Leading the industry in digital music, Sony NetMD will maximize your entertainment even on the road. Sony's MZ-N510CK High Speed Net MD Walkman Recorder is supplied with Car Kit Accessories for an easy NetMD connection in your car. For your convenience a Remote Control is supplied for easy access to advance tracks, and a Bookmark Function enables rapid song retrieval. So record MP3s or CDs at Up to 32x Speed, enjoy ATRAC3 Audio, MP3, WMA, and WAV Playback, and utilize MDLP Long Time Stereo Playback for playing more than five hours of music on one 80 minute disc. Music Management Software like the supplied SonicStage Software and the Net MD Simple Burner Application, plus REALONE Player Compatibility make managing your music a snap. Connect to music wherever you go with the MZ-N510CK.
The MZ-N510CK Net MD Walkman recorder has everything needed to create great-sounding music mixes. In addition to transferring music at up to 32x speed (using its LP4 mode), the unit's SonicStage Jukebox software stores and manages digital music files, custom playlists, and music transfers. Bookmarking lets you program favorite songs in real time during playback, and supplied car accessories turn a vehicle into a personal music club.
The MZ-N510CK offers high-speed transfer from a PC via a direct USB connection, and it 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-N510CK 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.
Besides the bundled SonicStage software and SonicStage simple burner application, the MZ-N510CK includes MoodLogic software, which goes beyond typical jukebox applications, letting you compile music by mood or tempo rather than simply by artists and song titles. MoodLogic corrects file information by identifying and retitling mislabeled tracks during ID3 tag cleaning. It also has a feature called Music Marker, which lets you "tag" music during playback. Once the device is reconnected to a PC, MoodLogic retrieves the marks, connects to the Musiclub Web site, and provides you with information about the song and artist and links to download new tracks, purchase CDs, or discover similar artists. The unit provides up to 56 hours of continuous playback on one AA battery and comes with a Remote Commander control and an AC adapter.
Here's how you can use the included Sonic Stage Software to manage your music files:
1 Say no to MD
It's a great and stylish product but I won't buy one again. I know MD is very popular in Asia and other parts of the world, but I just don't see how is that better then MP3 players especially when the price on the MP3 players are getting cheaper by the days? I used to own 2 SONY MD players and got rid of them all!!! The sound quality is good only if you record the tracks in MD standard format and in real time. Anything other than that, is gonna sound crappy. I am sure many reviews have already covered that aspect. And the SONY software sucks too when it comes to copyright laws. They remind me a bunch of old guys trying to enforce the old rules. Do yourself a favorite and get a MP3 player like iPod or something.
2 The software brings down the overall value
Though the sound quality and other hardware features are good, I would seriuosly recommend users not to buy this product. The software is such a big hassle that you stop using it as a MP3 player. It is a big pain to check in and check out songs and the user interface of the sonicstage software needs to be improved by leaps and bounds.
Besides the discs cost high (5 discs for $8), typical SONY strategy of making money by selling high-priced accessories.
You can rather buy an IPOD, if you can afford it, since it has much more value for money. In case your budget is low, any standard mp3 players should do the trick rather than going for the NET MD player from sony.
3 Art's MD unit
Very impressed w/ this little Sony MD unit. Great sound in a small pkg. This is my 1st minidisc player so I don't have a reference for comparison. Haven't tried to dnld music or record yet. I understand from some of the other reviews that the software can be fustrating to use but as long as I stay within the capabilities/limitations of this MD Net unit It should function ok. The learning curve for me to get up to speed will be long & slow but I'll get there.
4 Very Impressed..
First off, I'm only going to comment on the HARDWARE, because everyone knows that the Sonicstage software leaves much to be desired. Moving right along, this is a great entry-level minidisc player. I wanted a HI-MD player, however the prices are very high right now. I'm going to wait for the next generation players to come out because prices should come down considerably. With having said that, Atrac, as a codec, is far superior to MP3. My ripped Atrac LP4 tracks (highest compression, thus more music on a MD) sound considerably better than 128 bit MP3. Likewise, the LP2 sounds magnificent as compared to mp3. Overall, sound quality is typical Sony quality. Very good. The menu takes a while to get used to, but works well once you get the hang of it. This is my first Minidisc player, and I'm suprised that such an old technology can be soooo good. I was considering buying an mp3 player (hard drive player,) but I remembered that years ago I really wanted a minidisc player, so I decided to research them. Minidisc media are very cheap, and can be rewritten up to a million times (as Sony claims.) The discs are very small and fit in a pocket painlessly. Using LP4 on an 80 minute disc, you can have 5 hours of music. Pair that with an additional disc in your pocket, and you can have 10 hours of music within easy reach. Be honest, do you really need THAT much music close by? The price is a lot better than MP3 too. You can find this model new and online for under 70.00 shipped. Would you rather run or bike with something 70.00 or an Ipod for 300.00? Also keep in mind Minidiscs are very durable. Again, do you *really* need to have your WHOLE music collection with you while you're excercising? Minidisc is a viable alternative to mp3 for this purpose. The small size of this unit is also nice for running. Sonicstage isn'tas bad as a lot of people make it out to be. I "burned" 5 hours of music in LP4 on a disc and it took less than 15 minutes (my mp3 files are on another computer that I'm wirelessly connected to, so your time will be much quicker.) Overall, this is a pretty basic player/recorder that will be more than enough for most needs.
In regards to recording with this unit, it is possible, and sounds good too. You will need a powered mic, however, and keep in mind that to upload back to your computer, you'll have to do it in real-time via your line-in on your soundcard. Also, keep in mind that by doing this, you lose all advantages of recording digitally as the connection through line-in is analog. But, the sound quality is still VERY good. In fact, it is very hard to tell the difference b/w the analog recording and original digital. If ALL you want to do is record, I'd reccomend getting and older model with a mic-in.
5 Accessories List is Wrong!!!
Hi,
The mic listed as an accessory will only work with higher priced MiniDisc recorders. If you're looking for an MD recorder that you can record analog with a stereo microphone or line in, check out the Sony MZ-N10 or comparable instead. For a comprehensive comparison of all MD recorders including the all important "Which jacks does this box have?" question, check out:
http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-N10.html
6 Compatible with MP3???
I was under the impression it PLAYED mp3s. After all, isn't that what the idea of compatibility should mean? Well don't be fooled. It CONVERTS mp3s to Attract format. Sounds nice except it converted my 30MB collection of speeches to 199MB and could not even fit it on one minidisc! Pathetic. If you want an mp3 player, this is NOT it. Don't make the same mistake I made!
