Advantages: compact, high quality
Disadvantages: high street retailers still over charge for discs, although shop around and you can find them much cheaper

...I purchased my sony mds js510 many years ago before mini disc became widely noticed. I work in a recording complex where for years Dat players have been used, although many were sceptical I went ahead and got a mini disc machine for the studio. despite peoples misgivings the quality was astounding and the editing capabilities were brilliant. needles to say, since then we have been mastering all our finished work onto mini disc using that original machine which has been a trooper. it has been bashed, dropped etc. and still works a1. we love it.... Read review

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Advantages: ease of use, compact
Disadvantages: entering track names could be quicker

...The Hitachi RMD 100 neatly combines a CD player and an MD recorder into a single hifi seperate. I bought it principly because I wanted an easy way of recording my MDs, and in this function it has been marvelous. I have also found that the sound quality is perhaps unsurprisingly much better than using a portable MD recorder plugged into your amp. Whilst the RMD 100 is not a top of the range model, the whole idea of mixing together CD and MD players is to be compact and functional for people just starting to build up a hifi system, or with limited amounts of cash to do so. If you fit into these categories then you can't go far wrong. Recording MDs is incredible easy, just two buttons to touch; you can enter the track names as it records, and of course you have all the usual functions of MD recorders - move, erase, link tracks, etc. You can... Read review

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Advantages: Amazing value for money, User Friendly and Fantastic Quality
Disadvantages: Some features can only be done via remote or vice versa. Automatic Track Marking can be a little irritating at times. No Digital Output.

...For starters, when you are buying Sony, you can be pretty certain you are buying quality equipment. Having owned and run my own successful recording studio for a few years now, I feel I am in a pretty reasonable position to comment on sound quality. The sound quality on this particular unit is particularly good. As with all other Sony equipment I have ever owned, it has functioned reliably and as expected in day-to-day use. The MDS-JE330 even has some excellent little features which made it ideal for my live use when going solo. The Auto Pause function means that I don't have to run back to the unit after the end of a song, to make sure it doesn't leap into the next unexpectedly. With a particularly comprehensive remote control, MOST features are readily accesible with the push of a button. There are however a few options which... Read review

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Advantages: Good editing control, realible
Disadvantages: Weighty, dated?

...To put it simply the Sharp MD MDS-722 is a rather pleasing little Mini Disc player with a surprising array of user friendly functions let down slightly by it ‘s size when compared to the new generation of portable Mini Disc players/recorders. Aesthetically the MDS-722 is extremely eye-catching breaking away from the standard rectangular shape of the majority of portable Mini Disc players. It’s sturdy square appearance with a symmetrically balanced layout set around the central circular shuttle control not only makes it easy to navigate around, but also gives it a grandiose feel. This is backed up with a high quality build, which not only heightens the player’s overall aesthetic impact, but also is highly reliable and strong. I have accidentally dropped the player a few times and it has not been even slightly blemished... Read review

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Advantages: Minidisc long play, digital coaxial inputs / outputs, excellent edit facilities.
Disadvantages: Complicated program method for track replay.

...I bought my first minidisc recorder in 1997, and therefore have a siginificant level of experience with the format and its potential. Unfortunately my previous minidisc recorder developed a fault (Sony MDS-JE 930)and ended up requiring replacement. Wanting to avoid failure of the unit again I wanted a stronger more durable unit, and was prepared to spend extra to achieve that. The end result was the MDS-JB940. It is built like a tank, with a solid aluminium front. At the back is every connection you could ever need, including digital coaxial in and out, digital optical and analog jacks. Operationally the unit is a joy to use. I thought my first recorder was good, but compared to this it was restricted. The display has two lines for text so you can view the track title while viewing the track time, which is especially helpful when... Read review

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Advantages: The Sound Qaulity is second to none, and it works very smoothly.
Disadvantages: Having to set output levels if using the optical out conenctor.

...I was new to minidisc, and didnt know where to start, I was looking for a hi-fi seperate that can record from a digital source, and playback digitaly to an amplifier or receiver. I have always found sony to be my favourite manufactuer, due to their warranty support and the build quality. So I went out to search for the Sony MiniDisc Deck that would suit my needs. It was then that in a local Hi-Fi shop, I spotted the MDS-JE530, this had everything that I needed and much more. The design looks up tp date, and the controls are all layed out very well and are simple to use. The sound quality form this product is excelent, the system always runs smooth, and I have never found any problems with this purchase, as with any of my sony purchases. You should but this poduct if you are starting out into the minidisc world and dont want a bottom... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap and simple, lots of I/O
Disadvantages: can be irritating to get out of strange modes.

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Advantages: Good sound quality/Easy to use
Disadvantages: Slightly old, and weighty

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Advantages: Headphone socket, optical inputs/outputs
Disadvantages: Not as fully featured as other models

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Advantages: Good value for money now
Disadvantages: Creating track titles is a little difficult

...After having a portable MiniDisc recorder (Sony MZ-R70) for some months I decided to go for a deck as well. One may ask, why bother spending all this money on a deck, when a decent portable recorder has all the necessary functions, plus it's much smaller. Well, there are few things that decks generally do better: Better sound quality - here we are talking mainly about the DAC (digital to analog converter). A top of the range MiniDisc deck would have more sophisticated DAC and hooked to a analog amplifier will sound better than a portable. MDS- JE530 sounds considerably better than the MZ- R70 hooked to the same amplifier, although I couldn't find any quality difference in the ATRAC sound (4.5 vs. DSP type R). (ATRAC= Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding for MiniDisc, to find out more see http://www.minidisc.org/aesatrac.html) Ease... Read review

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