Pros: Tiny, Powerful, Reliable, and Elegant, the best on the market
Cons: Clear casing of remote takes getting used to, earbud headphones stink

Since the introduction of the original Walkman in the 1970's, Sony has continued to push the technological envelope in every conceivable electronic format, from portable audio to video cameras, televisions, stereo equipment, and as of late has churned out some excellent laptop models and dominated the video game industry with its unparalleled and unprecedented PlayStation enterprise. What was next? Sony created its OWN format- the MiniDisc, and then proceeded to conquer this arena as well.

When I first heard of the MiniDisc format, I thought it was cool, but like most everyone else I wanted to wait until the dust settled on this new technology before diving into it. Enough time has passed to declare the MiniDisc format a success, and I can tell you from first hand experience that many skeptics are being converted to awe-inspired believers on a daily basis. You say you're not a skeptic? You're ready to go MD and you want to know where you should assign your loyalty?

To Sony, of course. Read on...


First Impressions

As a college student, getting the newest and flashiest toys to help you make it through the semester is not cheap, but if done right it's worth it. This is one of those purchases you can justify no matter what your budget is. I'd seen some friends with MD players, mostly from Hong Kong and Japan, and I'd looked into getting one State-side but they were too bland and expensive. Then, a friend of mine decided to study abroad in China for a semester, and I asked her to pick me up an MD player/recorder if she found a good deal. She visited Japan and found one.

The cheapest I've seen the MZ-R91 retail in the US is for $320 (email me if you want the URL to this excellent website). My friend bought it and a few blank MD's for a total of $270. Of course, not everyone will be able to get their's from Japan, so if you're willing to spend the extra money I can tell you it's worth it.

When she got back and showed me what she had picked up for me, I was awestruck. The Sony ones I had seen here were drab and clunky, but this one is sleek, smooth, and genuinely tiny. It is roughly the size of a MiniDisc. The model I got was the white one, and its paint has this pearl effect to it that makes it look like it's coated with, well, pearl. It's buttons are sterling silver, and compliment the look nicely.

Only after I got my R91, did I look online to see pictures of some of Sony's other models. If you are considering an R90 and can get it for cheaper, it's only fair to note that the R90 and R91 are functionally identical. But if you can afford to spring for the R91, you'll be glad you didn't end up with the industrial warehouse look of the R90.

To the best of my knowledge, the R91 currently holds the title for the lightest and smallest MD unit, but Panasonic is about to change all of that. Still, you are not going to find a better functioning, or more smoothly functioning, MD unit than the MZ-R91.


Recording

I couldn't believe how easy it was to record to a MiniDisc. I thought I was doing something wrong. You plug an analog or optical cable into the "Line In" jack on the MD unit, and the other end to whatever you want to record from, then hit the record button. That's it. Granted, all recordable models are this simple (I hope), but it's from here on out that the R91 shines.

One of the cooler functions of MD is that you can label tracks, as well as the entire disc. On the model I have, you could even choose from Japanese katakana characters. I can't read Japanese, but seeing those characters scroll across the LCD display of the indigo-blue backlit remote is pretty damn cool. According to my Japanese-spec manual, the R91 allows you to label tracks and discs with up to 200 characters. I'll admit that it gets to be tedious after a while to label your tracks, but just the knowledge that you can name your tracks whatever you want without hitting a limit is liberating.

Here's where the R91 sets itself apart. I have a friend who has a Sharp MS-MD722, and he can't label tracks while playing or recording. The R91 allows you to do BOTH. If you're labeling a track during playback, the unit automatically keeps the song on repeat for you until you're done.
There is a button on the side of the unit labeled "T-Mark," that allows you to insert or delete track marks from your MD. If you're using that optical cable, track marks carry over from any digital source you are recording from. If you're using the conventional analog cable, the unit listens for a two second gap of silence, and if it hears it, automatically inserts a track mark. I've recorded entire CD's this way and every track mark was transferred without a glitch. However, I have some trance CD's that are continuous mixes, and these require you to insert your own track marks. You can do so either during recording or during playback, and you can delete a track mark by pushing the same T-Mark button and following Sony's innovative on-screen menu.

