Sony Net MD MZ-N505 Personal MiniDisc Player
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Similar in Personal Audio Mini Disc Player
- Recordable: Recordable
- Headphones: Yes
- Remote Control: Optional
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My favorite player so far
Pros
Inexpensive, great battery life, cheap media, light, good sound quality, quality hardware.
Cons
OpenMG software stinks, can't copy from MD back to the PC, no remote included.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The player is perfect for what I use it for, and overall it's the best portable MP3 player out there. Cheap, light, 56 hour battery life, and nearly indestructable.
I like to ride long distances on my motorcycle, and I've tried a lot of different portable audio solutions. CD players were too bulky to comfortably store in a jacket or pants pocket, and the Rio has only 128MB of flash.
The MZ-N505 NetMD player is perfect for me. I can store 5 hours of music per disc... which means I don't have to swap discs for an entire day of riding! I would have to stop every hour to change CD's before I got this player. Plus, it gets 56 hours of battery life with one AA, and is nearly impossible to skip.
If you're going to use it on a bike, I *HIGHLY* suggest buying the Sony RM-MC12ELK backlit LCD remote control from http://www.planetminidisc.com/planetminidisc. It makes playing and stopping much easier with gloves on, and you don't have to reach into a pocket and fumble for the controls. I also recommend the Sony MDR-Q33LP/S headphones. (http://www.planetminidisc.com/planetminidisc/mdr-q33lps.html) These headphones clip onto your ears, and a helmet fits over them perfectly. With these headphones under my helmet and the remote clipped to my leather jacket I'm good for an all-day tour.
While the quality of the MZ-N505 hardware is exceptional, the included software is a big let down. First of all, Sony has blocked the transfer of files from the NetMD back to the PC. The OpenMG software is buggy and cannot transfer MP3's that are recorded at 256kbps/44.1. And don't even think about copying VBR (Variable Bit Rate) files to the NetMD. The software craps out when trying to convert these files, and you get a track of silence.
There is also a limitation on how many times you can copy an mp3 to MD's, but that's easily overcome by simply deleting the song from the OpenMG database, and then importing it again. This is also, unfortunately, the only way to change how the tracks are copied to an MD. If you record a song SP (Slow Play), it will always copy to the MD as an SP song. If you want it in compressed in LP4 (5 hours/disc mode) you must delete the song from OpenMG and then import it again. It's a real hassle. NetMD is still relatively new so there are no cracks or workarounds yet, but there will be eventually.
While the OpenMG software is difficult and a major chore to use, the Simple Burner application is an absolute pleasure to use. Ripping CD's directly to the NetMD unit is intuitive, fast, and friendly. My *ONLY* gripe with Simple Burner is that it supports only LP2 and LP4 compression. SP recording is not supported.
Sound quality is excellent in SP and LP2, and only has *VERY* slight artifacting in LP4. If you want to make archival copies with perfect or near-perfect quality, us SP (no compression) or LP2 compression. If you want a 5-hour mix with good, but still waaaaaay more than adequate sound quality, use LP4.
There is one caveat about quality with OpenMG, though.
OpenMG can only optimize to 132kbps, which is LP2 quality, even if you're recording in SP mode. The only way to get true SP quality is to use the Optical cable from a PC soundcard or higher-end CD deck. The MD's onboard DSP-type R encoder will encode SP at 292kbps for the ultimate Hi-Fi recording.
There is also one undocumented feature about the MZ-N505. If you put a NiMH (Nickle-metal hydride) rechargable battery in it, you can recharge the battery by pressing the "STOP" button when the player is plugged into the wall. It's a great feature, but isn't listed in the documentation anywhere.
Charles.
1984 Honda VF1100C V65 Magna
http://www21.brinkster.com/vf1100c (under construction)
The MZ-N505 NetMD player is perfect for me. I can store 5 hours of music per disc... which means I don't have to swap discs for an entire day of riding! I would have to stop every hour to change CD's before I got this player. Plus, it gets 56 hours of battery life with one AA, and is nearly impossible to skip.
If you're going to use it on a bike, I *HIGHLY* suggest buying the Sony RM-MC12ELK backlit LCD remote control from http://www.planetminidisc.com/planetminidisc. It makes playing and stopping much easier with gloves on, and you don't have to reach into a pocket and fumble for the controls. I also recommend the Sony MDR-Q33LP/S headphones. (http://www.planetminidisc.com/planetminidisc/mdr-q33lps.html) These headphones clip onto your ears, and a helmet fits over them perfectly. With these headphones under my helmet and the remote clipped to my leather jacket I'm good for an all-day tour.
While the quality of the MZ-N505 hardware is exceptional, the included software is a big let down. First of all, Sony has blocked the transfer of files from the NetMD back to the PC. The OpenMG software is buggy and cannot transfer MP3's that are recorded at 256kbps/44.1. And don't even think about copying VBR (Variable Bit Rate) files to the NetMD. The software craps out when trying to convert these files, and you get a track of silence.
There is also a limitation on how many times you can copy an mp3 to MD's, but that's easily overcome by simply deleting the song from the OpenMG database, and then importing it again. This is also, unfortunately, the only way to change how the tracks are copied to an MD. If you record a song SP (Slow Play), it will always copy to the MD as an SP song. If you want it in compressed in LP4 (5 hours/disc mode) you must delete the song from OpenMG and then import it again. It's a real hassle. NetMD is still relatively new so there are no cracks or workarounds yet, but there will be eventually.
While the OpenMG software is difficult and a major chore to use, the Simple Burner application is an absolute pleasure to use. Ripping CD's directly to the NetMD unit is intuitive, fast, and friendly. My *ONLY* gripe with Simple Burner is that it supports only LP2 and LP4 compression. SP recording is not supported.
Sound quality is excellent in SP and LP2, and only has *VERY* slight artifacting in LP4. If you want to make archival copies with perfect or near-perfect quality, us SP (no compression) or LP2 compression. If you want a 5-hour mix with good, but still waaaaaay more than adequate sound quality, use LP4.
There is one caveat about quality with OpenMG, though.
OpenMG can only optimize to 132kbps, which is LP2 quality, even if you're recording in SP mode. The only way to get true SP quality is to use the Optical cable from a PC soundcard or higher-end CD deck. The MD's onboard DSP-type R encoder will encode SP at 292kbps for the ultimate Hi-Fi recording.
There is also one undocumented feature about the MZ-N505. If you put a NiMH (Nickle-metal hydride) rechargable battery in it, you can recharge the battery by pressing the "STOP" button when the player is plugged into the wall. It's a great feature, but isn't listed in the documentation anywhere.
Charles.
1984 Honda VF1100C V65 Magna
http://www21.brinkster.com/vf1100c (under construction)
