Aiwa AM-HX30 Personal MiniDisc Player

Like many people looking for portable minidisc players, my first thought was to go with Sony - afterall, MiniDisc is their technology, so you'd think it was the best. I'd bought a Sony MiniDisc deck for recording and titling, so all I wanted was a portable player. My local Richer Sounds (where I get all my hifi gear because it's so cheap) had only 2 players - the Aiwa AM-HX30, or the Sony MZE33 both at the same price of #120 ($190). One of the main features I was looking for was rechargeable batteries, because buying batteries every 5 minutes really starts to add up. The Sony only took normal AA batteries, but the Aiwa had its own Li-MH rechargeable battery and charger, as well as an add on module to use normal batteries (rechargeable and normal AA combined gives 21 hours of use!). In addition, the Aiwa had a massive 40-second anti-shock buffer, compared to the Sony's 10 - and the two were pretty much equal on everything else.
Of course, I went for the Aiwa, and haven't regretted it at all. It has a host of features which include, besides those I've mentioned: large back-lit remote control which you can clip anywhere, 25 track programmable function, repeat, repeat 1, shuffle, two-level bass boost, max volume level ear protection, track search and an add on battery module which can also accept a mains adapter (available separately). The construction feels rugged, it's lightweight and comes in its own little bag to keep it free from scratches and the like.
The sound quality is perfect with clear reproduction throughout the range.
My only criticism is the headphones. A lot of people seem to like the air-cushioned padded 'phones, which are comfortable at first, but they start to hurt my ears after about an hour. But then, having said that, I've never had a pair of in-the-ear 'phones that I've been able to wear for long periods.
Overall, a fantastic machine at a fantastic price.