Review: SONY MD Player MZ-E2
Mr. Edwin KwanTo Tam
I just bought a SONY MD player, the MZ-E2. It's
much much much better than the Sharp one: light weight, good sound,
very compact (thinner and smaller than most of the compact
cassette walkman), and each battery can last for 2 hrs, have
external battery pack can hold 3 AA size batteries, if together
with the internal battery, can give upto 7 hours playing time! The
internal battery is very light weighted, and of size of roughly an
AA battery, unlike the Sharp one.
I paid around US$650 for the following set:
- A SONY Minidisc player MZ-E2 (Play only)
with 110V Adaptor, one LIP-10 battery, remote controller (with
Dot matrix character display) with *replacable* earphone, a
carrying case, and manuals.
Control buttons on remote controller as well as player, so it can
work even without the remote controller.
Size: 106w x 73d x 18h (mm; max. dimension)
- A SONY Battery charger (Charge 2 LIP-10 batteries in 1.3 hr)
Universal power (90-240V), can be use as the power adaptor for the
MZ-E2 when not charging.
(You can also charge the battery using the MZ-E2 but it will take 5 hrs)
- One additional LIP-10 battery.
Additional US$24 for a much better SONY earphone (MDR-E747M).
Performance:
- Good sound, better than the Sharp one.
- Very stable, no slipping, hangs, and seems more shock tolerence
than the Sharp / MZ-1
- Old recordings (from my MZ-1) play back gives better sound also.
- 2hrs battery life time is still a bit short but thanks for the light
weight and small size, carrying one or two more batteries is not a
serious problem. Also, with the external battery pack gives you
the alternative to use AA batteries though this would mean extra
weight and dimensions.
- All control buttons are on the same side on the player, good
ergonomic design.
- Player control buttons include: Hold, Volume (+/-), Stop,
Pause, |<<, >, >>|
- Remote controller have LCD Dot Matrix display for Track, Disc
name, and volume setting. Buttons featuring Play mode selection
(Repeat, 1, Shuffled), Display (toggle between Track, Disc,
Playing time), Hold, Volume (+/-), Stop, Pause, |<<, ( > / >>| ).
- Unit can be operated either with or without the remote controller.
- Remote controller features replacable earphone using SONY
minijack. So if you don't like the orginal earphone (which sounds
so bad) you can easily buy a better replacement. Or, if you don't
like the remote controller, you can simply leave it out and use
ordinary minijack earphone.
- Window on the player to see the disc label, or the disc spinning if
you have a non-labeled transparent disc :-)
- 2 levels Bass boost switch on player.
- A special feature called AVLS. This is to memorize the volume
setting the time when you switch on AVLS, then thereafter, you
cannot set the volume setting to anything higher than the
memorized setting.
- Last stop memory. The player will start playing from the point you
Stopped the player next time when you press the Play button.
Problem is, when you want it to start at track #1, you have to either
|<< it to Trk #1, or have to open and close the door to make it think
there is a disc change.
It is not hot at all, though it still feels a bit warm when playing for
more than half an hour.
That's it.
Thanks for the bandwidth.
---
Edwin Tam
AdTech Graphics Production Lab, Hong Kong
Tel: 590-9389 Fax: 516-5569
edwi...@fusion.hk.super.net
edwi...@adtech.attmail.com
*Either* addresses okay.
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