Sony MZ-R70 MiniDisk Player/Recorder



Intro


MiniDisk Players are a wonderful combination of a CD-Player and MP3 Player. It can hold any type of audio you have. You can record your favorite CD to a minidisk or your favorite MP3 collection. You can even record .wav files or your own voice if the MiniDisk Player comes with a Microphone Jack. MiniDisks themselves are based on time similar to a cassette tape. You can have the highest birate MP3 or the longest .wav file that may take up 200mb, but that doesn't matter because as I said, they are based on time. MiniDisks allow you to store up to 74 minutes of any type of audio at any birate from any source. If something has an audio-out jack, you can record it.

The Sony MZ-R70 comes in two colors. A stylish blue and a metallic Silver. I got the silver one shown in the picture above. This is MY first MiniDisk Player/Recorder though it's not the only one I have seen or heard. I want to strees "Player/Recorder" because it can not only play, but it can record. Something some MD-Players cannot do. Unless you have a seperate MiniDisk Recording deck, you will want to get a Player/Recorder or else you will not be able to get audio onto your minidisks (make sure you remember this when looking for a MiniDisk Player) I also want to point out that this is NOT the MZ-R70PC which comes with USB cables.

Back to the review. The MZ-R70 is the best MiniDisk Player/Recorder that I could find for less than $200. You can find it as cheap as $167.88 at etronics.com (at the time of writing this review that is) This is where I bought mine. I have never dealt with this company before hand so naturally I checked on their return policy and how they handle damanged packages. It sounded good to me, so I went ahead and ordered it. Approximately 5 business days later, I recieved the MiniDisk Player via UPS ground.

In The Box


This is what I got in the box from etronics.

  • Sony MZ-R70 MiniDisk Player/Recorder
  • MZ-R70 Remote
  • Sony (MDR WO34) Headphones
  • AC Charger
  • "AA" battery w/case
  • Nylon Sony carrying case with "Sony Walkman" logo on it
  • Optical cable
  • Manuals

    The remote is rather pathetic actually. It's a shotty piece of plastic which does get the job done, but not in style. I'm used to the remotes that Sharp offers with Back-lit displays which come in very handy at night. Although sony does make remotes with backlit displays, one didn't come with the MZ-R70. Maybe next time Sony

    The headphones also (shown here) are pretty weak. They are very light which is nice but they become uncomfortable after an hour or so of listening. They sound decent, but I think the sound quality would improve with a different set of headphones. Although, the headphones disappointed me, it was expexted since I have never bought a personl audio device that had headphones that were actually good. This is just me, of course. So with the headphones out of the way, the only thing that I didn't really like was the remote. But as I said, it gets the job done. Though if you are the type of person that has to have everything flashy, you can order the remote for the MZ-R55 (older model) which has a back-lit remote from Sony.

    I was rather surprised it came with an Optical cable, but not an analog cable which is more commonly used. The optical cable is about three feet. I was also happy that a battery came with the package. One "AA" battery will last 17 hours.

    Specs


    While I'm talking about the specs, I'll give them to you. Ripped directly from Sony

