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

I'm going to get to the point with this review, because I can understand the mixed opinions from annoyed and happy people. Lets get the iffy negative's out of the way first. To put it simply, the software included is an absolute joke. The program, named "SonicStage" is Sony's series of painful programs that allow you to transfer data between your PC and Sony device. And believe me, it's not just this product's sofware that's dodgey - it's happened with my previous Sony ATRAC MP3 CD player too. Slow, buggy, and unable to update, it makes you wonder why such a prestige company can let out such software. I concur with previous reviewers too who have had the "omgjbox.exe" error. For the record, this PC is only 3 months old, clean as a whistle and fast, yet it managed to make the computer go Ape over registry changes, and slowed it down from software... it makes you just want to go Grrrr! You're not even allowed to go onto the net via the program without it giving a good old "omgjobx.exe" error. Just Google it!

The sound quality put's MP3 players, such as the iPod, to shame. This is why I continue to use this little player - it may not have the massive 20GB of storage that your bright iPod will have, but honestly.. who on earth would want to walk around with over 20,000 songs in their pocket, when the average train/bus journey to work/Uni is about 25 minutes? For me, it's quality over quantity, and this sounds exactly like a CD player on every recording.

With this topic in mind, this is the main reason I bought the N710. I'm a DJ and needed a cheap(ish) alternative that would allow me to record my sessions/mixes in the garage, as I no longer work near a computer. My dad who is in the music business suggested the MiniDisc despite it almost retro value these days, and I can understand why. The recording quality is second to none.

This is why find sad about the life of the Minidisc. It has been over-shadowed by MP3 players merely because of portability. With such crystal clear recording quality, my Sony N710 gives me studio quality results on Technics 1210 vinyl decks. Not only is better quality than when I original hooked it directly to my PC's soundcard, but you would easily mistake it for a CD. This not only allows me to send clubs the best quality audio samples, but has allowed me the back-up of turning my vinyls into CD's for the future.

Enter a problem which people have been scratching heads about... can you transfer recordings to your PC? Answer: YES, but not through Sony's shocking software... the ONLY way to transfer your recordings to PC is through directly linking it to your PC's soundcard, and then using some free software like Mixcraft, just saving it as an MP3 file. Their is a slight chance of losing quality, but this depends ENTIRELY on your soundcard. My budget computer (under 275 quid) did a damn good job for over 6 months of recording excellent quality vinyl recordings.

I think the Sony Minidisc players were only let down by 2 problems. Price, and software options. MP3 players back in 2001/02 would be only slightly more in cost, and would offer more storage in one space. And then theirs the music transfer, which could be done without hassle. One problem with "Sony" minidisc players is that you can't just transfer any only MP3/WMA/Sound files... they have to be ripped into ATRAC format which for some people presents problems of hassle (they obviously don't know what a tiuch life is) but didn't realise that once you have your various albums on 'one' minidisc, you can just keep them on it. That's why you can buy 'extra' minidiscs....

I think i've said enough. My Minidisc may have have been overshadowed by a small Cigarette lighter-sized Samsung MP3 player, but this is merely for short University journeys because it's such a small and light player. For recording portably, the Minidisc can't be beaten. Better than MP3 quality, it presents the finest in sound for any band member, DJ, or audiophile. I defy anyone to refuse that.

After getting this MD player, i took it home and within 10 minutes realised that the sonicstage software is a complete joke and was never, ever going to work. I then proceeded to spend hours searching for alternative software and plugins for realplayer and windows media player still to no avail.

Call me old fashioned, but when i buy an expensive piece of electronic equipment, i don't expect to have to spend the best part of a day searching for a way to actually make it work.

My advice; don't buy this, don't even contemplate it.

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.

i've had this minidisc since it first came out and it's never broken, or crashed it's fabulous and its worth the money i paid for it.

or how heavy it is!
i have had this player for about 6 months.
i bought this md from a sony dealer after researching a lot about md players and i have to say that it does have good sound quality, but not really a lot better than my old sony md, but for me major flaw was how QUIET it is.(1.2mw amp)

for me when i am listening to music i like to be able to fully escape into it, from whatever is happening arounnd me at school or wherever and this thing jsut annoyed me how weak the power output is.

another problem ahs been the fact that i have sent it back to sony TWICE in 6 monthes as the laser had messed up and there have been problems with the battery too. i have bought some better sony earphones (with a longer cord than the one provided,this is also a big problem!) and ajusted the e.q which will do me volume wise SOMTIMES but this problem along with the weight and the breaking problems(which i beleive, after speaking to many people happens to most md players) is not good enough.

however i beleive that sony have built in obsolescence with most of their products these days(not like the old tape walkmans!!)so their not going to last longer than a year, and thats if your lucky. but overall i think this is good player as far as sony mds go with good sound quality and battery life, but it is not my cup of tea and i am now purchasing an ARCHOS GMINI XS 200 mp3 player which looks amazing!! ive had it with md players ,having to carry loads of discs around with me and then losing them all id rather have 20gb of space in one place!