The SMALLEST, recorder to date...not necessarily the best
Written: Mar 20 '00 (Updated Mar 25 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small size, light weight, strong casing, attractive
Cons: Very slow disc access, loud operation noise, inability to charge battery while using the unit
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| airferdi's Full Review: Sony Walkman MZ-R90 Personal MiniDisc Player |
**This is my third revision of this article, please read on for additional details:**
I just received my Sony MZ-R90 in the mail today, and boy am I excited to see it! I placed the order 2 weeks ago from www.planetminidisc.com, but it was backordered then...maybe because of huge demand for the unit. I bought the US domestic version (instead of the imported Japanese unit) for 3 reasons:
1. The Japanese model's AC power adaptor is rated at 100 Volts/ 50Hz. As you may already know, the electrical current in the US is 120 Volts/ 60Hz. Although many people told me that the Japanese AC adaptor should work fine here, personally I don't recommend it. A 20V difference may cause unexpected problems.
2. The package includes an Optical cable (a $20 value) for digital connection from a Optical Line Out equipped CD decks (a different cable is required when connecting from an optical equipped portable CD players).
3. The unit's blue color is more attractive, in my opinion, than the silver or black offered on the Japanese version.
I am particularly impressed with it's size and weight. It is the size of 2 minidiscs with their cases stacked together, and weighs approximately 3 minidiscs. It should fit quite nicely in your shirt pocket as it is THAT small and THAT light. On top of that, the unit is very sturdy. It is made of a strong magnesium alloy. I read some reviewers claim that their unit can withstand a 3-foot fall without malfunctioning and any scratch...but I would be crazy to attempt that kind of stunt on a $300-plus unit, even if I believed them. Only the rechargeable battery door seems weak, it is made of plastic.
Battery life is excellent. The supplied rechargeable battery lasts 12 hours for playback, and 6 hours for recording. It took less than 3 hours to charge a fully drained battery. A HUGE improvement than its predecessor, the MZ-R55, which only lasts 4 hours for playback...on the EXACT SAME type of rechargeable battery.
The unit's features are fairly standard...it has all the things you need to record and play a minidisc. But the big attention grabber is its size and weight.
I found THREE things on the unit that can be improved:
1. Disc access is slow,...very slow! It takes 5 seconds to start playing a minidisc from a stop, and about 2.5 seconds to switch tracks while playing. I have an older recorder, the MZ-R50, that starts playing a disc in under 2 seconds and switches tracks in about half-a-second. I think this problem came part from Sony's solution to decrease power consumption on the unit which result in better battery life.
2. You cannot charge the battery while the unit is in use. You need to stop the unit and press the 'STOP' button to start charging.
3. This unit is VERY noisy. I have a mini microphone that plugs into the minidisc without any cables; it works well with my MZ-R50. But with the R90, it is able to pick up the noise generated by the recorder. Then I realized how noisy this unit really is!
Normally, I would give this unit a 9 out of 10 rating, but the slow disk access is beginning to frustrate me lately. And the noise...it's really loud compared to other recorders. I am now considering returning the unit and stick with my R50.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
airferdi
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 1 member
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