Sony MZ-N420D Net MD Walkman (Blue) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My husband has the white one ($99). He has had his for a year and loves it. I got this one(blue - its cheaper, but the same model) for myself with some birthday giftcards from amazon. I love this. It does not skip or anything. I does take a little while to burn the music, not just drop/drag/ and go. But it makes up for that when you can put the number of songs on it that will last you for ever. And add to it the fact that the battery lasts a lot longer than in other players. My husband and I went through 2 different players before this one...lets just say we will stick with this player for a long time. We have his and hers players and love em. He runs and I walk and they do not skip. I also bought the carry case made for these and I love it. My husband just carries his as he runs, but I can't stand to hold stuff while I workout. I have run with it, using the case and it is so much easier. You won't go wrong with this player.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony MZ-N420D Net MD Walkman (Blue)

Product Description:
This stylish player lets you store up to 5 hours of digital music andbring it with you on a single, skip-free MiniDisc for about the price of a large coffee. The Net MD iscompatible with MP3, WMA, WAV,and ATRAC3 audio formats, and it even comes with a MiniDisc so you canstart recording right away. ItsUSB connection delivers burn rates at up to 32x for your MP3s and CDs.A handy Jog Dial provides easy navigation, and SonicStage and MD Simple Burner Application softwarelet you group your tunes and customize your playing environment.
The player's 3-line LCD display provides album, artist and song titleinformation on a clean, single screen. A headphone jack and headphones are included, but not thesingle AA battery, which you'll needto take the device away from your computer. Battery life is estimatedat a whopping 56 hours (maximum).
NOTE: The Net MD's recording features and bundled software arenot compatible with the Mac OS operating system.
What's in the Box:
Sony MZN420D Net MD Walkman, headphones, SonicStage software CD-ROM with MD simple burner application, USB cable

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Sony MZ-NE410 High Speed Net MD Walkman Recorder Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After browsing hours and hours for a cheap alternative to buying an mp3 player and something I could run with I spent about 2 hours in Best Buy and reading reviews on Amazon.com to find what I wanted.I paced back and forth through the aisles constantly going back to the mp3 area only to find myself so close to buying this open item iPod...it was 269 for a 10 GB old style iPod, however it was kind of beat up.
I realized its really not practical to buy that thing or any other flash mp3 player for that matter...if you ever wanted to change songs you'd have to head back to your computer to add or remove songs on to your flash mp3 player.I knew about the Sony MZ-NE410 and it was on sale for 99 dollars.I use to own a MiniDisc player and hi-fidelity is a plus for a minidisc player vs. an mp3 player.Ignore those SNR (Signal2Noise Ratio) numbers on mp3 players nothing compares to a minidisc player.
Last but not least LP4...I was afraid it was going to sound horrible like a 64 kbps mp3 or even worse...LP4 is freaking amazing let me tell you.There is a quality difference but the difference is hardly noticable to the average ear.I can hear flaws but there's no distortion and its very clear.Amazing product!99 Dollars and CHEAP MEDIA!Each minidisc holds about 320 minutes (LP4 Mode), 160 (Lp2), and 80 min (SP NEAR CD QUALITY).It is about 1 ounce lighter then an iPod and MUCH MORE PRACTICAL.Stop throwing away your money...the iPod's Hard Drive is more likely to fail since there are moving parts in a Hard Drive.I listen to about 5 or more CD's on one minidisc.I am still using the one that came with mine.Its not as thin or as small as those keychain mp3 players but its great for jogging and small enough.
The minidisc player also plays just like Sony's recent mp3 products.It buffers music into its memory while it's playing and stops spinning the minidisc after gaining filling up its buffer space.This increases battery life (about 56 hours with E2 Energizer Batteries) and the actual players life and of course for movement protection (G-Protection).Most mp3 players only play for about 10 hours.Technically an mp3 player is suppose to last longer then something with moving parts but many forget that an mp3 needs to decode the music which is like processor power in your computer and translate it to a sound unit in your player just like sound cards in your computer.YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THIS!There's no pretty LCD but you're listening to music not watching equalizer bars go up and down and see the lapse time of the song, screw the LCD.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony MZ-NE410 High Speed Net MD Walkman Recorder