7 GREAT DEVICE
I love my new MD I take it every where I have put music on my MD from every source I know of NO PROBLEMS I had 4 cd players 3 mp3 players and 1 MD player I never use anything else. Why would I? 50+ hours on one battery and I bought rechargeables so now I use one throw it into its charger and grap a charged. Here is a tip for all those complaints about sonic stage umm UPGRADE YOUR SOFTWARE!!!! The new sonic stage solves many problems and you can transfer back to pc burn time is fast with a nice PC if you have a P1 or P2 you might like burn time but my 1.8 P4 will burn a song in under 8 sec a songs about 3sec to convert to Atrac and 2-3 sec to burn.(you have the option to convert all tracks to Atrac so they are easier to transfer). And by the way I have transferred more than one track more than ten times so I have no clue what they are talking about. I still have no problems with this MD player (I didn't like the headphones so I used my Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia Headphones which I love)
8 This is a great deal, too bad it's on clearance and not ava.
This is a good deal! Too bad it's on clearance at Best Buy, and no other stores in my area had this in stock, so go get it while it's still here! Overall, the player is really neat and a great thing to have if you don't want to carry around a lot of CD's. With this, you can put a lot of your CD's onto one mini-disc-minimizing having to always switch CD's. Also, you can download songs(MP3), erm, "illegaly" from the most popular sites (Kazaa for example). The only problem is the software: It is a little confusing, but you'll get the hang of it soon. What stinks is that the software only allows you to "check out" and "check in" songs. So, if you transfer a Beyonce song onto the player then you are "checking out" the song. But, in order to not exceed the 3 "checking out" song limit you have to "check in" the songs back to the computer.
9 Poor Reliability
I bought this thing about a year ago now. At first I really liked it, the music played well, and it never skipped or anything.
After a little over 4 months of use it broke. I had to take it to the shop where it took 2 months for them to fix it. After talking to my friends and other people who had them, all I hear is things like "what a piece of crap", etc. Everyone's seems to have broken at one point or another, and even after it gets repaired in several months it breaks again! In my case it was the headphone jack, and apparently a transistor. This caused it to only work in one ear of the headphones and it skipped because of the transistor.
I think the best advantage to this product over everything else in this category is the length of the battery power. One battery lasts me something like 52 hours. That's great. The software is sort of annoying, it tries to make it so you can't copy music more than three times, and you cant transfer the songs back onto your computer! But if you just keep it on your computer it no real problem.
Bottom line: Don't Bother.
10 Terrible software - hold on to your old MD.
- Software will NOT allow you to write CD to MD more than three times.
- Software will NOT allow you to write from MD to PC if the MD recording did not originate from that same PC.
- Software will NOT allow you to write from MD to PC if the MD recording was made with a microphone, optical or analog line (from a hi-fi).
- Software is horrible to use.
This software could have been great if it ALLOWED me to transfer microphone recordings from my MD to the PC. The three time transfer rule (you can only record a CD to MD three times) should also have been advertised.
Copyright restrictions do not apply to me as I own it my own music.
I am a songwriter & used the old MZR700PC to record rehearsals and interviews. I purchased the MZ N710 to help me manage these recordings I have collected over the past four years.
I have brought my old MD (MZR700PC) around the world with me a few times and it still works fine; I have no doubt that Sony make a quality product.
So: Hold onto your old MD, Net MD is only as good as the terrible software that controls it.
Dear Sony,
I have always considered your products to be at the front of technology and innovative design.
Having "upgraded" my minidisc recorder from the MZR700PC to the MZ N710 I am not so certain.
Does your company really feel that it will be able to compete with the iPOD?
I am certain that you can do better than this muck (SonicStage software) if you take a few days to read your criticism at:
(...)
Regards,
A concerned costumer.
11 Great product - lousy warranty and service
I love the product itself--very easy to use and perfect for carrying around a lot of music in a small package. However, 5 months after I got mine, the external power connector fritzed in some way--both the AC and cigarette lighter power adapters wouldn't make a good connection unless I held them in the hole at an angle, and then the back of the unit would get hot. So, I sent the player back to Sony under warranty (parts only--the labor warranty runs out after 3 months). I was told that the warranty is an exchange program, so I'd need to ship mine to them and they would replace it with a refurbished one. So, after owning this for less than 6 months, I had to pay to ship mine back to them ($7 for UPS with a tracking number and insurance) and pay $29 labor for them to send me back a used one. They received mine a week ago today (UPS tracking info), and I was told today that they have no estimate of when they will have one to ship back to me. My advice would be to get one, but not from Sony directly so you can get an extended replacement warranty.
12 Awsome!!!
my girlfried bought this for my birthday, at first i was secptical why use an MD when you caould just use CD's, however i soon learned how great this product was, i have aboiut 5 cd's on one MD, its fast simple and easy to use, ripping Cd's and buring them on the min disc is awsome, not to mention its easyier to run with a mini disc player then a cd player it dosent skip!!!, also the controll pannel on the head phones is worth the buy it self beascue you dont have to reach in your packet to avance the song...raelly good buy get one!!!...
13 OMG I LUV IT!!!! <3
I got this as a gift from my parents for Christmas and loved it. Unfortunately, I look at too much pr0n and it no longer works on my computer.
Buy this.
14 I love it and I hate it
I use my MD player every day so, obviously, something is right about it. I actually own two!
But I also want to write a cranky email to this engineer at Sony signed off on the software! It is AMAZINGLY bad! SonicStage (1.5 is my version) is SO counter-intuitive that I just can't use it... and I'm pretty savvy with computer stuff. LITERALLY -- I can't use it.
I can't figure out any way to just drag-and-drop songs to the player in the SonicStage software. Why in the world not? It's baffling.
Instead Sony makes you go through this ridiculous "check in check out" process. (or is it "check out - check in"?) It makes no sense to me. Maybe if you grew up on right-brained computer games like Mario Brothers, you could just let go of the need for logic.
FORTUNATELY, you can get a plug-in for RealAudio which is better but still not that great. The SimpleBurner isn't too bad either -- it's just limited to copying your CDs.
