Sony MZ-N1 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder with USB

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [1.36mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000068IHQ
• Item model number: MZN1
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Sony's minidisc format became a portable digital music standard before the age of MP3s. Sadly, though, minidisc lost its favor as MP3 players became ubiquitous. Sony aims to flare back up with their NetMD line, minidisc players that can also connect to your PC for transferring downloaded music.

As we ran the NetMD MZ-N1 through its paces, we were often pleasantly surprised, and sometimes downright annoyed, but mostly impressed with this pricey but versatile digital music player.

First off, you can use the optical connection cable to transfer songs directly from your stereo (CD player, DVD player, Xbox, etc.) to the NetMD. Like traditional minidiscs, the transfer takes place in real time, so a three-minute song takes three minutes to move.

With Sony's OpenMG software you can also move songs from your PC to the NetMD. But your music files must be converted to the OpenMG standard before being moved over, which slows down the transfer rate. We were able to move music at the rate of about one minute per three-minute song (although songs transferred more quickly on subsequent transfers since the conversion process had already been completed).

Ironically, Sony's NetMD Simple Burner, which allows you to transfer songs directly from your PC's CD-ROM drive to the NetMD, proved more efficient. It took us only 10 minutes to move an entire 45-minute album to the NetMD.

Unfortunately, you can officially only move tracks from minidisc to the PC that made the reverse trip: you can't load up the NetMD with songs from a CD in your stereo and then transfer them to your PC. We say "officially" because there's a workaround: connect the NetMD's headphone output to your sound card's input and then catch the music with a software mixer. Users with an advanced audio setup such as Creative Labs' Extigy can easily handle the process.

Transfer caveats aside, the NetMD is a well-designed digital music player with excellent sound output. Its mid-cord remote control, complete with backlight LCD display, clips onto your shirt and puts tools for manipulating the sound menus close at hand. And the inexpensive minidisc format means that you can load up lots of your favorite albums (at the highest compression level of LP4, a minidisc can hold almost 300 minutes of music). In addition to the rechargeable battery, you can connect a single AA battery to the NetMD to increase your play time to up to 110 hours.

It's not an inexpensive player, but its increased versatility, expansive removable media, and long battery life make it worth the extra dough. --J. Curtis

Pros:

• Compact and versatile
• Long life when combining batteries
• Excellent sound

Cons:

• Slow transfer speeds
• Some transfers are one-way

Amazon.com Product Description

Sony's original top-of-the-line Net MD Walkman, the MZ-N1, lets you record MP3s or audio CDs directly to minidisc at up to 32x speed using a USB connection so you can transfer 80 minutes of music from PC to MD in less than three minutes. An included USB docking cradle simplifies uploads and battery charges. Now, affordable MD media can store more than five hours of music per standard 80-minute minidisc. Using the included rechargeable battery and one "AA" type battery, the player achieves up to 110 hours (more than four straight days) of continuous playback.

The MZ-N1's compact magnesium body weighs just over three ounces. Creating custom music mixes is easy with the help of the player/recorder's backlit LCD, editing remote, and three-line dot matrix display (which shows nine characters per line). And, using the convenient Jog Dial navigator, you can scroll through a disc's contents to find desired songs and groups. Just rotate the dial with one finger and push it when you're ready to make a selection.

The included software supports multiple Internet audio formats (including MP3 and WMA), which it converts to ATRAC3 format for storage on minidisc. ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) is the data-compression scheme developed for minidisc, and ATRAC3--the format used by Sony's Memory Stick--offers even greater compression while maintaining near-CD quality.

The Simple Burner QuickRip CD-dubbing application facilitates fast transfer of CDs to MD--without the need to store files on a hard drive as an interim step. Simply launch the application and select the tracks you want to transfer to the player. (The actual transfer speed depends on your PC.)

You can record in standard mode for the richest sound quality or two different long-play modes for the most effective use of space. The bundled OpenMG Jukebox management software supports secure music downloads (including tracks from pressplay.com), titles tracks, and organizes playlists. As with all MD products, the MZ-N1 can record from various sources (there's a microphone input as well as a .125-inch input for either digital- or analog-audio connection) and offers flexible audio editing tools. Minidisc media is affordable, durable, and re-recordable up to a million times without degradation. Sony's ultra skip-free G-Protection technology reduces or eliminates skipping.

The player's automatic volume limiter system (AVLS) maintains an even volume level, guarding against unintended level increases and evening the output of musical passages that vary widely in level.

