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

I originally was just looking around for a small, compact MP3 player to take with me on the road. After looking at several different models I was discouraged by the price of blank media(anywhere from $30-$100 for a 128MB stick of memory) and the high price of these proprietary playback devices.

Remembering a friend who had an MD a year back, I looked at a few minidisc players. What impressed me immediately was the low cost of blank media(two dollars per minidisc). I didn't want to have to constantly download different music to an MP3 player. With the MD player I have transferred my entire CD collection to just a few dozen minidiscs, most written in LP4 mode. I haven't found any serious sound quality degradation in LP4 mode, especially with background noise of the city and traffic. And the 5 1/2 hours of recording time per disc beats a thirty dollar memory stick any day.

I also enjoy the recording capabilities of the MD player. Not only can I record lectures and conferences, but I am also an aspiring musician. For rehersals and small gigs where loads of microphones and recording equipment are impractical, the recording quality of such a small minidisc player are fantastic.

It's small. You can carry it in your front jeans pocket and not notice it. It never skips. I recharge the battery normally every 3 weeks. These 3 weeks see usually 20-25 hours playback time and 5-8 hours recording time. No complaints with the Open MG software. It has certain restrictions on the number of times you can record a track on to the MD, but unless you're running a music distribution company that shouldn't be a problem. Seems like a fast computer is advantageous, I've got a 2.5 GHZ under the hood with 1024 MB ram. Record speeds are quick. A CD can typically be ripped onto MD in 4-5 minutes.

If you're looking for a portable, well made, versatile digital recording/playback device, this is it. Don't waste your money on a bulky CD/MP3 player.

This little machine is WONDERFUL. I have used it DAILY since I got it a month ago. It is so practical and functional. It is so much MORE then just a CD or MP3 Player. I am so GLAD I decided to purchase it.

The sound quality is EXCELLENT at SP and LP2 (up to 160 minutes on one $2 Mini Disc). As Good (or BETTER):) then the original CD. The sound quality at LP4 (up to 5 hours and 20 minutes on ONE $2 Mini Disc) isn't the greatest (it's similar to MP3 at that setting) but this high compression is great for taping long broadcasts (like football/basketball/baseball from the radio).

I use it with a microphone (you'll have to purchase this separately) to record classes/meetings and LIVE Music/Singing. The sound quality is UNBELIEVABLE, almost like you're there!

MiniDiscs allow you to put track marks while you're recording so you can easily find your place later. You can even LABEL these tracks are you're recording to make it even easier to find your spot.

The USB transfer from Computer to Mini Disc is fast and flawless using Sony's Simple Burn Software. (Be sure to download the latest "patch upgrade" to the software from Sony's website). I can usually transfer an entire CD at LP2 compression in under 5 minutes.

To transfer MP3 and other types of files on your computer to this unit, I don't recommend using the OpenMG that Sony provides because of the limitations it imposes (checking out limits). Use Nero ImageDrive (from Nero Burning ROM 5.5) or some other application that can "burn" an Audio CD image to your hard drive or make an AUDIO CD from these files and then transfer using the Simple Burn Application.

If you don't want any compression for your recordings (Sony's Simple Burner transfers at LP2 or LP4 only) and want an extremely high quality transfer, you can use the included optical cable to connect from the optical out of your CD player to this mini disc unit and record in real time. Note that Sony's Playstation 2 has an optical out and will play DVDs and CDs as well as Playstaion games.

To transfer from MiniDisc to Computer you'll need to connect a stereo mini jack (on both ends) patch cable from the headphone out of the mini disc to the "line in" of your computer and record the sound in "real time" using a sound program (usually bundled with your CD burning software). This method is a little tedious, but it works fine.

For more tips/hints see www.minidisc.org they have a wealth of information on mini discs.

This package is worth the extra money over the MZ-N505 because it includes the following (not included with the 505 model):
Microphone Input (to record)
Remote control (connected to heaphone jack)
Car Kit (Includes Cassette Adapter/9V battery adapter)
Little Leather Pouch
Standard AA sized Rechargable Battery (Though it's a Nickel Cadium! Don't know why Sony didn't provide a NiMH Rechargable.. but you can alway purchase one on your own)
TOS Link Optical Cable
Larger LCD Display (to see more of everything)

It's a GREAT Package and a GREAT Electronic Device.

MUCH Better then Sliced Bread! :)

I purchased this cool MD Recorder about a month and a half ago, and it served my inital purpose of making recordings of my own voice outstandingly (I just had to buy a STEREO microphone and then attach it to the recorders MIC jack). But then I decided to try and use it for a more difficult purpose: to download songs from my computer onto it. This was kind of frustrating because I think it only works with Open MG Jukebox. So what I had to do was Import songs from my LimeWire playlist onto a playlist for MG Jukebox. But this didn't go over to well... 99% of the time, MG would not accept the files I was trying to transfer. I deduced that it does not accept MP3 files, but I'm not sure if that's completely true. The odd time, it did work, but then the computer kept saying it could not detect my external device. I gave up with that; I think I'll just use a regular CD burner to burn songs.
But for anyone who is good at working around that kind of thing, or has a different main purpose like I do, this recorder's GREAT! It is so compact and durable, the disks are really neat, and the sound quality far, far surpasses any cassette recorder! So that's why I gave this machine 4/5.

I bought this item 2 days ago and I am now enjoying great music. Software is fine and didn't gave any problem with Windows 2000 Pro and Windows XP Pro. You just don't have to rely on OpenMG, you can use Realone Player(Free), with NetMD driver to record music on the disc.

Before buying this product, I was looking for portable MP3 players (discman). But after reading lots of reviews in amazon.com, I decided to go for this one. Only downside of Net MD is that you can't record or download anything to PC using USB cable.

After reading everything I could find on MP3 players and Minidisc units, I decided that minidisc held far too many advantages to not get one, and the Sony MZ-N707 was the one for me (mostly for cost issues). I am extrememly happy with my decision.

Yes, the OpenMG software is buggy. But it does work. After installing it, I had it search my hard drive and import all of my MP3's which were ripped at 100% VBR (variable bit rate). I then created a 5+ hour playlist and asked it to transfer it to the included blank minidisc. Half an hour later, I came back to the computer to find that it was hung trying to convert the first song in the list!

Next, I tried SimpleBurner to rip a CD directly to Minidisc. Worked flawlessly. Transferred about 4-5 CDs onto the single MD in lp4 mode (sounds good enough for me).
Had an idea and went back to OpenMG. Had it optimize the original playlist (create ATRAC files from the MP3 files) without sending to directly to the MD. Worked great! Fairly quick (about 20 minutes to convert 5+ hours of music), and was then able to download the songs to the MD.

Next on the list to try was recording some of my spoken audio tapes. Was disappointed that syncro-recording does not work with analog recording, but that was easy enough to work with. Found out that after the end of the tape, the MD still records the silence in 2-3 second tracks. I had about 60 tracks to erase, one at a time! I would have loved to have the option to erase everything from here to the end. The only options are to 1)erase this track, or 2)erase the whole disc.

All in all, an excellent piece of equipment. Software may be a little buggy, but it does work and I'm sure it will be improved over time. The sound quality is excellent, the disc never skips, the unit is solid and light, and the media is [inexpensive]! It's the best of tape and CD all rolled together!