Minidisc Players: Reviews

Minidisc players have been almost entirely eclipsed by MP3 players, but experts say MiniDisc recorders are much better than MP3 players for making recordings -- especially live recordings of concerts and lectures. While… Sony offers just one current portable model, reviews say the Sony MZ-RH1 is an excellent recording machine. The Sony MiniDisc player/recorder records on 1GB Hi-MD discs (*est. $7), which can hold up to 45 hours of compressed music and can be rerecorded thousands of times. The SonicStage software required for player-to-PC transfers has its quirks, but is said to be improved over earlier versions, and Mac-compatible software is now available as well. Furthermore, Sony has removed most restrictions on uploading of recordings, so you can use this model to transfer content of older MiniDiscs to a computer.

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While a portable MiniDisc recorder is great for recording live events such as concerts, the Sony MDS-JE480 is a stay-at-home solution for DJs looking to create custom recordings or party mixes, or for enthusiasts looking… for a high-quality component to play back MiniDiscs on their audio system. For music professionals, analog line-level audio and digital optical inputs are available to accept signals from a variety of sources. Reviews say editing features are excellent, allowing users to record, erase, move and combine tracks almost at will. An analog line-level output and attractive styling lets the Sony MDS-JE480 integrate easily into a home audio system. Although there have been no professional reviews of the Sony MDS-JE480, user comments on the Internet have been largely positive.

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