The Sony MD player is terrific at recording stuff off the radio for time-shifting. However, Sony won't let you transfer it back on to your computer for safe-keeping. The only way to do this is real time dubbing through your sound card. How FRUSTRATING! The MD could be one terrific tool for ripping your old LPs, or whatever, but Sony has made this impractical. This crippling of functions by Sony makes it useless for lots of people, I'm sure.
The compression and audio quality are terrific and it sounds great to my ears, even at the highest compression rates.
One terrific thing you can do with the MD is record off you favorite radio stations and then edit out the commercials and even move the songs around. This is so easy to do, that I do this while on my evening walks! You end up with a custom "best of" tape. But, then it's a pain-in-the-neck if you want to get that back on your computer.
The price is a deal for such a great piece of hardware and the MD disks are cheap, sturdy and hold a lot. I take mine on trips all over the world and even 5 MDs is plenty. I take my MD places that I would be nervous to take an IPod or some other higher-priced MP3 player. Also, battery life is great and it uses just normal AA's which you can buy anywhere -- a big advantage for travel.
Even though it is marketed as "speedy" it doesn't seem that fast to me. I haven't' actually timed it, but I think you could burn an MP3 CD quite a bit faster.
So, if you want to time-shift NPR or Rush, it's a great little machine. I havne't seen anything around that can beat it. But I wouldn't recommend it for listening to MP3s.
If Sony had just written better software and hadn't crippled it, the MD player would be killer. But, it's good for some functions like time shifting.
15 Just to add more into what the other have said
Like everyone has said, this MDplayer is really great.
Durable - Extendable - Great value - Intuitive
Compare to other Flash player, it is the best to me. The colorful MiniDiscs makes your players stand out from the rest of the crowd. Also, you would love a new headset since the one that comes with it is a bit obsolete. Like one of the reviewer has said below.
Other than that, the only thing that hinder this MDplayer to obtain its 1st position is Sony anti-piracy policy. You can only check out a track 3 times. This does not happen with other brand, such as Apple iPod. The tracks checked out would have to be checked in as you cannot manually delete it. Well except delete the whole disc. A way to circumvent this is to buy a male-male audio cable (or a USB-male audio cable: Xitel MG2) and record the song from your computer output to the disc. Or you can use another software: Musicmatch Jukebox for example to transfer the songs, but it is not fully compatible and may cause your computer to crash.
The newest model of MDplayer does not have such limitation anymore. :-0) which is a good news. I would go for this player if I do not need to carry a fully loaded (try-to-stuff-me) library like the hard-drive-based player can do. It is good to listen to a specific set of songs and then move to another, this helps me feel refreshed by the songs and what else I can organize the theme by color (:-) my favorite is black : MEDITATION) -> always cool me down everytime i feel hyper.
16 Great Product
I waivered between the ipod route and this sony mini disc. Since I wasn't certain of which I wanted, I decided that $129 spent was better than $250 spent. I have been able to put 6 CDs on one mini disc at the LP4 recording rate-about 5.5 hours of music. The booklet tells you to use LP2 (half as much data per mini disc) for the best sound quality, but after listening to both recording speeds, I can not distinguish between the two. The sound quality is excellent and burning a CD onto a mini disc is a total no brainer that only takes about 5 minutes to accomplish with the software included. You can get a ten pack of the mini discs for only $15, so discs are very cheap. The single AA battery is rated to play 56 hours, so powering up is no sweat either. A really nice find for the money.
17 REDICULOUSLY GOOD
This product has to be the best music player I have ever bought. I got a pretty good mp3 player but I was so dissatisfied with it I returned it. It could only hold like 80 songs! I have 2 mini disks and they both have just over 80 songs. I've had this since christmas and I think I've used it every day since. The software was a little confusing at first, but it only took me like 5 minutes to figure it out. Just recently I took all my good songs off my old cds and transfered them all to 1 mini disk. It probably took no longer then 5 minutes for about 60 songs. This md is also really durable. When I've walked down the steps at my high school, it's fallen out of my pocket and tumbled all the way down. I picked it up and it was still playing, it probably didn't even skip. There are other ways to record songs to the md other then your computer. If you buy a $30 cable (of course it doesn't come with the md player), you can connect your md to a portable cd player! There is seriously nothing wrong with this product. BUY IT.
18 the best one on the market
I bought this player a few weeks ago, and I think it's great. You get more than you expect for the Price and the Player has all you need! Who seriosly needs an FM radio for $50 more? The Player is small and durable and has a great sound (his headphones are actually very good when you consider that they were in the kit (usually bad sound!). But you should still get some noice cancelling (like the ones from Koss which are cheap) and the sound quality will blow you away. So if you consider buying one, buy this one and you won't be dissappointed and you also safe money!
19 If you're up to mp3s, stay out of it.
If you think that with a 70 minutes MD, you can have 700 mbts of a normal cd would have, forguet it. It says that it suports mp3s, not that it reads mp3s, so, it will lower the quality of the sound.
Audio Cd: 320 kbts
Below 192 kbts, you will notice the diference
In this MD you can transfer at 132 kbts, 66 kbts, or no compression.
So, if you want to keep the quality of your sound, you have a regular MD instead of one that reads REAL mp3s.
Sincerily, i'm totally frustated! If i knew this at the start, i would never buy this piece of crap...
And for Sony, keep on doing dancing robots instead!
20 Software is the only problem with this awesome product.
Aside from being a little too big for some to hold in their hand comfortably (not a problem for me) and the software being a little confusing and freezing up at times, this is the perfect mp3 player. First of all, its not very expensive when compared to Ipods or even Mini Ipods and it has unlimited copacity. When one has filled up one 5 hour mini disc, one may just buy a new mini disc and begin recording. This system is nice because with other mp3 players, when you run out of capacity, you must either delete songs or just live with what you have. With mini disc (MD) players you can switch MD's -- similar to switching CD's--- and have a whole new set of songs.
This baby is extremely durable. I've dropped mine numerous times from various heights and it still works fine. I've even dropped mine from about 4 feet in the air onto pavement and it bounced in a puddle. It still works. My friend also has one and he dropped his from the school bleachers and his still works. Sony obviously designed this player with active lifestyles in mind.