Product Description:
The MZ-NE410 Net MD Walkman recorder has everything needed to create great-sounding music mixes. In addition to transferring music at up to 32x speed (using its LP4 mode), the unit's SonicStage Jukebox software stores and manages digital music files, custom playlists, and music transfers, making it a cinch to transfer music to the device. The MZ-NE410 offers high-speed transfer from a PC via a direct USB connection, and it can record more than five hours of music on one 80-minute minidisc (using LP4 mode). It also uses Sony's skip-free G-Protection technology, which eliminates or reduces skipping during many active uses. The MZ-NE410 is compatible with the RealOne music player and the pressplay.com online music subscription service. It plays back ATRAC3 files and supports multiple Internet audio formats, including MP3, WMA, and WAV. The unit provides up to 56 hours of continuous playback on one AA battery.
The Easy Skip group-folder function helps organize songs into albums or groups. Once the music is transferred to the MZ-NE410, you can easily skip from group to group. Besides the bundled SonicStage software and SonicStage simple burner application, the MZ-NE410 includes software for creatively organizing music. MoodLogic software goes beyond typical jukebox applications, letting you compile music by mood or tempo rather than simply by artists and song titles.
MoodLogic corrects file information by identifying and retitling mislabeled tracks during ID3 tag cleaning. It also has a feature called Music Marker, which lets you "tag" music during playback. Once the device is reconnected to a PC, MoodLogic retrieves the marks, connects to the Musiclub Web site, and provides information about the song and artist and links to download new tracks, purchase CDs, or discover similar artists.
Note: The MZ-NE410's recording features and bundled software are not compatible with the MacOS operating system
Here's how you can use the included Sonic Stage Software to manage your music files:

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Sony MZNH600D Hi-MD MiniDisc Walkman Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This Player is very nice and capacity is OK for a removable media, however the whole Hi-MD---OpenMG----SonicStage---ATRAC is very inconvenient to use.

I will summarize:

PROS:

-ATRACplus algorithm sound decent at 64kbps, comparable to MP3 at 128kbps in my opinion. There is also a 256kbps option which sounds very good, but files are pretty big for the Hi-MD capacity, makes it inconvenient.
-The advertised price for the Hi-MD blank disks is ok, around $7.
-Price compares to that of the MiniIpod or some Flash MP3 players, however this is "supposed" (read below) to be upgradeable by buying more blank Hi-MDs
-Runs on AA battery.
-You can run with it andget no skips.

CONS:

-You MUST use SonicStage software to transfer files to / from the MD.
-No MP3 support on the unit, only plays ATRAC.MP3s are transcoded by the PC software.
-SonicStage is a little bit unreliable.
-You CAN NOT upload songs from MD to your PC.So you can't use the MDs as a backup of your PC music collection, because if your PC fails, you can't upload the songs again.
-Even if you encode songs in ATRACplus with SonicStage, you can't move the files to another PC.And I'm not talking about illegal moving, you might have more than one PC.
-You can only play (so far) ATRACplus files with Sony's software (in your PC, I mean).
-Hi-MD blank discs are scarce, not even sony online store has them in stock at the moment of this review.

I think this unit is a good alternative to a Flash based MP3 player of medium capacity (256-512MB) if you can find it for less than $200.

For a little more than this you can get a 4/5 GB HD player like the MiniIpod and save the hassle of the propietary format, algorithm, rights protection format (OpenMG) and having only one choice of software.

