Excellent portable audio player despite restrictions
Written: Aug 22 '03 (Updated Sep 25 '03)
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Pros: inexpensive media; portable; comes with remote; excellent sound, long battery life; elegant design
Cons: software imposes restrictions, uploading is difficult, no optical cable, a bit pricey
The Bottom Line: Despite the restrictions of its software, the MZ-NF610 is a great audio player that’s expandable, reliable, sounds excellent, and comes with a handy remote
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| kyuushu's Full Review: Sony Net MD Walkman MZ-NF610 Personal MiniDisc Pla... |
The MZ-NF610 is an excellent alternative to portable MP3 players because it’s small, very stable, has superior sound quality, and it uses high quality minidisc media. Furthermore, the MZ-NF610 is one of Sony’s newer portable MD players equipped with MDLP technology that allows for up to 5 hours of music to be stored on each minidisc. This particular model is Sony’s mid-range portable MD player and comes with a nice remote, making it an excellent choice for people who work-out, jog, or are constantly on the move. However, MD players also have their own share of limitations. Sony has implemented certain restrictions to computer audio files (MP3, WMA, WAV) to discourage music piracy. Of course, there are ways around this, and savvy computer users will be able to circumvent Sony’s restrictions. Still, these restrictions are bothersome. As a result, the MZ-NF610 can only be recommended to people who are willing to put in a little extra effort in order to fully realize this MD player’s potential. Those who are willing to take the plunge, will find that the MZ-NF610 is a great portable audio player that surpasses portable MP3 players in many ways.
The MZ-NF610 is small - about the size of a cigarette pack. The front face of the MZ-NF610 is metal, painted in metallic blue. There's a small LCD screen on the front face that displays information on track, artist, group, etc. The face itself opens up so that a standard minidisc can be inserted. Aside from the typical headphone jack, there's a port for the USB connector, an optical port for direct recording, and a port for the included AC adaptor. The MZ-NF610 comes with the standard walkman-type headphones (which aren’t great, but still sound fine). There’s also rechargeable nickel metal hydride (NiMHi) AA battery which can be charged using the MZ-NF610 itself. A single CD-ROM disc containing drivers and software is also present. To complete the package, Sony adds a standard 74-minute audio minidisc.
Minidisc Format:
Like all MD players, the MZ-NF610 uses minidiscs to play and record audio. Minidiscs are inexpensive, small, and can hold a lot of information making them an ideal media format for portable audio players. Although they’ve been around for over 10 years, minidiscs have never really taken off in the US as they have in Asia. (In Japan, pre-recorded minidiscs with music from popular artists can be found on many store shelves.). As a result, not all electronics stores in the US carry blank minidiscs. Fortunately, most of the larger chains such as CompUSA, Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics, and Circuit City seem to carry at least a small selection of them. They can also be purchased at many online stores that specialize in minidisc and other formats. Minidiscs are often sold in packs of 5, 10, 50, and 100. Typically, a pack of 10 are about $2 a disc, while larger packs yield slightly better value. There are two types of audio minidiscs: 74 minute and 80 minute. These ratings refer to standard recording in “SP” mode. However, the MZ-NF610 is capable of recording up to 320 minutes (5 hours) of audio on a single minidisc (more on this later.) And unlike CD-Rs, minidiscs can be erased and re-written up to 1 million times, according to Sony.
Basics:
The face buttons of the MZ-NF610 navigate between songs in a similar fashion to portable CD players, making this MD player quite easy to use. Songs can be played in order, randomly, or in a custom order. The LCD screen is small, but track information can clearly been seen. Track information can include track number, artist, album etc. Furthermore, each track can be organized into groups for easy categorizing. Although track information can be easily changed using the provided software, it can also be edited using the face buttons on the unit itself (although this is more time consuming). Sound settings can be controlled to a limited degree by choosing 2 different presets, and each preset can be adjusted manually (treble and bass can be changed). As an audio player, the sound quality is top-notch. MD players have some of the best sound quality around and the MZ-NF610 is no exception. The included rechargeable AA battery (nickel metal hydride) lasts about 5 hours. Battery life is monitored and displayed on the LCD screen so it’s easy to tell when a new battery should be used. Charging the battery requires it to be placed in the MD-NF610 while power is drawn from a wall socket via the AC adaptor. Unfortunately, listening to minidiscs is not possible while charging. It would have been nice to have a seperate charger, but it only takes 2 hours to fully charge a battery. (Most electronics stores carry stand-alone chargers that are typically inexpensive - $10-$20.) Lastly, the MZ-NF610 is equipped with Sony’s G-protection anti-skip feature. This makes the unit very stable and ideal for people who exercise regularly. MD players seem to be skip-resistant to begin with, so the added skip protection makes the MZ-NF610 even more stable.