What's in the Box
MZ-N1, matching USB cradle, inline remote control, CD-ROM (with OpenMG Jukebox software, QuickRip CD dubbing application), one blank 80-minute minidisc, one NiMH rechargeable battery (with case), folding stereo headphones, one USB connecting cable (1.1, 2.0), AC adapter, user's manual, warranty information.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MZ-N1 - Best portable minidisc player/recorder!, July 19, 2002

By 

Michael Munie (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony MZ-N1 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder with USB (Electronics)

(If you want to read more about minidisc as a format vs mp3, go farther down in this post)

The MZ-N1:
I got this about a month ago and I love it so far.

-Sound: 10/10, It's minidisc, it's got MDLP, it records in Type-R, it sounds excellent.
-Base unit control: 8/10, the controls on the front could be better, but I use the remote anyways. And the jog dial is an excellent of controlling this unit.
-Size: 10/10, so small, so light!
-Remote: 10/10, the remote is great, it is very easy to skip to whatever song you want with the easy-to-use job dial. The display is bright and clear.
-Battery life: 10/10, it keeps going, and going, and going...
-NetMD software: 5/10, It has a long way to go, but if you use the realOne plugin instead to download your music it works much better.
-Durability: 6/10, doesn't feel as sturdy as previous models
-Headphones: 2/10, the folding design *sounds* cool, but it hurts to wear them but the headphones that come with portable electronics are never good.

Haven't heard of Minidisc yet? A technically superior format to store music on, the minidisc was introduced in 1992, and yet never caught on in the USA. In Asia Minidisc made it big and is there to say. (As was clearly evident when I just visited Japan) But in the USA, minidisc was ignored for one reason or another, and has been compared to the Beta-Max format. Which is an interesting comparison, because just as BETA was techincally superior to VHS, minidisc (I believe) is Superior to the MP3 format. But minidiscs are making a comeback! Now all the new models are able to download mp3's from your computer as well as do all the things they were able to do before! In minidisc you can store your music in 3 different levels of quality called SP (highest, near-cd quality, ~320kbps MP3 quality, 80 minutes per disc), LP2 (medium quality, ~192kbps MP3 quality, 160 minutes per disc), and LP4 (medium-low quality, ~96kbps MP3 quality, ~5 hours per disc, ideal for recording lectures, ect... or if you don't have stringent music quality standards)

The minidisc's themselves (That hold the music, not the players) are small and durable, about the size of a 3 1/2 floppy, but very cool looking. They cost about [$] each (5 hours of music on a [$] disc, beats solid state flash cards anyday) They come in many different styles of all different colors. They also can be recorded on over a million times, and with the tracks already on there, you can divide the tracks, rearrange them, recombine them - it's like be able to mix on the go. The players very light and easily fit in a shirt pocket (About on par with a solid state mp3 player in size).

Now you're probably wondering why someone would choose a minidisc player/recorder over a mp3 player (and in some of the newest models, recorders as well).

I personally have had and used mp3 players from when they first came out with a Rio 300, and then moving on to a Rio 500. I've used some of the mp3 cd-players as well - though their ability to hold tons of music is nice, I don't really like their large size. Plus, as a medium, I find CD's to be fragile - they scratch very easily. Minidiscs however have a CD-like disc on the inside (magneto-optical instead of pure optical like CD's) that is protected by a shell, which makes minidiscs very durable. I can throw them on the floor of my car, or in the glove compartment and they will work flawlessly when I put them in my player.

Solid-state MP3 player have a few disadvantages (and advantages) compared to minidisc players.

Why Minidisk is better than mp3:
- You can bring along many minidiscs (which cost ~$2 each and store up to 5 hours) while flash cards are $$$ and it is only practical (for normal people) to own around 1 or 2 flash cards for their player. If you want to travel with music you want something small (Minidisc beats mp3-cd players) and that stores lots of music (Minidisc beats solid-state mp3). I traveled with a Rio, and I got REAL tired of those 25 songs after 2 weeks...
- You can record anywhere: when I hear an excellent track on a friend's discman (or home system, or mp3 player, or any audio source!), I can hook up my minidisc player right then and there and record the track onto my Minidisc!
- The battery life is massive - 110 hours on the mz-n1!
- You don't need to be tied to your computer to use it, though you can take advantage of your computer to use it if you feel like

mp3 advantages:
-Easy download to your player. But now with minidisc NetMD you can download your mp3's from your computer at high speeds that are almost as high as mp3 players, but they don't need to be as high because you only need to record a mix of your mp3's once, and then you can keep it and just swap discs. When you want new songs in a mp3 player you have to go to your computer every time, you can't just swap discs (unless you got mega-$$ for flash cards)
-I'm out of other reasons.

