hm8080's Full Review: Sony Walkman MZ-R500 PC Personal MiniDisc Player
Minidisc Mania (or lack of)
Minidisc is already a very big thing in Japan. It’s been around forever (well, about a decade and a half is forever in today’s terms…). However, it’s only recently become more popular in other countries around the world. I don’t understand why it hasn’t been big yet as I have found it to be the greatest invention (next to MP3 players and such) yet concerning portable music. My first experience with minidisc was with a bundled package from Kenwood. A portable player and a set-top player/recorder. A great value and combination and what a great way to be introduced to the world of minidiscs! I took the Kenwood portable player with me to Universal studios one vacation day and dropped it off a restaurant table (if you have read my other reviews you will now realize I am someone who is ALWAYS dropping expensive stuff off tables!!!) and it stopped functioning. The earphone cord had also caught onto a studio car park rail and…well…let’s just say the memory is too silly and painful to recall.
Enter the Sony MZ-R50
Time for a new player. I decided to sell my set-top Kenwood deck and get a new portable player/recorder. I went for the Sony after doing extensive research at minidisc fan sites on the web. Then I shopped for bargains and coupons to use with the unit and ordered it eventually, for a very good price then. When I received it, and begun using it I thought it was the BEST investment I had ever made, ever!
Usability and Features
The strong points and features I like about this unit are:
- Input/Output: Apart from the standard earphone jack there’s the line-out jacks as well as stereo microphone jacks. Not only that but there is also an analog-in which doubles as a digital-in jack.
- Sound quality is great; I cannot distinguish digital MD copies of my CDs from the original stuff. Hiss/noise on my old Kenwood was a big problem, with the Sony, it is virtually undetectable.
- Unit is very quiet, unlike my super noisy Kenwood.
- Automatic recording level as well as manual level adjustments! This is a great feature for recording those live concerts as well as maintaining nuances in your line recordings.
- Light and pocket-sized. Albeit large by today’s standards, it is still a great slim portable thing.
- Very durable. I had on numerous occasions dropped this (soon, I’d be asked to change my username to “dropper” instead of “hm8080”) thing and it continued playing and playing and playing. I must say though, that after 2 years, it is now dying, but only after so much abuse from me. See, I carry it always with me in my jeans/pants pocket and as I walk, I am effectively knocking it against my lap constantly. Imagine the unit surviving almost two years subjected to this kind of abuse, not to mention the table-drops, knocks and such.
- Automatic sampling rate conversion. I am going to be honest…I have no idea what difference this makes. But it’s there…touted by minidisc makers…*shrug*
- Ability to simultaneously use both the earphone jack and line-out outputs.
- Remote control has basic editing functions for added convenience. Also, it clips (penlight style) onto your shirt or pocket so it doesn’t hang off the earphones.
- Fast charge time for battery, about 2-3 hours. Lasts for about 8 hours playing, 4 hours recording.
- Convenient jog-dial for editing titles etc. You normally would operate this with you thumb.
- You can add track-marks at anytime during recording or playback! Dividing and moving songs had never been easier!
- Ability to play (or record) unit while charging.
- Mono-recording mode extends recording time on a single disc.
- Very informative manual included.
Now For the Complaints…
I don’t really have too much bad stuff to say about it…but the ones that are there can be very annoying:
- Recording does not automatically start at the end of a disc. You must press “end-search” so as not to record-over your existing tracks on a disc. This can get inconvenient, and what if you forget?!
- Earphone quality is so-so. Bass response is minimal and treble can be a tad jarring. Listenable at best, nothing more. Get a better pair such for better response.
- Battery compartment is flimsy and easily flipped open when sliding unit into a small pocket.
- LCD both on unit and remote is not lighted.
- Remote is a bit big for my tastes but works well. You can choose not to use the remote and just plug a pair of your own headphones into the unit’s output jack.
Overall Impression
I really like this unit. I think it is one of the better ones from Sony. My unit bears scars and bruises from my heavy use. The LCD now has said bye bye (no longer any character display on it) and the stereo headphone jack now has become a mono jack (unless I press my finger against the earphone input connector thingy). But for it to last me almost two years subjected to such heavy use, and my own carelessness? That says much about it. It will last you folks who actually VALUE your belongings much longer I dare say. (Actually, I do value my stuff, very much, I just am kinda careless with them ;) In my experience with it, it had never rejected a disc or spoiled a disc I put into it.
I would definitely recommend the MZ-R50 to any new comers to the Minidisc scene. It would make a great first buy. However, the R50 is no longer in production so if you can get it cheap, don’t hesitate! There may still be a few units lying round. Good luck in your quest for a good player/recorder, no matter which model you choose, always research thoroughly first!! ;)
Portable mini-disc player with recording capability Digital gain control ensures quality recording Automatic Volume Limiter System for even, consisten...More at Amazon Marketplace
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