Sony Net-MD MZ-N707: A great little machine
Written: Mar 07 '03 (Updated Mar 26 '03)
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Pros: Excellent little unit, great battery life, easy to use
Cons: The software leaves a lot to be desired
The Bottom Line: I would absolutely recommend this product, particularly if you are frustrated with your current portable audio options. Sound quality, portability and durability are all great features of this product.
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| jwiebe's Full Review: Sony Net MD Walkman MZ-N707 Personal MiniDisc Play... |
I've always been one to spend less money whenever possible. Because of that, I've had an RCA player and a Memorex CD/MP3 combo player die on me. My most reliable piece of audio equipment was a Sony Walkman (radio+tape) which only gave out on me last year after 8 years of service.
So, when I bought this minidisc player, I was ready to go for quality, even I had to shell out a bit more. For that reason, Sony was the logical choice. I've only had the device for a few weeks, but so far I think it is worth it.
There are a lot of great things about this product.
Size and battery life
One of the things I like best about the Net MD MZ-N707 is its size. It fits comfortably into my pocket (more comfortably than my wallet) and doesn't weigh more than a few ounces. One reason for its size is that it only requires a single AA battery. The Net MD's battery life is tremendous. Bought new, it comes with a single, rechargeable AA battery, which lasts 20 hours on a full charge. This is more than sufficient, because also included in the package is a docking stand where you can place the minidisc player and it will charge automatically. More incredibly, a single, non-rechargeable AA battery will give you over 50 hours of playback.
Aesthetics
The Net MD MZ-N707 is pretty attractive. I got the blue model, and I almost don't want to put it into my pocket because it looks so good.
Sound quality
I have heard some complaints about Sony's native ATRAC3 encoding scheme which claim that the sound quality is poor. I am no audiophile, but the quality is only slightly worse than that from a CD, and is certainly no worse than MP3 compression. The headphones which are included leave something to be desired, but are easily, and fairly cheaply upgraded.
Portability
This device is truly portable. With a remote control which can clipped easily to a belt-loop, it is easy to change tracks while running, driving, or any other activity. Because of the amount which can be stored on a single disc (over 5 hours using the highest rate of compression), you don't need to change discs often (discs typically cost about $4 or $5 CDN). Skipping occurs infrequently, if at all. Personally, I have used my Net MD MZ-N707 while riding my bike, walking and running, and have yet to experience a skip.
Durability
It may be too soon to comment on the Net MD's durability, but I have a good feeling about this one. The day after I bought it, I dropped it on the floor. After muttering a few curses, I picked it up to find that it worked just fine. Given my previous experience with Sony, I trust that durability is one of the positive features of this product.
There are only a few drawbacks.
Physical interface
The buttons are kind of small, which sometimes causes difficulty. But a bigger problem I found with mine is that the buttons are too sensitive. Often, I will leave my minidisc player in my schoolbag, only to find that it has turned itself on as a result of some jostling around.
The software
When you buy any Sony minidisc player, they provide you with the Open MG Jukebox software. It is the only software available to record from your computer to your minidisc player. This is unfortunate because the software is pretty poor. The program is a resource hog -- it completely bogs down my computer (although my machine is quite old by now). But worse, the user interface is difficult, and far from intuitive. It certainly could use some work.
Recordable Media
For more details about the recordable media, see my review (or any others) for the Sony MDW80 Recordable Mindiscs (5 pack).
Brief details:
-Discs hold 80 mins at Stereo recording quality, 320 mins at LP4.
-Approximate dimensions: 7 x 7.5 x 0.5 cm
-Price (variable): approx. CDN$ 5
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 169 on ebay
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Epinions.com ID:
jwiebe
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Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Reviews written: 51
Trusted by: 48 members
About Me:
The man with the plan.
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