Rating: 
Summary: awesome player, no batteries though
Review: it is a very good player with very good anti-skip protection, it records well, it is small, the remote is cool BUT it has horrible battery time.... only 4 hours from the fully charged battery.... if u buy it, buy at least 2 extra batteries for it
Rating:
Summary: A good MD device
Review: It's really light, the design is very nice. the sound is good and it doesn't skip at all, but the headphones are horrible (if you buy this, buy a good headphones too) and the volume of a non optic output recording is very low comopared to a volume of a normal cd player... that's bad. still it's a good device.
Rating: 
Summary: A step down from its predecessor
Review: Junk! Absolute junk!The MZ-R55 looks and feels great - it fits into just about any tiny pocket! It has a neat remote control with a nice backlit LCD screen. Unfortunately, that's about where it all goes downhill. Battery life sucks. If you're using the rechargeable chewing gum battery that it comes with, you'll be lucky to get through 2 discs before you hear that awful loud beep telling you that the battery has died ... AGAIN! If you're using the optional 2 x AA alkaline batteries, you might get through about 3 discs. Hell, if you're recording something, don't even bother, if what you're recording is likely to go for more than an hour. Gone are the days when you could play your minidisc for 12 hours straight, as you could with the previous model. When you hook up the MZ-R55 to your hifi, the sound comes out a lot softer than other music sources. I've tried it with other MD decks, CD players, etc, and they all sound a lot louder than the MZ-R55. The MZ-R55 doesn't seem to be able to take small vibrations very well. It does alright with big, sudden bumps, but when you've got it seated on the passenger seat in the car and you're going over a slightly bumpy road for a continuous period of time, it'll start to jump, and jump regularly. Now to the functionality of the MZ-R55. You can't program tracks. It's difficult to edit song titles for your tracks as there's no 'wheel' - you have to rely on the up and down buttons. Just don't bother with the MZ-R55 - you're better off going for the older or newer model. Size isn't everything - I'd much rather have a bulky MD that plays and plays, rather than a tiny toy who's battery won't last a 2 hour car journey.
Rating: 
Summary: WORKS LIKE A CHARM. DON'T LET OTHER REVIEWERS FOOL YOU.
Review: My first review of a minidisc player was done in 2001. It was for the MZ-R70 blue model. I have bought this MZ-R55 2nd hand, which is in fact, over 3 years old. The unit (recorder and all supplies) work like a charm. It works better than the MZ-R70, for it's faster when skipping tracks, and it runs the TOC EDIT faster than my other model, which is an MZ-R50 silver model. Yes, I have 3 minidisc players. May I say, even though many people have rated the MZ-R55 down, I love it. All you have to do is have a little patience, and take care of the Unit. I like the backlit remote, which is excellently handy when you don't want to flip the player/recorder in and out of your pocket every two minutes to raise the volume or change song. The unit's shell takes a lot more abuse than that of the MZ-R70. The paint doesn't come off as easy, and even though the unit may be a bit heavier, at least I'm more aware of the fact that there's something fragile in my pocket. I think that 4 hours of battery life is halfway decent if not acceptable. What I mean, is that 4 hours is fine by me. I don't go out much, and that leaves less ware&Tear on the unit. Let me tell you...the bass in the collapsible headphones is outstanding. These headphones sport the best digital bass that I have ever heard. May I also add, you don't have to turn the volume up too high, to drown out the exterior sound around you. I find myself not having to put the volume up past 50%. The AA battery compartment is handy to have when your NH-14WM (Nickel-Metal Hydride Battert) loses its charge. Just today I went out with the compartment attached, and voila, it's there when I need it. My MZ-R55 is the silver model. Even though I bought this unit second hand, it seems to have withstood a lot of time, and everything I expected it to be, it has lived up to its SONY name. The carrying pouch is genuninely handy to have, if you're going out in the harsher of climates. That way, it won't get wet or humid. Another thing, the headphones, being as short as they are, are practical for someone who always puts their mini-disc player in their shirt pocket, with or without the remote. The only thing wrong with that, is that you can't really turn your head too far from in front of the unit, or you will be pulling on the wire. For the 3 Volt power supply adaptor, I am happy about it, because it's the same voltage as for my MZ-R70. They both share adaptors, and one is always near the stereo for playing through big bass speakers. One is always there for the personal listening pleasure at my desk.