Go buy a Minidisc player/recorder!

62 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars bah, Sony, you could have done better...., August 17, 2002

By 

Tim_Bunales (California, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony MZ-N1 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder with USB (Electronics)

I have had the Japanese import model of this unit since early February, and I must say that overall, this model is model was well worth the four hundred fifty I paid for it. It's light portable and fits easily inside the felt baggie that comes supplied with the unit.

In the six almost seven months that I have owned this unit, a couple of things have happened. Since I had the Japanese model, I got the newer, slimmer, RM-MC12ELK remote supplied with mine. The US models are supplied with the older RM-MC11EL remote. I must say that US buyers surely did get the better remote. My 11EL remotes from my previous R900 and my portable CD player (D-EJ955) have lasted longer and put up with more wear and tear. About one month after, the text started wearing off the remote and button functions began to malfunction. The hold switch was hard to move, and the volume/track changer button was hard to pull in and out. So here's my fair warning: don't import.

Now for the software; the bundled OpenMG Jukebox completely stinks. You really need to have a fast computer with plenty of RAM to have this program work fast and properly. I bought this unit expecting to have the ability to do two things: one being to UPLOAD, and two to end files to my MD in SP Mode. OpenMG Jukebox does support SP files, but are only transfered at the sound quality of LP2. The CDDB function on OMG doesn't work right until you have to manually configure it. Simple, OMG [is not good], bottom line.

Now the other bundled software, SimpleBurner (also known as Quickrip) works fairly better. SB allows you to put a CD in and burn it directly to a MD in LP2 or LP4 mode, but don't count on fast conversion times. All of the software must convert the music files to ATRAC first, which takes about 3 minutes per song, depending on size. This was something I was also not aware of when I bought this unit.

Now, one person has found a very nice way to get around all of these software problems. All you need is Nero, and your good to go. I myself prefer this method more than just regular software. ...

The battery times are once again fudged by Sony. In my tests, I have never cranked out 86 ours of playback using a fully charged gumstick and an external AA battery. The closest I got was around 53 and a half hours. Sony needs to take a lesson from Sharp, create smart chargers. Ni-MH gumsticks suffer from the memory effect, which occurs when the battery is charged when it doesn't need to be. Your battery will last shorter and shorter until finally you get around 4 hours of playback. Sharp, has a function built into almost all of their models which checks to see if your battery is full or not and starts a discharge of the battery, that way fully discharging the battery before it recharges it.

For the unit itself, I really like the design and functions, but there are still some issues that Sony has still not fixed. One is the End Search function. I know they've done a little better by making you disable the function on a menu, but if you forget to press End Search before you record, you still have the dreaded problem of recording over previously recorded songs. Another problem is the battery door. You would thing that after many years of having the same flimsy plastic that they'd learn that it should be magnesium alloy or some sort of aluminum composite. A fourth being the volume buttons. Lousy placement. You drop the unit on the side that has the volume buttons on it, you may have one heck of a problem. Many people on board all over the internet have had units that volume buttons have become hypersensitive (i.e. bringing up various menus when slightly touched) and have since had to repair their units.

Overall this unit reaches a milestone in the ten years of MD existence.

If you are considering buying this unit (or infact ANY NetMD units, I would consider holding off until the second generation units hit the markets in December. These units may have improved battery life, the newly developed Atrac Type S DSP (which improves upon the sound quality in SP, LP2, and LP4 modes), better software, and the possibility of uploading.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Serious problems uploading recordings done with external mic, August 17, 2003

By 

"miguelpa" (Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony MZ-N1 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder with USB (Electronics)

The minidisc can be used for several things. Among those:

1) listening to songs recorded in CDs. I have to say I am very happy with this fonctionality.

2) Recording songs with an audio microphone (not included).Very interesting fonctionality for people who play music and want to record themselves in rehearsing or live concerts (in my case, playing the violin). This is what I bought it for. The quality of the recording is excellent, given the means and compared to previous non-professional portable analog formats. Serious problem: the software included does not permit to upload songs to the computer not downloaded before so you can not transfer it easily to other audio formats. I asked Sony customer service and basically after three tries of their complex web support system I got either no response or authomatically generated useless responses.