Although it may be a little too big for some people to palm comfortably, it is light weight and fits comfortably in most adult sized hands. IT comes with a car kit, remote, usb cable, a port for a power cord (if you plug this in it adds battery life) and head phones. I recommend using different head phones if you want maximum musical enjoyment. The standard headphones are the old design --the kind that go over the head-- and provide only marginal sound. A pair of $20 Sony Earbuds have worked for me.
A major highlight of the Net MD player is it's battery life. With one AA battery, one can enjoy up to 56 hours of nonstop life. To make sure you get maximum listening time, the player turns off when it has been paused for too long (about 3 minutes), but when turned back on, it resumes where it was previous playing.
The software is the only downside. It is confusing when one first looks at it but after a while one gets used to it and enjoys it's use. It sometimes freezes on me, but I'm sure I have a few viruses and a slow computer so my account doesn't accuratly represent the numbers. Recording a song from the computer or Cd takes about 30 seconds.
This is a great, cheap and durable MP3 player with unlimited capacity. With blank MD's only costing 2 or three bucks, it is cheap to purchase new ones and record. Buy one of these and it will last quite a while.
21 Question for all you minidisk officionados
This unit sounds very good. I need some help, though.
I am looking for a minidisk recorder that I can record MYSELF onto, as well as my singing group. Is there a mic jack on this unit (MZ-R37) that will enable me to plug in a microphone without having to send it through a mixer? Additionally, I'm conducting research in which I have to conduct several in-person inverviews (conversations) in various locations throughout the states, so it has to be VERY portable and easy. I'd like to buy ONE unit that will serve both functions for me. I need it to be uploadable to my computer.
Anyone know if the MZ-R37 would fill these two needs? Or, is there something that would work better for me (note: I'm looking for affordability, too)?
Please email natalie_wilson_98@yahoo.com. Thanks for your help.
22 so cool
i like this thing so much i use it all the time snowboardin and in the car all the time.
get this it records fast and really good sound get this thing
23 Don't Let Fears Keep You From Buying This!
When I set out to find a good, portable music system. I checked into getting an MD. I read the reviews, and from what I read, I almost decided to go with something else. I read that it wasn't very durable, and the software was horrible. But, after talking to some of my friends and how satisfied they were (and after seeing how much they wanted me to get one) I bought this model. It was a cool $130. I plugged it in and made a whole minidisc of pure red hot chili peppers. I came close to putting every song ever made by them on one red minidisc, but I decided to split them up to fit the last few songs I had on there. (Some were downloadable mp3's I just downloaded from the internet. Believe me, you can put any music on there. I haven't seen anything about a "3-cd limit" or any crap like that.) Then, I pressed play, expecting the worst sound quality for having so many songs on one disc. I was amazed to hear NO difference between listening to the audio cd itself and my minidisc. This thing at first does feel a little breakable, but after all of the crap I've put it through, it's still running at 100%! I believe that this is the future of music software. Already, minidisc prices are starting to drop. Get this model. It won't let you down, and it has almost everything that the $170 model has. It's easier to operate than an i-pod (that I had a horrible experience with when it's rechargeable battery died, but that's a whole other review), and it's way smaller and more durable than an MP3-CD player.
My only complaint is that it was a little hard to figure out how to record, but after one quick read in the manual, I was an expert. This thing is, in a word... cool. BUY IT NOW!
24 Pretty good!
I really love this device, it's small, lightweight and easy to carry around instead of a regular cd-mp3 disc. A few things I would have to say that I would like to have seen improvement is the display, if it would light up or something. another thing would be the software that came with it, it sucks. some songs I transfered wouldn't play on the md but when I started using real one player to transfer the songs, it would out perfectly. If you ever pick this, I wouldn't choose any quality setting below a 130, you may not get as many songs on there but I really love the quality of a song and the discs are worth buying.
25 Not good for downloaded music
This product is fine if you want to transfer music copied to your PC straight from a CD, but it will not transfer any files downloaded from the most popular music services - Napster,MusicNow, etc.. Even music purchased from RealOne cannot be transferred, though the player is compatible with RealPlayer software. I don't understand the point. The software is cheesy at best, very frustrating at worst. My recommendation is to buy an MP3 player compatible with MS Media Player. I've used these and they are painless and there's no dealing with under funded proprietary software.
26 Nice Alternative
This minidisc player offers the best of both worlds at an affordable price. i was thinking about buying an ipod but three main reasons stopped me. First, the ipod costs too much for a casual musicgoer to need, second all the storage capacity (one month of songs) was totally impractical and third, when i checked last the battery life* was about 4 hours.
The Sony can hold 5 hours of songs only costs 150 dollars and has 30 hours of battery life*.
Pros
Nice Display - easy to read
Controls - superb, nice clicks
Menu Navigation - once you figure everything out ites nice and simple
Recording - easy and painless, great quality, easy interface with lots of options
Expandibilty - very low cost compared to the expensive flash card mp3 players use $50 for a secure digital 128 megabyte card $2 dollars for a 158 megabyte minidisc
Accessories - TONS of stuff included, two remotes (one car), a tape converter thing (you plug one end into the headphone jack and put the other in your tape player in your car), an ac and dc power cable, a usb cable and a case for your player (its not real fancy it has velcro on it so you can stick it to your dashboard) i think sony has a deal thats gives you a free sony armband case with any minidisc player purchase
Cons - the sad part :(
no backlight - Youll have to pay about a 100 more to buy a better model if you want one
Seems very prone to falls - i previously had an mz-ne410 and i dropped it on very thick carpet about 9 times from a height of 3 feet. The buttons got all screwy and i had to return it. I don't know if the same thing will happen to this player
Headphones are horrible. Immediatly throw out and buy better ones.
The software is a little hard to work with. Pretty good when you figure out how to use it. I haven't used the Realone player so i don't know how good it is.
Tech support doesn't seem to help much. I had a problem with my computer recognizing my player and i called. the guy said my homemade computer had a problem. Not wanting to give up my player without a fight i researched on the internet and realized that there were patches on the Sony website that would fix my problem. Tech support didn't seem to know about this. On a later call i asked if my old mz-ne410 could use a remote and the lady said yes. I went to Sonystyle in South Coast Plaza and realized that it wouldn't work since the player didn't have a nesseceray jack for the remote. (the product im reviewing does and has two remotes included)
Can't put recorded files onto your pc - trying to protect copyrights Sony wants to make sure that files you recorded can't leave the disk. This is not so bad since there are plenty of options in the player itself such as nameing, associating groups, erasing, and moving files around. Also there is no microphine included in the player or in its accessories, you must buy your own.
