Sony MZ-S1 S2 Sports Net MD MiniDisc Player

I have had recorders that used different mediam incluing Dat DCC flash media and hard drive based .and this one not only is heads above the rest in ease of use but it is built like a tank and very long play times I have used one double a for almost 60 hours .buy one while you can the japanese people are a techno society and the have adopted it as a format for years and now I am convinced

I've been a fan of Minidisc since the beginning, but the format is enjoying a long slow miserable death due to sony's handling of the roll out over the years and all but completly no marketing of the units in the states at all. This unit works great and does exactly what it advertises to do. I actualy ran out and bought a second unit when the first one died after 9 months. I now own an Ipod and the cousin to this unit the CD/MP3/AM/FM/TV Tuner/ATRAC S2 Portable cdplayer (nf something). I never use this unit anymore but was very happy with the purchase when I made it. The unit is backlit, durable, works off of batteries and can record in Minidisc formats up to LP4 (4-5 hours per minidisc) My first unit died due to a recording problem. The reliabilty may be an issue with minidisc across the board due to so many moving parts (a lot that can break). Sound was good, on par with Ipod depending on the recording mode SP=cd quality, LP2=MP3 Quality, LP4was useless. Go to Epinions or ecoustics and read up if you are interested in buying a unit.

I hvae been using this and the earlier version (MZ-NE410). Unit is much less sensitive to vibration than a CD player and works well. The software is another matter. Nearly worthless. I have many CDs I can't import via Sonic stage and no reason why. I've tried on both an XP and earlier win2000, 98 but the software is just as unpredictable on the earlier systems. Sony is apparently moving to yet a higher density format with newer models. Hope they improve the software otherwise you won't be able to use all that additional space.

The Merits of the MiniDisc format:
I have been a fan of the MiniDisc since I first saw all my dancing friends using them to play and share music, when there also was no chance I could afford an MP3 Player.
The merits of the MD -- a relatively cheap, easily tranferable/shareable format, if your friends also use it. If your buddy wants to listen to your studying/skating/waltzing/whatever mix for a day or two, you can hand it over without worrying about an expensive piece of memory/media or having to transfer data some other way. Of course, I have no idea if that's legal -- but let's say I'm talking about something you yourself wrote and recorded.
I have minidisc players in the house and car, so I can easily transport mixes and play them wherever and whenever I like. I couldn't do that [as cheaply or easily] with an MP3 player (at the moment).
Minidiscs are smaller than CD's, which you can also make at the drop of a hat these days, and they don't skip.

Warning for all Sony MD players:
Whatever you do, DO NOT INSTALL THE SONY SOFTWARE IF YOU CAN HELP IT. Maybe it will get better over time, but if you are familiar with the use of MP3s already, use RealPlayer (the free version has a Net-MD plugin that will allow you to drop your mp3s and playlists onto your MDs, without the check-in/check-out nonsense) or Ahead's Nero, or something similar. Yes, RealPlayer takes a little longer (15-90 seconds per average song, depending heavily on how you choose to encode your mp3s -- I use a *very* high fidelity method, and consequently have mp3s that are usually at least 5-8Mb, and these take maybe a minute or less apiece to transfer).
If you aren't an MP3 user already, consider ramping up to speed. Alternatively, you could use Sony's Net-MD Simple Burner to convert your CDs into MP3s quickly, if you must. Some people are lucky enough to get the other Sony Software to work, and don't mind the check-in/check-out nonsense. (You must check-out your music files when you write them to any disc, and they may not be checked in to ANY OTHER COMPUTER, or checked out more than n times (n varies from 1-3 or maybe more over time and version release, or so it seems).)

This device in particular --
Pros:
1) Water-resistant/durable/sports-compatible design. I haven't tested this to the extreme, but I'm comfortable working out with it. I've also dropped it a few times on hard surfaces, with no apparent problems ensuing.
2) Fairly easy to hold -- smoother contours than the usual Net-MD, and comes with a wrist strap.
3) Great battery life.
4) No skipping.

Cons:

1) Nothing major, other than the Sony Software that most people despise -- but you can get around this as above (also search the web for "Mini disc transfer programs" or similar).
2) Ergonomically, it may not suit everyone's hand. Small hands may find it difficult to hold and control while working out. The joystick takes some getting used to. While I find it slightly awkward to use (I have medium-sized woman-hands), it IS easier to operate while running/skating/etc than the average portable music player. You don't have to look down at anything or move your hand significantly.

I bought this of may 2003 because i wanted to use it to go to iraq with. its great for that, it doesnt skip and doesnt get dirty. Now i can play the drums and play along to music so i can learn the beat with louder headphones of course. but that is extremely kool. I cant wait to use it for snowboarding, i have a feeling I will be keeping this player for years to come!!!