Sony MZ-N505 Blue Net MiniDisc Walkman

Amazon Customer Reviews

(5 out of 5)

Another great sony MD

Finally the new generation of Sony Net Mini Disc's have arrived.
On first impressions the minidisc is extremely light. New features include the ability to group tracks together, user variable recording level and LP4 record mode giving approx. 320 minutes of recording time.
But the number one feature in my opinion is the ability to copy across music as files at high speeds via a USB link. It comes with its own software for connectivity, copying from CD to MD and even labels the tracks for you - no more fiddling around with the device controls. The only detraction is the inability for Windows Media player to recognise the device, although maybe this is a configuration problem.
All in all its a great product, and with the risk of sounding too gushing, full marks to Amazon, I ordered the product midday on the 19th and it arrive midday on the 20th, in two words - buy one.

(3 out of 5)

Not quite what it seems

I should start by saying that the MD itself has great sound quality, it's small and light and just about anything you expect from a MD player. But the name NetMD might be a little misleading. The player itself does not support or playback mp3 or wma files at all.

The bundled software will import the files you choose and convert them to ATRAC3 files (making a copy of the new file) before transferring them to the MD. When you are trying to transfer quite a few songs this can take ages. It supposedly does this to stop illegal distribution of songs to other PCs/MDs etc. Aswell as this long waiting time it also eats away lots of space on your HD if you don't continually delete the extra files it creates, this should be done manually because the software has a tendency to delete the copied files aswell as your original mp3 files.

I think I should also point out that the player is plastic and not metal, the screen might be too small for some and you'll eventually end up wishing you got a player with a screen on the remote. The manuals would be better described as pamphlets which fail to answer any serious questions you might have so you should'nt rely on them to sort out any problems. You might also encounter some difficulty recording at LP4 at times, because the software refuses to transfer some mp3 files at that rate.

So overall if you don't mind waiting about for the transfer and converting times and have a large HD then this could be for you. Just don't expect an mp3 playing Minidisc recorder, because it's not.

(5 out of 5)

Can't beat it

this was a really great buy for me, the sound quality is amazing and the features are unbeatable. I have a lot of Mp3's that are fillign up my computer so i deceided to buy this net MD and did not regret it. On a single 74min blank MD you can fit about 4 hours of music at 66kps and the sound quality is still amazing. You can group songs on the MD or by using the software available. Transfer from pc to MD is very faqst about 20 sec per song, however converting from mp3/wav to ATRAC3 takes quite long depending on the speed of you computer. Another great thing with this MD is that you can transfer songs from the pc to net MD but you can also transfer them back so you can re-use the minidisc almost like a CD-RW. Overall i think the software is great and all of the functions are practical and not over done. the only disappoinment with the MD is the headphones contraol stick however this can easily be replaced. The MD comes with a rechargable battery which is practical as it can be left over night to charge. Great product with great sound quality

(5 out of 5)

Tasty

Sony ......... Please get someone who understands English to write your manuals .

Now the good points , fan-bloody-tastic , the best bit has to be downloading music from the computer , I've been taking my favourite tracks from CD into the jukebox software , and shoving them onto my minidisc , an average CD was downloaded to the minidisc in about 6 mins , and I managed to get around 35 CD quality tracks
wihout compression onto one 80min MD , and to think I nearly bought an MP3 player , phew , this thing will eat your MP3 files right up and spit them right back at your eardrums making you wonder why you even considered buying an MP3 player .

As for sound quality , mmmmm , tasty , the digital bass works really well , just one point though . Maybe Sony could tell customers to only put the volume up to level 30 if they want to loosen bit's of earwax off or make their ears bleed , about 10 is fine , 20 and it starts getting very loud , and well 30 would drown out a Jumbo jet and make your ears fall off .

Just one begging letter to Sony .......... When can you make it possible to connect my digital camera to it , so I can use it as a portable storage device , please send prototype to ..... Mr A ............. only joking ...........

(5 out of 5)

A neat little number!

