Pros: water resistant, shock resistant, minidisc versatility and sound quality, PC interface, battery life
Cons: PC interface, no built-in mic, no built-in AM/FM radio
The Bottom Line: Want a durable, versatile, entry-level minidisc player/recorder? Looking for the best in portable outdoor music device among CD, MP3, and minidisc? Look no further.
fbg111's Full Review: Sony Net MD Walkman MZ-S1 Personal MiniDisc Player
I'm a minidisc noob and chose the S1 for my first player/recorder. I've always liked Sony's sports Walkmans, having owned both cassette and CD walkmans, and the MZ-S1 is no exception. It's smaller than any Sony sports Walkman yet, although slightly bigger than other non-sports minidisc players. It's water resistant and shock resistant, and I read a review on the net before I bought it where the tester dropped it several times from over 4 feet and it still worked. I like my electronics rugged, so I'll take a slightly larger, but more rugged and durable piece of expensive electronic equipment over a more compact, less durable one (standard minidisc players). I can't remember where I found the review, but I know I found it with a Google search of "Sony minidisc MZ-S1", or something like that. It is also a "Net MD" model, which gives it the ability to connect to your PC via USB and download both your MP3s and your CDs (via your CD/DVD drive) to blank minidiscs.
For those new to minidisc technology (if you're not new, skip this paragraph), here are the benefits. Minidiscs are magneto-optical technology. They are read optically and written to magnetically, meaning you get the dual benefits of optical sound quality (like CDs) and magnetic recordability and rewriteability (similar to a computer hard drive). Pre-recorded music on Minidisc is very hard to find in America, although it is the standard in Japan and other Asian countries. Therefore, most minidisc portables sold in the US are recorders as well as players, meaning you can hook them up to your stereo (and PC if you have a "Net MD" model) and record music from your CD/tape/etc. collection onto a blank minidisc. Blank minidiscs are sold in 74 and 80 minute formats, and you can record music to your minidiscs using various compression ratios. It is possible to fit over 4 CD's worth of music onto a single minidisc without sacrificing too much sound quality. Additionally, minidiscs are less than half the size of a CD, are packaged in protective casing similar to a 3.5 inch floppy disk, and are therefore durable, long-lasting, and difficult to scratch or damage. Essentially, minidisc is a compact, versatile, high quality music medium.
Back to the MZ-S1. I run, bike, and work out with it. It's tough and durable and water resistant. The joy stick on the top is a nice innovation that makes 1-handed operation very easy. Being a techie whose computer system doubles as my stereo system, the Net MD capability is very nice. I can transfer my MP3s and CDs directly to a blank minidisc, and easily organize them on the disc. Skip protection is excellent, and I have yet to hear it skip. Minidiscs are inherently better about skipping than CDs (and even tapes), and the MZ-S1 is no exception. Additionally, the minidisc media is durable and skip-resistant as well. The MZ-S1 has a rubber plugged (for water-resistance) headphone jack, USB jack, and dual-use analog/optical input jack. It runs on a single AA battery which in my experience gives 8-10 hours of use, and comes with an AC adapter that helps preserve battery life when you're using it at home. Sony also sells a car adapter kit with cigarette lighter power plug to help conserve batteries when you take it in the car.
There are only a few drawbacks to this model imo. First is lack of a powered microphone, meaning you have to buy your own battery powered mic if you want to record lectures or concerts or whatever. I had never even considered that use until after I bought it though, as it was not on my list of required features. Most MD experts I've spoken to said that built-in mics aren't very good anyway and they recommend buying a powered mic or amp if you want to get good live recordings. Second is the OpenMG software, which, due to copyright issues, is more complicated than it should be. Instead of simply allowing you to copy tracks to and from your MD recorder, you can only copy music that was already on your computer to your MD recorder, and you cannot copy music from your MD recorder back to your PC. OpenMG uses a check-in/check-out system to try to prevent music piracy through MD/PC, but it also infringes somewhat on a music owner's fair-use rights. It doesn't bother me much since I don't download MP3's from the net anyway, and only need the Simple Burner software to transfer my CDs to MDs, but it apparently bugs a lot of other MD owners. There's even a petition to Sony to change that policy. Finally, I wish it had a built-in radio, like my old Sports Walkman, but hardly any MD player/recorders have that anyway.
Basically it's a great piece of equipment, especially for minidisc noobies like me. Has all the features you need, leaves out some you don't, and incorporates the best of Sony's sports Walkman features.
Record MP3s or CDs at up to 32x from multiple sources (PC, CD, radio, and more) Plays back in ATRAC3, supports MP3, WMA, and WAV formats Easy one-hand...More at Amazon Marketplace
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