The Best Compromise I Could Find Among MP3 Players
Written: Apr 30 '03
Product Rating:
Sound:
Ease of Use:
Durability:
Portability:
Battery Life:
Pros: Size, Battery Life, Portability
Cons: Volume (not loud enough), touchy joystick
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend the unit. While it offers a few compromises, for me it is a durable and ergonomically sound unit that best meets my needs.
itbull's Full Review: Sony Net MD Walkman MZ-S1 Personal MiniDisc Player
I bought the MZ-S1 after doing some serious research. I had narrowed it down to the Rio S50, S35S and the S1. I ruled out the S35S because it only took AAA batteries and didn't have a built-in NiMh charger like the S50 did. The S50 uses AA batteries and will accept NiMh. Both have an FM tuner which was neither here nor there for me. The problem for me is not only do I exercise (run and work out) at home but I travel a lot in my job. And I didn't feel like taking a pocketful of chips with me on trips. If it wasn't for the travel I would probably have opted for the S50, bought a 128mb card for $79 (incl. $20 rebate and a $20 rebate on a $20 - that means free - SanDisk CompactFlash card reader) and had 4 hours of music at my fingertips.
As it is, I now have 5 mini-cds (more than 10 hours of music) in my hotel room that will more than hold me over on this trip. I love the unit but the joystick takes some getting used to. I turn it off about 1/2 the time when I'm trying to just skip to the next song. It's easy enough to restart though and it picks up right where it left off. The main gripe I have is the volume. It only goes to 30. Most of my MP3s are nearly inaudible at anything below 20. Most sound fine at 30 but I wish some were a bit louder. All my MP3s were ripped at 128kbps.
Each mini-disc holds more than two hours of music. The first thing I did, after reading the reviews here, was to find the Sony plug-in for Real One. It's a little buried in the Real One preferences menu but it is there, right along side the Rio plug-ins. I highly recommend bypassing Sony's software and using Real One. I ripped 5 mini-discs in a couple of hours from scratch without even looking at a manual. Very intuitive and no checking-in, checking-out crap.
I also recommend purchasing the matching G57 S2 headphones. Very nice.
Disclaimer: Unlike some other reviewers, whose motives I question, I have no interest in nor affiliation with Sony, Real One, Rio or anybody else mentioned here. I am simply an IT professional who likes music and who was interested in finding the best and latest technology.
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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