The MZ-N505 is small and compact, barely much bigger than a minidisc itself. If it didn't already look fragile enough to begin with, the fact that the body casing is made from sturdy plastic, rather than a hardier metal shell, does make you extra careful about where you leave it. A wayward foot or posterior could well do some permanent damage to the poor thing!

Long-term durability aside, the MZ-N505 has a lot going for it. All your basic minidisc recording/playing/editing functions are here and accessible via the main unit or the remote stick. The main unit's buttons are a bit plasticky too, lending the unit a sort of Tomy-esque feel, but they respond well and accidental proddings of neighbouring buttons rarely happen. (Both the main unit and the remote stick have a "hold" function to lock off the controls too.)

As with any MD unit worth its salt these days, there are LP2 and LP4 recording modes, but alas no high/double speed synchro transfer function for ripping CDs optically. However, the unit does make up for this by allowing you to rip and transfer a CD via the OpenMG Jukebox software at 32x speeds, more of which later.

Sound playback quality is top notch, assuming you've a decent pair of headphones or earphones. The earphones supplied with the unit are the cheap, generic sort that Sony throw in with all their portable audio gear. They get the job done, but they become uncomfortable to wear after about ten minutes. On top of that, the sound can be a bit thin and tinny and the bass response disappointing, even whilst using one of the unit's two built-in bass boost modes.

To get the best out of the MZ-N505, you're better off discarding the bundled earphones and investing in a decent pair of headphones. The Sony MDR-G63LP Street Style headphones are just the ticket and ideal for a portable.

Elsewhere on the main unit, you've got a 3V DC power jack for the bundled power supply (an absolute essential if you're going to be doing a lot of recording or transferring from external sources), a headphone/remote jack (headphones and remote stick supplied), dual line-in/optical input (optical cable supplied) and USB port (USB cable supplied). The eject button is logically placed and, thankfully, won't eject the disc if the unit's recording/writing or transferring data via USB.

Of course, the MZ-N505's biggest selling point is its versatility as a Net MD player. Sony's OpenMG Jukebox software is supplied on CD, although it's a somewhat unwieldy and archaic application. To list all the associated niggles would require more space than I have available for this review, suffice to say that the software does what it should 70% of the time and will infuriate the hell out of you for the other 30%.

Anyone expecting to just drag a whole bunch of MP3s over to the unit in record time is going to be disappointed. The MZ-N505 doesn't natively support the MP3 format -- instead, MP3 files have to be converted into the MD's native ATRAC format. These ATRAC conversions are then recorded onto the disc. Anyone short on hard drive space had better beware, because you essentially end up with the same track on your system in both MP3 and ATRAC format. (Pay careful attention to dialog boxes and configuration screens too, otherwise the software may end up inadvertently deleting your original MP3 files at some point.)

The whole MP3->ATRAC conversion process seems to take an age, certainly much longer than a CD->MP3 rip. On the other hand, the ATRAC data is transfered to minidisc at 32x speed, so at least that side of things is fairly nippy.

Be careful when transferring MP3s that are of a particularly low bitrate (ie, anything below 96kbps) if you're using one of the LP recording modes. The sound quality isn't so hot (you're effectively ending up with second generation lossy compression). If at all possible, re-record the track directly from your original source via the line-in/optical jack. You're limited to a 1x speed transfer rate, but you're getting a good quality first generation compression.

Despite the poor (but adequate) software and a rather naff pair of bundled earphones, the MZ-N505 is a wonderful little unit with a lot going for it. Learn to live with the software's shortcomings (at the very least you can put it to good use for titling your recordings), buy yourself a decent set of headphones and you're all set. The ability to arrange tracks into groups is another major plus, especially if you're planning on filling up all 320 mins capacity of an 80 min disc in LP4 mode. With the mains power plugged in, the unit is also capable of recharging its own battery!

Thoroughly recommended as a first-time purchase for MD newbies looking for a portable rather than a deck, as a supplemental portable unit for MD veterans or as a worthy alternative to an MP3 player.