Price Paid:  $400.00 from Richer Sounds

Summary:
I have had this player for just over 3 years and since then i have recorded over 3000 songs from cd to minidisc. I also use it for cd and minidisc playback and so after 3 years it has been used alot.

CD and MD playback is decent. I have it hooked up to a Denon PMA-250 AMP and Wharfdale Diamond 7.3speakers using a entry set of Cambridge Audio interconnects and Cabletalk 3.1 speakercable with Arcam camcom banana plugs. The system is decent. I use it in a small room and don't usually turn it up that loud (as it shows its limitations).

I mainly use TDK minidiscs (i have over 100) and i have about 20 md's from other makes such as Sony. Because i mainly use TDK, the system tends to not accept discs from other makes, calling it a U-TOC error, however these discs work perfectly fine on both my portable md players.

The second problem is with the jogdial. Without it, it would be very hard to enter names but now the jogdial is a little loose which makes name entering harder. Sony MD's have keyboard inputs which is a great idea.

Overall i could not have lived without this Sharp deck. It has been great but i recommend that if you want a quality cd/md deck, buy seperates and use this just for recording.

I am looking to upgrade to Copland CDA289 CD player, Sony MDS-JE555ES Minidisc deck and a Krell KAV-300i intergrated amp with Kef Reference 3 speakers (quite a massive difference i know, but i have been saving for a while). I am however still going to use the Sharp recorder due to its simplicity and good quality recordings.

You can still probably get it new for about $250 or ex-demo for about $200, but i wouldn't recommned a secondhand one (unless from a shop with a guarentee). The remote control is also quite good, well laid out and sturdy however its range is appalling.

Strengths:
Amazingly easy recording, well designed, jog dial for entering MD names and decent set of out/inputs.

Weaknesses:
Okay quality cd playback, MD has known to not accept discs, loud noise from cd as it loads and changes from cd1 to 2etc.

Similar Products Used:
None