Final notes - i love its relativly small size, music capacity (about 4 hours a disc) and battery life. Problems such as not haveing a backlight and the durability can be solved if you buy more expensive models.
*Battery life comparison methods - I used my friends ipod and my player equipped with a duracell. i just left them both in play mode and checked on them every hour except for night hours.
27 Great - Cheap Media, excellent mobility
This is a great little portable media player (not pure MP3). I've had it about 2 weeks and I really like it. It's small, has very good sound, has an easy interface, and is very flexible.
Pros:
*****Media cost, $2 for 160MB of storage on each disk
****Size, roughly the size of a deck of cards
***Features, multiple shuffle modes, returns to last position on stop, groups (play lists), Car Kit.
****No skipping, I was a bit concerned about skipping since there is spinning media, but it has never skipped while jogging, driving, or riding the train
****ATRAC LP4 (66Kbps) allows for me to have 52 sounds on on disc, personally I can't tell the difference in quality even with my best headphones
Cons:
--Slower than most MP3 players for transfers, Since there is spinning media it is slower than most MP3 players for transfers.
----Music has to be transposed to the ATRAC format before it's transferred the first time. So say you have 6GB of MP3's like I do, Either you have to convert them all to ATRAC and delete them, or keep them and use 6GB more of storage (assuming you aren't going to use LP4 (66Kbps ATRAC) - FYI - I just set it off to convert the files overnight, and moved my MP3's to 12 CD-R's
--Volume not loud enough, it's not bad, but it could be better
Overall for the price of both the media and the unit itself, I think it's a good deal. I'm not afraid of breaking it, and I have all my music available in the car, jogging, and where ever else.
28 A complete kit makes it easy to enjoy music anywhere anytime
Sony has a reputation for producing quality audio products. Today we take a look at one of their newest high speed Network MiniDisc player/recorders. The MZN510CKKIT comes with many appealing features that make it a viable choice in this mp3 player dominated market. This high speed NetMD has a recording speed of 32X, plays raw mp3 files, Atrac3, wav, or wma, comes complete with a car kit and finally has 56 hours of playtime on a single AA battery! As previous owners of a Sony MD player/recorder we were eager to see how things have changed and are these changes good or bad? (full review @ bytesector.com)
29 Awesome
I bought this the day after X-mas and it is well worth the money. I went to buy an MP3 player and by mistake picked this one up. While I was looking at it a realized that it was an MD. I went home and checked out the reviews here. Just by the number of positive reviews, I went out and got it. I figured "why pay $285 for a 512mB MP3 player when I could get this that holds just as much, if not more, for less than half the money.
It comes with everything: software for pc, car adapter, A/C adapter, headphones with remote, one blank disc, and soft case for the car. The software is pretty easy, and bburns in seconds. So what if you have to buy discs. For $9 you can buy 5 blank discs, and have over 2500 minutes of music. Unit is lightweight and the sound quality is amazing.
30 Sony's High Speed NetMD @ Bytesector.com
Sony has a reputation for producing quality audio products. Today we take a look at one of their newest high speed Network MiniDisc player/recorders. The MZN510CKKIT comes with many appealing features that make it a viable choice in this mp3 player dominated market. This high speed NetMD has a recording speed of 32X, plays raw mp3 files, Atrac3, wav, or wma, comes complete with a car kit and finally has 56 hours of playtime on a single AA battery! As previous owners of a Sony MD player/recorder .....read more @ Bytesector.com
31 Is it worth it?
There seems to be problems with the software as in the DMR. Is there a limit on what you can download onto the mini disc from the software? Do you have to pay to download songs and can you download the songs from the software in the package?
32 Super Product at a Super Value
I had been looking for an MP3 player but didn't want to spend the dollars. This is awesome, easy to use, took less than an hour to get everything setup the way I wanted. No skipping, went for a walk/jog with my dog to test. It came with a lot of accessories but I wish it had come with a strap for around the arm or belt clip. The headphones are nice but the line is a little short. If you like the Sony ear plug type headset you will have to purchase those. Sound quality is perfect on LP4 mode which is where you can get 5 hours of music on a disk!
33 Next best thing to an IPOD!
I have had the MZ-N510CK for a over less than a month now. I had previously bought an I-River SlimX 350 which worked incredible; nevertheless, I got tired of it as the the unit just became "too big" to carry around and excersise with, therefore I sold it.
I read millions of reviews about mp3 players and cd-mp3 players as I'm a true mp3 fan. I came to the conclusion that IPOD is the best, but it is way too expensive. $300 dollars is quite a lot of money.
So I decided to try the NET-MD Minidisc! Awesome unit!
It comes with everything you need and the best thing... it is super light and small.
It absolutely WILL NOT SKIP! (I accidentally dropped it one day while playing and waited to see if it skipped but it never happened. I was trully amazed.)
Battery life is amazing as well!
Only two things I didn't like, although they don't really bother me as much, is that it isn't backlight and that the software that comes with it isn't that great... but it gets the job done.
Thinking of buying an MP3 player but don't want to invest so much on an IPOD??? Try a Minidisc NET-MD!
34 Amazing Product with Interesting Features
I purchased this product 3 days ago and so far, it is absolutely amazing! The mini disc technology allows you to have about 60 to 70 song on one disc (in LP4 mode). I heard some complaints about the software, but I found it pretty straight forward because I READ THE DIRECTIONS. The feature I found most interesting was the GROUP function. It allows you to make playlists and sort your media into those lists. Very cool. The battery life is amzing on LP4 mode (around 56 hours). And the media is very cheap (about $10 for a 5 pack of discs). And the Player is so small (palm sized). I skateboard, so I needed music to listen to, and this really did it for me. So, if you want skip free, portable, unbreakable (knock wood) buy this player, IT'S CHEAP!!!
35 Awesome little gadget
I just love this thing. Just the long life span of the battery is great! I have gone for almost 2 weeks without having to change the battery, using it every day. First of all, the sound quality is excellent. The base boost is excellent. I have all my favorite CDs on minidisks, so instead of carrying with the bulky CDs I carry 5 minidisks with around 40 to 50 songs on each one! Isaac, my husband, got me this one for my birthday and sometimes he'll ask to borrow it for work, but I just have to say NO! Thank you honey, I LOVE YOU!! MUAAA!!! One of the best features it has is the SonicStage software, which lets you erase songs and record new ones on to the same minidisk.
