Sony MZ-R700PC Recordable MiniDisc Walkman

I couldn't resist the extra gadget that this MD player/recorder offers but the PC connectivity is near useless. It uses a small USB audio device to take analog audio data from a USB port. The sound quality from this is abysmal! There is so much hiss from the port that the recorder's track detection has difficulty separating the tracks. You'd be better off burning your compilation onto CD (because it's faster than recording real time to MD) and then recording it via a digital cable to the MD - something you could do with any MD recorder.

Secondly, how anybody (let alone Sony) can produce a product with a NiCad battery in this day and age is beyond me. My first generation MD player has a metal hydride battery that can stand reacharging without too much memory effect. It's still on it's first battery! Nicad's suffer terribly from the memory effect and need replacing regularly.

Having said that, Sony do go some way to redeeming themselves by giving this player/recorder a good battery life on an alkaline AA battery.

It's a good little unit, but I'd stick to the MZR700 without the PC facility and save some money.

This PC link - the main feature separating this from Sony's other Minidisc players - the USB link is not more useful than a £5 audio cable.

It is not a digital link - it is an analogue link. I recommend you do not buy this if you want to use a minidisc recorder with a computer - WAIT UNTIL SONY RELEASE THE mz-r700>D<pc Model that is available in America.

The D stands for DIGITAL, and actually does provide digital transfer from a PC via USB

The fact that the link is USB is a red herring, as it is actually no faster than an analogue cable when recording - it only records in real time! You cannot drag and drop like with an MP3 player.

Note that the USB will not work with Windows 95.

I have been in touch with Sony UK about this and other of their new Minidisc range since February, and am not impressed with their customer service responses. In there emails, they do not give any details of the limitations of the analogue PC link.

We will just have to wait until they release the DPC models in the UK - and Sony will not say if or when that will happen.

In fact, Sony aren't selling this model in America, probably because the Americans will only buy the Digital version.

I like Minidisc as a format, and prefer it to MP3 players, but I am going to wait until Sony release the full range in the UK before I part with my money - as I have been told the cost of upgrading will be high - if it is possible at all.

I went for this one thinking I could just drag MP3 files onto it through the USB connecter, but that just isn't true. You transfer by playing a track and recording the Analogue output from the PC. If your PC makes a noise while recording, it will end up on the disk!

The advertising doesn't claim it is a digital link, but I can't be the only person who was mistaken in this way.

Having said that, the quality is superb, minidisk is a good and extremely cheap medium (surely one of the cheapest?) and it is easy to use. I think I will keep hold of it in spite of the rather large irritation. It does seem less of a good buy now though.

There is an optical link, so digital recording is possible but recording quality isn't a problem.