board all over the internet have had units that volume buttons have become hypersensitive (i.e. bringing up various menus when slightly touched) and have since had to repair their units. Overall this unit reaches a milestone in the ten years of MD existence. If you are considering buying this unit (or infact ANY NetMD units, I would consider holding off until the second generation units hit the markets in December. These units may have improved battery life, the newly developed Atrac Type S DSP (which improves upon the sound quality in SP, LP2, and LP4 modes), better software, and the possibility of uploading.
Rating:
Summary: MZ-N1 - very strong effort by Sony
Review: I have owned the MZ-N1 since December 2002 and I have to say that, despite a few shortcomings, it is an excellent unit. Strengths:
The obvious strength of the Minidisc is the sound quality and the compactness of the unit. The unit is a snap to operate, sounds terrific and battery life is certainly well above average.
I particularly love the quickrip software that permits a quick burn from a CD to a minidisc. At the LP2 setting, you can normall fit up to three complete CDs on one minidisc with no audible decrease in sound quality. Weakenesses:
As has been stated elsewhere the weakness of the minidisc/NetMD world is the openMG software. Despite a simple design and its ease of use, it can get a bit gummy and file-transfers can slow every so often. I certainly wouldn't *not* buy the MZ-N1 because of the software; the overall quality of the unit and the sound quality easily trump the occasional software hiccup. Another frequently cited complaint about openMG is the check-in/check-out process. The software only permits a user to have three separate copies of each mp3 to be burned to separate minidiscs at a time. Similar to a library with three copies of each book, one cannot check out a book until one of the three copies has been returned. While this feature has caused a firestorm of complaints about Sony, in truth it is a tempest in a teapot. The likelihood of you having four minidiscs with the same song on it that you are regularly listening to is highly unlikely. While we all have our own opinions on the mp3/RIAA battles, the openMG technology truly straddles the fence in a way that has little or no impact on the normal consumer. I have a ton of mp3s; I've never had a problem listening to them on my terms on my MZ-N1. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST PLAYER EVER!!!
Review: I just got this mini disc for my birth-day, and it's great. I know people say it has slow transfer rates, but it actually doesn't. It may be slow in comparison to an mp3 player, because here it records on a disc. The download will be up before you know it, just minimize the Open Mg program, and go on the internet for a minute, read a short artcle, and it's done!
What is really good about the new Sony MD's is the feature of anti-vibrational system, so you can jump, skip, run, and it wont get stuck as a cd player. On the mini disc it has written it takes up to 80 min of music, but in LP2 mode (really good quality of sound) it takes up to 169 min! Comparing to mp3: Bigger space to record. (on an mp3, with a 128 mb memory, you record about 16 songs, estimating 5mb per song. Also size is absolutelly small and only weights 77 oz.(according to information at www.sonystyle.com) Comparing to CD player: Size and weight also are very different. Recording space is less, but wins over quality in LP 2 listening mode. if you're searching for a music gadget, this is the one!
Rating:
Summary: Magically delicious
Review: I just got this mini disc for my birth-day, and it?s great. I know people say it has slow transfer rates, but it actually doesn?t. It may be slow in comparison to an mp3 player, because here it records on a disc. The download will be up before you know it, just minimize the Open Mg program, and go on the internet for a minute, read a short artcle, and it?s done!
What is really good about the new Sony MD?s is the feature of anti-vibrational system, so you can jump, skip, run, and it wont get stuck as a cd player. On the mini disc it has written it takes up to 80 min of music, but in LP2 mode (really good quality of sound) it takes up to 169 min! Comparing to mp3: Bigger space to record. (on an mp3, with a 128 mb memory, you record about 16 songs, estimating 5mb per song. Also size is absolutelly small and only weights 77 oz.(according to information at www.sonystyle.com) Comparing to CD player: Size and weight also are very different. Recording space is less, but wins over quality in LP 2 listening mode. if you?re searching for a music gadget, this is the one!
Rating:
Summary: Great Product
Review: I recieved this product as a birthday present. This product is a very solid piece of electronic. It works well with no problem. It is easy to use and very straight forward. Sony MD players are great!!!
Rating:
Summary: The best ever!!!
Review: Lightweight, compact, great sound! I love it!!!
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