Sony MZ-N707 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder (Blue)

• MP3, WMA, and WAV audio-format compatibility; selectable data compression (ATRAC/ATRAC3)
• USB port allows 32x music data transfer from PC; G-Protection guards against skips during active use
• Digital-audio input, stereo analog line input (.125-inch minijack), microphone input
• Aluminum upper lid, 1-line dot-matrix LCD, stick-type LCD remote control with editing functions
• OpenMG Jukebox Version 2.2 offers Windows XP capability, title editing

I'll start with the good points:

1. Lightweight and totally portable

2. I personally think the LP4 mode sounds fine. I constantly use it while on the subway going places. 5 hours per disc kicks any portable mp3 player in the pants.

3. Battery life is great! Even the rechargable is impressive.

4. BEST PART. I use the mic in with the sony MS-907 microphone and the results are superb. I have simple recordings of myself playing guitar and the recordings sound like I am in the room. I haven't tried dumping any recordings back onto the computer yet, but supposedly I have to do that through the analog jack.

Bad points

1. The headphones that come with it [are bad], but this is no news to anyone.

2. The remote takes some getting used to and it could be a little better designed.

3. 32X is a crock. I'd say realistically I transfer tunes about 10x speed and I have a 800mh PIII. Still not bad. You can go from there.

4. The Software. Let me repeat. The software is hands down the worst part of this package. As you have probably read, tracks must be 'checked in' or 'out' using the Open MG Jukebox software. You can only check out 3 at a time. Honestly, this is NO BIG DEAL because you can always re-import the file to the playlist and you get 3 fresh 'credits'. So don't let that bother you. I do have errors frequently not letting me check in a file that I checked out. I just delete it off the player and re-import the file if I need more credits. That's the way around Sony's attempt to police what I do with MY music.

The problem for me is that when you import a file the ID2 & ID3 tags must be in place. It doesn't just list each mp3 as whatever it is named. Let me explain. Open any song on your Winamp. Right click on the song and check out File Info. If these aren't filled in (which most of the time they aren't) then the artist is recognized as UNKNOWN on the MD Jukebox. I have about 5,000 mp3s on my computer, so I literally spent hours upon hours editing these tags JUST so I could find mp3s in the Jukebox that I was looking for. Once I did that, everything was smooth and was alphabetical. If you only have a couple of hundreds mp3s, then it probably won't bother you until you have thousands.

All in all, the player is excellent quality, so far. Recording with a mic is most impressive and I look forward to using it at my gigs, rehearsals, etc. The only hinderance is the software, but there are ways around some of the 'rules'.

Buy Sony MZ-N707 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder (Blue) Now

In a nutshell, Sony has muddied the incredible promise of their MD players with a copy protection scheme that further proves the music industry is run by money-grubbing ogres. Unless Sony separates their music hardware business from their music software business, the latter is going to destroy the former.

Despite the impression given by the Sony web site, you cannot transfer MP3 files directly to your player. Instead, you must use the proprietary OpenMG Jukebox software to import your MP3 files and convert them to a new format -ATRAC3. The OpenMG program uses an annoying check-in/check-out system to transfer the ATRAC3 files to the player's MD. You check-out a song when you transfer it to the MD, but you're limited to only 3 transfers. If you check the song back in, which removes it from the MD, you get credit for another transfer. If you use up all of your transfers, you have to re-import (and convert to ATRAC3) the original MP3 file into OpenMG.

The 32X transfer speed hyped for the new NetMD players is only for files which use the lowest quality ATRAC3 bit rate (66 kbps) and the time to convert your MP3 files to the ATRAC3 format is not included. If you use the higher quality bit rates (105 kbps and 132 kbps are your only other choices), the transfer time (and conversion from MP3) is slower. You can always rip your CDs directly to OpenMG in ATRAC3, but you won't be able to export them to the standard MP3 format.

