Sony MZ-RH1 Hi-MD Walkman MiniDisc/MP3 Digital Music Player

• Combination MiniDisc recorder and digital audio player with CD-quality sound
• Plays downloaded Linear PCM, ATRAC, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus, and MP3 formats
• Records in uncompressed Linear PCM format; adjustable "on the fly" recording level
• Dynamic normalizer automatically equalizes volume of each recorded track
• Measures 3.45 x 0.68 x 3.45 inches (W x H x D); 1-year parts warranty (90 days labor)

I am a violist and I needed the Sony MZ-RH1 Hi-MD Walkman MiniDisc/MP3 Digital Music Player to record myself to make audition CDs for orchestra auditions and festivals. The recording quality is excellent and the MD player is easy to use. Transferring to the computer was very simple. I used the Sony ECMMS907 Digital Recording Microphone and it worked great. For all you orchestra musicians out there looking for a recording device to make your audition tapes, this is it right here. I highly recommend this!!

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Sony appears to have pulled out of marketing MiniDisc as portable MP3 players, indeed this unit is marketed as a professional recorder. And quite a good recorder it is, while also an excellent player in terms of audio quality.

The build quality is great, the unit feels great in your hand and the audio components are top notch, both listening and recording.

The most major improvement over previous generation models, however, is the ability to record and upload in various bitrates. With this unit, Sony has removed restrictions on upload of tracks recorded on MD. So, if you have a MD recorded 5 years ago with a special song not found anywhere else, this baby can upload it to your computer and let you burn it to CD.

For me, that alone made it worth buying.

Note that you will not be able to upload tracks that were originally copied to MD from a computer using SonicStage.

The display is not very useful when using as a player (won't show track name) but the supplied in-line remote takes care of that. In addition, the MC40ELK MD remote that can be purchased separately gives you the ability to scroll through your albums / tracks just like on the MZ-RH10.

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I upgraded from a Sony MZ-NH900 (which I still have) to the RH1 primarily for three reasons: the OLED display; its ability to retain manual recording settings without having to navigate through the menus to re-set it to manual recording for each recording; and because I just plain wanted it.

I was already pretty happy with the recordings my NH900 made, so why are these things a big deal for me? Because I primarily record my kids' concerts, which are in dimly-lit auditoriums. The NH900 display is totally unusable in poor light situations. And even when I can see it, I almost always use Manual recording volume settings. It is a large PITA to go into the menu to re-set my preferred recording settings each and every time.

With the RH1, the beautiful display is clearly visible in every light situation. And whenever you go into Record, it automatically uses the same settings you used last time, so I never have to fiddle around with it. And the display on the machine shows recording levels which allow you to optimize the level (which you can change on the fly with the jog lever) for whatever type of sound you are recording.

Build quality is very nice. Sleek metal casing. I have no problems with the buttons...even the Eject button, which seems to kind of stick out further than it needs to, is fine because it cannot be engaged while the RH1 is recording.

The RH1 is optimized for recording, no doubt. But it is also an excellent playback machine as well. I believe it has a slightly better bass output than the NH900 when using Shure E3c canal phones which are a little thin on bass.

If I could add *one* thing to the RH1, it would be the add-on AA battery case which comes with the NH900. That would add much welcome recording and playback capacity when I have it out on the road without the means to recharge, or having to carry the A/C charger.

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To All who are interested in the MZ-RH1,

I recently had this item purchased from Japan in silver. The black model is the same, and in some ways better only due to the manual being in english. As for the machine itself, there is a clear definition as per sony's maturity in its years since the inception of Minidisc. After purchasing the 10th anniversary n10 model, then having it stolen, I was hesitant in purchasing another model in the fear that there will be an update that will be better. In the mz-rh1, I have no fear that this is the model that will define the sound and reputation of minidisc for the rest of its years. It's clearly lit OLED screen on the side of the player is simply brilliant, conserving battery life while displaying the necessary functions of the player. One downside is the lack of a group button. Those familiar with minidisc will know that sonicstage stores your music in groups, and pressing the group button will skip groups so you can find the album that you are looking for. This is missing on the player itself, but it is handily found on the remote for those who choose to use it.

For those of us who really take our sound quality seriously, this player/recorder has the most clear and balanced sound I have ever heard from any minidisc, and quite arguably from any recorder. Sony was not hesitant to create this model as a portable recording studio. I am impressed with the sound, which rivals compact disc quality, and it's levels in line out will never distort. Not to mention that the new version of Sonic Stage is much more user-friendly than before, with compability for Apple's; finally! I now can record my brother's Dj mixes into my mz-rh1, then copy into Sonic Stage, burn to cd (the files that are recorded to the HI-MD discs are saved in Sonic Stage as WAV. files), then share with friends. It's quite simply a portable recording studio. Thank you Sony for creating a music recorder that can finally satisfy your demanding customers.

I had an old minidisc player, which has lasted 5 years or so, and I was looking for an upgrade. I plumped for the RH1 instead of Ipods, I Rivers etc, mainly because of the sound quality, and because my old one lasted for years with constant use. I definitely made the right choice. The sound is impressive, the software is a joy to use, and recording is straightforward and versatile. Build quality is top notch, and it is very small and light. I think it deserves 5 stars for sure.