Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony MZ-R700DPC MiniDisc Walkman with Stick Style Remote

After researching for weeks what MiniDisc recorder to buy, I decided that this is the best player for the price, and boy was I right? With the DPC you can record from ANYTHING. The PC link lets you record mp3s from your laptop (but beware: the recording is a 1:1 recording, no MP3 player like instant tranfers. To puy 80 minutes on a MD, it'll take 80 minutes), My Aiwa stereo has an optical out so I can record from that with pure digital clarity. I've used it to record my band, and it sounds great. You can separate tracks, combine them, and delete them all from the player. The MDLP modes that let you put 2x -4x more music on a MD work great, but the LP4 mode looses quality. The music sounds "muddy" and the stereo channels bleed into eachother, but for the convience of having all of an artists CDs on one MD it's worth it. LP2 has no loss in quality, and the whole unit is well made. For one, it's impossible to skip! I played catch with it and it still wont skip, and if I dropped it, it could take the hit. It's tiny as anything too! The only drawback is the remote doesn't have a display, but you can upgrade if need be. Forget the R900, it's too expensive for not enough features, if you shop right you can get this player for under $200, making it even better than the others. You cant go wrong with this player!

This is my first piece of MiniDisc equipment. Mine is is the metallic green version shown in the pic. I've never seen the silver in person, but I've seen the blue, and even if the thought of a green walkman turns you off, it's still a lot more striking than the blue, which isn't metallic like the green, but flat and dull. I think the lustrous sheen of the green gives it a much more expensive look. Anyway, I am mostly satisfied with this unit. It sounds great, although I have never used the bundled headphones with it, and I do wish the volume would go a little higher to compensate better for noisy urban enviroments. The controls are mostly easy to use, build quality is high. The MDLP mode is nice. Right now I only use it (LP2) for double albums and adding more remixes to the end of an album that would otherwise fit, but the sound quality is still really high and most people won't notice the drop in quality. Also, the remote is nice. While it feels a little cheap and doesn't have an LCD screen, the lever setup is rather clever. You'll probably want to upgrade to a better model of remote however, I aquired the RM-MC11EL for mine, which comes with the MZ-R900.

Some gripes I have is while the front casing is aluminum, the back is plastic, and loses its paint from friction on the edges rather quickly. Also, my unit does tend to skip from time to time, though I think the problem may be either dust on the heads or maybe just a defective unit. To access some commands, like the bass controls, you have to navigate through a menu system, which is sort of tedious. Lastly, the battery that came with it isn't the greatest... it gets the job done but you'll want to upgrade that too. The Xitel optical mp3 thingee is nice too, though to be honest I don't use it that much, instead dubbing CDs that I already own to MD.

Overall this is a solid performer, and much nicer to tote around (in your pocket) than a big clunky CD player.

I've been putting off buying a portable listening device since my last '90 Aiwa tape player. But after seeing the Minidisc in action - it's a definite buy and constant use gem.

Sound quality? Can you say OPTICAL input. You cannot get any better sound resolution than this; any decent DVD player has an optical out; decent CD players too. RCA IN is a plus (not included) and the PC IN option is mediocre - it is convenient with all the CD-R/PC/MP3 formatted music. It's got a two-stage added-bass feature that works quite well. The standard headphones are excellent - an updated version with position detents for fixed fit. The remote fob device is essential for total playback+record control once your MDplayer is tucked away in the pocket. (look for the RM-MZR55 remote with backlighting if you want to upgrade)

The unit has never skipped even with major motion, jostling, or shock. I haven't done a drop-test, but I'll skip it for now. The biggest drawback is the lack of a custom case/holster for the unit; it does come with a bag, but it isn't adequate for protection or carrying with any confidence. Plus, the lack of backlighting on the main unit is a bummer.

It comes with it's own AA ni-cad battery and charger, and runs for a prolonged period of time ~ 6 hours playback, 1.5-2x as long on a regular AA. The half-sized ice cream sandwich form kicks the CD portable players to the curb. It isn't as ubiquitous as some MP3 players - but why would you want to drop several dimes on something invisible. Personally, the anodized blue colored one has more impact than the silver, but the form and interface overall is a delight. The battery bulge just slightly cants the display up, the button separation and placement works great for easy access. I find excuses to block the world out and listen to high-fidelity music on the go.

I just bought this player, and I love it! I sold my old player (Sharp MD-SR60S) because I wanted one with the LP modes and also one that would support digital recording. After browsing Sony's extensive line of MD players, I chose this one because I thought it was the best value. The price was a little high, but I found some good deals on refurbished ones online, so I was all set! I decided on this one for two reasons. First, it has digital PC Link feature, allowing you to record digitally from your computer's USB port. Second, it had LP modes, allowing me to get tons of music on a single minidisc. The features are great. It has the editing features that I liked on my old one, and it's small, lightweight, and extremely easy to use. I was actually surprised to see that it came with 2 rechargeable batteries and the charging time is a mere 3 hours. After looking over the manual, I hooked it up to test the features. Windows XP automatically picked it up and made it the default output device (instead of the soundcard). The manual says to use LP2 (160 Minutes) or normal stereo (80 minutes) modes for best sound quality, but I can't tell the difference between the mp3 files on the computer and the sound quality on the MD. The only downside is the way the synchro-record feature inserts extra track marks all over the place! I found at least 15 extra track marks that were inserted, but removing them is relatively easy, so I can't complain. The battery has a long life (7.5 hours recording/18 hours playback in LP4 mode), which allows you to create a playlist on your computer, set the unit to record, and walk off as the computer goes through the songs. It's awesome! This thing is fun! If you can't decide between an MP3 player and a Minidisc player, the ultimate decision should be based on how much you're willing to pay. Sure, you can get an MP3 player with 20GB of memory, if you're willing to pay nearly [a price]. On the other hand, you can buy this for [a price] or less (Yahoo! Shopping), and never run out of space! Need minidiscs? No problem. They're [inexpensive]! Bottom line: This is the best Minidisc player/recorder for your money. The higher-priced models don't have much else, except maybe a fancier bass boost system or something like that.

The mini-disc player is a great technology and this model includes the ability to record live performances with a microphone (purchased seperatly) The system includes a USB/optical digital transfer of data from your PC to the MD however the capability to transfer digital music from the MD to the PC via the USB does not exist! In other words you can make great recordings of your band but you cant make an exact CD of that recording without going through the headphone and analog input jacks on your sound card. Why was this left out? Im sure nervous copywrite holders had some input into that decision!