Cheap Sony MZ-NF810CK Net MD MiniDisc Recorder with Car Kit (Electronics) Price

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Customer Reviews of Sony MZ-NF810CK Net MD MiniDisc Recorder with Car Kit

The problem I have with is transferring from the recorder to my PC. The original software that comes with this recorder does not allow users to do just that. Thanks for the inconvenience Sony!
It took me almost what seemed to be all day to

1) Download a "audio capture software"
2) find an minijack analog cable....whatever that is

Its a very good device, sound quality wise, but, Sony needs to come up with a program that allows users to transfer from Minidisk ( MD ) to the PC.

Don't buy if you need to record
This player has no way of transferring things you record onto another Computer or even other media. It has, as my reviewer colleague explains, no line out.

I bought this as I am a professional musician, and I want to record and archive rehearsals, etc. It was sold with a microphone(which I didn't buy) for that purpose.

The manual says this, but it is on page 72 in 8 point font in a footnote. The advertizing is misleading, as it says you can "check in" tracks.

The whole promise of MD devices was that you could do everything on them a CD couldn't do--like record. This lack of feature effectivly prevents you from recording, because you can never get the recording off the Mini Disc. In fact, for all the great editing tools that are advertised with this device, you cannot even edit the recording live.

The only solution is to plug it into a ripper. This converts the digital signal to analog, effectivly wasting the whole point of using digital media in the first place.

overall, a good portable minidisc recorder but...
I've had this minidisc recorder for about 1.5 months. I wanted to review features/shortcomings that I didn't notice other reviewers comment on for those that want to get a MD for live recording, not for recording gobs and gobs of material onto one disc. (For recording from the computer to the mini disc, I already have a digital out on my computer so I have never tried using the Net MD software.)

First of all, my experience with the mini discs in general has been very positive. I have been a huge supporter of mini disc ever since I got my first player in Japan in 1997. Due to their ability to easily re-record, edit, move around tracks, title tracks, on the spot excellent sounding recordings (no tape hiss), etc. I have gone through two portable recorders and two deck units. These are the older mini disc systems, before Net MD. My portable died so I wanted to get a replacement. I did not want Net MD as high-speed or long play discs are not compatible with the old system. There are work arounds of course or I could buy a new Net MD compatible deck, but I would rather not at this time. (I found this out first-hand about 1 year ago when I tried to play on my deck a music class lecture/jam session disc my friend recorded using a portable Net MD recorder.)

I like to create my own 'best of' mixes on mini disc to hear on the go, however, the main reason behind my love of mini disc is the excellent quality of live recordings (versus analogue tape) for the cheap price. I want to use the portable to record live musicians and then listen to the disc on the deck unit. I searched and searched to find new portable recorders with a mic input and without Net MD technology but could not find one. Another requirement of mine was that the player come with a rechargable slim battery and a casing for AA batteries. (Duel battery power sources is a must for portable devices used in live situations.) I also didn't want to spend too much money. I carefully read as much as I could find on the Sony MZ-NF810CK before I bought it. This is my first Sony mini disc player.

My big complaint about this recorder is that you cannot adjust the recording level while it is recording. (This was possible on my previous portable recorders.) The recording level can only be adjusted while it is in record/pause mode. This is a hindrance during live recordings. Distortion is very unkind to digital recordings and if you have to pause your recording in order to fix the level, you will have a mini disc with gaps in the performance. Due to moving around to find a sweet spot, the fluctuation in sound levels, and the poor lighting in some recording situtations, it can take a few minutes to adjust the levels properly.

Another complaint of mine is that it is too easy to create new tracks by accidentally pressing on the "track mark" button. There should be some sort of lock for it. This wouldn't be so bad if the player had the "combine" function but it does not, in other words, you cannot undo a split track. Once you split a track, you have to put the disc in another mini disc with the "combine" function in order to put the tracks back together. (I use my deck for this.)

Other than the above gripes, the player is great. It does have features that I have not had in previous portables. It has EQ functions, long-play stereo and mono modes, and a radio. It also lets you group music into "groups", much like how a folder/directory functions in computer terms. The player itself is extremely small and light. These portables just get smaller and lighter each year. My friend has a complaint about the ever decreasing size of the players as she finds the buttons harder and harder to press separately, without pressing more than 1 button at a time (they are squished together too tightly). Future functionality of portables is a concern of mine if features are being deleted such as the "combine" function.

As another reviewer pointed out, it would be nice to have a backlight on the display but that is not critical for me. I am also one of those people who likes to play music very loud and agree with another reviewer who thinks this portable does not play loud enough. I have found that in order to get the loudest sound possible, you have to turn off any sort of EQ setting. Those settings severly dampen the sound. I connected the portable to my car stereo with the EQ on and had to turn on the car stereo volume all the way in order to hear the music at what I call a normal person's level, (a level that doesn't interfere with conversation). Not being one for conversation, I wanted the music even louder. I do not recommend turning on the EQ setting while connected to a car stereo because you may forget how loud your stereo is and blow out your speakers once you change to the radio or disconnect the mini disc player.