Sony MiniDisc recorder

.../> The best thing about Sony Portable Audio players, is that they have a built in charger. Whenever your player is plugged into an AC adapter, you can charge the batteries without removing them. This is very convenient, as long as you have an outlet nearby. This player comes with one rechargeable AA battery which is very convenient. You can just recharge it whenever it runs out, and you never have to worry about buying batteries.

...
...Sony has not disclosed exactly how the software works, all I know is that it does work. With standard memory skip-protection, the player would always begin to skip after a certain amount of time under bumpy conditions. The system works by memorizing data a given amount of time ahead of the data that is playing. It does nothing to stop the CD from skipping, but rather plays from memory if it does skip. The problem with this system is that if there ... more

Size and Looks
The MZ-R700 looks about the same as any other MD player on the market. Slightly larger than a Mini Disc, the player is smaller and more convenient than any CD player will ever be. It is made of titanium which provides a solid silver sheen making the player look very slick and high-tech. The LCD display is located on the front of the player at the top. Below it to the right is a jog dial which controls the tracks. All of the buttons are coated in titanium contributing to the silver sheen of the player. This player is one of the better looking players on the MD market, and surpasses nearly any CD player with its sleek look.

Batteries
Probably the most amazing thing about this player is the battery life. It only uses 1 AA battery, but on that small amount of power, it can last for nearly 50 hours when playing on LP4 mode. This is as long as the best Portable CD players, which run on expensive rechargeable batteries. If you are worried about battery life, there is no question this is the player for you.

The best thing about Sony Portable Audio players, is that they have a built in charger. Whenever your player is plugged into an AC adapter, you can charge the batteries without removing them. This is very convenient, as long as you have an outlet nearby. This player comes with one rechargeable AA battery which is very convenient. You can just recharge it whenever it runs out, and you never have to worry about buying batteries.

Skip Protection
The MZ-R700 features Sony’s patented G-Protection. Sony has not disclosed exactly how the software works, all I know is that it does work. With standard memory skip-protection, the player would always begin to skip after a certain amount of time under bumpy conditions. The system works by memorizing data a given amount of time ahead of the data that is playing. It does nothing to stop the CD from skipping, but rather plays from memory if it does skip. The problem with this system is that if there is continual skipping, the memory will eventually run out, and the player will begin to skip. If you try to run with standard memory skip-protection, the player will begin to skip, whether it is 10 seconds after you began, or 2 minutes, since the player only memorizes that far ahead, and if the skipping continues for more than the memory limit, the music will begin to skip.

As I said before, it is not known how G-Protection works, and since Sony has it patented, you won’t be seeing it on any other brands. From what I have read, it works to eliminate skipping completely, although that is just speculation. All I know is that it works. I have taken the MZ-R700 on a run, and as long as I hold it in my hand, it never skips. I tried attaching it to my belt, but the constant jarring began to cause problems after about 5 minutes, so the G-Protection is not foolproof.

Sound
Sony MD players have a potential for much better sound than other MD players. With MDLP (see below), you have the option to gauge sound quality against amount of data, but if you record on the highest quality, it is better than any other brand of MD players. The sound quality of this model is great, but MD format will always have restrictions on sound quality as long as you have to record it yourself. The sound quality on a Mini Disc will never compare to that of a studio quality CD, but for most people it should be sufficient.

Durability
Since the player is fairly solid, it is very durable. The titanium coating makes the surface scratch-proof to a certain extent, but don’t expect miracles. The only fragile parts are the LCD display which can crack easily if hit, and the disc loading mechanism. The disc is loaded into the player just like a tape is loaded into a video camera. The lid pops up at a one end so that it is on an angle like a dump truck unloading, and reveals the inside of the player. The Mini Disc easily fits into the slot under the lid, and then you can push the lid down to close the player. If you leave the lid open, the inside parts are very susceptible to catching onto things and breaking. Make sure you always keep the player closed. Basically, if you take good care of the player, it will last forever. If you drop it and abuse it, it will show the abuse, and eventually break.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other Features
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MDLP
Mini Disc Long Play capability allows you to record up to 320 minutes on a 74 minute disc! This sounds great, right? Well like most things, it comes with a price: sound quality. In order for you to be able to record so much more information, it needs to be compressed. The more you compress it, the worse the sound gets. The nice thing about this feature is you don’t have to use it. If you are worried about sound quality, you can record on normal and get 80 minutes of music. If you want the most music on one disc, record on LP4 mode for 320 minutes. And for a compromise, you can record on LP2 mode for 160 minutes. I would recommend this mode, because it allows you to record as much music on a disc as you will probably need, and the sound doesn’t suffer nearly as much as on the LP4 mode. I don’t think the loss of sound on the LP2 mode will bother most consumers, so this is the one to go with. Of course, for special occasions, the other modes are very convenient. One other thing to take into account with this feature, is that anything you record on an MDLP player, can only be played on MDLP players.

The Remote
One of the coolest features of the high-end Sony Portable Audio players is the cool remote that is provided. Unfortunately, the remote provided with the MZ-R700 is not as cool as that of Sony’s MZ-R900. It is an older version of remote similar to some of Sony’s CD players, but other than lacking an LCD screen, it isn’t bad. You can control just about anything on the player with the remote, but since the LCD display is on the actual player, it is a little inefficient. With the remote on the MZ-R900 (as well as the D-EJ925 CD player), since it has an LCD screen on it, you can simply put the actual player away and just use the remote to control play. This is very handy when you are on the go since you can just put the player in your pocket and still maintain control.

Audio Outlet
One nice feature is the Audio Outlet. If you wish to plug the Portable MD player into a stereo or other self-controlled sound device, you can use this outlet, which is not controlled by the player. Basically what I am trying to say is that it will only relay the musical data to the separate audio device, without volume or bass, etc. Then you can use the separate audio device to control such commodities. This is nice because with the standard headphone jack, the sound comes out in a final form as the player dictates. If you wish to play it over a stereo, you will most likely want to control the volume and bass with the stereo.

Character Input
This feature enables you to edit the track titles with the player. You can do this as it is recording, and when you play a song, the title and artist will be displayed on the LCD display.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Conclusion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Price
At a retail value of 250 Euros, the MZ-R700 is extremely expensive. I was able to find it for 180 Euros, so it is not necessary to pay such a huge amount for it. At the moment, 180 Euros is a lot more than you would have to pay for even the best Portable CD players, so unless you really want a MD player, a CD player might be a better choice. I would recommend checking out sites like mysimon.com to see where the best deal is on the internet. You will not be able to find the MZ-R700 in stores like Best Buy or Circuit City because they only carry cheaper players. You will definitely find the best deal on the internet, and mysimon.com will check all its affiliated sites if you type in the model number, and give you the best price. Remember, if you want a good MD player or MP3 player, they will be much more expensive, and probably not be as good as the best CD players. This player is a very good MD player, but CD players will always have better sound quality, and the same great features, at a much lower price. The only thing the MD players have over CD players is size and battery life.

The Bottom Line
Although Portable MD players are much smaller and consume less battery power than CD players, I am still not convinced that they are better. Mini Discs will never be able to contain the same sound quality as a studio recorded CD until studios begin recording on MDs as well. If you look at my recommendations, the first CD players are nearly as good, if not better than any MP3 or MD player on the market, and may be a better selection. Of course, if you really want an MD player, the MZ-R700 is a great choice, but do some research before committing yourself to the huge price. 

...less