Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony MZ-N710 Silver Net MiniDisc Walkman

Sony have done it again. Though the upgrade hasn't significantly changed the features of the MZ-N707, the 710 is good to look at, light and packed with features. I was looking for a portable music station that could handle mp3 & wma as I have many of them on my computer. The USB connectivity is fast, the sonicstage software is user friendly and performance of the 710 is fantastic. The fully functional LCD remote adds the icing on the cake! For those who need mp3 compatibility but do not wish to be bogged down with an mp3-only player then the 710 is for you...and the price is definately worth it.

The mz-n710 is well worth the money, especially now that it is even cheaper than when i bought it! it looks really cool and is small and light. it is alos practically indestructible i have dropped mine about a hundred times and it hasn't got a scratch on it. the only negative point is the lack of a backlight on the LCD display, but you can hardly complain for the price. i know people who have bought mini disc players four times the price of this one and they are no better they just have a couple of really fruity but very confusing features that no one understands how to use anyway! i have read a couple of reviews claiming that the volume is a problem and that you cant hear the music above any kind of noise, this is absolute pants, only some one with serious hearing problems wouldnt be able to hear this. ive used it on a tractor and had no problems hearing it! i have also read reviews claiming that the software is difficult to use, this is also pants. i would be difficult to find anyone so dumb they couldnt figure it out. the only nagging thing with the software is sonys copyright protection, but this is easy to get around. just dont use the internet to search for song names when you put a CD in, just enter them manually and the software cant find out if they're copyrighted. i have never experienced any problems putting any music onto this mini disc player, and the battery lasts for ages. so i reckon that this piecce of equipment is absolutely top drawer. Come on the toon!!!

BR>Had it a day, and I'm very impressed - I read the criticisms regarding the volume output and was prepared to be sceptical, but it's not an issue for me. I'm using Bang & Olufsen earphones, and haven't tried the standard Sony ones, but it's plenty load enough for me on all formats.
The unit is neat, well made and has enough features for most people.

The SonicStage software does seem to be a bit over the top, but once you get the hang of it (and the fact that it seems to want to make copies of your existing MP3's all the time!) it's not too bad, and the ability to fit multiple albums onto one disc is great.
Can't comment on battery life as I've only had it a short time, but the option to piggy back a standard AA cell to extend the life is good, and the fact that it attaches to the unit rather than trailing on a lead (as with some of the Sony CD players) is a neat solution.

Do yourself a big favour and buy it - you deserve at least one good present!

This MD is a powerful little bit of kit. The record quality is excellent with ATRAC 3. Few problems though - the volume is very low - listening on max vol is still quite low. I did not fiddle too much with it so dont know if you can switch that off. The sony Sonic Stage software does not allow you to copy from your MD to your computer - and if you did manage it keeps all files within the sonic stage software so you have to use it - which is useless if you are wanting to use the record feature for leactures etc. - ear phones arent the greatest, remote is difficult to see as not backlit. But a great bit of kit for a very reasonable price - with extra free goodies. So if i wanted a MD for music alone this would have been perfect.

I bought mine because I specifically wanted a lightweight portable means of listening to music and recording samples, speech, instruments, etc. The microphone input was the feature that made me buy this model.

I was very impressed with the sound quality, which was better than that of my CD walkman or my friend's Ipod. The controls are nicely laid out and fairly intuitive. I've never had the misfortune to drop it but the build quality seems reasonably good.

The sound quality of the recordings was surprisingly good (I used an AKG C1000S condenser mic). A minor gripe is that the maximum playback volume is a little on the quiet side. This is no problem under normal circumstances but it's not very good for noisy environments like rush hour trains or air travel.

The software bundled with the player (SonicStage 1.5) is an absolute nightmare to use. Some users have complained that if you record something on the player you can't upload the recordings onto the PC. This isn't quite true - you can't upload the recordings via USB onto the PC, but you can connect the line out/headphone jack to the line in connection on your sound card and do it that way and copy the recording to your hard drive. The only disadvantage is that you have to transfer the recordings in real time.

My biggest gripe though is that my machine died (about half an hour ago as it happens) merely 17 months after I bought it. It's never been dropped or had anything spilled on it. It just stopped working. Whether powered by mains or running off batteries it registers the fact that there is a disc inside but can't read its contents or play/record anything.

To say that I'm a bit disappointed is an understatement. I intend to buy another MD recorder before the week is out but I will try to find an alternative to Sony.