Customer Reviews

Sony MZ-R55 Portable MiniDisc Player and Recorder

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've read the other comments on this unit, and I have to say that they don't provide you prospective buyers with a very accurate view. I've used the Sony MZ-R55, owned a Sony MZ-R50, and own an Aiwa AM-F70 so I can easily compare this unit to others. The MZ-R55 may currently be the smallest unit in the US, but that's really all it is; what you do have is no battery life (4hrs) and a lack of features (more on that later). The Sony MZ0-R50 may have been large but at least it ran for more than twice the time of the R55, and the Aiwa AM-F70, may be slightly larger than the R55, but fully loaded it works for a whopping 30hrs. Now for the (lack of) features...no jog dial (very useful for titiling), no progammable play, and no backlighting on the unit itself. I'm sorry to bash this unit so badly, but those are the facts. On the upside, it is currently the smallest portable MD player/recorder (until something like March when the Sony MZ-R90 comes to the US) and hey, its made by Sony!

P.S. Both the Aiwa and the R50 have jog dials and longer play time. The Aiwa also has main unit backlighting (not only on the remote), and programmable play (true, this feature is somewhat useless on an MD). And guess what? Both players/recorders are much cheaper than the Sony.

So, you're interested in a Minidisc, eh? Good choice! Minidiscs are just great, beat the pants off CDs and MP3 for portable music. After learning to transfer MP3s to a Minidisc, I'll never go back again, I have seen the light!

Now, about this particular player. The size is wonderful, if you have had one of the larger players, you just won't believe the size of this. It is small and light and wonderful to carry around. However, as others have mentioned, battery life sucks. There really are better choices. I personally went with the MZ-R90, and it is superb. Tiny, tiny recorder/player with excellent battery life and great features. Unfortunately, Amazon.com does not carry it yet, but there definitely are places you can get them now with a US warranty. Check around.

I have had 3 different sony mini-disc portables.

If you are going to buy only 1 unit ( I have a full deck and this portable ) you'll be frustrated with anything less than this one. That's because the control placement for editing are well designed.

If you have two units ( 1 deck and 1 portable ) you should have this as part of you portable. I bought the sony bundle first ( the deck and portable unit ). The problem here is you can't record or edit with the portable. I real bummer if you go over to your friends place and hear something you've gotta have. Not to mention if you need to record a meeting or a lecture, you'll be out of luck if you've bought the sony bundle.

I run with this unit and it will skip only about 3 times over 8 miles of terrain.

The other nice thing about this is it small. Fits in you shirt pocket. If you'll be editing while your jogging like I do, the add on battery pack that holds an additional 2 AA is a nice feature.

Junk! Absolute junk!

The MZ-R55 looks and feels great - it fits into just about any tiny pocket! It has a neat remote control with a nice backlit LCD screen. Unfortunately, that's about where it all goes downhill.

Battery life sucks. If you're using the rechargeable chewing gum battery that it comes with, you'll be lucky to get through 2 discs before you hear that awful loud beep telling you that the battery has died ... AGAIN! If you're using the optional 2 x AA alkaline batteries, you might get through about 3 discs. Hell, if you're recording something, don't even bother, if what you're recording is likely to go for more than an hour. Gone are the days when you could play your minidisc for 12 hours straight, as you could with the previous model.

When you hook up the MZ-R55 to your hifi, the sound comes out a lot softer than other music sources. I've tried it with other MD decks, CD players, etc, and they all sound a lot louder than the MZ-R55.

The MZ-R55 doesn't seem to be able to take small vibrations very well. It does alright with big, sudden bumps, but when you've got it seated on the passenger seat in the car and you're going over a slightly bumpy road for a continuous period of time, it'll start to jump, and jump regularly.

Now to the functionality of the MZ-R55. You can't program tracks. It's difficult to edit song titles for your tracks as there's no 'wheel' - you have to rely on the up and down buttons.

Just don't bother with the MZ-R55 - you're better off going for the older or newer model. Size isn't everything - I'd much rather have a bulky MD that plays and plays, rather than a tiny toy who's battery won't last a 2 hour car journey.

If you want this unit to go out biking or blading or running, you are out of luck. I bought mine last May; by the end of Summer, and after a couple of accidental normal pulls the headphones stop working. At the juncture of the cable and the plug from the remote the inner cables became exposed. Then I dropped the unit from a 3 feet hieght and it stopped working all together. I'm really sorry I bought this thing.

Talk about great things coming in small packages, this thing is amazing! I purchased my R55 at Best Buy about 3 months ago and when I saw it on here, I just had to say something about it. I think it is the best recording method for portable devices - EVER.