I think Sony could have made a good product but it's taking the wrong path towards protection of copyrights.They shouln't do soat the expense of reducing the product functionality and reliability.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony MZNH600D Hi-MD MiniDisc Walkman

Product Description:
G-Protection * up to 30 hours playback time * direct USB interface and software for high-speed recording from PC * stores music or data to high-capacity Hi-MD media * compatible with standard MiniDisc media

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Sony MZ-N707 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder (Blue) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'll start with the good points:
1. Lightweight and totally portable
2. I personally think the LP4 mode sounds fine.I constantly use it while on the subway going places.5 hours per disc kicks any portable mp3 player in the pants.
3. Battery life is great!Even the rechargable is impressive.
4. BEST PART.I use the mic in with the sony MS-907 microphone and the results are superb.I have simple recordings of myself playing guitar and the recordings sound like I am in the room.I haven't tried dumping any recordings back onto the computer yet, but supposedly I have to do that through the analog jack.
Bad points
1.The headphones that come with it [are bad], but this is no news to anyone.
2.The remote takes some getting used to and it could be a little better designed.
3.32X is a crock.I'd say realistically I transfer tunes about 10x speed and I have a 800mh PIII.Still not bad.You can go from there.
4.The Software.Let me repeat. The software is hands down the worst part of this package.As you have probably read, tracks must be 'checked in' or 'out' using the Open MG Jukebox software.You can only check out 3 at a time.Honestly, this is NO BIG DEAL because you can always re-import the file to the playlist and you get 3 fresh 'credits'.So don't let that bother you.I do have errors frequently not letting me check in a file that I checked out.I just delete it off the player and re-import the file if I need more credits.That's the way around Sony's attempt to police what I do with MY music.
The problem for me is that when you import a file the ID2 & ID3 tags must be in place.It doesn't just list each mp3 as whatever it is named.Let me explain.Open any song on your Winamp.Right click on the song and check out File Info.If these aren't filled in (which most of the time they aren't) then the artist is recognized as UNKNOWN on the MD Jukebox.I have about 5,000 mp3s on my computer, so I literally spent hours upon hours editing these tags JUST so I could find mp3s in the Jukebox that I was looking for.Once I did that, everything was smooth and was alphabetical.If you only have a couple of hundreds mp3s, then it probably won't bother you until you have thousands.
All in all, the player is excellent quality, so far.Recording with a mic is most impressive and I look forward to using it at my gigs, rehearsals, etc.The only hinderance is the software, but there are ways around some of the 'rules'.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony MZ-N707 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder (Blue)

Product Description:
Sony's portable Net MDM-^Y player/recorder features an L4 mode that allows you to record MP3s or CDs up to 32x faster than can be done with standard recording. The unit includes a remote control equipped with editing functions, which provides direct access to the player's functions. The MDLPM-^Y feature allows you to record 4 times as much music on one disc than on the standard MD. You can record from multiple sources, and with the supplied car kit you can take it wherever the road takes you.

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Sony NW-E107 Network Walkman 1 GB Digital Music Player (Silver) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There's a few things too look for in a flash player.
Long Battery Life. Check.
LCD Screen with International Language Support. Check
Good Navigation. Ah, good enough.
Price. Check

Easy to put songs in. This is the major one.

Here comes the doozy.
YOU can only use SonicStage Software to put files into this 'chine. No drag and drop. No drag and drop. What happens if you want to port stuff over to say a school computer? Nope. Say you want to port stuff over to friends place. Nope. Say you want to port stuff from your friend to your place. Nope.

That really sucks. Flash is more expensive than Hard Drive MP3s. If you cant use it as storage as well as listening to music then it's not worth that extra cash wedge, battery life or no battery life.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony NW-E107 Network Walkman 1 GB Digital Music Player (Silver)

