Sony MZ-NH900 Personal MiniDisc Player

This is my 4th MD and my 1st Hi-MD. It was down to the NH1 and the NH900 but I didn't really like the small screen on the NH1, so I went with the NH900. In addition, you can attach a AA battery case to the NH900 to supplement the NH900 rechargeable NiMh gumstick battery source. Since I plan to continue recording live shows, it's important to be able to switch to a fresh battery at any time. It's a little too much to recharge a gumstick in the middle of a show. The battery life does drain faster with the PCM setting but you are using a non-compressed bitrate and that takes a lot of laser power,etc.
(Update 1/10/05)Plus, the weak battery that ships with this unit is a very poor choice by Sony. The battery should have at least 1400 mAh for a decent discharge. Sony should be ashamed of themselves for putting such a weak battery in such a great recorder.

I have done some research and the NH1 remote, which is a 3 line backlit remote, does work 100% with the NH900. That remote also has recording levels, that way you can watch recording levels with the backlit remote during shows. A big plus. I highly recommend an upgrade on the remote!

I am most excited about the ability to record with PCM and Hi-SP. I have usually stuck with SP mono when recording shows using my standard MD recorders. Now, I have a choice that allows me more time and flexibility with higher quality of sound. No more worrying about time for long shows, I don't have a problem with Hi-SP sound quality. You get about 90 minutes with PCM but 7.5 hours of Hi-SP when you using the 1GB Hi-MD discs. You can also use the standard MD's and reformat them to record in Hi-MD format. You can also record to the old standard MD method and playback on standard MDs. Good idea for Sony to keep that backward compatibility option available.

I haven't recorded any shows yet with my the NH900 but I have played around with it using my AT822 mic. I have read reviews about the Automatic Gain Control and I am interested in trying that out in the near future. But, you can also change the recording levels manually using the jog dial after changing some menu settings. Warning: the default is automatic gain control and you have to reset to manual every time you stop the recording. There is also a Loud Music recording ACG setting and you can set the Mic Sens to High or Low.

What I have recorded using the Sonic Stage software and an optical input has sounded great! The downloading to the NH900 from PC is fast and easy to use once you get the Sonic Stage software figured out. I won't go into all the downsides about Sony and Digital Rights Management, just know there are some restrictions with how many times you can download a tune,etc. Still, it's a whole lot easier than my old MP3 player's download software and hassles. It's not like I am likely to re-record MD's that manytimes, the media is too cheap(at least the old MDs with the Hi-MD to come down after the market stabilizes the supply and demand of this new media). You make a MD and use that, you don't have to worry about formatting your HD ever again. You can re-record on these MDs over 1 million times (claim by Sony).

The sound reproduction on the NH900 is a big improvement over old Sony MD's and even my Sharp DR7 with its Auvi 1-bit amplifier. The NH900 has a normal setting, a surround sound option, and a custom EQ. These can easily be switched between using the remote. The sound quality is great.

The NH900 also has a line out setting that allows the user to output the sound without any effects on the sound. There is also an analog/optical input along with a mic input.

The USB connection allows downloads and uploads. This is a big benefit to the Hi-MD format, the uploading of files recorded on the Hi-MD. Getting the files from a Hi-MD to a CD has been a little tricky but we have options. I have used the marcnet HiMD conversion tool (see Minidisc.org forums for a freeware download) and have easily converted my files without problems. We are all waiting on Sony to put out a WAV coverting tool that will allow uploads to be transferred to WAV and burned to CD. Until then and even after then, marcnet's tool will be a valuable tool. You can read more about uploading your files on minidisc.org forums.

Update (1/10/2005): Sony did release its WAV converter as promised back in November and it has proved to be very easy to use but again it will only convert to WAV files that were recorded with the analog input or mic input. Optical or a digital signal sources can be converted using Marcnet's freeware program without any problems.

The USB connection also allows the Hi-MD to download and upload files as a storage unit, unfortunately you can only use USB 1.1 speed. Hard to notice with music files but can be a drag for larger files.

The top of this recorder is aluminum and the bottom is a hard composite plastic, just like my old Sharp DR7. It's a solid unit regardless and put together well. The menus take some time to get used to but the jog dial control helps once you get the hang of it.

Overall, a BIG jump for the format and I think Sony is making a move in the right direction with the Hi-MD format. The NH900 is a solid choice with lots of options. Worth looking at if you want high quality playback and excellent recording features. The remote is not the best and the uploading features have yet to be fully optimized. But the new benefits and features far outweigh the downers. Take a look at the NH900.

Update (1/10/05): Still enjoying this recorder. I have made at least 8 concert recordings (search Mark H. Johnson on www.archive.org to listen to some of them) and I am very pleased. The upgraded remote with backlight and the ability to adjust recording signal is an absolute must.