Price Paid:  $280.00 from Good Guys

Summary:
I purchased the Sony MZ-N707 for my wife to use to record her fiddle club meetings. It works well for this--as far as recording and playing back on the headphones--but a horrendous bug makes the unit mark audio recorded with the microphone as having originated digitally from a computer other than your own.

This means that when you make a USB connection to your computer, the clunky SCMS copy protection thinks you're trying to steal something and won't let you transfer your own recordings to your own hard disk. This bizarre quirk spoils it for use as a portable field recorder, the very thing many purchasers would reasonably expect to use it for.

The software is awful--like the kind of shareware you install and then hastily scrub off your machine. To begin with, the install routine fails to check for previous installations. Among other crimes, it will overwrite your DirectX 9 with DirectX 8 without bothering to ask you. The first time I installed it, neither of the two included applications would run at all. No uninstall had been registered with Control Panel Add/Remove program, so I had to manually track down and remove everything. After a second installation attempt, both applications ran.

Some of the terms used are confusingly nonstandard, perhaps because of mistranslation from Japanese. Moving files between the MD recorder and the computer, for example, could be called 'copy to' and 'copy from,' or 'upload' and 'download.' Sony uses the odd terms, 'check-in' and 'check-out.'

Perhaps emblematic of Sony's indifference to compatibility is the fact that, on the back of the unit, the word is misspelled as 'compativility.' I've always associated Sony with a reasonable level of quality, but this product shows signs of having been thrown together in a rush by people who were either overworked, uninspired, or operating outside their skill level.

Strengths:
The MZ-N707 is very portable and has very good sound quality.

Weaknesses:
Poor software. Bad installation routine. Bug makes SCMS copy protection think you're stealing when you try to transfer your own recordings to your computer.

Price Paid:  $198.00 from video-direct.com

Summary:
The Sony MZ-N707 is virtually perfect. I bought the MZ-N707 for its
features. For example, I needed optical analog ins, and usb ins; the
optical for recording music and the analog for recording lectures, and
the USB for convenience. The LP2 and LP4 are priceless features for
me, I can record about 5 hours and 15 minutes using the LP4 feature.
The LP4 sound quality is very surprising; in comparason, the sound
quality is just under a 128kbps mp3 and very seldom do I notice any
sound degratioin. For instance, I notice some degradation in channels
switching from right to left, and heavy bass not sounding right, these
are very seldom herd though. Initially I was unimpressed by the
remote that comes with the MZ-N707, I thought an LCD screen was
on it, but an inaccurate photo I saw before buying it was to blame.
The ability to record tracks from the computer is immensely
convienent. The two programs that come with the MZ-N707,
Open MG Jukebox and SimpleBurner are great. However, I do have a
problem with Open MG Jukebox, in the fact that it won't let you erase
tracks without using Open MG Jukebox(I no longer use it, instead
using the Nero ImageDrive method found at minidisc.org in the NetMD
topics).

Overall, sound quality is past my expectations, including the LP2
and LP4. Capacity is overwhelmingly great, especially with LP4,
which I highly suggest. Convienence is somewhat compromised
due to the fact that it takes awhile to record tracks and the copy
protection with the Open MG software, but it is, nonetheless,
easyer than recording through analog or optical. Recording with the
computer is faster, but if your computer is slow it takes awhile to
convert the files to ATRAC3. I recommend this player/recorder to
anyone, it's small, has great quality, and holds a ton of music.

Strengths:
Sound Quality is really good even in LP2 and LP4 modes.
Capacity in LP2 and LP4 modes, I have only one disc and plan to buy no others.
Ability to record off the computer is fast and great quality.
Optical, USB, and analog ins let me record off of almost any source.
Size, the unit is tiny, i couldn't belevie it!

Weaknesses:
Open MG Jukebox, mainly because it copy protects tracks put on the minidisc with it.
Analog recording is weak, at least in my attempts, I would suggest only using digital sources.
The ability to transfer tracks from the minidisc to the computer would be great, but isn't offered.

Similar Products Used:
MZ-N505

Price Paid:  $230.00 from Fry's Electronics

Summary:
What an awesome personal audio player. This unit has it all. Lots of functionality and versatility, tons of recording space utilizing 80 min Mini Discs, and it's compact and lightweight. After researching several different makes/models I decided to go with the Sony and I'm glad I did. This unit allows you to rip songs in many different formats deping on the quality/space usuage your looking for. The sound in ATRAC3 format is near super audio CD quality. You can rip to the MD unit or move songs from the unit to a PC. You can also record from virutally any other audio device provided you have the correct cable. It has an optical in which allows you to record directly from a CD or DVD player. Microphone out allows you to use it as dictating tool or to record lectures. It can use either a recharble AA battery or a regular AA battery. You get about 20-30 hours out of one charge. Sound is awesome with clear high freq and deep bass reproduction. This is a great Player/Recorder for the money. It's like having a personal MP3 player and a full function MD recorder in the palm of your hand.
It's small and light enough to fit into your pocket while your out. You can edit and arrange right from the unit which is very helpful with organizing your favorite tunes. This unit is a must for any audio enthusiast. All around a great product for anyone.
Check out www.sonystyle.com for more info.

Strengths:
Sony quality speaks for itself.
Lots of storage space. About 10 times that of a 64MB player.
Sony software allows seamless ripping of songs to the player at 32X speeds. One song takes about 30-45 seconds to rip, that's all!
Super small and compact for the amount of songs it holds.
Allows you to record in several differnt formats on the same MD
Display screen shows you all the information you need to organize your favorites.
It has a rechargable battery and docking station and the battery recharges very quickly.
The sound quality is excellent with near perfect CD reproduction. Optical in allows you to record from your home CD player as well as your PC
So small and compact you can carry it in your pocket or backpack.
Easily group your favorites into different folders.
The RW Mini Disc allows you to store tons of music

Weaknesses:
No on board memory means you have to have a disc in it to record music.
The headphones that come with it our junk. I recomment ear buds for the road and full size headphones for home use.

Similar Products Used:
Sensory Science MP2300