I bought my MD player so I could listen to my CD collection while working out or lounging by the pool. In anticipation of receiving it, I've been busy ripping my CDs to my home computer. I don't want to deal with converting them to another format (why should I?) and I don't want to be bothered with checking files in/out and I don't want to be forced to use OpenMG to manage my music collection.

You may be wondering if the check-in/check-out system is actually annoying in practice or if it just sounds like it would be. You also may be wondering how the various ATRAC3 bit rates sound. Unfortunately, I can't help you because I'm returning my player to Circuit City without having experienced a single note of music. The copy protection hurdles are more than I want to jump. I'm not a criminal and my music player shouldn't be my adversary. Fortunately, there are plenty of good MP3 players from other manufacturers, though I will miss the low media cost that MD promised (heavy sigh).

May Sony NetMD R.I.P.

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I bought my MZ-N707 for one purpose: to record live music. My friend is in a band and he wanted me to record his gigs, so I looked into ways to record live music. What I found was that if you don't have thousands of dollars, endless hours of time, and a fully-equipped sound studio, you're hosed. So I called my local GuitarCenter store and was told the Sony MZ-N707 was just the thing I needed. It just so happened they had a bundled package there that included the works: microphone, car adapter kit, rechargable batteries, etc. And the price was right: about $350. So I bought it, took it to my friend's show, recorded the show with no problems, listened to the show on the way home (FABULOUS, CD-QUALITY SOUND!), and then, when I got home, tried to load the tracks onto my computer in order to burn them onto CD's. NOT!!! After literally weeks of trying different things, re-reading the manual, reading the dozens of web forums that are devoted solely to this subject, and, finally, emailing Sony, I found out that YOU CANNOT TRANSFER ANYTHING FROM THE MINIDISC TO YOUR COMPUTER that you didn't take off of your computer. I don't know what rocket scientist thought of packaging the minidisc recorder with a microphone if you can't use anything you record with that microphone, but I hope that person is one of the millions of Americans on the unemployment line right now (God Bless the rest of you!). Sony said it was because they were concerned about copyright infringement, but what if you, like, OWN THE COPYRIGHT? Sorry, no provisions are made for such a common occurrence.

Ultimately, I found a couple ways of transferring the music recorded onto the minidisc to your computer, but unless you have a separate digital CD burner, as far as I know, you're limited to creating analog files. The easiest way (I think) is through RealPlayer's "record from outside line" option. If you use this option, be sure to create separate tracks on the minidisc recording first; if you don't, you'll be stuck recording the entire disc onto your CD, and if the session is too long, it won't record at all (I can attest to how frustrating this is -the last time I recorded my friend's gig, I downloaded it and then gave him the minidisc so he could use his studio equipment to download it digitally. Unfortunately, the session I downloaded is about 2 minutes longer than what will fit on a CD, so I can't transfer any of it until he gives me back my minidisc!).

I want to be clear that the QUALITY of the minidisc's recording is phenomenal--10 stars--but that the product's potential is severely hampered by the lawyers at Sony. However, there really isn't anything else on the market for recording live music that is as inexpensive, portable (the minidisc is tiny), and reliable as the MZ-N707. For anyone who is as inexperienced at recording live music as I am, I highly recommend this device. I promise you two things: (1) you will get CD-quality sound recordings, and (2) if I can figure out how to get the music onto my computer and then onto a CD, you can! Also, as another reviewer mentioned, the battery life is unbelievable. It uses two AA batteries (don't bother with the rechargable ones), and they probably last for at least 320 minutes of recording time, plus the related download time. I've run out of batteries a few times while recording, though (my own fault), so don't believe the little meter in the window--just replace them every time you need to record and you'll be set until the next gig.

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I have owned this model for 2 years.

I have mostly used it for self recording voice lessons, practice and also recording a live ensemble through a mixer. The sound quality is excellent both ways and there is good sound separation with a bi directional mike.

The only major problem was the digital rights management which meant I could not transfer self recorded material to my computer using their software, which is a crock.

