World Famous Comics: Sony MZ-N505 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder (Gold)
Sony MZ-N505 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder (Gold)
From: Sony Average Rating: Binding: Electronics Color: Gold Label: Sony Model: MZ-N505 Variation Description: Gold Warranty: 1 year warranty
Features:
Record MP3s or CDs at up to 32x speed on affordable MD media for over 5 hours of music per standard 80-minute disc
Easy Skip group/folder navigation in player; plays ATRAC3, MP3, WMA, and WAV files
Music-management software ensures seamless file transfers to and from your hard drive; multi-speed transfers via USB port (4x SP, 16x LP2, and 32x LP4)
Sony's ATRAC3 DSP encoder improves audio quality in high frequencies over previous MD compression schemes
Includes USB cable, headphones, AC adapter, Open MG Jukebox Windows installer CD, manual
Product Description: Sony's MZ-N505 Net MD Walkman Recorder has everything you need to create great-sounding music mixes in record time. In addition to transferring your music in up to 32x speed, title and track information created in OpenMG Jukebox is transferred to the MiniDisc. With Easy Skip group folder function, you can arrange songs into groups or "albums" in OpenMG Jukebox and easily transfer them to the MZ-N505 Net MD Recorder. If you record five hours of music, you can simply skip from group to group to suit your mood. And your mood can change as many times as you want with up to 56 hours of playback with one "AA" alkaline battery. You even get a choice of 12 playback modes for a choice of programs for shuffling, repeating and grouping tracks. Get your downloads - even faster - and Go with Net MD Walkman!
Amazon.com Product Description: Sony's MZ-N505 high-speed Net MD Walkman player/recorder records MP3s or audio CDs directly to minidiscs at up to 32x speed using a USB connection. Now, affordable minidisc media can store more than five hours of music per standard 80-minute minidisc. A single AA battery provides up to 56 hours of playback (in LP4 mode), and the player's easy-skip group/folder function lets you navigate minidiscs with ease.
In addition, this recorder supports multiple Internet audio formats, including MP3 and WMA, and enables ATRAC3 playback. ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) is the data-compression scheme developed for minidisc, and ATRAC3--the format used by Sony's Memory Stick--offers even greater compression while maintaining near-CD quality. The Net MD Simple Burner QuickRip CD-dubbing application facilitates fast transfer of CDs to minidisc without the need to store files on a hard drive as an interim step. Simply launch the application and select the tracks you want to transfer to the player. (Actual transfer speed depends on your PC.)
The player records in standard mode for the richest sound quality or two different long-play modes for the most effective use of space. The bundled OpenMG Jukebox management software supports secure music downloads (including tracks from pressplay.com), organizes playlists, and titles tracks. As with all minidisc products, this Net MD player records from various sources and offers flexible audio editing tools. Minidisc media is affordable, durable, and re-recordable up to a million times without degradation.
Sony's ultra skip-free G-Protection technology reduces or eliminates skipping for active users who want uninterrupted music. The package includes OpenMG Jukebox software, QuickRip CD-dubbing application, one blank 80-minute minidisc, headphones, and a USB connecting cable. Net MD Walkman players are compatible with Microsoft Windows 98 SE, 2000, Me, and XP operating systems.
GREAT AND INGENIOUS INVENTION The Sony MZ-N505, when it first came out, was like a miracle gadget. After years of allotting the minidisc storage capacity to a maximum of 74 or 80 minutes per disc, Sony invented the LP2 and LP4 recording modes which allowed at least three hours and five hours, respectively. A great product this truly is, and it almost surprised me that there was not the marketing breakthrough that would vanquish companies who were pushing the non-minidisc MP3 players.
I thought and still think that the competitors' products were inferior; however, the latter group had a dual advantage: where Sony was limited to the seemingly obsolete ATRAC/SonicStage software, their gadgets could download and burn CDs using Windows Media Player, Real Player, Napster and the like. This lone fact is what I think discouraged MD sales. Sony apparently has given up on this great invention, which I think is a shame.
Since the Sony MZ-505, there has been the HI-MD format, which allows a greater recording storage capacity than LP2 or LP4. Also, this particular line allows PCM quality recording but at a lower storage capacity. Still, the MZ-505 is a great item with its prior NET-MD capabilities. With the minidisc-compatible technology that has been created since 2002, when I purchased this item, there is so much that you can still do!
There are companies such as Xitel and M-Audio that have come out with driver updates and products that have made this particular product compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista so that you can access major nonsubscription MP3 and WAV file downloadable sources.
So for those who have thought of discarding their MD players and discs, I say don't!
