Great Audio Range
Written: Apr 27 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Ease, Sound, features
Cons: no titling while recording
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| thedonga's Full Review: Sharp MD-MT821 Personal MiniDisc Player |
I was looking for something to allow me to listen to the multitude of MP3s stored on my Server without sitting in front of my PC, or the home stereo.
Right now there are 3 choices:
MP3 player i.e. Rio or Nomad II
CD/MP3 player i.e. Pineusa or Mambo
MD unit i.e. the Sharp MD-MT821 or Sony R90
Looking at each technology in depth brought me to a difficult decision, which would be best for me? Believe me I took a long time to decide.
Quick view of each tech before my review:
1. MP3 Player -
Pros: small, quick transfer of song, titling transferred to player. Will not skip!
Cons: Amount of memory(unless you spend $700 or more) is limited to 96MB(or less). NOT REMOVABLE. This means I must erase everytime I want to hear something new.
2. CD/MP3 Player -
Pros: Storage capacity is OUTSTANDING!!! 11 hours per CD.
Cons: Bulky(CD walkman size). Right now, untested. No display of song information. Try finding a particular song without a playlist...
3. MD Unit -
Pros: Sound quality(digitally recorded) is perfect. Small, long battery life.
Cons: Must actually record songs, not just transfer. Disc will skip(if you jump off a building).
I obviously choose MD, because I can have a library of music. No erasing songs...
My unit Sharp's MD-MT821 purchased online through http://www.planetminidisc.com for $269.99(including shipping). Unit includes rechargable battery, optical recording cable(you need an optical out on a home stereo, CD player, or soundcard). Ok headphones, I upgraded to the Sony E888 earbuds($65.00). Additional battery power pack that will allow you to listen for 18 hours. The rechargable battery alone lasts for 11 and 1/2. And finally external power cord which will recharge the battery on the fly, while it is in operation or not. Recording and playback can be done on external power or battery. You can unplug(or plug it in) the unit from external power while in use. This is a big plus, some units shut off when power change is made.
So far I have never heard a better minidisc player/recorder. The audio range achieved is outstanding!! Great bass, great treble! Recording is as easy as plugging it into source and hitting record. Unit has adjustable recording levels, ability to delete one song, delete all, move one, title(not during recording)....
The unit is solid. I took a look at the Sony R70 and it felt like plastic. The Sony R90 is supposed to be the sturdiest.
Your headphones run off a jog dial that is backlit. This allows you to stop, move from song to song, adjust bass, adjust volume, pause, turn on, turn off, and view track info WITHOUT looking at actual MD unit. Very easy to use, you will find yourself knowing it perfectly in a couple of days.
Door mechanism is solid. Overall craftsmanship is excellent. Other units do look cooler, but I will give that up for some excellent sound. This delivers. My suggestion is stay away from the 831 model. This is a Japanese only update. It is smaller and cooler, but concerns me that it will never be put out in the states. Requires power conversion, and I would worry about warranty.
What else can I say this is a great minidisc unit. I did my research and this unit is tops... Check http://www.minidiscussion.com for feedback about all MD units....
Feel free to ask me anything about this unit....
Footnote:
There will be a digital USB link available soon(for all MD units). This enables digital recording and transfer of song/album titles to the unit from a USB "enhanced" computer... This will end the issue of titling your MDs. Available soon from http://www.xitel.com for about $75. Their analog version will be available sooner for $55.00(wait for digital).
~thedonga
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
thedonga
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Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Reviews written: 85
Trusted by: 57 members
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