This little package packs a punch...
Written: Jun 14 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: solid construction, 10 second shock buffer, small, uses only one AA battery
Cons: no backlighted remote (unless you buy one aftermarket, which is possible, but expensive), doesn't record
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| Alacrity024's Full Review: Sony Walkman MZ-EP11 Personal MiniDisc Player |
While working at a college radio station three years ago, I was exposed to the wonder of MiniDisc. Essentially a small, rewriteable CD housed within a plastic shell, the MD is a perfect medium for creating mixes, recording live performances, and just carrying around.
At the radio station, MD's were used to record and play back short "spots" and promo's. The versatility of the MD was exploited in every imaginable way at that radio station. I knew that I had to have one of these little toys, and after a short period of debating cost vs.. size, I opted to buy myself a portable MD player.
There were portable recorder/players, and portable players, and at the time, recorder/players cost upwards of $300--besides, I had access to MD recorder decks at the radio station, and was also supplied with a complete record library to make my mixes out of. So player it was. I wanted to save myself a few dollars, and because of my situation with the radio station, I was still able to record my own discs.
After deciding I wanted a portable player, I had to pick one to go with. I trusted the Sony name, inasmuch as they really pioneered the MD field to begin with, and they had managed to get a very solid foothold in the consumer electronics market. After perusing the Crutchfield catalog, I decided to order the MZ-EP11, due mainly to its size, design, and shell material.
Upon arrival, the EP11 worked exactly as I expected it to, with absolutely no problems. It worked this way for over a year, and only after a year and a half did I begin to notice problems with it. The problems, however, were minor and did not in any way affect the playback function of the unit.
What happened was that the rubber tube (I believe the technical term is "conduit") covering the wires running from the remote control (a very handy innovation) to the MD unit began to slide away, exposing the wires. Eventually, the wires caught around the seatback adjuster handle of my friend's car, and when I stood up to get out, they tore themselves from the remote. However, the remote was not necessary for sound to pass from the MD unit to the headphones, and I was able to continue listening with no problem and only minor inconvenience.
The real trouble happened about two and a half years after I bought it. I have this problem where I'm never satisfied to just own something and let it be. For some inexplicable reason, I always find it necessary to break out the toolbox, and take apart everything I own, and see how it ticks. This is fine if what you're taking apart isn't spring loaded, or wasn't assembled by a team of nuclear particle physicists.
My Playstation, computer, television, MD recorder deck, car, rifle.. all these things have been taken apart and put back together by me with complete success. The EP11, however, was not so lucky. I had no problem in taking it apart, and let me tell you, it was really neat to see its guts in action. I could actually push the laser out of position, and it would slide back to where it needed to be, and play would continue uninterrupted.
Putting it back together was a little more difficult than taking it apart, however. The lever mechanism which is used to eject a disc does not work anymore. I managed to get the shell back on, and every single button still functions as it did when it was new, but I cannot eject a disc from the player, which makes for a rather monotonous listening experience.
I have yet to get my player fixed, and I am considering not getting it fixed at all, and just buying a new one. The MZ-R70 looks very appealing--it's smaller than the EP11, uses less battery power (15 hours from a single AA as opposed to 5 hours from the same AA with my EP11!), and records in addition to playing back. All this for $50 less than I paid for my EP11.
So do I recommend the MZ-EP11? Of course I do. It probably isn't going to be your first choice when buying a new portable MD player, but if you have the opportunity to get your hands on one, it's built very well, and with it's 10 second memory buffer, skips rarely if at all. However, I do not recommend dismantling it in any way, as you could easily cause irreparable damage.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Alacrity024
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Member: Adam
Location: Keene, NH
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
20 year old college junior working in commercial radio
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