Rating: 
Summary: Yeah, OK so it's a S O N Y...
Review: ...sure it's all sony. And with that in mind I bought it. I have several high-end sony electronic products like a 10 year old 30' tv that still puts the make on high definition (Having recently seen the difference I'll keep my set.). But this particular purchase has invited a vocabulary that I have not used since the navy. After four different install runs with the enclosed software I called Dell since I bought software support and wanted a warm body asap. Several run throughs later and same result "No workie!" OK so then I called Sony's 24hr customer service on the product. After a serious voice menu tour I got a warm body and with that another nine (9) transfers then cut off. There sits the MZ-SI in a beautiful pile of wires, manuals, quick ref. guides and a plastic package. Back to the store it went. I have never been so frustrated and disappointed in a Sony product before. If your looking for 'Out of the box' operation buy something else. This requires a software update (Mailed to you by Sony.) along with a degree in computer science to install and operate. Didn't do it for me this time. Definatly a challange if that is what your up for. Silicon Valley...
Rating: 
Summary: Finally an MD player I'm not scared to put in my backpack!
Review: I've owned several MD players/recorders and I'm very pleased with this Sony MZ-S1. It's very durable, and the battery life is outstanding...I've only been forced to replace the battery once. The other times I simply replaced it because I was about to go on a trip or something and figured it probably would need it soon. But honestly it'll go through 20+ discs before you'd ever even need to think about changing the battery.
And I said it's durable--it's like a little tank. Very thick plastic, very durable joints. As I mentioned in the title, I'm not afraid to toss it in my backpack to take to class, etc. And I use it 50% of the time at the gym...it's great for the more sweaty work outs (I hold it and sweat drips to my hand but it doesn't matter because it's water-proofed).
And it's really cheap! GET IT!*I didn't purchase this item to use in conjunction with my PC. I found it to be poor software and wouldn't recommend it if that was your SOLE reason for wanting this item.*
Rating:
Summary: Best Music Player for people on the go
Review: Sony has made great improvements on it software (2004 edition is very stable). It is just as easy as itunes. If you have 1ghz processor or better don't worry about the software if you have a slower computer you may want to upgrade first. The baterry life is great. I run on a track team and I carry the music player in my spike bag. It rains some days and sometimes I have to leave it in direct sunlight. But it still works great.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful... Almost.
Review: So there are ups and downs to this package
If you're looking for a good alternative to CD, or you don't have the money for an iPod, look into MiniDisk. If a CD and a Floppy disk had a child, a MiniDisk would pop out. The media has the decent durability of a floppy, with the capacity of a CD (not a full CD, but 169MB is not bad for music.) The S1 alone is built like a rock, (which is nice at school.) However, because of the construction, it is a good bit heavier then other MD's (which isn't saying much) I can say that the player (with battery and disk) has a decent heft, but nothing extraordianry (imagine a weighty CD player.) It's overall size being smaller then the average CD player, I find it's easier to carry around then my old CD player.
The added bonus of REMOVABLE media gives you a gigantic leg up on flash MP3 players, allowing you to carry more music on two MD's then on a standard Flash MP3, and a about $2 a piece, they aren't that expensive. And because the media is re-writable, a 5 pack will last you a LONG time ($10 at Target). The battery life shines above and beyond however, I got a good 30-40 hours of playtime off ONE AA battery, and another in a bag is easy to carry along. (I keep one AA in my backpack.)
Ah, yes, the above does sound like a very lame comercial, but this thing deserves it. However, everything must have its flaw, and the NetMD's have an inherant flaw... In the software given out with them.
The software has caused quite a bit of my hair to relocate to the floor after being ripped out. 4 hours later, and quite aggrivated, I resorted to the grande olde internet. I found a rather easy way around the software Sony seemed to spend 5 minutes on... (the infamous SONICSTAGE!) Now, supposedly, SonicStage Version 2.0 is much better, but the original SonicStage (Version 1) is INCREDIBLY ustable, locking up in mid-burn, etc. etc. Very confounding. However, there is a way around it. The drivers for NetMd's can be downloaded for RealPlayer. I did the following
First and formost, you must INSTALL SonicStage (Fear the install, it's like being in a very large pool, on top of a hill, in the rain, while cursing the god of thunder, and telling him to give you his "Best shot") After you've woken up after installing (yes, you might fall asleep) Do the following.
1)Download RealPlayer at their website (free)
2)Once installed, open it up and click on Burn/Transfer
3)Click "Add a New Device" it will open a web page in RP, look around a bit, and you find the NetMD Section
4)Download the driver you need.
And you're done, SonicStage has been bypassed.
However, I find that queuing songs up for burn can lock up RealPlayer as well. To solve this, I queue up one song at a time, then copy that ONE song to the MD. Then repeat till I have everything done. It takes time, and I can't leave my computer, but it works, and I haven't had any trouble since. What I usually do is set it to burn a song, do whatever on the computer for a minute or two, and check back. (for instance AIM) It works pretty well (I'm woking on a burn right now.)
