The MZ-N10 Net MD Walkman recorder is the ultimate tool for creating great-sounding music mixes as well as live voice or music recordings. It transfers music at up to 64x speed, and the included SonicStage Jukebox software stores and manages digital music files, custom playlists, and music transfers, making it a cinch to transfer music to the device. A stereo minijack mic input accepts a range of microphones and is convenient for a variety of applications, and the unit comes with a built-in rechargeable battery capable of boosting battery life to 58 hours of playback when used in conjunction with a single AA battery.
Taking advantage of high-speed transfers from a PC via a direct USB connection, the MZ-N10 can record more than five hours of music on one 80-minute minidisc (using LP4 mode). It also uses Sony's skip-free G-Protection technology, which eliminates or reduces skipping during many active uses. The MZ-N10 is compatible with the RealOne music player and the pressplay.com online music subscription service. It plays back ATRAC3 files and supports multiple Internet audio formats, including MP3, WMA, and WAV. The unit provides up to 56 hours of continuous playback on one AA battery.
Recording is faster and easier than ever using the long-play LP4 mode and a supplied matching USB cradle with a direct connection to the jukebox. Placing the unit in the connected cradle also ensures that it automatically recharges.
The MZ-N10 also features an editing remote with a backlit LCD and a three-line dot-matrix display that shows nine characters per line for easy song searches and edits. Sony's Jog Dial navigator scrolls through track lists vertically to search for songs and groups--you can access desired points by simply rotating the dial with one finger then pushing it. A handy feature called Personal Disc Memory stores your preferred settings for listening volume and other functions when playing your favorite minidiscs.
The Easy Skip group-folder function helps you organize songs into albums or groups. Once transferred to the MZ-N10, you can easily skip from group to group. Besides the bundled SonicStage software and SonicStage simple burner application, the MZ-N10 also includes software for creatively organizing your music. MoodLogic software goes beyond typical jukebox applications, letting you compile music by mood or tempo rather than simply by artists and song titles.
MoodLogic corrects your file information by identifying and re-titling mislabeled tracks during ID3 tag cleaning. It also has a feature called Music Marker, which lets you "tag" music during playback. Once you reconnect the device to your PC, MoodLogic retrieves the marks, connects you to the Musiclub Web site, and provides you with information about the song and artist as well as with links to download new tracks, purchase CDs, or discover similar artists.
Here's how you can use the included Sonic Stage Software to manage your music files:
What's in the Box
MD player/recorder, AC-ES605 AC power adapter, USB cradle (battery-charging stand), RM-MC33EL/S slim-stick backlit LCD remote control, MDR-A34SP headphones, dry-battery case (for 1 AA battery), digital cord, SonicStage version 1.5 CD-ROM (with Net MD Simple Burner software), USB cable, user's manual, warranty information.
1 Not durable, but nice while it works
I bought several of these units to use in my laboratory for recording sound data for later transfer to computers. They worked great for that but they are notoriously easy to break. Most of the recorders were damaged in some way within a year. Perhaps this is just the result of hard use by undergraduate students but nonetheless I was hoping they would last a little longer. My suggestion is to go for higher quality and longer lasting units instead of these unless you want something to play with and break. For the price I think they could have done a better job of making the product survive daily use, given that it is meant to be carried around and used on the street.
2 piece of junk
My family bought this for me for Fathers Day. Worked fine for one week, but when I decided to erase and re-record new songs one week later, it wouldn't work. I went thru all the steps...downloaded upgraded software from Sony's site, used different discs, and even redid the whole thing on a different computer...nothing worked. So, on top of the $120+ my family spent on the unit, now Sony says I have to spend more money to send it from WI to Texas to get it fixed...AFTER ONE WEEK OF USE! Don't bother with this piece of junk or you might have to deal with Sony's customer service.
3 not all it's cracked up to be
The unit itself is good, but the software that supposedly downloads music from your computer to the minidisc is lousy. The result skips and inserts large blank sections throughout all the songs. Not a very good result for the price Sony asks for this minidisc.
