Aiwa AM-F65

I got my Aiwa AM-F65 soon after it was released. A year ago it was relatively cheap (£170), and had all the features of the most expensive minidisc recorders, such as a 40 second anti-shock memory, 10 hour battery life for playback (most new players are much better), excellent sound quality, and all the usual track editing. The multijog dial makes entering track and disc names much easier. It's also one of the only players on which you can start recording using the remote control (great fun for recording people!).

The remote control does not have an LCD display, however, nor does the unit's display have a backlight. The AM-F70 model does have these features, but it's hard to find. The AM-F65 is quite compact, although most newer recorders are considerably smaller.

After 8 months of occasional use my AM-F65 died. The recording mechanism broke, and the parts to replace it cost £98 - thankfully it was still under warranty! I had always taked very good care of it, and I'm a bit puzzled as to why it broke. Maybe it was my fault, but you may want to bear my experience in mind if you're looking round for a MD recorder.

Overall, I'm pleased with the features and sound quality of the AM-F65, although I'm disappointed about it breaking down.