Home > Consumer Reviews > Sharp MDSR60S Minidisc Player/Recorder

This is a great MD player/recorder will sleek looks and good sound quality. For the price, the accessories package that comes with this unit is probably the best on the market. You get a rechargeable battery, a charger, a case, an optical cable, a remote, and a pair of pretty decent headphones, and all for (a good price). Compare that with other MD units and you will see how much more of a bargain you are getting with the MD-SR60.

Sharp has always been good with recording and playback capabilities on their MD players and this unit is no different. Unlike some Sony units whose playback volume tends to be too "weak," the Sharp MD-SR60 plays recordings loud and robust. The remote is also an added bonus, although a LCD display on it would have been nice.

Aesthetically, this unit is as nice as they come. It's not the smallest or the lightest, but considering the built-in, multi-function battery compartment, this unit is pretty compact.

With the MP3 craze lately, I would definitely recommend and MD player over a MP3 player anyday. Not only can MD players record MP3 songs off your computer, but they provide many other functions as well (voice recordings, digital CD replication).

It's true - you DO get what you pay for. Fortunately for the Sharp MDSR60S, for what you pay, you get a whole lot. This sharp MDSR60S has to be the best value for money on the MiniDisc player/recorder market - HANDS DOWN!

Being new to the world of Minidisc recorders, I did a fair amount of research before deciding to purchase the MDSR60S. However - in all honesty - the main reason I bought it, was its affordable price. I bought it used (it was listed as a "same day return - brand new") from a reseller at Amazon.com... With the exception of the users manual which was missing (I later downloaded the pdf file online) the unit itself, the packaging and everything else was as its listing claimed "brand new".

I use the thing practically everyday. I DJ as a hobby, so I record my mixed sets directly from my turntables (and mixer) to the MD player. I don't know how I managed to get by without one for so long! The versatility of a cassette tape except with far superior recording quality and portability.

On one hand, the unit is very user friendly. All the connecting cables that you will ever need (with the exception of the cable used to record from one MD player to another) come in the box. The recording quality is excellent. I've read (here on Amazon.com) some not-too-flattering comments about the MDSR60S's headphones. Speaking as a weekend warrior DJ, I was pleasantly surprised at the great sound quality that these folding headphones produce (it's even got some pretty decent bass). Sure bigger better headphones will sound better, but for the majority of folks, these headphones will be more than adequate. The 10 sec anti-shock memory is more than sufficient for moderate use (walking, driving), however I wouldn't expect to be able to go jogging (you probably need 40sec anti-shock for that).

On the other hand, the unit does not have MDLP (Mini Disc Long Playing) technology as an option, which means that your recording times are limited to the capacity of the actual Minidisc (74mins or 80mins). A MD player with MDLP have recording times which are something like 4 or 5 times greater than a MD player without. To be fair, I wouldn't expect to find MDLP in a unit at this price. Another drawback is the very "plastic-feeling" remote, which feels and looks about as sturdy as a feather. Some people may find the operating buttons a bit small - I have large fingers and find the buttons to be on the small side, but they are certainly not TOO small.

I do recognize that (overall) the MDSR60S is a piece of equipment that needs to be properly cared for if it is to last a long time, so to that end my MDSR60S comes out of it's carry bag, only to remove or insert an actual minidisc. Other than that, it stays in the carry bag, which stays in a larger carry-pouch with the other accessories (minidiscs, headphones, spare battery etc.). I would rather the remote suffer the brunt of the wear-and-tear caused by regular use, than the unit itself. So far this arrangement seems to be working great. I've had my MDSR60S for a little over a month and the unit still looks new and works great. The remote is starting the show signs of wear -which I expect because I use it every day.

If you're looking to buy a reasonably priced *first* MD player then the MDSR60S is for you. If you require longer recording times and greater anti-shock memory and you have...more money to spend, then the MDSR60S isn't for you. I know I'll eventually (when I can afford it) want to get a SONY or more advanced model SHARP with all the bells and whistles, but for now I'm quite happy with my MDSR60S.

I bought a Sharp MDSR60S from here on Amazon, and I couldn't be happier. I spent a lot of time reading reviews of all the various units on the international MiniDisc website, and I finally read enough negative things about the Sonys (along with lots of positive things) that I decided to go with this less expensive Sharp.

