Sony MZ-NE410 High Speed Net MD Walkman Recorder

Rating:
Summary: Looks pretty, but software is HELL
Review: I saw this and said to myself "wow, a Sony MD MP3 Player! Sweet!" After loading up the software I hooked up the player to my PC. At first glance I could tell this was not going to be user friendly, and the more I delved into the process the worse it got. Once I figured out the process the program errored out and closed. It did this several times with the same result. After a couple wasted hours of disapointment, I bagged this hunk of junk and promptly returned it. I love Sony, but not when it comes to MP3.

Rating:
Summary: Great for the Average Joe
Review: I bought my MD a few years ago and have used it while on long motorcycle trips. It will blank out for a bit on rough roads but then it picks up where it left off and continues to fill long boring hours in the saddle. I also took it with me to Iraq last year. I never had to worry about having to charge the battery, the size was great for the travel and the 15 disks I took with me gave me a great variety of music for the 6 months I was there. I have to disagree with some of the bad reviews; for the average Joe out there it's a great music player to have due to it's size, ease of use, versatility the disks provide and the price.

Rating:
Summary: Sony, I love you
Review: I disagree with Harry's previous post, I have owned two md players, one exactly like this, and I love both the sound quality and software. Simple Burn is my preferred choice, and I use this software to make backups of my entire cd collection. Sonic Stage is easy to use also, and a must if you want to transfer your mp3s. After compression, I notice almost no difference in the sound quality of the mp3s. I purchased a better md player for added editing and recording control (of course, it was also a Sony), but for a beginner or someone who is simply using this to play their mp3s on the go, this is a fabulous buy!

Rating:
Summary: Close, but no cigar
Review: Sony has a good idea, poorly executed in this player. First, the sound files are stored in a proprietary format, so that you end up using more space, not less, on your hard drive. Second, the computer interface is glitchy and poorly designed (e.g., why can't you resize the panes?, why must it try to connect with the web after *every* CD?). Those minor problems could be forgiven, however, if the NetMD played songs well. Unfortunately, it doesn't. At the highest fidelity, you can't get but one CD onto each mini-disk - so why bother? At the compressions needed to get the "five hours of music" that they promise, the dynamic range is so severly reduced that most songs sounds as if they are coming through the AM radio of a 1955 BelAire. (Cool car. Lousy radio.) Worse still, when the dynamic range is particularly high (e.g., in opera or really good rock songs), the minidisc "chatters" to itself, so that it sounds as if a thousand crickets have taken residence in your earphones. When all is said and done, including the costs of the minidisks and the player, this is just as expensive as an iPod, which has a superior interface and better sound reproduction. I'd always bought Sony before, but "I won't get fooled again."

Rating:
Summary: The Best Ever
Review: In December 2001 I purchased Sony's ZS-M35 - the personal minidisc system. CD player on top, mini disc recorder on bottom. This was my introduction into the world of mini discs. This was purchased after my Sony CD player - cassette recorder died. I really abused the heads. It lasted 6 years of heavy use at the office. It still plays cd's and radio but draggggssss on the tapes.

My next in February 2003 was the MZ-E300 minidisc player - you know, the little blue player. Since I am recording in the office, I might as well take some to listen outside the office. It lasted until 2004 when the "hold" button gave out completely. The only thing to do was to throw it out. It did play Normal and LP2.

Getting fancy in February 2004, I ordered the MZ-NE410. This is a very good machine except that it didn't have a line in and I don't download from the internet so the software is useless for me.

In March 2004, I ordered the MZ-N510CK and IT IS A FANTASTIC MACHINE. It has a line in which I use to record in the office.
The 410 is my "player". The 510 is line in/line out from my Dell in my office. I use Real Player. I am a hog for old time radio shows and they come in MP3 format on CDs holding as much as 100 half-hour shows. I plug this cd into my dell, bring up Real Player, press start on Dell - hit record on 510 and let it rip. I record in LP4 so I get 10 half-hour show or 5 hours of whatever using MD80.

I still don't use the software, just MP3 cds and regular music cds to download. I have all the functions sans the software. This is a fantastic machine.

I am thinking of going MZ-NHF800 Hi-MD later on but have to read a lot more about it.

I only buy Sony for music. Not DVD, not television. I have not been disapointed yet.


Rating:
Summary: BEST INEXPESIVE MEDIA PLAYER OUT THERE
Review: Who makes a mini-disc recorder without a mic port?????? And calling it a recorder? Like I don't have 5 million other things I can download music to, I needed a mic port. It looks like it was designed in 1984. Proof you get what you pay for.

Rating:
Summary: Good hardware, But bad software
Review: I bougth this one and had very hard time for a week. But once I started finding right things, now it is cool. Follow these if you already bought it,

DON'Ts

1. DO NOT use the software that comes with the hardware.
2. DO NOT try to connect to computer before you install the driver.
3. DO NOT use it in other than Windows XP system.

DOs

1. Download the latest sonystage software from sony and use it.
2. Always clean up (initialize) the disk before start using it. There is a option in latest software.
3. Buy new pack of MDs and use it. (You can find it wallmart, you can use hi-md compatible.) I had problem writing the songs in cd which came with box.

Pros,

1. Really good battery life.
2. Light weight. You can carry easily.
3. Low price compare with iPad.
4. You can store around 60 songs (LP4) in a disk.

Cons,

1. Bad Software.
2. Low Battery sign in half of the battery life while recording. I used to take out and insert, it will go fine.

Over all it is good for $60 compare to iPad $160. You can store 300+ songs in a 5 pack cd(iPad holds only 200). Also it has grouping option, different sound settings.

Rating:
Summary: Great Product for Awesome Price
Review: This is my second Sony MD Walkman. I bought the first one, an newer model, a few months ago. I loved it. I recently went to the Sony Outlet store and got the NE410 for about $35.00. I just can't pass up a great deal! I had purchased an MP3 player a while back. I have not used the MP3 player since I purchased my first Sony MD Walkman.
Granted, the software is not the best out there, but it's definitly not the worst. If you want an affordable music player with an amazing battery life, this is for you. If you want something that has a million bells and whistles, go look for something that will cost you in the range of a few hundred dollars. Most MP3 players, like digital cameras, suck up the battery life. So for those that insist this is too bulky or don't like MiniDiscs--- well, with the iPod and other MP3 players, you have to always carry around extra batteries or a charger! I travel extensively and use this device on airplanes. It's small, convenient, and I rarely change the battery. The sound is pretty good. The headset it comes with is fine. It does not deliver amamzing sound- but then again, at an average price of around $60.00 some odd dollars-- what do you expect? Want Bose quality, spend Bose-type money. Want iPod versatility with 40GB space, spend $300.00. Want an inexpensive portable music device that delivers nice sound, battey life and has some of the nicer qualities of the MP3 Player, such as a small, skip protection pocket device? Then this is the product for you.

Rating:
Summary: Aweful software and "un-hip" design
Review: I received this item as a gift and my first impression was that the design was cheesy. It has the look of a walkman for sure. After seeing the cool mp3 players that are out there, I was fairly disappointed in the bulk and am not real pleased with having to use a disk for storage. Although it can hold more songs than a CD player, I wanted to get away from having to keep up with additional pieces of hardware.
The second problem I have with this devise is the aweful software. Lots of problems occured with getting songs recorded onto the disk - too many to mention - because of conflicts with my computer's operating system. A chat with a live help customer service representative gave me a solution for one problem, but it only gave way to new problems.
I am returning this minidisk player as soon as the holiday return lines dwindle and have already purchased an actual mp3 player that I have read wonderful reviews about time and time again.