Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony MZ-S1 S2 Sports Net MD MiniDisc Player

The Merits of the MiniDisc format:
I have been a fan of the MiniDisc since I first saw all my dancing friends using them to play and share music, when there also was no chance I could afford an MP3 Player.
The merits of the MD -- a relatively cheap, easily tranferable/shareable format, if your friends also use it. If your buddy wants to listen to your studying/skating/waltzing/whatever mix for a day or two, you can hand it over without worrying about an expensive piece of memory/media or having to transfer data some other way. Of course, I have no idea if that's legal -- but let's say I'm talking about something you yourself wrote and recorded.
I have minidisc players in the house and car, so I can easily transport mixes and play them wherever and whenever I like. I couldn't do that [as cheaply or easily] with an MP3 player (at the moment).
Minidiscs are smaller than CD's, which you can also make at the drop of a hat these days, and they don't skip.

Warning for all Sony MD players:
Whatever you do, DO NOT INSTALL THE SONY SOFTWARE IF YOU CAN HELP IT. Maybe it will get better over time, but if you are familiar with the use of MP3s already, use RealPlayer (the free version has a Net-MD plugin that will allow you to drop your mp3s and playlists onto your MDs, without the check-in/check-out nonsense) or Ahead's Nero, or something similar. Yes, RealPlayer takes a little longer (15-90 seconds per average song, depending heavily on how you choose to encode your mp3s -- I use a *very* high fidelity method, and consequently have mp3s that are usually at least 5-8Mb, and these take maybe a minute or less apiece to transfer).
If you aren't an MP3 user already, consider ramping up to speed. Alternatively, you could use Sony's Net-MD Simple Burner to convert your CDs into MP3s quickly, if you must. Some people are lucky enough to get the other Sony Software to work, and don't mind the check-in/check-out nonsense. (You must check-out your music files when you write them to any disc, and they may not be checked in to ANY OTHER COMPUTER, or checked out more than n times (n varies from 1-3 or maybe more over time and version release, or so it seems).)

This device in particular --
Pros:
1) Water-resistant/durable/sports-compatible design. I haven't tested this to the extreme, but I'm comfortable working out with it. I've also dropped it a few times on hard surfaces, with no apparent problems ensuing.
2) Fairly easy to hold -- smoother contours than the usual Net-MD, and comes with a wrist strap.
3) Great battery life.
4) No skipping.

Cons:

1) Nothing major, other than the Sony Software that most people despise -- but you can get around this as above (also search the web for "Mini disc transfer programs" or similar).
2) Ergonomically, it may not suit everyone's hand. Small hands may find it difficult to hold and control while working out. The joystick takes some getting used to. While I find it slightly awkward to use (I have medium-sized woman-hands), it IS easier to operate while running/skating/etc than the average portable music player. You don't have to look down at anything or move your hand significantly.

I wanted a unit that I could use working out, but I didn't want to buy more expensive memory for my mp3 player. This new Minidisc has wonderful sound and is very well made. The nice thing about is it is fairly small and is perfect for the outdoors. You don't have to worry about it. Thanks for everybodies reviews, I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on this player. It is made me a big fan of Minidisc

This is one great product. It delivers a single most important thing that I was looking for: Integration of all my music needs. I can use it at the gym (Mz s1 is quite rugged), on the go, in my car with the tape, feed into the aux of the home theater system.

It can record from any source: from the pc (mp3), from virtually any other source with a line out (fm, cd, etc).

I do not think that this is expensive. If it breaks, I will go and get another one, at least I do not need to create all the music data again. Other good things are the looks, feel, sony name, storage media, battery life and type.

It has some solid drawbacks too:

1. The main attraction of this unit comes from the huge storage that it offers, I must say that the lowest bit rate is virtually offensive to my ears at least, so the best it can really do is 2 hours in mid level recording. I will NOT blame sony for it.

2. The software has been widely blamed all over, I just used the real player and got the plug in for this device, and get set going. People spend too much time blaming and not giving the solutions, which is as simple as installing the real player, which most have, and get the plug in. Yes, I will blame sony for it.

3. It only supports 2nd edition of win 98, this is misleading. I will not blame sony for it.

4. It requires a lot of reading and understanding, you just cannot use all the features without doing the essential reading. I will not blame sony for it.

5. Once you record a checkedout file from the computer, that number can not be erased and that disc is gone too, I will blame Sony for it big time.

6. Great joystick, but no remote, bad very very bad. I will blame sony for it.

Unless one is committed to put in all the effort, stay away from this one, this is not the usual plug and play equipment.

I don't wanna make you feel bored about this review, so I'm gonna be fast.
Fisrt of all, The Net MD are a million times better than a mp3 Discman. Why? Because MiniDisc are stronger and smaller, you can carry them in any pocket of your blue jeans.
(MD 1 - Other Players 0)
Second, With onle one MiniDisc you can store more than 5 hours. The software OpenMG converts the mp3 format to the MD format. You can export them only 3 times, that's true. But 3 times to 3 differet MDs, because you can send back a song to your PC and you'll have one more chance to record that song. If the tranfer fail, it doesn't count as a complete tranfer.
(MD 2 - Other Players 0)
Third, Its orange screen lets you see the title of the song, time remaining and many other data. Something that any other player doesn't have.
(MD 3 - Other Players 0)
Fourth, The weight is its weak point. It cannot be carried in your shirt pocket, and hardly in your jeans.
(MD 3 - Other Players 1)
In conclusion, I recomend this product. The Oks have beaten the KOs. You won't feel dissapointed. Enjoy it!

I bought this unit to replace a Sharp MS-MD722 which I had loved since 2000. I prefer the user interface style of the Sharp players, but the NetMD features lured me to Sony. The little joystick control is a little strange, and it's easy to stop play when you mean to advance one track. I can't fault the sound...it seems at least as good as all my other MD equipment. The included headphones sound good and are comfortable to wear, but have about 9" too little cord. The four stars of the review are based on the hardware alone.

Now for the serious rant-fest, but every word here is 100% serious. It may sound like I've slipped into hyperbole, but don't ignore this. If you are easily frustrated and/or you use an old, slow, or homebuilt computer, don't expect to use the included OpenMG software for mp3 transfer. OpenMG is easily the worst most unstable piece of software I have ever seen in public release. There are betas of other software that is more stable. Careful examination of Sony's included info about OpenMG has multiple disclaimers about no performance guarantees based on different aspects of computer setup. This is a silly way of trying to reduce the problems they feel compelled to solve with the software. Perhaps its made to run best on a Sony VAIO system. At any rate, I have come to expect multiple reboots every time I use it, even for something as simple as retitling tracks on a disc. Sony should be ashamed to pass off this software to paying customers. NetMD debuted in 2001, and the software should be more refined than this by now. I am a patient and generally computer-savvy person, and I have to say that Sony needs to start over with the code and user interface of OpenMG.

OpenMG also aggressively makes itself the default player for most media types...a pain in itself even if the software were stable.