Customer Reviews:
 Remarkable machine March 11, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
The MZ-RH910 can be used either as a Digital Audio player (MP3 player) or as a digital or analogue recorder.
To use it as a DAP, download Sonic Stage (the latest version is 3.4) and create a music library as with any MP3 Player. Connect the MZ to your PC via a USB connection and transfer.
A primary motive for buying this machine in preference to a hard-disk "MP3 Player" was the ability to record my vinyl LPs. For this, a 3.5mm stereo jack to 2X phono plug cable connects from the MZ to my amplifier. Recording is just like the last time I used a reel-to-reel quite some time ago. Press pause and record together, play a sample of music to set the level, then start from the beginning. It's easy after a few minutes. To record, you will need the Hi-MD discs. You can compress recordings using Hi-SP (Atrac3Plus at 256K) or Hi-LP (Atrac3Plus at 64K) or record in uncompressed PCM. Yes, with a good microphone this is a full-blooded digital recorder!
A third mode of operation is as an auxiliary drive on the PC for general data. I havn't tried this yet, but can confirm that Windows recognises the MZ as a USB-connected device when plugged in.
Here are my comments on the machine's operation and performance.
Sound Quality. I'm familiar with the sound of a well-known "MP3 Player", which I was not very impressed with. I was expecting the Sony to sound somewhat better, but was surprised at the exceptional sound quality of this machine. To hear it, you will need better headphones. I have Sennheiser PX100s. Both DAP and recorded music encoded with Atrac3Plus at 256K has all the traits of hi-fi.
Sony Licensing Restrictions. As far as I can make out, the only restriction is that music files transferred to the player in DAP mode can only be transferred back to the same PC. This is of no concern to me. Recordings (as opposed to file transfers) are freely transferable to other PCs. When you transfer a recording to the PC, Sonic Stage gives you the option to save it as a .WAV file, which completely releases the file from the Sony universe. I assume this only makes sense with PCM recordings.
Sonic Stage. It's fine, what's all the fuss about?
Build Quality. Plastic on the outside, metal bits within. The only problem with mine is that the battery cover isn't quite flush with the case. It makes intermittent whirs and clicks. The manual says don't worry about it. I believe them. I wouldn't trust anyone but Sony to build a complex device like this for a relatively low price, but have a feeling it will last if treated with respect.
Batteries. The main battery is rechargeable NiMh. It is removeable and replaceable. An auxiliary battery holder containing a LR6 dry cell can be attached to the side of the MZ. For playback, the main battery lasts days with intermittent listening. Once you start recording, this changes. You need to attach either the mains PSU or the auxiliary battery when recording.
Editing Recordings. When making recordings, track marks must be inserted. This can be done while recording or on playback. Music information can be added from the recorder but a better way is to edit from Sonic Stage. The nice thing is that you don't need to upload the recording to Sonic Stage. Simply make the USB connection and the necessary editing can be done on the fly.
Playback. The player can be connected to an amplifier to play back through loud speakers. The 3.5mm stereo jack to 2X phono cable that is used for recording will connect the MZ headphone output to the amplifier's aux input.
Conclusion
For the price of a modest hard-disk MP3 player you will in addition purchase a high quality digital recoder. This remarkable
piece of technology deserves to be far more popular than it is.
I love this thing! March 10, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is soooo much better than an IPOD or any of those other alternatives!
It records CD quality recordings with a Sony's MD Mic. Each minidisc holds 1GB of info and the memory is endless because you can buy more discs.
Amazon was great to replace my first player which had a defective switch. They overnighted a new player for free and paid return postage for the other unit. I am a true believer in Amazon.com!
Thanks for being so good to your customers!
Excellent Product March 10, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I purchased this product just because of its ability to record quality digital audio. It definately achieves that. Very easy to use, and the sound quality is superb.
But, the biggest surprise of the item is simply how good mp3s sound. Downloading mp3s from my computer onto an MD is very very fast. It takes about 2 seconds per song. And the sound quality is perfect. This is the first time I've heard mp3 music that genuinely sounded as good as CD quality. I'm not a technical type person, so I'm not quite sure why it sounds so good, but I think it has something to do with the fact that the information is converted into a sony specific format when it is placed onto the MD.
The only downside for this player is that the display is not back lit, so in order to read the display, you need some light. Also, the white trim around the player is kind of ugly.
So, if the backlit display is important to you, just buy the model that is one step up from this one.
But for the price, this product is exceptional.
Great flexibility-High sound quality. January 30, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Just got the MZ-RH910, followed the instructions to load SonicStage 3.3 on my laptop PC, and transferred, using Atrac3Plus-48kbps, four classical CDs to the Hi-MD recorder: Bach Brandenburg Ctos., Bach Toccata and Fuges (organ), Various Vaughan Willams and Telemann works. The transfer worked perfectly. After listening to all the tracks, I was very surprised at the high sound quality. The low tones were very rich and vibrant. The highs were not harsh at all. I am familiar with how these CDs sound with my home audio system, and, when listening through the headphones, I cannot find any flaws with the Atrac3Plus sound. It's amazing how Sony was able to accomplish this data compression while maintaining great audio!
 not back or mac compatible January 18, 2006
1 out of 15 found this review helpful
This is theoretically a great device, except ... I use macs, so much of what it can do, I can't use it for. I knew that and was perfectly happy to buy a replacement for my old one to record live music. Unfortunately, this is a new recording technology that is incompatible with my other minidisc recorder. This one can play my old minidiscs, but I can't play the new hi-mds on my old one. All I get is an annoying beep. You can record in the old mode with a computer (non-mac), but why wouldn't you just record on your computer then? As many reviewers have pointed out, this product can't compete with the i-pod, and shouldn't try. Sony messed up a good product.
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