All I have to say is: once you get your hands on one of these, you will never go back to CD players!!!!!
36 Excellent Player
I was thinking to buy one of the MP3 players, but my japanese friend had an MD, so i made few internet researches and found that MDs are much much better than MP3 players.
You get an excellent car kit, the sound quality on LP4 is amazing, there is no reason to record on LP2 or SP, LP4 will make it
Plus, the battery life is so good, i listened to my MD on the trip from Atlanta to Casablanca, and it was just as sony Promissed.
If, you need a portable audio device, this is the one to go for...
37 Question
I was wondering if this product has good bass to the sound. Alos, what is that item right above the head phones. Not the car jack. How long does it take to get music from computer to disk?
38 Very Good Player
I just bought this mini disc palyer based on the reviews and I am very happy with it! The sound is great!! The software was easy to install,and the first thing I did was download some of my files onto the disc..that was easy and didn't take long at all.So far I have 26 songs on the disc and still have room for more. There are so many features and options that I haven't learned them all yet. I think the car kit set up is to complicated..just reading the directions made me not want to even bother but I may try it.I felt that you should at least get the optical cable but thats me.
I also thought the case was nice,its the kind you can wear on your arm,but I think its to bulky. I would have liked a waist type better.
Over all this is a great player and I would recommend to anyone interested in mini disc players.
39 Great product
I love this MD player. If you are deciding on buying a portable audio player get a MD player, and I would recommend this one for the least expensive. If you want to get a better model get one of the rechargable ones with the little LCD remote control with backlight. This model also comes with a remote but it doesn't have that little LCD screen that shows the song, it's simple and easy to use and it can clip to a shirt collor or backpack strap.
If you don't need the remote get the 99 dollar model, I've heard it's also as good. One mini-disc can hold up to 80 minutes if you record on LP4 the maximum storage, great amount of space especially for me since most of my music is prog and if you didn't know usually a song is around 10 to 20 minutes.
If you have a lot of songs then get an iPod, the regular 10GB iPods hold around 4,000, which is a whole lot and I don't even know 1,000 songs that I could actually listen to without getting sick of it in the middle of the song.
I do not recommend the smaller memory (64MB, 128MB, 256MB, etc) mp3 players. I have bought one in the past and I do regret getting one. They are expensive if you think about it because they don't hold that many, think about it as 1MB = 1 minute, so 64MB is close to the amount of minutes there are on a CD. So you might as well go with a cd player if you're thinking of getting a MB mp3 player.
A decent CD player is around 40 and a normal cd is usually around 10 (Burning cds are cheaper though) while a 64MB mp3 player is about 80 dollars and usually for every added 64 its an addition 20 dollars.
So basically its CD Player + CD = 50 and 64MB mp3 player = 80.
I also would recommend an MD player or iPod over the CD player because both MD player and iPod are a lot smaller(both can easily fit in your pocket and you won't notice).
And then it comes down to the MD player and iPod.
MD player = way cheaper than the iPod and decent amount (better than both MB mp3players and CD players) of storage and MDs are cheap to buy.
iPod = A lot of storage (but its a waste of money if you aren't usually all of it) , really expensive
So if you have a lot of songs then get the iPod, if not get a MD player.
40 ***BEST I EVER GOT***
This player is excellent. First off, you get so much for your money: car adapter, remote for headphones and for your car. Secondly, this player is very user friendly. It doesn't come with a stereo cord,but this recorder is such a great price I didn't mind paying an extra 5 dollars for cords. Some reviewers didn't think this machine was so friendly. Trust me it is. I don't know what the fuss is with some people. All you have to do is read the instructions and your fine. Some people are just natural born complainers. Buy this minidisc player. This is an exceptional player for the price and for Sony that is rare.
41 ITS GRRRRREAT!
Wow to everyone complainging about the drm, you can use real one without a problem. The real one player overides sony's drm on their proprietary software.
However this product is amazing. It holds 5 hours of music at what sounds like near cd quality even though the bitrate is much much lower (62 kbps).
If you dont get this then you are stupid.
It could be easier to use, which i would have to say is the only bad thing about it.
Get it now or you are a big fat poopie head.
42 Simply the best! =]
well... first of all, i dont speak english very well so sorry for my poor writing.
i dont understand why people complain of this product, i love it! is the best!
i spent all my money on it and i dont regret of it.
the machine works very well, i can record 5 hours in a very small minidisc, its incredible! i would spent a lot of money if i have a discman. i only need one AA battery to hear more than 2 complete days of music!, not like simple discman.
i can erase songs that i dont like from the net md, not like cd's.
the software works very well and i havent had a problem with it yet.
in summary, sony net md is the best!
cOngRatuLaTiOns sOny... gOoD woRk! ---sOny RuLes---
43 Great product!
I've been looking for a long time to find a replacement for my old loyal 'tape' walkman. MP3 Memory-players are too expensive if you want enough space.... and MP3 CD-players are too bulky and consume too much battery power.
I was skeptical at first to buy a mini-disk player since the technology is proprietary to Sony (we know what happened to BETA videos when they did the same!). But I'm very impressed with the product.
It's easy to use, flexible, very light and small, great performance, and has an incredible battery life. The software is not so bad as others would complain. I used it the first time without even reading the manual. Although it could have been a little more user-friendly. The only negative point is the car kit... but that's because I can't use it in my car anyway (I don't have a tape player in it). But that's just me!
In conclusion.... I like it a lot and I hope it will stand the test of time!
44 Broke too Quick
Hello all
I Purchased this profuct the type 5 minidisc from sony and had a bad expereince with it. I had it for a bout a month when it started to not read discs. ONe day i was just walking with it and it syoped working i was lucky it was in the return period. Other than that i really like these things they are small and compact. The mini disc can hold up to 5 CDs. All and all it is okay because of my first problem.
45 Wish I had this years ago!
Great product. I wish I had discovered minidisc technology years ago. I purchase this for one reason (descrete, portable recording), but ended up using it mostly for another reason (music playback)
It's not perfect. I wish it had the AM/FM turer, but I was not willing to pay the $70 extra for the model with the tuner. I would also have been nice to record off a mike, but it has a line input and you can run your mike(s) thru a mixer if you really need to record "live".