There is so much more about recording that I could get into, but I have limited space so I won't get into it. One final note about recording- you can record ANY format onto MD without converting anything, namely MP3's. I have a MD full of songs from a tape, CD's and MP3's from my computer. You don't need any special cables or units, so don't bother with those expensive devices manufacturers are trying to sell you to convert MP3's to your MD.


Playback

Once you've finished recording and you don't like the order of your tracks, you can change them any way you'd like. Keep this in mind when you're labeling your MD's. :) The remote is a joy to use, but more on that later. This unit has a 40-second anti-skip memory, and I have yet to hear it skip or stutter. I've heard complaints about previous Sony units not getting loud enough; don't worry about this one- it flat out cranks.

The earbud headphones that come with it are annoying, and I replaced them with a pair of collapsable Sony in-the-air headphones for $18. They fold down to roughly the size of the sleek remote and I HIGHLY recommend them. The unit's buttons are solidly designed, and the innovative and extremely cool JogDial control makes you feel like you're using equipment that is really, really expensive (and you pretty much are).

The rechargeable lithium battery has a long life, I've observed between 12 and 14 hours. There is an included bay that holds a single AA battery if you wish to extend your battery life. It comes with an AC adapter, which you can use to power the MD player or charge the batteries. You can charge the batteries from the remote by pressing the stop button, which is a cool feature.


The Remote

What a marvel. You can perform almost every single function on the remote that you can on the base unit, with the exception of inserting track marks. Yes, you can even label tracks from your remote, which is very useful and envy-inspiring (among other MD owners).

The one gripe I have with the remote is that its iMac clear color doesn't let you see too clearly what the buttons do. After a week of use, you'll get used to it and won't need to know what they say, but it's annoying at first. Why did this get to be such a craze anyways? I don't care what the inside of the remote looks like, as long as it works right. But looking past this, the remote is wonderful.

It has a clip you can clip to your shirt or belt, although if you insist on using the stock earbud headphones plan on clipping the remote pretty close to your neck. The buttons are small, but operate solidly, and you can tell by their precision feel that they'll be working a few years from now. The top of the remote is a three way button; I'm not even going to try and describe it because it's hard even for people who are holding it to see how it works.

But it works, and it works so impressively. You tap it down to reverse a track or rewind, up to play, forward a track or fast forward, and you press it in to stop or charge. I've used other MD remotes, and this is as good as it gets. The indigo backlight is a MD trademark, but the Sony's tiny-pixeled dot-matrix font is super classy.




As you can see, I can go on and on about the MZ-R91. If you have any questions about it, email me. I bought an imported electric blue Sony case for it, and when people see it and then see what's inside it, they are just floored. It is about one and a half times the size of my Handspring Visor, and it is thinner than your wallet- this is WHILE holding the MD unit, the remote, the collapsable headphones, and 3 MD's without their cases. If you get the R91, make sure to get your hands on this case and watch peoples reactions when you open it up. It is specifically made for the R90/R91's, and is physically too small for any other MD player.

With the recent introduction of the Memory Stick and Network Walkmans, Sony has left the competition in the dust, their heads still spinning from trying to catch up to them in the MD wars. Who's to say what the medium of the future will be? Future Sony electronics are looking to make the Memory Stick a household name, but it's a long way off. Memory Sticks are expensive, and don't hold as much as MD's. You're safe buying MD until the Memory Stick technology advances, which won't be for a few years.

Just to leave you with a final thought- Sony is one of the most trusted and reliable name brands out there, so you know you're getting your money's worth and that your investment will last a long time. As for the MiniDiscs themselves? You can re-record on a MiniDisc somewhere in the vicinity of a million times.