Remote (Radio Tuner):
Additionally, the MZ-NF610 comes with a sleek silver remote that has its own LCD screen. It’s shaped like a fat, short, pen with clip on its side, and a chord coming from one end. This chord is connected to the headphone jack (mini-plug) of the MZ-NF610. In turn, the headphones connect to the remote itself. So to sum up, the assembly is as follows: MD player connects to remote which connects to headphones. The remote is best used when clipped to a shirt lapel or a collar. In this way, the MD player can rest in a pocket, and all functions can be easily controlled with the remote itself. This is very convenient especially when exercising, or walking around. The remote also has a radio tuner, but reception is moderately good at best. It can, however receive AM, FM, TV, and weather broadcasts. Radio stations can be manually set or automatically scanned through. The remote and its radio are distinguishing factors for the MZ-NF610. Sony’s lower priced models, such as the MZ-N510CK don’t come with a remote and they lack a radio as well. In my opinion, $50 for a remote is pretty pricey. But it is nice to have when working-out at the gym.
Recording
The MZ-NF610 is designed to record audio to a minidisc, and thereby play it back. The recording is converted into ATRAC format. This is Sony’s proprietary audio format for MD players and is one of the best audio formats around. (ATRAC is considered by many to be better than MP3 format.) There are basically two ways to record with this MD player. The conventional way to record is by connecting the MZ-NF610 to another device (such as a CD player). The MD player will record the audio output of any attached device in real-time. The second way of recording is to connect the MZ-NF610 to a PC or Macintosh with the USB cable. Using Sony’s included software, files from a CD-ROM or the hard drive can be recorded to minidisc. However, Sony has implemented certain restrictions to files stored on a hard drive. And it is these limitations that may steer people away from portable MD players. Enthusiasts, however, will be able to get around these restrictions.
Conventional Recording (from electronic devices):
Recording from CD-players, TVs, and other electronic devices is the conventional way of recording, and it’s quite easy. All one needs is an optical cable (not included) to connect the MD player to any given device such as a CD player. (Of course, this means the recording will be done in real-time.) The MZ-NF610 features a synch-recording mode that is very useful for recording from CD players. As it records the output of a CD player, it will automatically add track marks to the entire recording. (Without synch-recording, one would have to scan the entire recording manually and add track marks at the beginnings of each song.) When recording from devices such as CD players, the MZ-NF610 uses its optical input. While this ensures top-notch audio recording, it also means devices without optical outputs need an adaptor, or an audio receiver to connect to first.
Recording from PC/MAC:
As stated before, this MD player can also be connected to a PC or MAC with the included USB cable. When the MZ-NF610 is connected, higher recording speeds and the ability to process different audio formats is possible. The MZ-NF610 features NetMD functionality that allows MP3, WMA, and WAV files to be converted and recorded onto minidisc. NetMD functionality is manifested in the included software: SonicStage and NetMD Simple Burner. SonicStage converts and records MP3, WMA, and WAV files onto a minidisc at 32x speed. Each song takes about 10-20 seconds to convert and record. However, Sony has imposed a significant limitation to SonicStage in order to discourage music piracy. Every time an audio file is recorded to a minidisc, it will be assessed 1 checkout. There is a maximum of 3 checkouts for each audio file. So if a certain audio file has been recorded to minidisc 3 times (given 3 checkouts), SonicStage WILL NOT record it again. Only by deleting the audio file from a recorded minidisc will another checkout be granted for it. Furthermore, SonicStage is stubborn in that it will recognize any duplicates of the file, no matter where it may reside on the hard disk. This means that when a file is recorded and given a checkout, SonicStage will also assess a checkout for each duplicate of the audio file. Any MP3 enthusiast will absolutely hate this checkout system. And it’s one of the main drawbacks to Sony’s NetMD capable MD players.