The quality is better than audio tape by far, and the recording length of the disks (60, 74, or 80 minutes) surpasses that of most tapes too. When I originally bought this unit, I looked into its specifications for a long time trying to decide between the R37 and the R55 and a Diamond RIO Portable MP3 Player.

I love MP3's, as most people who are "into" audio do, but I found the lack of the ability to change data without a computer on the RIO was troublesome. I had to be able to flip discs, so that I could listen to it on long car rides - the 64MB of the RIO's memory could only hold about 70 minutes of music... then a computer was needed to change the data in the 64MB. TERRIBLE! I needed the removable discs!

Then came the R33... I decided against this because it was just too big. I love the compact size of my R55, and it was worth the extra money. Now I take my R55 everywhere - I have about 15 mixes of my favorite music, and 2 or three blanks in my case all the time, so I can record classes and such (Go Purdue!!!) In all, the best audio recorder / player out there today!

The MZ-R455 is the best purchase I've made in a LONG time. The sound is great, it's VERY easy to record and edit with, and I haven't managed to make it skip yet (I have not been running with it; the toughest test has been some fast, rugged-terrain hiking). It's so light you barely feel it in your pocket.

Enhancements I'm planning to get: an MP3 converter that will download MP3s from your compuer so you can record them to discs, and a microphone.

My first review of a minidisc player was done in 2001. It was for the MZ-R70 blue model.

I have bought this MZ-R55 2nd hand, which is in fact, over 3 years old. The unit (recorder and all supplies) work like a charm. It works better than the MZ-R70, for it's faster when skipping tracks, and it runs the TOC EDIT faster than my other model, which is an MZ-R50 silver model. Yes, I have 3 minidisc players. May I say, even though many people have rated the MZ-R55 down, I love it. All you have to do is have a little patience, and take care of the Unit.

I like the backlit remote, which is excellently handy when you don't want to flip the player/recorder in and out of your pocket every two minutes to raise the volume or change song.

The unit's shell takes a lot more abuse than that of the MZ-R70. The paint doesn't come off as easy, and even though the unit may be a bit heavier, at least I'm more aware of the fact that there's something fragile in my pocket. I think that 4 hours of battery life is halfway decent if not acceptable. What I mean, is that 4 hours is fine by me. I don't go out much, and that leaves less ware&Tear on the unit.

Let me tell you...the bass in the collapsible headphones is outstanding. These headphones sport the best digital bass that I have ever heard. May I also add, you don't have to turn the volume up too high, to drown out the exterior sound around you. I find myself not having to put the volume up past 50%.

The AA battery compartment is handy to have when your NH-14WM (Nickel-Metal Hydride Battert) loses its charge. Just today I went out with the compartment attached, and voila, it's there when I need it.

My MZ-R55 is the silver model. Even though I bought this unit second hand, it seems to have withstood a lot of time, and everything I expected it to be, it has lived up to its SONY name.

The carrying pouch is genuninely handy to have, if you're going out in the harsher of climates. That way, it won't get wet or humid. Another thing, the headphones, being as short as they are, are practical for someone who always puts their mini-disc player in their shirt pocket, with or without the remote. The only thing wrong with that, is that you can't really turn your head too far from in front of the unit, or you will be pulling on the wire.

For the 3 Volt power supply adaptor, I am happy about it, because it's the same voltage as for my MZ-R70. They both share adaptors, and one is always near the stereo for playing through big bass speakers. One is always there for the personal listening pleasure at my desk.
The whole shebang comes in a neat little rectangular box, which is great for storing, and great for placing my other mini-disc players and their accessories when not in use.

I would recommend you go on an internet site for SONY mini-disc players, to print out their service manuals for each individual model. I have a manual printed out for each of my 3 units. Kind of comes in handy when you know a little about electronics.

I am happy with this product, and would recommend this to anyone, even those fussy people who nag about every little problem they encounter.

Hope this review has helped you.

This player/recorder plays and records very well, is small and lightweight and compact, and looks damn cool. I only have 2 beefs with it: the battery life is terrible, only about 3 1/2 hours using only the rechargable and about 8 with the unsightly battery attacement, which also adds a lot of weight, and it does not have a very loud sound output. I am constantly listening to it with the volume all the way up and am still having trouble hearing only the music.
Other than the battery life, I would definately recommend this product. I bought a PC link for mine and that records just fine, as does the stereo recording method. I also think the remote is quite spiffy if you're keeping the player in your pocket or backpack etc.

I really enjoy my MZR-55 a whole lot. I mainly take it to the gymn regularly, but of course I take it many places with me. It has great resistance to shock, it never misses a beat. It is built very solid (I'm surprised by others who have reviewed this and don't think so, it is solid!) The sound quality is excellent, I couldn't be happier. The battery life is sufficient for my use as well. I've had this unit since June. I highly recommend it.