Product Description:
Pump up the volume wherever you are--whether pounding the urban jungle pavement or power cycling at the gym--with Sony's NW-E107 Network Walkman. Amazingly small and light, the round NW-E107 measures just 2.21 inches in diameter and weighs under one ounce. It has a 1 GB internal flash memory and plays MP3, ATRAC, and ATRAC3plus formats. It's also compatible with content purchased and downloaded from Sony's Connect Music Store (available for Windows PC users only).
Originally developed for Sony's MiniDisc players, the ATRAC3 format increases the sound compression rate by approximately one-tenth, thereby reducing the file size and enabling you to store more music. ATRAC3plus goes even further, with compression levels of 1/20 the original sound source, but provides stronger sound quality than other formats and comparable compression levels. The 512 MB memory will store up to 680 songs, or over 44 hours (calculated at 4 minutes per song using ATRAC3plus compression at 48 kbps). Though it doesn't play WMA or WAV, these formats can be converted into either ATRAC3 or ATRAC3plus.
Because music is stored on internal flash memory--with no moving parts, like hard drive-based players--the NW-E107 won't skip when jostled, making it the perfect workout partner. The NW-E107 has a blue backlit LCD that provides song information (such as title, artist, album, etc.) and easy toggle navigation. It also includes a bass and treble equalizer.
What's in the Box
Sony NW-E107 Network Walkman (1 GB, Silver), headphones, USB cable, CD-ROM with SonicStage software (for managing your digital library, converting tracks from CDs, and transferring tunes to the Network Walkman)

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Sony MZ-S1 S2 Sports Net MD MiniDisc Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm starting to wonder whether Sony is even on the right track in trying to remain relevant in the mp3-centric digital music world.
I think something like NetMD would have been utterly fantastic three years ago, when USB-enabled computers were starting to gain mainstream adoption, and before hard disk and cd-r burner prices hadn't dropped low enough for more people to rip and burn their music collection. Then, I think, the ability to transfer up to five hours of music onto a single, (relatively) inexpensive minidisc would have held greater appeal.
Regardless of timing, the NetMD technology is still pretty neat. You are able to transfer digital content, either imported mp3/wma or audio CD's, directly to minidisc using one of three compression settings.
SP, the full-bore setting, allows up to 80 minutes on one disc, and is the best sounding of the three. It is "lossy" compression, like mp3, but to my damaged ears, they sound at least as good as CD's. LP2 doubles the storage time, but the increased compression makes the resulting recordings sound like... well, ALMOST as good as a 160kbps cbr mp3. Almost.
LP4 quadruples storage time, but as you might guess, the sound quality is pretty dodgy, comparable to a poorly ripped 128kbps (or lower) cbr mp3. LP4 is pretty much a lost cause as far as most rock goes, but it is surprisingly passable for hip-hop and spoken word (and probably for most electronica, but I have yet to test this).
As far as transferring existing mp3/wma content goes, I wouldn't recommend it (I know, it pretty much nulls the hype of NetMD, doesn't it?). I've tried converting a batch of 160kbps cbr mp3's to SP and LP2, using the included OpenMG Jukebox.At SP, the sound quality is comparable to the original, but the transfer to MD takes almost as long as the length of the content. Transfer in LP2 is faster, if you disregard the processor-hog conversion to ATRAC LP2 mode, but the sound quality takes a nosedive.
From what I've read, OMG Jukebox is notoriously unstable. Or so I've read. I've been able to successfully install it on two separate Windows 2000 Pro machines, and I'm feeling so lucky, I'm going to buy a lottery ticket once I'm done with this review.
That said, once you fast forward to 2002, where more people than not have gigabytes of existing mp3's on her or his hard disk, you have to wonder whether it's more convenient to rely on a solid state mp3 player to take small sections of this content without any further format-shifting, or dump them en masse to CD-R/W's for use with 3" or 5" disc-based mp3 players. If NetMD handled mp3's and wma's natively (or even managed Sony's proprietary ATRAC without the inflexible audio management software), I think this product would have much more relevance today.However, due to intellectual property concerns, I think Sony hamstrung itself with its convoluted content management system.
In the meanwhile, I've been using the Net MD Simple Burner program to transfer audio CD content directly to MD (mostly in LP2 mode, with some LP4, but for some weird reason, SP is NOT available as a transfer mode with Simple Burner!). I have started amassing a usable variety of discs packed with songs for the gym or for walks in the park, and from there on, it's straightforward MD goodness. Compact form factor, high skip resistance, durable media, high battery life. Basically all the things that most CD-R/W mp3 players aren't.And in a nice change of pace from the bumblebee black-and-yellow motif, the new S2 Sports design definitely adds some to the "cool factor".
I'm inclined to think that Sony munged the Minidisc yet again, this time with questionable software, but the good news is that I am still able to make use of NetMD. Drop me a line if you have any questions or war stories to share.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony MZ-S1 S2 Sports Net MD MiniDisc Player