4 Be educated before reviewing
The reviewer who states that Sony has "finally" introduced a minidisc recorder with microphone input does not have much knowledge of minidisc recorders. Sony has always had minidisc recorders with mic inputs. Every year since minidisc recorders came out, Sony has offered some models with mic inputs, all the way back to the first minidisc recorder, the MZ-1 from 1992 (twelve years ago). Sharp has also offered the same since it licensed from Sony. Sharp used to have some added recording benefits that Sony lacked, such as the ability to change recording levels while recording, instead of just while paused. But all of Sony's models of the past few years, including this one, now allow that too. Of course, the new Sony Hi-MD units will make this one obsolete, as you will now be able to upload your live recordings to computer digitally, at faster speed than the current real-time analog upload. Go look at minidisc.org and browse through each year's offerings to educate yourself.
5 New Updated Software
Well, right off the bat, let me say that if you're looking for a device to record samples, etc, then like everyone else the NetMD systems aren't for you, because the SonicStage software will still restrict uploading of tracks from the MD to the computer that haven't previously been checked out.
Having said that, at least one person made mention in a previous review about the check-out being restricted to 3 only. The new version of SonicStage just released (2.0) allows unlimited check-out of songs in your library, so you can now transfer songs on your computer to the disks as many times as you like. Still...not much consolation for those wanting to upload from the player, but hey, Sony's trying. heh.
I've only had my NetMD for a couple of months, but so far I love it and have had no trouble with the software, especially now that the check-out restriction has been lifted. It's light, compact and provides great sound quality (even at the LP4 setting the quality is pretty good), but this product may not suit everyone. Shop around.
Unless you're a Sony junkie who can overlook shortcomings. ;)
6 Good thing I didn't buy it @ retail price!
I've been wanting to try out MD players for a while. After heavily weighting between an MP3 player and an MD, I decided, why not try something new. Previously, I had owned Sony's network walkman with a sad amount of imbedded memory with no capability of expansion of 64mb. (I received it as a gift back when it was first introduced to the market.)
Fortunately, for this product, I only paid $175.00 for it through eBaY. Had I forked out the true retail value of some $350, I would have shot myself and put myself out of my misery. The biggest thing that bothered me the most about this product was the software. Having owned a number of VAIO computers, I was already introduced to the Sonicstage software. Little did I know that Sony incorporated copyright protection into their software for transferring files to your MD player. Good grief! What a pain in the ass. They basically put a tag on your forehead saying you're a thief! This is a big let down and a huge disadvantage to this otherwise, beautiful product.
Otherwise, I love the product..Quite a lot of functionality..Especially at the price of $175. I'm loving the USB cradle, battery life...And most of all, I love how I can tote a physical collection of music. (...)
Bottom line: The software kills the entire piece.
7 DO NOT BUY IT!!!
This is the worst Sony product I have ever bought. I bought it because I record MY OWN lectures and I wanted to transfer them to my computer. And then when I try to do it I find that you cannot download them!!!
8 Useless
Sony has decided that they will implement full music copy protection with this unit. I'm a classical pianist and bought the Sony $99 electret microphone to record myself. That works fine. BUT Sony has decided that I just might have recorded a professional concert and does not allow me to copy music digitally from the unit to my computer. Makes no difference that I AM the artist. Sony has built a unit that assumes everyone is a thief and that can ONLY be used to copy digitally signed music that YOU ALREADY OWN. Be warned that this makes the unit useless for most people.
9 Quality VS Convenience
I'm a Canadian working in China. Before I left Canada I bought a 20G MP3 player to help deal with the down time of traveling and home sickness :(
It was bulky, and of questionable quality to say the least, but the realplayer software interfaced with my laptop seamlessly transfering MP3-WMA without any complaints. At any rate I lost the unit on a drunken eve in Dalian, and I have been searching for a replacement for several months.
MP3 Players in China suck, and are extremely over priced, so I decided to go for a minidisc player in it's place. (partly because of it's recording capabilities.)
I picked up the MZ-N10, and at first I was right pissed about the (c) protection embeded in the software, which is real pain and prevents me from transfering any recordings I make for sampling purposes. (I collect samples for writing music)
But after a few days of using the unit I have to reply to all the negative feed back I have seen about minidisc players.