    - Includes PClink (USB cable, PCLink converter and mini-mini stereo cable) for recording your favorite music files from the internet
    - PClink converter delivers superior audio
    - USB plug and play interface
    - USB cable connects externally through USB port
    - Jacket Size MD Walkman Recorder
    - Dual Headphone Jack
    - Digital Recording Level Control
    - Internal Battery Compartment Holds One "AA" Type Battery
    - "AA" Type NC-WMAA Rechargeable Battery Included
    - 40 Second Shock Resistant Memory
    - Remote Control with Editing Functions
    - High Quality Recording With Digital AGC Automatic Gain Control
    - Up to 17 Hours Playback with 1 Sony "AA" Alkaline Battery
    - AC Adaptor Supplied (AC-MZR55)
    - Character Input for Titling While Recording
    - Battery Charging Function in the Main Unit
    - Digital Connecting Cable Supplied
    - Digital Mega Bass Sound System
    - Record from the net with supplied pclink (USB cable, PClink converter, mini-mini stereo cable)Using any windows compatible ripper/player application, rip your favorite tracks from your CD's or download music files from the internet and RECORD them to MiniDisc
    - PClink Converter delivers superior audiosound since there is no need to use noisy internal sound card
    - USB plug and play interfaceautomatically configures itself when connected. Everything you need is part of Windows 98/2000 so you do not have to worry about installing additional software drivers
    - USB cable connects externally through USB portso there is no need to open your computer or connect to a sound card
    - Jacket Size MD Walkman Recorderslips easily and securely into jacket or coat pocket and is easy to hold and carry
    - Dual Headphone Jackallows use of the remote control unit while listening to MiniDisc in your vehicle, and also lets two people at the same time share the enjoyment of digital sound from the MD Walkman
    - Digital Recording Level Controlallows you to manually achieve a consistent recording level on your MiniDisc no matter what the source of your recording - Internal Battery Compartment Holds One "AA" Type Batteryso there is no need for an external battery case
    - "AA" Type NC-WMAA Rechargeable Batteryis supplied, and offers great savings and convenience over disposable batteries
    - 40 Second Shock Resistant Memoryresists bumps or vibrations while the laser scans ahead on the disc and stores 40 seconds of music in memory, for virtually skip-free playback
    - Remote Control with Editing Functionsincluding Titling and Move, to customize your MiniDiscs and for listening to tracks the way you prefer
    - High Quality Recording With Digital AGC Automatic Gain Controlensures proper recording levels through Automatic Gain Control to prevent overload distortion
    - Up to 17 Hours Playback with 1 Sony "AA" Alkaline Batteryis made possible by advanced technology that allows extended battery life beyond previous limits
    - AC Adaptor Supplied (AC-MZR55)allows operation from a standard household AC outlet to save on battery life
    - Character Input for Titling While Recordinglets you create or modify individual track information as the MiniDisc is being recorded
    - Battery Charging Function in the Main Unitwhen the unit is plugged into an AC outlet with the supplied AC Adaptor
    - Digital Connecting Cable Suppliedfor connecting to home digital preamplifier and to CD, DAT or digital satellite system units
    - Digital mega bass sound systemProvides rich, deep bass tones with digital signal processing for virtually inaudible harmonic distortion
    - FormatDigital Audio MiniDisc System
    - Sampling Frequency44.1kHz
    - Sampling Rate ConverterFrom Optical-In: 32kHZ, 44.1kHz, 48kHz
    - Data Compression Method (Coding)ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding)
    - Frequency Response20-20,000Hz <+->3dB
    - Wow & FlutterUnmeasurable
    - InputsDC In, 3VMic In, plug-in power, stereo mini jackOptical Line In, stereo mini jack
    - OutputsHeadphones/Remote: Stereo mini jack x 2
    - Power output5mW/channel x 2 (@16 ohms)
    - Power RequirementsAC-MZR55 AC Adaptor (supplied)NC-WMAA x 1 NiCd Rechargeable Battery (supplied)Sony Alkaline "AA" Battery x 1 (optional)DCC-E230 Car Battery Cord (optional)
    - Battery Life (approx.)3 hours Record/6.5 hours Playback with Sony NC-WMAA x 1 Rechargeable Battery3 hours Record/17 hours Playback with Sony "AA" x 1 alkaline battery (LR6SG) (optional)
    - Color Silver or Blue

    **Now remember, I didn't order the MZ-R70PC so I didn't recieve some of the items named above.**



    Final Thought



    Well, as I said from the beginning, it's the best one for under $200. Of course, this is my opinion again, but all reviews are loosly based on opinions. You, the reader, must make your own consious decision given the facts in the review. I hope this review helped give you some thought to buying a MiniDisk player or even helped you decide what MiniDisk Player to buy if you are confused on what to get.

    If you would like to read what other users thought, go to cnet and look under "Electronic Reviews" and then "MiniDisks" under "Portable Music". Many users complained how the max volume was rather low. I know the "fix" to this. All you have to do when you are recording, is make sure you pump up the volume to the max within windows (NOT JUST TURNING YOUR SPEAKERS KNOB! - that won't do jack!) and you will get a louder playback. Many users of this product held this against the MiniDisk Player when in fact, it's fault of the user. Ultimately, the choice is up to you, but I give this Player a 9 out of 10. Great job Sony!

    Take care,
    Hipnotic_Tranz of the PC Abusers forums.

    9

    out of

    10







    If you have any questions or comments, please send them to hipnotic_tranz@localbar.com