The advantage of the MD player is... If you can stream it, you can record it. Anything that has a headphones output can be recorded into the MD. I'm talking about real time recording. Yes the Mp3 player can download music files more quickly but you can not record in real time with the Mp3 players. For example, I like to record internet radio stations. Also I have an internet music player service for $10 a month that allows me to listen to a HUGE selection of music all day long but I can not transfer any song to an Mp3 player with out actually buying the track for $1. Well as I said above... if you can stream it you can record it to MD... you know what I'm sayin? Also the long play of the MD allows about 150 minutes per MD. I use this rate for everything. Most of the internet DJ mixes (shows) I like are 2 hours long so it works well for me. Also I have about a dozed MD's that I keep in circulation, because they are re-recordable. I've erased and recorded on each disk god knows how many times. I own the Sony Recording MD Walkman MZ-R700... I bought it 6 years ago and it still plays/records... however its on its last leg... that is the reason I'm browsing through the Amazon store looking to buy a new one. Also a single AA battery will play for what I'm guessing to be about 40 hours, however a fresh AA will only record for about 1-2 hours (so keep the AC adapter handy for recording. Also there are 2 inputs for recording. One is the MIC in (yes you can also record live music or your professors lecture using a microphone) however i notice that input tends to introduce static and white noise. this can be a probem if you are hoping the MD player will automaticall create a new track number when it picks up a second or two of silence. the second input is optical. The MD player comes with a converter so you can convert the USB output to an Optical signal that records clean. One draw back to that I've noticed (and you computer folks out ther can solve this problem) that when you use the USB output the sound from the headphones output on your computer turns off. You can only monitor (listen) to what you are recording via the headphones output on the MD player... this sucks if you are trying to queue up songs in a mix or recording only segments of a radio program or a comedy show or something.
Just remember, this is not an MP3 player I've been using MDs for almost 8 years now, and I can honestly say that, though they might not be for everyone, they're still better then either CDs or cassettes, portability-wise.
The biggest deterrent to these is that people read reviews of consumers who didn't know what they were getting into and completely slammed the product. THIS IS NOT AN MP3 PLAYER. It can't do all the things that MP3 players can do. You register it on one computer and all the files you download from that computer, you can upload them back on that SAME computer. You can't download from one computer, then upload onto another computer, or from cd to computer, or voice to computer, or MD to computer. But of course with the cheap MP3 players available, you can't really do some of that either.
Standard MDs hold from 74 to 500 minutes of music, depending on the compression format. That means that every disc is almost equivalent to one 512MB capacity MP3 player. The new Hi-MDs can take a standard disc and put up to 13.5 hours of music, or 810 minutes, equivalent to 800MB (at CD quality compression). But on the new Hi-MD discs, you can put up to 45 hours of music, or 2700 minutes, equivalent to a small iPod nano. Again, just remember that if you constantly move from one computer to the next, it might not be the wisest choice, although for laptop users, MDs might be a good choice for the price conscious.
You might think I'm a spokesperson for Sony or any other MD company (JVC, Aiwa, and others have made in the past; Sharp, and Panasonic still make), but I'm just someone who's been with them since the beginning, and am stil a fan of. As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather have a Hi-MD then an iPod, they come cheaper too. As for this particular model, the MZ-N505, mine is a few years old, don't know how old exactly, and it still plays fine, although it doesn't record anymore.
MDs are still very popular in Japan where they have completely replaced the cassette. In some new cars in america, you can still get a cassette deck, not in Japan. MD players there cost between [...] al the way to [...] for the Hi-MDs. They may never have caught on here, but they compete with the iPod over there, so they can't be all that bad.
Fantastic!! The greatest player I have ever purchased. I own two models. The MZ-n505 & the MZ-nf610 (type s) The MZ-n505 I use at work while I am on the job. I have had it for 2 years and it is still going. I have dropped it and god knows what else. I love having the option to put all of my music on a mini disk. Unlike the mp3 players where you have a limit or have to pay a fortune to expand it. And not counting these Ipods that are so small and delicate. The other model (MZ-nf610) that I have I use at home and comes with the fm tuner, I don't use it. I am not a big fan of FM radio anyways. Both models are great players. Also the option of having one rechargable double AA battery is the best. You can recharge the double AA while it is still in the player! I can listen to my NetMd 8hrs without having to recharge. Another way to save you money. Now on the sound quality if your record your music on the standard option it will sound great, but if you try to save space on downgrade your quality you can fit about 60 or more songs (give or take) on one mini disk. Overall this is my favorite portable audio player, and would buy from Sony again and definately a NetMD player!
indestructible I have had this MD player for about 3 years now, and love it. At first, I thought it wouldn't be as good as an MP3 player but how wrong I was. I purchased an MP player for my 13 year old a year ago and it died in less than a year. First the casing wore out and evenutally the player was unusable. Meanwhile, this MD player kept on going. Both of my kids have used it and I have dropped it at least 50 times, usually it just keeps playing. I have had no issues with it. And, I haven't experienced the battery issues or software issues that people complain of. But I like to mix my MDs and then rarely change the music on each one, so there's not a lot of uploading once I get it onto my mini discs, it's basically there for good.
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