In summary, the player and all NetMD's are incredible. The software included could be affiliated with several choice words. RealPlayer takes time, but it works, and once the music is on the disks, it plays flawlessly (I shook the thing for 3 minutes straight and the sound didn't even waiver.) It also looks really really nice, and the backlight is a soothing orage irridecent glow... Very comforting. I am very happy with this purchace. Thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: Durable But Not Very Compact
Review: The Song MZ-S1 MD Player is very durable indeed. It would probably survive a 4-foot drop. However, at over 7 oz., it is not very compact. It weighs more than my CD Player! If you are looking for durability, this is the one for you because not will it survive through the harshest of falls, it is also water-resistant. But, if you are looking for something tiny, I reccomend getting a Network MP3 Player. The MZ-S1 is very . . . chunky. I would reccomend getting it if you play sports often, or if it is for someone irresponsible. (i.e. you teenage son or husband =])
Rating:
Summary: best player I have owned
Review: I have had recorders that used different mediam incluing Dat DCC flash media and hard drive based .and this one not only is heads above the rest in ease of use but it is built like a tank and very long play times I have used one double a for almost 60 hours .buy one while you can the japanese people are a techno society and the have adopted it as a format for years and now I am convinced
Rating:
Summary: This Unit is nice but the Minidisc format is dead!
Review: I've been a fan of Minidisc since the beginning, but the format is enjoying a long slow miserable death due to sony's handling of the roll out over the years and all but completly no marketing of the units in the states at all. This unit works great and does exactly what it advertises to do. I actualy ran out and bought a second unit when the first one died after 9 months. I now own an Ipod and the cousin to this unit the CD/MP3/AM/FM/TV Tuner/ATRAC S2 Portable cdplayer (nf something). I never use this unit anymore but was very happy with the purchase when I made it. The unit is backlit, durable, works off of batteries and can record in Minidisc formats up to LP4 (4-5 hours per minidisc) My first unit died due to a recording problem. The reliabilty may be an issue with minidisc across the board due to so many moving parts (a lot that can break). Sound was good, on par with Ipod depending on the recording mode SP=cd quality, LP2=MP3 Quality, LP4was useless. Go to Epinions or ecoustics and read up if you are interested in buying a unit.
Rating: 
Summary: Good hardware, frustrating software
Review: I hvae been using this and the earlier version (MZ-NE410). Unit is much less sensitive to vibration than a CD player and works well. The software is another matter. Nearly worthless. I have many CDs I can't import via Sonic stage and no reason why. I've tried on both an XP and earlier win2000, 98 but the software is just as unpredictable on the earlier systems. Sony is apparently moving to yet a higher density format with newer models. Hope they improve the software otherwise you won't be able to use all that additional space.
Rating:
Summary: Great if you want/know the MD, DO NOT INSTALL THE SOFTWARE!
Review: The Merits of the MiniDisc format:
I have been a fan of the MiniDisc since I first saw all my dancing friends using them to play and share music, when there also was no chance I could afford an MP3 Player.
The merits of the MD -- a relatively cheap, easily tranferable/shareable format, if your friends also use it. If your buddy wants to listen to your studying/skating/waltzing/whatever mix for a day or two, you can hand it over without worrying about an expensive piece of memory/media or having to transfer data some other way. Of course, I have no idea if that's legal -- but let's say I'm talking about something you yourself wrote and recorded.
I have minidisc players in the house and car, so I can easily transport mixes and play them wherever and whenever I like. I couldn't do that [as cheaply or easily] with an MP3 player.
Minidiscs are smaller than CD's, which you can also make at the drop of a hat these days, and they don't skip.
Warning for all Sony MD players:
Whatever you do, DO NOT INSTALL THE SONY SOFTWARE IF YOU CAN HELP IT. Maybe it will get better over time, but if you are familiar with the use of MP3s already, use RealPlayer (the free version has a Net-MD plugin that will allow you to drop your mp3s and playlists onto your MDs, without the check-in/check-out nonsense) or Ahead's Nero, or something similar. Yes, RealPlayer takes a little longer (15-90 seconds per average song, depending heavily on how you choose to encode your mp3s -- I use a *very* high fidelity method, and consequently have mp3s that are usually at least 5-8Mb, and these take maybe a minute or less apiece to transfer).
If you aren't an MP3 user already, consider ramping up to speed. Alternatively, you could use Sony's Net-MD Simple Burner to convert your CDs into MP3s quickly, if you must. Some people are lucky enough to get the other Sony Software to work, and don't mind the check-in/check-out nonsense. (You must check-out your music files when you write them to any disc, and they may not be checked in to ANY OTHER COMPUTER, or checked out more than n times (n varies from 1-3 or maybe more over time and version release, or so it seems).)
This device in particular --
Pros:
1) Water-resistant/durable/sports-compatible design. I haven't tested this to the extreme, but I'm comfortable working out with it. I've also dropped it a few times on hard surfaces, with no apparent problems ensuing.
2) Fairly easy to hold -- smoother contours than the usual Net-MD, and comes with a wrist strap.
3) Great battery life.
4) No skipping.
Cons:
1) Nothing major, other than the Sony Software that most people despise -- but you can get around this as above (also search the web for "Mini disc transfer programs" or similar).
2) Ergonomically, it may not suit everyone's hand. Small hands may find it difficult to hold and control while working out. The joystick takes some getting used to. While I find it slightly awkward to use (I have medium-sized woman-hands), it IS easier to operate while running/skating/etc than the average portable music player. You don't have to look down at anything or move your hand significantly.
Rating:
Summary: very handy
Review: I bought this of may 2003 because i wanted to use it to go to iraq with. its great for that, it doesnt skip and doesnt get dirty. Now i can play the drums and play along to music so i can learn the beat with louder headphones of course. but that is extremely kool. I cant wait to use it for snowboarding, i have a feeling I will be keeping this player for years to come!!!
|