How to get around SonicStage:
Fortunately, I have found ways of avoiding SonicStage. Firstly, one could use the OTHER included software, NetMD Simple Burner. This is a much simpler tool than SonicStage and does not implement any sort of checkout system. It is meant to record music CDs that are placed in the PC’s CD-ROM drive. The transfer is relatively fast and it’s done easily. The catch is that NetMD Simple Burner will only work on music CDs. It will not process files on the hard drive (MP3, WMA, WAV) nor can it recognize data CDs. So if a user has a bunch of MP3s that reside on his hard disk, NetMD Simple Burner will not recognize them. It will however, recognize a music CD that is in the CD-ROM drive, and thereby record it to a minidisc. Another way to avoid using SonicStage is by using Nero Burning Rom. This is a popular program often used to burn CD-Rs. The first step in this method is to create an audio CD-image containing MP3s. The CD-image is then mounted as a virtual drive using Nero ImageDrive. When NetMD Simple Burner is opened it will recognize the virtual music CD and normal recording to minidisc can begin. Admittedly, this does take a little extra effort, and it’s not documented anywhere in the instructions. But thanks to the Internet, there is a lot free information for people willing to do some research. (For details on this method, go to: http://www.minidisc.org/NetMD_faq.html#_q83)
No Microphone:
Unlike other MD players (that are often more expensive), the MZ-NF610 does not have a microphone input, so it’s not meant to be used as a tool to record live dialogue between people. So users who need an MD player that can record class lectures, or personal interviews should consider another MD player instead (such as Sony’s MZ-NF810CK which does have a microphone input).
Recording Modes and MDLP
The MZ-NF610 is equipped with Sony’s new MDLP capability that allows more songs to be stored on each minidisc. Before MDLP came along, MD players used the SP mode to record. SP mode is the highest quality mode, and it’s considered to be very close to CD quality – surpassing the quality of MP3 files. Although SP mode is the best sounding option, it does take the most amount of space on a disc. This is represented in the ratings of minidiscs themselves: 74 minute, or 80 minute. LP2 mode is part of the new MDLP capability and is slightly less quality then the SP mode. The benefit of LP2 is that recording capacity is more than doubled from SP mode – 160 minutes. LP4 mode is the lowest quality, but increases capacity to 320 minutes per disc. Between the LP2 and LP4 modes, the difference is noticeable. The range and crispness of the audio is definitely much better in LP2. However, LP4 still sounds good, and is comparable to MP3 audio encoded at the common 128kbps. SonicStage and NetMD Simple Burner record in both LP2 and LP4. However, SP mode is not supported in NetMD Simple Burner. So in order to record in SP mode, SonicStage must be used, or the recording must be done conventionally with an optical cable.
Uploading
SonicStage and NetMD Simple Burner do not have an uploading option. This is probably another restriction that Sony implemented to discourage music piracy; but thankfully, there are user-made software available on the Internet to allow this. Uploading can also be done in a more conventional way by connecting the MZ-NF610 to a PC with a line-in on the sound card. The PC then records the output of the MD player. (It should be noted that additional recording software will be needed for the PC, and not all sound cards have a line-in port.) In any case, uploading to the PC takes some extra effort, and Sony hasn’t made it easy. This is another drawback to the MZ-NF610, and to MD players in general. But users who have no need to upload shouldn’t find this a problem at all. Users who do need to upload must search the Internet to find the programs they need. (See the link at the end of this review for more information.)
CONCLUSION:
There is definitely a lot of information to take in before getting a feel for minidisc players. And it’s probably why they aren’t as popular as MP3 players. Still, it only requires a little effort to get to know the format well enough to use it. And despite the fact that the included SonicStage software has its strict limitations, it doesn’t take much to find ways around it. The MZ-NF610 is priced at $199, so it’s definitely not cheap. But compared to MP3 players, it definitely sounds much better, even when playing minidiscs recorded in the LP2, or LP4 compressed modes. The MZ-NF610 is very similar to Sony’s lower priced MZ-N510 ($149). The only difference between the two is that the MZ-N510 model includes a car-kit, while omitting the remote that comes with the MZ-NF610. Personally, I really like having the remote so I can control the MD player while it rests in my pocket. Then again, others who could benefit from a car-kit should consider the MZ-N510 instead. In any case, portable MD players such as the MZ-NF610 serve as great audio players because they use affordable minidisc media; they can store a lot of songs; they can record; and they sound great as well.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
http://www.minidisc.org
http://www.minidisco.com/netmd-info.html
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199.99
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kyuushu
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Location: CA
Reviews written: 52
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
I'm an artist at a video game company who, besides games, also likes high-tech gadgets.
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