The whole shebang comes in a neat little rectangular box, which is great for storing, and great for placing my other mini-disc players and their accessories when not in use. I would recommend you go on an internet site for SONY mini-disc players, to print out their service manuals for each individual model. I have a manual printed out for each of my 3 units. Kind of comes in handy when you know a little about electronics. I am happy with this product, and would recommend this to anyone, even those fussy people who nag about every little problem they encounter. Hope this review has helped you.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT A BAD LITTLE MD PLAYER, BUT IT"S GOT A FEW FLAWS
Review: My r55 is my workhorse. I've used it to archive all my all tapes LP's, and even some of my badly scratched CD's. Now I don't have to worry about messing up my music collection; MD's are relatively cheap compared to losing irreplaceable, out of print records and cherished CD's. I also use my portable to conduct interviews (with the sold-seperately microphone); I get 148 minutes of playback in mono mode! My r55 is almost always in use on my way to, at, and coming home from work. I usually hook it up to my stereo and record a couple of CD's for skip-free playback the next day. I've also gotten creative and taken samples of speech off DVD movies (example Taxi Driver) to include in my custom mixes. For everyone considering an mp3 player, you should know that an MD player can be hooked up to a computer to record ANY type of sound files (wav., streaming, RealAudio), not just mp3's, in addition to it's other format recording capabilities. There are some noteworthy drawbacks to this particular model however, although I think the lack of a jog dial shouldn't be the big deal some people make it. Resourceful owners such as myself have found that the "twist top" of the stick remote serves as a makeshift jog dial and performs adequately when used for labeling tracks and albums. One serious problem, however, is battery life. I've gotten the full 6 hrs. promised in the owner's manual only when typing at my computer, but for jogging, recording, and inline skating, I've found the battery life is drastically reduced to about an hour. With the AA battery pack, you get about 12 hours of playing time, but the added bulk makes the r55 the same size as the r30. As for some people claiming that the r55 is too fragile, I've dropped it a couple of times from a four foot height and never had any problems. I can only suggest that you buy a Case Logic if you're planning to do all kinds of physical things with it. I would reccommend this model to anyone with a large existing music collection who loves to make mixes and recordings to listen to everywhere, as well as aspiring journalists and would-be bootleggers. To the casual music fan, one without the time or desire to be constantly making comps, I wouldn't recommend the MiniDisc format at all due to the low availability of pre-recorded MD's in the U.S. The only place I've ever seen mastered MD's on sale is the Virgin Megastore, and even then it was a small selection (mostly imports). I would also advise anyone planning on taking thier portable to the extreme in terms of physical activity against the r55; get the r90 instead. it's smaller and has a much longer battery life.
Rating:
Summary: replaces tape recorders
Review: Normal MD's are basically a novelty whose charm wears off the second you try to actually record one. If you want to record a MD at CD quality, you need a CD player with an optical output, which is not common, an optical cable (sold separately) and you must be willing to sit for the entire duration of the CD without so much as bumping the recorder. On the R-55, the unit is quite heavy, especially if the AA battery pack is attached, which is constantly because the rechargeable is weaker than my grandma on morphine. Despite all this, the MD has some good qualities. They're virtualy indestructable, and you get surprisingly good sound quality. The edit and delete functions are fantastic, making compilations simple to create and edit. Straight CD rips are easy as well, if you've got the time. However the coolest feature I found was the microphone. You can just plug an ordinary pair of headphones into the microphone jack, press record and listen to your drunken antics or anything else anytime you want, even separate the night into different tracks. If you're looking to replace that old walkman this is for you, but stick with a discman or MP3 player otherwise.
Rating:
Summary: replaces tape recorders
Review: Normal MD's are basically a novelty whose charm wears off the second you try to actually record one. If you want to record a MD at CD quality, you need a CD player with an optical output, which is not common, an optical cable (sold separately) and you must be willing to sit for the entire duration of the CD without so much as bumping the recorder. On the R-55, the unit is quite heavy, especially if the AA battery pack is attached, which is constantly because the rechargeable is weaker than my grandma on morphine. Despite all this, the MD has some good qualities. They're virtualy indestructable, and you get surprisingly good sound quality. The edit and delete functions are fantastic, making compilations simple to create and edit. Straight CD rips are easy as well, if you've got the time. However the coolest feature I found was the microphone. You can just plug an ordinary pair of headphones into the microphone jack, press record and listen to your drunken antics or anything else anytime you want, even separate the night into different tracks. If you're looking to replace that old walkman this is for you, but stick with a discman or MP3 player otherwise.
Rating:
Summary: not too shabby!
Review: Not too fragile! Ive dropped mine from 3 feet onto heaps of surfaces and it still works like a charm! Anyway, minidisks are too expensive at the moment. Wait 5 or 6 months till they go down then buy a system. Take it from me. I bought mine a year ago
Rating:
Summary: quit complaining
Review: So many people are bad-mouthing mini-disk players these days because of the battery life and size...spoilt whiners, have they forgotten that only a few short years ago the best portable sound quality was from a cd-player the size of their head?...Fact is that this is no longer the smallest one on the market, so what? It is still small enough to fit in your shirt pocket and not bulge, and the 4 hours of battery life is more than adequate (if you plug into these for more than four hours at a time, you have way too much spare time). The sound is excellent, but unless you use the optical cable (which, contrary to what some people say, IS supplied with the unit) to get the digital sound from your source, be prepared for a recording not too much better than a regular tape. BUT you can use this unit to record mp3's, soundfiles and all sorts of stuff off the net as well. Most of all, it is extremely easy to use, it virtually tells you how to operate it! And now, with the "90" model out, this one is way cheaper ... . Great package, great price...
Rating:
Summary: Not the one to get
Review: So, you're interested in a Minidisc, eh? Good choice! Minidiscs are just great, beat the pants off CDs and MP3 for portable music. After learning to transfer MP3s to a Minidisc, I'll never go back again, I have seen the light! Now, about this particular player. The size is wonderful, if you have had one of the larger players, you just won't believe the size of this. It is small and light and wonderful to carry around. However, as others have mentioned, battery life sucks. There really are better choices. I personally went with the MZ-R90, and it is superb. Tiny, tiny recorder/player with excellent battery life and great features. Unfortunately, Amazon.com does not carry it yet, but there definitely are places you can get them now with a US warranty. Check around.
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