My solution was to use line in and bypass the software and record direct to the computer in real time. I used creative recorder supplied with my Dell. I only used the Sony software supplied to delete unless unnecessary tracks prior to recording.

The files are huge so it is necessary to convert to a usable format. For this, I use Cool Edit 2000 available at www.syntrillium.com.

This is a top notch audio editing software, which can amplify, reduce, adjust and remove or reduce any glitches, dead time etc., and separate your large audio file into single tracks, which may be saved as mp3 files to burn to cd. You can then delete the original audio file to save space.

I have also used the player to listen to mp3s on long trips, and it is perfectly fine, although I would never buy it just for that reason. You can check mp3s in and out of your computer. It is easy.

For a microphone, I do recommend the Sony ECM-DS70P stereo microphone. With its longer cord you should not pick up the initial whirr of the machine which starts about 5 secs after you start recording and lasts for 2 seconds. This an excellent microphone, with good bidirectional separation and gives genuine stereo separation even though L and R Mic are close together.

I did recently lose my recorder so now I am thinking of replacing or upgrading to the Sony MZ-NHF 700 or 800, or the MZ-NH1.

This little machine is WONDERFUL. I have used it DAILY since I got it a month ago. It is so practical and functional. It is so much MORE then just a CD or MP3 Player. I am so GLAD I decided to purchase it.

The sound quality is EXCELLENT at SP and LP2 (up to 160 minutes on one $2 Mini Disc). As Good (or BETTER):) then the original CD. The sound quality at LP4 (up to 5 hours and 20 minutes on ONE $2 Mini Disc) isn't the greatest (it's similar to MP3 at that setting) but this high compression is great for taping long broadcasts (like football/basketball/baseball from the radio).

I use it with a microphone (you'll have to purchase this separately) to record classes/meetings and LIVE Music/Singing. The sound quality is UNBELIEVABLE, almost like you're there!

MiniDiscs allow you to put track marks while you're recording so you can easily find your place later. You can even LABEL these tracks are you're recording to make it even easier to find your spot.

The USB transfer from Computer to Mini Disc is fast and flawless using Sony's Simple Burn Software. (Be sure to download the latest "patch upgrade" to the software from Sony's website). I can usually transfer an entire CD at LP2 compression in under 5 minutes.

To transfer MP3 and other types of files on your computer to this unit, I don't recommend using the OpenMG that Sony provides because of the limitations it imposes (checking out limits). Use Nero ImageDrive (from Nero Burning ROM 5.5) or some other application that can "burn" an Audio CD image to your hard drive or make an AUDIO CD from these files and then transfer using the Simple Burn Application.

If you don't want any compression for your recordings (Sony's Simple Burner transfers at LP2 or LP4 only) and want an extremely high quality transfer, you can use the included optical cable to connect from the optical out of your CD player to this mini disc unit and record in real time. Note that Sony's Playstation 2 has an optical out and will play DVDs and CDs as well as Playstaion games.

To transfer from MiniDisc to Computer you'll need to connect a stereo mini jack (on both ends) patch cable from the headphone out of the mini disc to the "line in" of your computer and record the sound in "real time" using a sound program (usually bundled with your CD burning software). This method is a little tedious, but it works fine.

For more tips/hints see www.minidisc.org they have a wealth of information on mini discs.

This package is worth the extra money over the MZ-N505 because it includes the following (not included with the 505 model):

Microphone Input (to record)

Remote control (connected to heaphone jack)

Car Kit (Includes Cassette Adapter/9V battery adapter)

Little Leather Pouch

Standard AA sized Rechargable Battery (Though it's a Nickel Cadium! Don't know why Sony didn't provide a NiMH Rechargable.. but you can alway purchase one on your own)

TOS Link Optical Cable

Larger LCD Display (to see more of everything)

It's a GREAT Package and a GREAT Electronic Device.

MUCH Better then Sliced Bread! :)