Recordings made thru the line-input cannot be uploaded to your computer either.
But what it does it does very, very well. A single 80 min disc can hold (at maximum compression) well over 5 hours of music! It only needs a single AA cell, and that lasts for over 50 hours on playback. Well worth the money.
46 WARNING!!!!!!!! DO NOT BUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First of all... This is not an MP3 Player, or recorder. What I mean is, it does not record an actuall MP3 on it. It records a format made by sony called ATRAC3. The software that came with the player is called OpenMG. It is the worst software I have ever used on my PC. Horrible software design, complicated to use the software, freezes up the computer when a file is a bit too large for it, NOTE: I am using a Pentium 4 2.0 GHz with 512MB of DDR RAM, and a 40 GB 7200RPM Hard-disk. This software uses more than 200MB of my memmory! I exchanged the product twice and now that it's BROKEN AGAIN, I cannot find it in any local Target.
47 Flawless
I love this item..it's mad tight yo!!
48 MZ-N510 NetMD Walkman
This is truly a beautiful machine. On "normal" mode, you can fit 80 minutes on an 80 min minidisc. On LP2 it doubles (2 hr 40 minutes) and on LP4 it quadruples (5 hours). The quality is the same on all 3, so I don't know why anyone would even use normal or LP2, since LP4 holds so much. The recording features are VERY nice if you have a CD you want to copy (or off the radio, PC, or anything that has sound output) but aren't near your computer. The SonicStage software works well, but there are 2 problems. The first is that you can only copy your musc 3 times (but why do you need more than one song a minidisc???) You can still put the music back on the computer("check in") ONLY if you got the music from that computer ("check out"). It also comes with more software for quick burning that is unlimited. The other problem is that music that you copy from elsewhere can't go on your computer. However, it would be illegal to do that anyways. Also, Minidiscs are better than CDs because they have Groups. You can put as much or as little in groups (albums, artists, style, tempo, whatever you want) which make navigating easier. The battery life is also VERY nice. I listened to it the whole flight to Japan and back on one AA battery. My CD player would've taken 8 AA batteries. Also, when I was in Japan (Minidisc players are very popular) nobody had the recording option (they must get a seperate machine to make Minidiscs), which means ours are even better. However, this remote control is very basic. It's play/pause, stop, next, previous, and next and previous group, so if you're using it to navigate through your Minidiscs you get lost. The only bad thing about the player itself is that the battery compartment sticks out quite far. It isn't far enough to cause a probelm; it still fits in your pocket or palm or anywhere. Another bad thing is that it's quite pricey. You can get a decent CD player for $30-40, but this is over $100 more than that, it's worth it though.
49 Walkman is great
This is a great MiniDisc Recorder/Player, but I highly discourage people from running with it. It's quite big, and a little bulky, even though it does fit in a palm of somebody older than 13. It's pros definetly outweigh the cons. So heres my list of pros and cons.
Pros
Great Software- I dont see what the complaining is about. If you follow the directions you'll be done in less than 2 minutes!
Recording Speeds- Really nice if your in a hurry. You can burn approximately 20 songs a minute and 100 songs in 6 minutes.
Memory/Data in a MiniDisc- Although the minidisc claims to be 74 minutes, you can alter the quality of the song (Lp4, Lp2) modes and gets incredible amounts of songs. In LP4 mode (66k) you can get nearly 5 hours of music (4 hours 59 minutes to be precise) and in Lp2 (132k) you can get approx. half of that. Although I said "Alter the quality) there is really no way you can tell the difference between standard and LP4. The only difference I have picked up is that you have to raise the volume a little bit.
Battery Life- 1AA battery can run for 56 hours continually (but its more if you turn it on and off) I've had my MiniDisc Player for 2 weeks now and I listen to it atleast 3/4 hours a day and still is at FULL battery.
Cons
Searching for songs- Searching for songs often can be a pain, especially if you don't figure it out (READ THE MANUAL! IT REALLY WORKS)
There aren't many cons to this player.
Overall I would give this player a high rating of 4.5/5 stars. It's really good and I don't see what the complaining is about.
50 Digital Rights Management
The DRM of the supplied software is an impudence: Transferring music from and to the device is restricted to four times either-way. Since I won't let sony tell me what to do with my data I returned the device immediately!
51 SOUR LEMON: No line out, USB won't transfer recording to PC
This unit sports out a line-in and an USB interface for connection to a PC. Apparently it looks ideal for very high quality recording "on the field" for hobby musicians and similar uses. It isn't so.
Due to Sony's brain dead MD DRM (digital rights management, OpenGm) you can only transfer music to it FROM the PC, but you cannot get anything that you have recorded on it out: You have not even a line out, not an SPDIF, and NET MD will transfer to MD ONLY. Once you have recorded anything there, it stays there.
Pity this "feature" is not spelled out clearly on the package.
Being the recording function practically useless, dumbed down NET MD units such as this one are functionally equivalent to MP3 payers, but you can only store up to 80 minutes of audio. At least an MP player is usually solid state or hard disk or CD-R based. All three MP3 technologies are definitely better and more user friendly than Sony's Mini Disks.
This one is actually functionally user hostile.
Sony wants you to get locked in a MD supports buying mode, and went to a great deal disabling useful product features by design. Stay clear of this unit, stay clear of all NET MD and all Sony's "OpenGM" products in general. They were created to defeat their customers.
52 Do your research first
I recently purchased the MZ-N510 after doing a lot of market research and research on the benefits of MD over solid state memory MP3 players, and I have been fairly pleased with the results so far.
The advantages of the Sony MD are that you can iterally keep a magazine of discs for a reasonable price when compared with the alternative jukebox style MP3 players. It is also more battery efficient than its competitors. Finally, it is a Sony designed system so it's a pretty thing to look at.
The disadvantages of the MZ-510 are the bundled software which never seems to work properly. I have tried it on three different machines (Windows 98 SE, Windows ME and Windows XP and none of them seemed to want to run the software. This disadvantage can be eliminated by transferring all MP3s, MPEG-A and WAV files through Real One (no hassles at all). It is also a Sony so you know within 2 to 3 years the system will have a minor failure which is either unrepairable or is so expensive to repair that it is more cost effective to replace the unit.
