Step towards the end of the audio tape era
Written: Oct 04 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: small size, light weight, increased battery life, great sound
Cons: slow response time
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| AznScrub's Full Review: Sony Walkman MZ-R90 Personal MiniDisc Player |
Totally disappointed by the Sony MZ-R55 (having to charge the internal battery for 3 hours just to get a 4 hour play back was simply unacceptable), I decided to upgrade my unit back in March. After much research on the net, I came to the conclusion that the MZ-R90 would be my new object of affection. Searching around for the best price, I was finally able to find a store in Chinatown which sold the imported version for the lowest price available at the time. When I got home, I couldn’t wait to open the box and play with my new toy.
The import version was the same as the US version with the exception of two things; it came with a charger that works on a different voltage than we use here, and you can get your hand on one at least six months earlier that the release date of the US version. The unit has the standard play, stop, forward, rewind, and the Sony exclusive end search button (will be explained later on). To the right of them are the record and volume control buttons. Also on the top of the unit is the display screen, which is used to display the titles, volume, plus the numerous menu options. On the sides of the unit are the jog lever, mic-in, combined line-in/optical-in, combined headphone-out/line-out, T-mark button, and the eject button. On the bottom of the unit are the hold slide button and the synchro-record slide button. Also worth mentioning is that the entire right side of the top of the R90 is covered with the grill design, which I personally think is quite ugly and Sony can really remove it to reduce even more weight off the unit. The R90 also comes with the usual stick remote, though it has been redesigned, making it easier to use in my opinion.
The first and most obvious plus of the R90 is its size and weight. Already very impressed with the size of the R55, I was amazed by the small size of the R90, which was the smallest portable MD recorder at the time (though this statement is no longer true as I am writing this). It fits nicely in the palm of one’s hand and will easily fit into any pocket, bag, or even clip onto your belt with the help of special design cases. And with the light weight of the unit, one can barely notice its existence. This is especially helpful considering all the gadgets people carry around now a days.
Another plus of the R90 is the increased battery life from the previous R55. I used the unit everyday during this past summer while commuting to and from work. I only had to charge the battery every three days or so, which isn’t too bad considering it was two hours round trip plus waiting time. As for the 6.5 hours recording time, I guess it really only apply to people who do live recordings outside of their houses such as concerts and lectures. Indoors, simply attach the AC adapter to the unit while recording and time had not been a factor for me so far as to recording.
The anti-skip of the R90 is quite sufficient in my opinion. Though I don’t know what will happen if you go jogging with it, I have carried it in my pocket while walking or driven through some bumpy roads, and the unit almost never skipped with the exception of one time.
This next feature isn’t exactly a major plus of the unit, but definitely nice to have: the “one touch eject”. Simply by sliding the open button, the lid pops open and the disc is ejected from the unit, which eliminates the possibility of breaking the unit while removing the disc, as some people tend to exert too much force doing this.
The jog lever is another new feature included by Sony on the R90. Personally, the jog lever is both a plus and minus of the unit. Many claim that the lever allow them to title the discs/songs faster, though I don’t quite see how it does so any faster than the old way of using the forward/rewind buttons. R90 does come with a name bank in which users can store commonly uses words or phrases in it, saving some time when titling. Also, while the music is going, you can use the lever to jump to another song simply by moving the lever up or down. The music continues to play as you do this, and when you have come to your choice, simply push the lever in to enter your choice and the R90 will jump straight to the song you have chosen. A plus in my book. The minus comes in when using the menu options. Though the menu itself is very easy to follow and use, Sony has removed some of the more commonly used buttons from the unit and putting them in the menu. One such example is the bass button. I adjust the bass differently according to each song, and having to go into the menu for this makes it a little bit annoying at times.
The combined headphone and line out is also another minus as far as I am concerned. Since I use it quite often in the car with a car adapter, I need the line-out as the headphone out is simply not loud enough to be heard over the car speakers. Switching between headphone and line out is also done in the menu, but the option automatically resets back to headphone every time I open the unit or just press stop.
And the biggest gripe I have is the start time of the unit. While the R55 had a short battery life, the start time was instantaneous. With the R90, the music doesn’t come through until about 3 seconds after you press the play button. Many say this was done in order to conserve battery so to make it last longer, but with the technology we have today, there surely has to be a way to increase battery life while still have the unit have a quick response time.
Overall, the R90 is a great unit to own. Its pluses definitely out weight the minuses. The sound it produces is comparable to that of CD to your average joe, as it uses Sony’s latest version of ATRAC.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
AznScrub
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Location: NY/NJ
Reviews written: 7
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