Not quite perfect
Written: Jan 08 '01 (Updated Jan 09 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great unit, small, light
Cons: A few minor issues with the unit
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| noops's Full Review: Sony Walkman MZ-R90 Personal MiniDisc Player |
Originally having used an mp3 player for a year, and being sick of the lack of cheap media, I went out and looked for a minidisc player. It's a pain to be stuck with 64 megabytes of music the whole day, and not have anything to switch it with until you've gotten to a computer. Minidiscs are cheap and the players are small - comparable to the size of an mp3 player, just what I was looking for.
I set out and immediately found the R-90 to be quite attractive for my uses. Through working some magic on the salesman, I was able to get the price down to $250, a price I was willing to pay (far from the MSRP of $400, I would laugh if anyone tried to sell it to me at that.) A good package overall, I have to admit, it included most everything you need.
The unit's controls are easy to get used to, and for the most part, well placed. When it comes to size, the R-90 is one of the smallest and lightest recorders around. Aesthetically, it's very good looking, sure to be the envy of your friends/co-workers. Battery life is tops, 12 hours is more than enough for me to stay happy before the next recharge.
Now, sound quality. I'm a stickler when it comes to sound quality, I record exclusively digitally, and all my opinions are based off of using the unit with digitally recorded music (NO BASS BOOST!), and Etymotic ER-4P earphones. For the most part, I have no complaints. I can only notice a slight difference in sound during a few certain parts of some pieces, and that's if I really pay close attention. This is most likely due to the compression that minidisc recording, which I must commend for being one of the least lossy compression schemes I've listened to.
I have only a few minor issues to bring up about the unit. As mentioned in one of the other reviews, the plastic cover for the LCD screen seems to scratch very easily. The popup loading door for the minidisc has gotten to be slightly sticky at times after a while of being used. Another point, one of the screws seems to have worked itself free, and while I haven't noticed any effect on the unit, it is a bit annoying to have it missing.
I'd love to say the R-90 is perfect, but the few minor gripes seem to detract from it as a whole.
Update --
The day after I wrote this review, the unit decided to go nuts. Each button had somehow reassigned itself to another button, randomly, I have no idea how this happened. After removing the battery and putting it back in, the unit worked fine, but a few hours later, the problem arose again. If anyone has had experience with this, please, let me know.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
noops
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Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 3 members
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