Product Description:
If you crave tunes while you workout, then check out this S2 Sports Net MDM-^Y by Sony. This handheld minidisc Walkman<< records CDs or MP3s from your PC at up to 32x speed. It features a durable, water-resistant design, the G-ProtectionM-^Y anti-shock system, and rich Digital Mega Bass<< enhanced sound. You can get up to 54 hours of playback with 1 "AA" battery and the MDLPM-^Y feature provides 4 times as much music on 1 disc than a standard MD, giving you over 5 hours of music.

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Sony NWS23 Network Walkman 256 MB Digital Music Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This product will not let you drag and drop mp3 files into the mp3 player like every other mp3 player on the planet. It makes you convert your mp3 using their software to do it. Most of my mp3 library will not transfer over. I bought a Scandisk and every file went in with no problem and plays great. Sony if you were trying to make a product that sucks, well you succeeded.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony NWS23 Network Walkman 256 MB Digital Music Player

Product Description:
The perfect work-out player, the Sony NW-S23 is water resistant, provides up to 70 hours of playback on one AAA battery, features a skip-proof design, and comes with an armband strap for added convenience. The unit is small, weighing in at 2 ounces and measuring less than four inches long, and its high-impact plastic housing is designed to take a beating. If you want a digital music player that's tough and tiny, get the NW-S23 S2 Sports Network Walkman. It won't get in the way of your work-out.

New S2 Sports Network Walkman Digital Music Player represents the latest generation of Sony Sports Walkman players created to be durable, stylish, and ready for go-anywhere outdoor fun.
256MB built-in memory provides up to 170 songs on the device.
Compatible with the Connect Music Store: The Connect Music Store provides an easy method for downloading personal music. Connect Music Store offers access to an extensive online music library including many independent titles as well as featured artist and celebrity mixes.
Water Resistant Design includes high-impact plastic housing designed for outdoor activity, with waterproof seals that help keep out water, moisture, and dirt.
Armband Style Carry Case (Supplied) provides comfort and functionality for your Sports Network Walkman Player and helps you to hold unit more securely during activity.
h.ear Clip-On Style Headphones (Supplied) give you a whole new look in headphone design, with individual left and right behind-the-ear headphones that provide maximum comfort for your listening experience.
1 AAA Battery provides up to 70 Hours Continuous Playback
Backlit LCD Display with 4 Modes is capable of displaying the track number, bit rate, elapsed time, song title, artist name, spectrum analyzer, play mode and bass/AVLS/battery life indicator, depending on the mode chosen.
Skip-Proof Design with No Moving Parts for uninterrupted playback even while carrying the Network Walkman player during active uses.
Music Management Software (Supplied) lets you import, manage and easily transfer your digital music collections with the supplied music management software.
Plays Back in ATRAC3 Audio Format, Supports Multiple Internet Audio Formats (MP3, WMA, WAV): The Network Walkman player plays back ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus files and supports the most popular Internet Audio formats.
Transfer Personal Downloaded Music and Recordings between your CDs and your PC, creating your own music mixes for on-the-go enjoyment.
Connects to USB Port for High-Speed Data Transfer After music mixes have been created in the jukebox, they are easily transferred at high speed to the device.
Group/Folder Function allows for easy navigation between multiple file folders transferred from playlist.

What's in the Box
Sony NW-S23, headphones, USB cable, armband, CD-ROM with SonicStage software.

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