You'll Definitely Get Value for the Buck; Too Many Bucks
Written: May 07 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small, Skip-Protection, Durability, Sound Quality
Cons: Expensive
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| TheNihcman's Full Review: Sony Walkman MZ-E900 Personal MiniDisc Player |
Picking up a little extra cash here and there, I decided to put my hard earned savings into another high quality minidisc player. Being a MiniDisc enthusiast, I can never have too many players. I finally decided upon the MZ-E90 for many reasons.
First, it's battery life was advertised as 56 hours with one "AA" and the supplied NH-14WM rechargeable battery. This is a great improvement, as my MZ-EP11 (which I also have a review on) only gets 6-8 hours on one "AA." I found that just using the rechargeable battery will get me about 22-24 hours. When you add on the "AA" battery (in a separate compartment), there is an additional 32-34 hours of playtime.
The second reason I purchased this minidisc player is for it's amazing size. For all you who are familiar with MiniDiscs, imagine two Minidiscs in their cases stacked on top of each other. That's the total size of it. For all who haven't a clue as to what I'm saying, it's about 1/2" high, and a square with 2 1/2" sides.
Another improvement over my MZ-EP11 (sorry to keep referring to the EP11, but it is my favorite MD player) is that it has a blistering 40 second anti-skip protection. As I stated in my EP11 review, which only has 10 second skip protection, I could run miles with the EP11 without it skipping. I recently went on a biking expedition, and took both my EP11 and my E90 with me. I gave the EP11 to my friend, and I used the E90. Twenty minutes into the expedition, my friend gave it back to me, telling me that it was of no good to him, because it kept skipping. I had not known, because the E90 did not skip at all. Thus, the E90 can take just about any
After having the player for about a month, being used almost 2-3 hours a day, I realized that it is extremely durable. I find that all my MD players (especially my MZ-EP11) are extremely durable. The shell is made from magnesium alloy, and has sustained a great deal of hits and falls with little or no damage. I once put the player on a shelf about six feet off my marble floor, in an attempt to keep it away from my five year-old cousin. Little did I know, I left the remote and the headphones, which were still connected to it dangling within her reach. Hearing a big crash, and her laugh, I knew what had happened. My MZ-E40, which fell from almost the same distance had been rendered useless after such a fall. The E90 seemed to be unharmed, with only a scratch about .125" in length.
Also, unlike the remote for the EP11 (RM-MZ35) the new remote is backlit. This helps a great deal, because you can now use it in the dark, or poorly lit environments. However, it is extremely small, and the buttons may be hard to those who have large, stubby fingers. This leads me to the buttons on the actual player. They, too, are also very small, and are extremely hard to press for those with large fingers.
As for the sound, the sound is unparalleled. Both my R70, and my EP11 do not play the slight details that I like to listen to on my CD's. However, with the E90, I feel as though I'm actually attending a performance, because I can hear the minute details like the small background's and the small entrances.
However, the E90 is extremely costly (MSRP is 449.95). For this price, you could get a R55, R70, or an R90, all of which record. But for those extreme enthusiasts, go with this one. It'll make a world of difference.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
TheNihcman
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Location: New York!
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 8 members
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