Until then, it is a relatively inoffensive system with some quirks that no doubt will be fixed with future interations.
53 awsome all-round
i was thinking of getting an mp3 player about 3 weeks ago. i was going to get the 64 mb muvo from creative. seemed pretty good. cheap, 10 hours battery life, 30 somgs in wma format and you could drag and drop. the day i was going to buy it, it went up 30$ from what i saw online. i was ... (eventually turned out to be a good thing). i was also having a hard time finding free software that could change mp3 into wma which made me mad cause wma is about 1/2 the size. but i started to look for other mp3 players online. my friend who sits next to me in physics (the most boring class in the world as u could imagine) got a sony mz-n505. it looked awsome to me. i looked at reviews and got really good. it was about 60$ more than i was going to spend but it seemed worth it. when i went to futureshop (im canadian), they didnt have the 505, they only had the 510 and some super expensive ones. the 510 came with a bit more but costed an extra 50$. i though oh well, if im going to get something good, might as well go all-out. WELL WORTH IT! i got home, installing was a breaze and so easy to use and best of all.............56 hours of batter life!!! the thing hasnt skipped once, it came with a free 5 pack of minidiscs and each minidisc can hold about 2 and a half cds at GOOD quality. the thing shows name of song, who sings it, has sooo many features such as various levels of bass and treble looks cool, a perfect size easy controls and pretty good transfer speeds at Lp2 (which is the best quality vs space format).
pros
-battery life
-size
-change mini discs, cant do with mp3 or will cost major money
-lcd screen has song, singer etc..
-software easy fast
-2.5 cds per mini disc at awsome quality
-does not skip, ever!
cons
-backlight would be nice, not worth an extrat 50 bucks though
-headphones could be better but still pretty good (im not a fan of earbuds)
-could have slightly faster tranfer speeds
-expensive (worth it, dont get me wrong)
-dont really care about the car kit, i will probably never use it nice to have though
54 hesitant at first, love it now!
I was a big fan of the mp3 players that use flash memory and the memory cards. I decided to go with the minidiscs becuse they [don't cost much] per disc. Sony's discman is also very versatile. I absolutely love my minidiscman and won't go back ever again.
55 Good hardware, horrible software.
The Minidisk unit itself works well, it is compact, lightweight and feels kinda sturdy my only gripe with it is theres no back light and the lcd/data screen is sooo small, so its a pain to read file names. The add-on items with the exception of those horrible headphones all are very cool. But thats where my praise ends; the Sonicstage software that you use to transfer files from your computer to the MD is absolutely the worst. You actually have to take any file that you want to transfer and import them on this virtual "music drive" which is just a playlist, then, convert them to the MD format, then save them to the MD. And worse still.. the software is constantly refreshing the menu screen while its uploading/converting, so you cant really add any more files to the conversion list while its working. this all adds up to a very very time consuming process. i hate the software and im really considering retuning this MD system and just buying a more user friendly albeit more unstable cd/mp3 player.
56 In Response to joewaiian
In response to joewaiian's review, he should have researched a little better before purchasing his player
The MZ-N510 makes no claims to be able to record with a mic, for that you need the MZ-N707.
Also, Sony says explicitly in its manuals that NO MiniDisc is able to transfer files from the recorder to the computer.
The MZ-N510 works perfectly when used APPROPRIATELY, and not for functions it was not made to be able to do
57 Flush that mp3 junk, Minidisc is the tops!!
I am so glad I did not buy into mp3. Just a few days after having the md player/recorder I knew it was right choice. I can not understand why this format is not more heavily advertised. It has it all. Sound quality, versality, convenience and did I mention sound quality? You can move tracks, title tracks, delete tracks, re-record the discs as often as you like. You can create groups of tracks and playback the groups instead of having to select individual tracks. I can put the player in my shirt pocket (can't do that with a cd player). Record your minidiscs and leave the expensive CDs at home. It won't skip and the discs are very rugged. So far what I see are all pluses and no minuses. Well, nothing's perfect. The ability to upload md tracks to my desktop computer would be nice. Prove it to yourself. Go to minidisc.org and educate yourself then pick a unit. You won't be sorry.
58 Does NOT Record!
The product name, "Sony MZ-N510CK NetMD Walkman/Recorder with Car Kit" (...notice how it says "recorder"), is very misleading - I would go as far as to call it "False Advertising" - It DOES NOT have a mic input!
I had a Sony MZ-R70 and I was looking to upgrade. I am a student & a musician, and my old MD player worked great for recording both lectures and gigs.
The "Sony MZ-N510CK NetMD Walkman/Recorder with Car Kit", again DID NOT have a "MIC INPUT" and it was NOT able to record with the microphone plugged into the "LINE IN".
Furthermore, the accompanying software did not allow me to transfer files to my PC that I had previously recorded with my Sony MZ-R70 - it kept throwing back error messages.
59 Great player
I had a Sony MD recorder for about a year before I bought this one, but it recently broke just out of warrenty, and I decided it would be less expensive to buy a new one rather than repair the old one. I like this player, it has all the features of my old one (MZ-R500PC, look up my review ; ), plus some new handy ones. The layout of the face is alot better too.
Here are some pros and cons:
PROS
- VERY small, and light
- Comes with excellent accesories (car kit, AC adapter, Car remote, protective case)
- Good layout of controls
- Many play options
- Hi-speed rcording (PC only)
- Mac compatible (only with a USB adapter. I'm not sure if they sell them anymore, I had mine from my old player)
- Remote input (does not come with a remote, though you can buy one cheap from an accessories dealer if you like. That's what I'm doing. The stick-style remote that comes with the MZ-N707 is [a good buy]
- Good battery consumption (even better because it come with an AC adapter for use when recording!)
- Many many more
CONS:
- Does not come with remote
- Menu system a little confusing
- No backlight (it would be nice...)
There you have it. A great player for [the price]
60 WORTH MORE
Well I just got this product today and what can I say except WOW! I mean alot of peolpe were complaining about the software with the first line of NET MD Walkman but I think Sony got it right this time. I have about 200 songs on one mini disc. The remote command rocks because I have my player in my pocket and I can change songs without taking it out of my pocket. Plus it lasts 56 hours on 1 AA batterie ...The sound quality is great but just get better earphones. Overall this player is the BEST!
