Though I am not a big fan of Sony's digital amps on MD players with EQ presets as they have far too little boost, I must say that the sound is clear and balanced, readability of the discs awesome and NetMD function very reliable. Interestingly the disc opening mechanism has changed from the R900/909 model to slider instead of push-button. Like many/most Sony MD recorders, display is miniature and buttons microscopic but better organised than on older models. Only thing I find myself struggling with is the remote - it's inversed... like rotating the button up you'd expect volume up, but instead it's volume down... Overall happy with it - just not as bass-head friendly as some other models that pack a lot more punch. ADDING: Because of noise cancelling headphones on I did not realise how LOUD this thing is when moving around the disc. I have never heard an MD this loud before. None of my other recorders come to half the noise this mechanism makes.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Got this machine from a great Ebayer for a good price, and have been using it a lot. It was Sony's last top-end MDLP Walkman before they changed over to the superior (but now rendered useless, due to rarity of the recordable media, being sold at truly insane prices) HD-MD format. The MZ-N910 suffers from Sony's typical fiddly and awkward button styles and placements. In my opinion, the earlier MD-Walkmans were far superior in usability and design, but lack compatibility with the MDLP format. This unit features the ATRAC Type S DSP. This unit make quite a lot of noise when the player first starts up, or when seeking music on the MD, but it's only for a short few seconds until the player has buffered what it needs, then the unit stays silent until it needs to access a different track. You wont hear this if you have your earbuds in, but in a quiet room, this machine will be heard grinding away from time to time. Sound quality is passable. it suffers from a ridiculously underpowered headphone amplifier (only 4mA per channel), and a stupid EU volume limit on top of the humble headphone amp, which just exists to frustrate. However, you will be fine if your using high sensitivity earbuds for headphones. Another aspect of the sound which I find to be a dissapointment is the so called custom EQ settings. Basically this unit has a 5 band EQ with a pathetic 6dB of boost or cut, which is simply not enough. You can get passable results with this, but don't expect ear hitting bass, especially if the track you're listening to is already bass-light in the first place, or your headphones are deficient in this department. Unfortunately if you boost the EQ too much on some recordings, the EU volume limit will try to reduce the volume, so be warned. Also of note, is that there is no Sony Megabass present, which I personally find odd. The unit makes use of a rechargeable battery "gum stick" NiMh battery, however there is something about the unit not being able to fully charge non-Sony batteries. You will only get about 60-70% of rated capacity out of an aftermarket gum-stick. This unit does come with a small detachable AA battery pack, which gives great results, however it does ad considerable bulk to the unit when attached. However you power this unit, battery life is very good. This unit has a small LCD display on the main unit, which is totally unreadable in anything other than a fully lit room. Sony did not see fit to use a backlight here, unlike the screen which is on the "remote" control, which is one of those electroluminescent types, but does work well. This unit is a full blown machine capable of recording on to MD, and even has an Optical output, and an option to set the headphone output to line-level, so you can easily use this in an existing HiFi system, or connect it to a computer. This unit also supports full track/disc naming and editing. So is very much like a full sized MD deck, as far as features are concerned.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I am, by my own admission, a complete gadget nut and audiophile, and when this little beauty arrived, I was far from disappointed. Beautifully crafted from aluminium, its' lightness belies its quality of build and functionality. Being a netMD, you'll have to put up with the dinosaur that is SonicStage, but the fact you can transfer files from 60 kbps up to the full fat, extra caffeine ATRAC3+ lossless, that's a minor irritation. Set it running and go have a cuppa - Simples! Operation is pretty straight forward and chances are, if you've got one of these, you'll already be experienced in using Sony/Sharp MD player/recorders. The gumstick battery will give you hours of listening time and I invested in a couple of spares - though do check out reviews before parting with your hard earned. Possibly the only downside to this little gem is the jog dial can be a little fiddly, but that's really the only thing. Sound reproduction quality is AWESOME (I hate that word! 14 yr old kids use it and 14 I ain't!!). As a classical musician, I use the machine for both listening and recording. SP and LP2 will give you near enough CD quality (44.1KHZ) with LP4 suffering only minor compression issues. Recording via optical/line in is simple but do it on the cradle - it is quite heavy on the battery life. Mic recording with a phantom powered mic on the battery, is fantastic, but keep an eye on the battery indicator - it's a heavy drain! In all, of all the personal players I have (and I have quite a few!) this is my favourite. It's a real eyecatcher and conversation point and when coupled with a set of Sennheiser or Bose buds, or even my AKG Reference cans (with a small headphone amp) the sound will blow you away. It'll leave your phone/iPod dead in the water - As for the Sony buds, give them to the charity/thrift store - they're naff! Get one!! - You'll love it!Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought this product because it's a flag ship music player that came out before Sony started lowering the maximum volume on their music players. I play MDs recorded on a high end home minidisc recorder from original CDs, and the sound quality is excellent. There's a 6-band graphic equaliser to adjust the sound to your liking, and you can buy replacement rechargable batteries from eBay.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is a great mini disc player with excellent quality an you can store lots on a disc with different modes. Playback is great and the player is very lightweight...overall 10/10
Verified purchase: No