Top of the line Sony Portable NetMD Recorder/Player
Written: Jul 03 '02 (Updated Oct 21 '02)
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Pros: Top of the line model, NetMD, MDLP, DSP Type-R, Extended Battery life
Cons: Poor Earphones, OpenMG limited, Cannot high speed upload to PC only Download.
The Bottom Line: I recommend buying the MZ-N1. It is one of the best Portable Minidisc Player/Recorders available if you are willing to spend a little more.
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| poopeebum's Full Review: Sony Net MD Walkman MZ-N1 Personal MiniDisc Player |
I purchased the Sony MZ-N1 Minidisc Player/Recorder as a replacement for my Sony MZ-R900. I bought it from an internet retailer before it came out for North America. At first glance, the unit is made out of magnesium-alloy. It is available in 2 colors, silver and dark blueish purple. It is lighter in weight and a bit smaller when compared with previous Sony models such as the MZ-R909 and MZ-R900.
The MZ-N1 has been redesigned but has basically the same features as the MZ-R909 (not sold in North America). The MZ-N1 comes with earphones, transfer/charging cradle, and a remote. possibly a carrying pouch or other accessories depending on where you buy it from. Only the units for sale in Japan have the new smaller improved remote control. The North American remote is the same remote used in the MZ-R900 and MZ-R909.
All MZ-N1 units are manufactured in Japan, unlike the lower Sony models which are manufactured in Malaysia. Comparing the model to the lower Sony NetMD models, the MZ-N1 is slimmer because it uses the Sony "gum-stick" battery which eliminates the bulge on the MZ-N707 and 505. Also the lower models are made of plastic (MZ-N707 has a magnesium-alloy face but underside is plastic). The earphones that come packaged with the MZ-N1 are poor quality earphones. The top of the line MD player should have much better earphones. Also short cord earphones are hard to find. You may have to order them online or import them from asia.
The MZ-N1 comes back with MDLP which will give up to 320 minutes of recording time on 1 MD by use of compression. SP mode is regular recording mode. LP2 doubles your recording time. and LP4 quadruples your recording time. However in LP4 the sound quality is noticable if you have high quality speakers.
The most notable improvement over all previous models of Minidisc is the new NetMD feature. This feature allows the user to rip CD's or transfer MP3's and other formats of Audio to the Minidisc at up to 32 times faster! This is the main reason I decided to upgrade to the MZ-N1. In order to use the Net MD feature you must use transfer software called OpenMG. OpenMG is also used to transfer music between other Sony products like the NetWalkman. OpenMG limits the amount of times a song can be tranfered between your PC and your MD (Sony's way of stopping music piracy). This is rather annoying. You can only transfer a song three times after three times OpenMG will not let you transfer the songs back to your MD. This is Sony's way of protecting copyrighted songs. Also OpenMG requires you to convert all digital audio formats including MP3, CD Audio, WAV, etc.. into ATRAC format which is minidisc format. If you have a slow computer such as a Pentium 200 the conversion process is rather slow. but on newer computers, P3's and higher the process only takes seconds. OpenMG only transfers in LP2 or LP4 Modes. It will not transfer in SP mode. Although you can always record without the NetMD feature at 1x speed using regular audio cable or digital audio cable.
Other improvements included extended batter life (up to 79 hours playing time using both AA battery attachment and stick battery on SP mode up to 110 hours on LP4 mode) and (up to 30 hours record or up to 52 hours record in LP4 mode). Another improvement is the transfer/charging cradle. This cradle is used during NetMD transfers between the PC to MD, or when charging. The included AC adapter and the USB port plugs into the cradle.
This review is mostly general improvements and flaws of the new MZ-N1, there are other resources on the internet such as www.minidisc.org which I suggest anyone who is considering purchasing a Minidisc player/recorder should take a look at because it offers a more detailed look at many units including their improvements, features and flaws. Overall the MZ-N1 was worth purchasing because of the NetMD feature alone, even though it has a few flaws. Whats excellent about the Minidisc platform is it's versatility, I can record off almost anything, a microphone, PC, TV, radio, CD Players, concerts, etc. and all at CD quality sound.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 320
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poopeebum
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Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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