Mz-rh10 Versus Mz-rh910

[Jake Arber]

So when i went into my local sony store to buy the MZ-Nh900 today i was rudely shocked to find that not only were they sold out of that model but there was a whole new line of Hi Md's out already!

Unfortunatly i was way to exited and confused and annoyed with this new information to think clearly. I quickly looked over the stock at hand (it basically consisted of the MZ-RH10 and MZ-RH910) and talked to the people who worked at the store. Unfortunatly these people were very unknolagable about their products and could only tell me that "the black MZ-RH10 looked sick!". With only the information from the boxes at hand and a large amount of money burning a hoel in my pocket i made the dumb mistake of buying a player i knew nothing about. The one i bought was the 300$ MZ-RH10 because from what little i could see about it, it seemed to paralell the MZ-nh900 i had expected to be buying, in cost, and general features.

Yet after coming home and searching on the net and reading as much as i can find about all these players it seems to me that the differences between the MZ-RH10 and MZ-RH910 are minimal and not nearly worth 100$ From what i can tell the more expensive model had one more line of text on the display, is a little bit more durable and has the remote control.

Am i missing something major? Are there real differences that warrent the higher price? I am seriously considering going back and trading my RH10 for the RH910. It seems that both models are a little bit better than the MZ- nh900. Am i wrong here too? Please fill me in. Thanks.

p.s In case it matters for analytic purposes i really wanted this recorder to record everday sounds such as the banter of a crowded cafe or the sound of a subway train entering a station. So bells and whistles come second for me.

[mrsoul]

The differences that I have noted b/n the RH910 and the RH10:

RH10 has the OLED (makes all the difference in the world for me)

RH10 is more metal, less plastic and heavier (I held a RH910 in the Sony store)

RH10 has a non-LCD remote, no remote on the RH910

RH10 has the NH14-WM gumstick battery, the RH910 the cheap and worthless NH-10WM

I found these differences to definitely be worth $100 in price.

[flyingpylon]

I strongly considered the RH910 as well because I didn't feel that I needed the extra features of the RH10. But then I found the RH10 for only $239 + $9 shipping at Etronics. Their price on the RH910 was the same as everyone else's - $199. So the difference was only $40 and I went for the RH10.

[mrsoul]

Etronics is a great store and site. I would have bought from them but for some strange reason last week they had NO MDs listed. I have bought a MD deck and my NH900 from them with great service and prices. I couldn't find any and I thought they had discontinued. I can't find any on Best Buy's site, Good Guys or Circuit City (is this a trend?).

Did you get a LCD remote and charging stand like what they have shown on the web? If so, the Sony stored reamed me for $314 after tax and I didn't get a LCD remote or charging stand. It was nice to walk out the store with it in a bag but $50 is $50 and if I didn't get all the accessories, then shame on Sony.

[mrsoul]

Also what color did you get from Etronics?

[Zappa]

The only reason I'd buy the RH10 is if I wanted to use it as a primary mp3 player. The non backlit display of the 910 just doesnt cut it for my playing needs.

But for recording shows, the 910 is just fine- hit record, make sure its recording and leave it in my pocket. The oled display would be nice I guess, but hardly necessary for my needs and therefore, not worth the extra cost.

[Kaotic]

I can't find any on Best Buy's site, Good Guys or Circuit City (is this a trend?).

I think Circuit City is phasing out MDs, and they carry less and less of Sony's portable electronics (ie heaphones, PCDPs). I couldn't even find a decent headphone under sony brand name headphone in their retails store anymore. what a shame!

[duner9]

The only reason I'd buy the RH10 is if I wanted to use it as a primary mp3 player.  The non backlit display of the 910 just doesnt cut it for my playing needs.

But for recording shows, the 910 is just fine- hit record, make sure its recording and leave it in my pocket.  The oled display would be nice I guess, but hardly necessary for my needs and therefore, not worth the extra cost.

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And how would you know it's recording? If it's dark, you can't see the LCD and if it's noisy, you won't hear the motor whir. Sure, you could bring a small LED light for $10 and check.

[flyingpylon]

Also what color did you get from Etronics?

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mrsoul-

My RH10 should arrive today, so I'll be able to answer your questions later. However, I think the description on the Etronics site is incorrect. They may have simply inserted the description from the NH1 (or whatever the model number is). I am not expecting a stand, or an LCD remote. Also, I'm assuming the color will be black or silver or something. I wasn't able to choose, and I really don't care, so I'll see what it is when I open up the box! At this point, given the price, I'm just hoping it really is an RH10.

[mrsoul]

I'd have to disagree about the OLED. Having recorded shows since 2003 with MD, I can tell you that that 6 line OLED glowing brightly has made all the difference in the world for me at shows. I don't even need a flashlight for setup. I just get everything ready before or during break and just watch the levels and times on the OLED. For me personally, it has meant more enjoyment of the music and less watching and worrying. That Reactive Sounds SPA-2 clip light also helps :-)

[streaml1ne]

And how would you know it's recording?  If it's dark, you can't see the LCD and if it's noisy, you won't hear the motor whir.  Sure, you could bring a small LED light for $10 and check.

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This was a nice thing about the NH1. At least it had the red LED in the record slider that let you know it was actively recording.

[longhair_hippy]

One thing that ticks me off, after downloading the PDF files of the manuals for both the Mz-rh10 and Mz-rh910, is that the program play has been removed from the play modes. I like that feature to choose what I want to listen to on the fly. Bookmark play is "cheap", since I cannot order the tracks to my taste. l feel it is a major omission especially for high-end models. I have an Mn-N707, which I hacked to get the melody timer (Another omission on the HI-MD models). I also liked the program play feature which will make me want to hold on to it as long as possible.

Even the low-end CD player DNE-300 has the program play feature, and I find it deceiving that SONY would dumb down their hi-end MD recorders like that.

Have a nice day,

Georges in Montreal.

[duner9]

Well, I just got back from the electronics store. I traded in my 4 day old MZ-RH910 for the MZ-RH10 and I'm so glad I did. It was $50 more, but I can see the display in daylight or dim light and it's so much easier to use when you can see what the hell you're doing. That display on the 10 is fantastic and the LCD on the 910 is very lame in my opinion.

Duner9

[flyingpylon]

Also what color did you get from Etronics?

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My RH10 was waiting for me when I got home from work. It's black, and does not have an LCD remote or stand, as I expected.

I'm excited... this is my first foray into minidisc and live recording!

[Zappa]

And how would you know it's recording? 

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