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Review: Well, I have owned various portable music devices over the last fifteen years and this Sony MZ-N10 Silver Net MiniDisc Walkman has got to be the most desirable ever. I previously owned an MZN1 but sold that to get an apple iPod. The original Sony was great, sound quality was crisp and deep and the whole package was good. I guess I sold it for an iPod to have the latest gadget but I was sorely disappointed with the software and sound quality of the iPod! So again I sold the iPod and bought the MZN10. The first thing you notice about the unit is its size, it is so thin and light, the lithium battery that is built in really condenses the weight. The remote is basically the same as the MZN1 but it also has buttons on it to access different group settings, ideal if you record on LP4 for accessing different albums quickly. I recommend using LP2 mode though for better stereo imaging, this allows approx two albums to be fit onto one 80min minidisc. I like the charging cradle and USB socket allowing quick connection to your PC. The digital pitch is still there so you can speed up or slow down your tunes, I use that a lot! Using the Sonicstage is a doddle once you get used to it, its much easier than the original Sonicstage that came with MZN1. One thing to note, the 64x recording is great but it only records at that speed once your collection has been converted by Sonicstage to the Sony ATRAC file format, ie if you record your music as mp3 or WMA files, Sonicstage converts them into Sony friendly ATRAC3 formats. This can take a while and is a little tedious at times but once it is done, trasnfer really is rapid. Remember though, Sony use a Check-In/Check-Out system meaning that you can only record music from your hard drive three times then you have to re-record from the original source. This is stupid but I suppose its necessary to keep copyright going. Another major inconvenience to anyone new to minidisc is that some CD's are copyright protected meaning that you cant copy it at all. Another criticism is that the 100Hz bass enhancement isn't as crisp as I would have liked, saying that though, there is a VSP device that is like a digital signal processor for studio, live, arena and club settings, as well as heavy, pop, unique and jazz settings. The other really good thing is that you can store TWO of your own equalizer settings, doing away with the old two switch mega bass settings. I would also have liked a louder amplfier, my old Intel Pocket Concert mp3 player was so loud it was deafening but still I suppose its saving my hearing! Battery life is really good, the meter is realiable too! When charging, a countdown timer shows how many mins remain till charged. The lithium battery allows 80% rapid charge in an hour, great if you forgot to charge it the previous evening. The display is nice, but I wish there was an option of a backlight on the machine. To summarise, I have owned quite a few walkmans over the years and this has to be my favourite. I am usually one to swap for the latest gadget but I think I will keep this for a while. Very well made and highly cool! |
Audio HiFi