In my opintion this piece of hardware is made with a lot of love. It cost the same amount as a 20gig hardrive player, but there is no comparison when it comes to the hardware or audio quality. The unit sound is rock solid and the sound is far better than any CD player I have owned. Maybe it's the DAC or EQ. At any rate it's an amazing unit to plug into! If you are not looking to swipe crapy quality RIPS off the internet. Then, maybe this is the quality unit your looking for. However the software included is a real let down, which acuses you of stealing anything you put onto disc.
Peace.
FR4C7AL=-
10 Price/Value -> For die-hard Sony/gadgetry fans
The tag price of MZ-N10 Net MD is too high for what it has to offer. For above $300, one would expect MZ-N10 to have the a radio/TV/weather-band, a capability Sony MZ-NF610 offers for only $199. As well, the line-in for microphone, without an actual microphone included, comes too little, and comes too late. It comes too little for reasons that seem to annoy so many prosumers: not being able to upload the recorded content, despite being able to easily differentiate between mic-recordings and transfers from a computer. It comes too late because SHARP had a model on the market that was equipped with microphone line-in some 2 years ago, for only $170 at that time. The differentiation between content that's been recorded (via mic) and downloaded could be easily addressed by a software patch!
As somebody here put it, 5 stars for the technology, 1 star for its flexibility, and 2 stars for the price/value ratio, that's 3 stars average.
11 don't get stung!
This is one of my worst purchases. Having taken some time to research MP3 players and owning a RIO, I wanted to buy something at the top end. The Sony MZ-N10 seemed to be just right. As far as the hardware goes it's great but the software is very poor and irritating. Specifically, Sony have created a process of checking in and out the MP3 files, this works only some of the time, is non intuitive, very slow and also restricts the number of times the file can be transferred (3 times). Compared to my RIO this device is a serious pain. It's a shame as it's just the software, come on Sony provide an update which is non restrictive and fix the bugs!!!!
12 Watch out!
NO matter what anyone says, it is physically impossible to upload microphone recorded music onto your computer with any Minidisc player. You can however record music to your hard-drive through an analogue connection, in real time. This not only wastes time, but usually there will be a slight loss in sound quality.
13 Not for me!
First of all, let•À?s get this straight: the Sony MZ-N10 is NOT a top-of-the-line recorder. It is mostly a music file transfer, storage and playback device. It does not come with a microphone; therefore, recording sound with it as packaged is not possible. However, you can purchase a mic and use the unit to record, but the limitations are severe, as I•À?ll explain below. You can record from any analog source but again with sever limitations. I will split my review into two parts: (a) hardware, (b) software. The hardware for the MZ-N10 is superb. The unit is unbelievably small and yet has both a feel and look of quality about it. The sound it produces is exceptional. The mechanical function of the unit is a little unorthodox and takes a while at the manual to master, but that•À?s to be expected when packing so many features into such a small unit. The rotating •À?Jog Dial•À? also pushes laterally to navigate many features, and this may confuse you at first if you•À?ve not seen that type of mechanism before. It comes with an attachable battery pack (one AA, not included) that should but does not have to be attached when in use. The pack does make it bulkier, heavier and more fragile. It attaches to the USP port, and the cantilevered pack if it should sustain a blow, could damage the unit•À?s USB port. The connection of the unit to its power docking station (also through the USB port) is simple and positive. The computer USB connection is made through a second USB port on the docking station. All this hardware, including the attachable •À?remote•À? is well designed and functional. I•À?ll be honest, I simply love the hardware. It is truly one of the marvels of 21st century technology. The software, called SonicStage, is another story. Why Sony calls many of the functions of the MZ-N10 •À?recording•À? is a puzzle until you read the manual on its operation. The process of transferring a music file from your computer into the device is called •À?recording,•À? a rather significant misnomer, in my opinion. In this mode the unit is a MUSIC transfer, storage and playback device. The manual talks exclusive of •À?song•À? transfer, and it calls the transformation process •À?recording•À?. When a song is transferred into the unit it is •À?Checked Out•À?. And when the song is returned to the computer, it is •À?Checked In•À?. While the song (file) is Checked Out it cannot be uploaded to another computer. The software blocks the transfer. The song can be played on the unit any number of times, but it can only be Checked Out three times. Another sever limitation comes if you want to create a CD. Here is the quote from the user•À?s manual: •À?In order to create your original audio CDs with SonicStage, you must use a Sony VAIO series computer only. The computer must be pre-installed with Windows XP and come with a recordable optical disc drive.