Released in August 2001 this was Sony's last purely line recording portable MD Recorder before the advent of the first Net MD models later that year. And a great unit it is to. Solid brushed aluminum cover looks great and it feels very well constructed. Suffers a little from very fiddly small buttons on front and its easy to press the wrong direction on the circular input pad. That said it looks and sounds great and the stand/charger is a real boon when using as part of a hi-fi set-up at home. Records either Optical or Analog input through the same dual purpose input socket. A big plus for those using to make analog recordings is that In manual recording-level mode, recording levels can be adjusted while recording is underway.
I have to say I'm not a great fan of personal units, I've had various cd players, tape Walkmans and mp3 players over the years and been quite disappointed with them, I've always preferred the power and a better listening experience of a hifi separate system, however Sony on the other hand does do minidisc well in all shapes and sizes and thier personal minidisc stuff is absolutely cracking, I bought a mzr909 back in 2003 and was blown away with it, its sounds flipping awesome if I'm honest and delivers a good solid powerful sound even on large headphones, I foolishly sold it in favour of mp3 players, I think fool springs to mind, having recently got back into Md again I bought the 909 again and it's exactly how I remember it, I like the fact your not handcuffed to just bassboost, instead there is separate bass and treble controls and 2 sound present settings to save your configured sound setting, also you can save different sound configurations to each minidisc the unit sees the md your using and adjust the sound stage to the one you saved for that disc, even speed setting, clever! Another nice feature is the speed setting as I like to use this feature on my home Sony unit to listen to my music in slower speeds and was really happy to see this feature on the 909. The 909 also has a back-lit remote which is good for night viewing, everything can be done from the remote even editing discs. Menu system is good with full editing features which can be done on the remote or on the unit, though it's easier on the unit as the jog wheel is good for naming those tracks as its quicker flicking the wheel through the alphabet and push the wheel in to enter you letter and numbers, also all the futures of 909 can be entered from the unit itself even sound setting unlike some Sony units where the remote is needed to access the the bass. One of the best features of this unit is its ability to output Line Out level, which can be set through the menu, the settings are headphone or line out level which is good for hooking up to a car stereo or home hifi with out the fear of overloading your car amp or home amp, the unit also has an optical in and mic in sockets. Battery life is good, lasts for donkeys years, this unit comes with a charge cradle which makes it easier for charging and the supplied power supply can also run the 909 if all your batteries are flat and just need to run it on ac while its charging. Overall I really happy I bought this md again, I've had a few mds over the years all different makes but this in my opinion is the best Minidisc Sony made for listening and recording on the go it's very reliable and built like a tank with a full metal body, it also has a good and well made optical block with metal spring suspension for the lens focusing, not those cheap teflon springs Sony used in much later md units which failed more times than sense, coff coff ps1 comes to mind!! If you ever get read write errors with the 909 then clean the lens with a cotton bud and its fine, my ebay bought broken very dusty 909 with fluff inside had trouble reading discs and wouldn't record but I bought it like this as I used to repair mds back in the day and 95% of them with read record issues just had dirty laser pickups, anyhow I cleaned the lens in my 909 and it worked perfectly, recorded 1 track at 80mins long without 1 hickup.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
Superb MD player/recorder - Sound quality excellent as always with Sony equipment . This model runs so quietly that you barely hear any mechanical noise . Solid metalic feel with reassuring weight, rather than lightweight plastic . All in all this is one of my favourite models from Sony
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I tested it / working good Thank you
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The last of the MD Recorders before the appearing of the net MD (MD-N1) All the functions available for his time on this top of the line model including manual recording level. One of the things it has I like most besides all the amenities is the great looking with brushed aluminum cover on the front unique from other Minidisc models. Big screen for better reading with blue characters. Maybe and only maybe the only thing I can say I dislike a little is that its little bulky than other models, but being the top of the line with such many amenities its OK. In short, one of the best portable Minidiscs players/recorders in MD format
I know it it is a bit late in life but I have just aquired a sony MZ-R909 minidisc player what a gem wonderful sound.a lot better than any MP3-4 players I have heard it may take a bit longer to download music but it is well worth the wait I wish I had bought one years ago. why did I buy it I saw it for a fantastic price on e-bay I love the look of it the sound fit in to your pocket and no dislikes Regards Alan Thomas
easy to use,excellent sound quality,it can be used with its internal re-chargeable battery and-or with an AA battery wich can be attached in for extra play or when you don't have a access to a power source. Strong alluminium casing and remote control with backlight. I had one before i sold it and now bought it again. Music can be downloaded from a pc or copied with a cdplayer.Music can be copied with a fibre optic cable as well for better quality.
Minidisc is far superior sound quality to mp3, ipod etc. Very reliable kit from Sony as always. Manuals still available from Sony web site. Lots of functions too. Records from mic, digital or line inputs. Get a small mic and record your Granny's memories while it's not too late!!!! History is the future and any Sony MD recorder will help.
I bought the mini disc player, because mine has broken. I am a singer and find that a portable player is handy for rehearsals. Plus the added bonus of 21 mini discs. win - win.
this minidisc recorder/player is of good quality and performs exactly as expected and needed - very well. delighted with it.