I wanted a MiniDisc mostly for recording myself live, and the Sharp fits the bill wonderfully. I find the features quite intuitive, and although somewhat time consuming, even labelling disks and tracks isn't bad; it doesn't bother me that you can't label tracks while recording, like with the Sonys, but that does seem to bother lots of people. Recording is wonderfully easy, and although the buttons are small, even with my large hands I don't have trouble with them. In addition to recording vocal performances, I did try dubbing a classical CD to minidisc, and that turned out great as well. The sound quality is outstanding, and the supplied cables were perfect for me, although I did use a miniplug to miniplug cable that I already had to dub from my portable CD player.

Although other reviews say that the unit is all plastic, it feels very solid to me. I don't carry the unit around that much, and although it isn't tiny like the new Sonys, it fits comfortably in most of my shirt pockets. I don't jog or walk around with it much, but I do sometimes carry it in my pocket while listening, and I've yet to have it skip. I read about lots of drawbacks to the Sonys' 40 second anti-skip and extreme power saving techniques. I usually have it plugged in to the AC adapter, but I've gone long periods between charges when just carrying it to listen to. The fold-up headphones fit nicely in the little bag, and together with the MD player, I find that they will fit in most of my shirt pockets, as long as I don't have anything else in there. Although I didn't expect to, I like the sound of the headphones, and I find them surprisingly comfortable, although I don't usually listen for more than an hour at a time. The remote is minimal, but when I want to use it, it works fine, although I do tend to push a button when clipping it on. Backlighting would be nice on the main display, but I decided not to pay for it; similarly for a backlit remote. The one feature I wish it had was digital output, but only the highest end component units have that. I would say the feature set for the price is outstanding.

I would give the Sharp MDSR60S my highest recommendation. I love it to death.

I have had this MiniDisc Player/Recorder for about 6months now, bought from Amazon during Christmas. I have to say if you are looking for an inexpensive portable audio player this is the best choice out there. MiniDisc offers CD quality sound that is rerecordable over and over on a $3 MD that can run up to 80min.

For under $200, you get 10sec shock protection, a cheap feeling remote control with no backlite LCD display, cheap headphones, a rechargeable NiMH battery w/ recharger, and the unit itself. The battery on a full charge lasts roughly 6-7 hours on the default volume setting of 15. The unit is roughly 1 1/2 the size of a MD across, and 1 1/4 of a MD vertically. The buttons are placed logically and are easy to press as opposed to Sonys strange placement and small size of their fingertip buttons. The unit or/and the remote control can be "locked," so commands arent registered when you have it in your pocket or such.

Even though this unit was designed to be cheaper then competing units, I have to say I couldn't be happier. It offers the options that people need at a low price.

Some good things about the unit. -Its at a cheaper price then competing units, and supposedly SHARPs ATRAC sound compression offers better sound quality then competing Sony models of the same price range. -It comes with a remote control albeit a very cheap plastic feeling one. -Solid chassis, will not break easily. -A better choice then stupid MP3 players that offer poor sound quality and 4x the price when you include the cost of buying "memory sticks" -Most bang for your buck

The bad -Only 10sec shock protection. Yes you can walk and it will not skip. But jog or run and it will skip. Definitely not for those who plan to jog or exercise with this. -Has only about 6-7 hours of battery life at default volume level. If you listen to this on the street, you will have to set the unit to higher then the "default" level, thus draining more battery. So in reality, the real battery life may be only 5-6 hours. You get less battery life with an alkaline battery it seems. This little battery life may not satisfy everyone.

Most people get MD players to carry their MP3s. This is very easy with this unit. Get a stereo analog sound cord with a male head on each end. Plug one side into the unit, the other side into ur sound cards LINE OUT (or SOUND OUT). Then just set the unit to autosync and play your mp3s. This SHARP unit will automatically cut a new track when necessary. Thats a PLUS!

Cheaper and with better sound quality then a MP3 player, the convenience of rerecording millions of times on a $3 MD over the burner/CD combo. For this price and the options this unit offers, this is a best buy.

An earlier review (July 9, 2002 by "an electronics fan") states that "you can't turn off sync mode." This is not true. You can record from any source, including a microphone, with or without sync mode.

When I first read the July 9th user review, I almost refrained from buying the SR60 because I intended to use it for live recording. Fortunately, I did a little more research (you can even download the user manual from ...) and was glad to learn that the unit would be suitable for my purposes.

I recently purchased an SR60 and have not been disappointed. It does an excellent job of recording live music.