•À? Now for the recording problem. As I said above, you cannot record sound with the unit as packaged. You must purchase an external microphone to record sound into the unit. I purchased Sony•À?s ECM-MS907 stereo mic. It works great. Another fine piece of Sony hardware. The mic plugs into the •À?Line In•À? port. The operation is then straightforward, and the recorded sound is crystal clear. You can use either a mic or record directly from any audio analog signal. Here•À?s the problem. You cannot upload the recorded sound through the USB computer connection. The software is designed to block transfer (say Check In) of any sound files that have not first been Checked Out from the computer. I record animal sounds, bird calls, night sounds, and create sounds for website buttons, etc. I also import sound from my Yamaha keyboard. You CAN get the recorded sound into your computer by connecting a stereo wire from the unit•À?s •À?Line Out•À? port to your computer•À?s sound card. A very easy operation, but you must also purchase software that can capture the incoming sound. (I use SoundForge.) So the unit has digitized the incoming sound and then regenerates an analog signal to export it to your sound card. Your capture software then must re-digitize it. You have to adjust the sound using the volume control on the MZ-N10. This is an unnecessary lossy process, and you will not get anywhere near as good sound as you would have if the software had permitted you to import the sound directly from the unit into your computer through the USB port. My results are terrible. You could have simply connected the analog device to your sound card and eliminated the two conversions inside the MZ-N10. So the ability to record through an extra-purchase mic is a minor (should I say bogus?) feature of the unit and should not affect your purchase decision one way or the other. In my opinion, the software cripples the function of this unit to the point where it is not worth the money. To call transferring digital sound files •À?recording•À? is simply not correct. All this software slight-of-hand has obviously been caused by the hysteria in the music industry over pirated songs. Hopefully Sony will quickly come to its senses and release another driver for this marvelous and expensive piece of hardware that will allow it to unfold its wings. It along with the Sony mic would be a miniature portable stereo recording studio par excellence in the field.
14 The Software the Comes with this is Horrible
The player itself is great, but if you are going to rely on the player and your computer to write to MiniDiscs, just be warned that the software that comes with this device is very hard to use, often crashes, and is very very restrictive. For example, you can't copy songs off a MiniDisc onto your computer.
You've been warned.
Ratings:
Hardware: 5
Software: 1
Average and Final: 3
15 The SONY MZ-N10 If you have the means...
If you have the means, by all means pick this little baby up!
The SONY MZ-N10 is an amazing device! I was having trouble trying to upload my songs from my YAMAHA musical keyboard to my PC, and then from there burn cds. I had no luck, until I purchased the SONY MZ-N10! Not only can you record songs from any analog or digital source straight to your SONY MZ-N10 and then upload them onto your PC, but you can also download songs from the internet or songs or sounds from your PC as well! Talk about versatilty! One thing I want to mention about this unit. The jog shuttle button is confusing the first time you use the unit. Do not pull on the jog shuttle button to get it to work, or apply excessive force! When I first tried to operate it, I pushed the button from the side of the unit inward, it didn't budge. I thought it might have been a defect, but it wasn't! I then found out by carefully inspecting the unit, to have the unit with the LCD display facing you, then press downward on the jog shuttle button to access the menu. Then from there, rotate the the jog shuttle button to select the functions and the press the play button to execute! This incredible Machine is small enough to be covered by your hands and yet has the ability of an expensive, high performance, high powered home stereo system. And depending on the source, can achieve studio quality sound! The clarity is exceptional! I also purchased the SONY ECM-MS907 microphone for this unit. Kick [hiney]! The combination of the two is phenominal! You really can hear a pin drop! Clear, clear, clear! So as I said earlier, if you have the means , by all means pick this baby up, you'll be glad you did!
16 The top of the line and a super machine
This is it, right now, the top of the minidisc line. Super sound quality, awesome features, light weight (great at the gym) and with a variety of recording features that make it a pleasure to use. Auto tracking increments help when recording live or from an analog source. Great remote that has a two line display, group function and other features help navigate through long files.
