Responses to Mz-NH1 Vs MZ-RH1

[joplin]

Hi

I appreciate the feed back that i have received so far in regards to my original question,Which is better and why(MZ-NH1 vs MZ-RH1).

I know that alot of people have purchased the MZ-NH1 and yet there is very little feedback from these people pro or con.

I do not believe for a moment that the MZ-RH1 is the end all be all. Its very new and only a matter of time before people will be tearing this apart and waiting for something better to replace it.

I believe that there is a limit on how much a person will spend for a unit. Because in alot of cases there are some minor changes in the new product and those changes aren't always worth the extra money. I know that I have no need to have the very best. I want the product to do what its specs. state and to be a quality product. I'm a down to earth person that chooses not to get lost in technical lingo. I prefer a down to earth review that is simple and to the point.

I would love to hear from MZ-NH1 owners as well as MZ-RH1 owners.

The pros and cons of both devices and how you feel about them.

Look forward to your feedback.

Greg Joplin

[raintheory]

I do not own the NH1 myself. But I have owned a total of 5 Hi-MD units total (currently own 3, the NH900, RH10, & RH1).

The RH1 pros as I see it, are ability to upload legacy recordings (this is a major one), direct mp3 playback (not avail on 1st gen units including the NH1, and somewhat crippled on 2nd gen units), HD digital amp, OLED, and it remembers your rec-settings. Also the speed of uploads/downloads is faster than with previous units...

I'm sure as you state that there will be complaints about the RH1. The only con I can think of (that really dowsn't bother me though) is the 1-line display on the unit and lack of track/title info on unit.

All that aside. Personally I have easily over 100 legacy MDs. The fact that the RH1 now allows uploads of these is a HUGE deal. Yes, I have a deck with optical-out, but do the math... Also from a recording standpoint this thing is awesome.

NH1 pros.. having not owned this model I can only state that the RM-40ELK (which I do own) is an awesome remote and its good that the unit comes with this. I do think the NH1 is very aesthetically appealing.

NH1 cons that come to mind (as compared to RH1) would be the lack of direct mp3 playback, lack of legacy upload ability, doesn't remember rec-settings, and slower upload/download speeds...

It's all very subjective really. It all depends on what you want in a Hi-MD recorder. Do you need legacy upload ability? Is direct mp3 playback a useful thing for you?

Anyways, hope this helps some and good luck.

EDIT: Lack of an external dry battery attachment for the RH1 would qualify as another con.

Edited July 2, 2006 by raintheory

[Roamer]

I'll had some more regarding the NH1 :

cons:

Need the stand to charge the unit.

Proprietary USB connector.

pro:

slim metal body.

The main complain I have regarding the RH1 is the lack of external battery attachement, but at least the standard USB connector can be hacked ...

And I also have over 100 legacy MDs, so it's just a matter of time before I get one.

[minidisc_fan]

I'll had some more regarding the NH1 :

cons:

Need the stand to charge the unit.

Proprietary USB connector.

pro:

slim metal body.

The main complain I have regarding the RH1 is the lack of external battery attachement, but at least the standard USB connector can be hacked ...

And I also have over 100 legacy MDs, so it's just a matter of time before I get one.

First of all, both the NH1 and RH1 are great Hi-MD units. They both have the date-time stamp, ability to record SP & Hi-MD modes and use the same battery, LIP-4WM. As I've already mentioned, the NH1 can play all tracks in shuffle mode only once, even if you press stop in between. With the RH1 this only works with the repeat mode on (this according to the operating instructions of the European models, I don't know about the US model). They both have the Bookmark function, but only the NH1 has the extra Program Play function.

If you mainly listen to tracks in normal mode, this pro of the NH1 is not that important. I prefer the RH1 as it uses a normal mini-USB cable and not the proprietary cable of the NH1, where I've alredy experienced some problems while unplugging it.

Of course the new ability to upload old MDs with the RH1 is a big pro.

[mediageek]

I have both the RH1 and the NH1. I've had the NH1 pretty much since it arrived for sale in the US, and I got the RH1 about five days ago. So, I feel pretty confident discussing the NH1, while I'm still getting to know my RH1.

For me the killer feature of the RH1 is the ability to upload legacy MDs. I have hundreds, which include many airchecks of radioshows I produced, along with interviews and performance audio from the last 9 years. The RH1 is worth the $329 for that feature alone.

Aside from that, I think the differences are mostly minor. The NH1 feels like a sturdier unit to me; perhaps it's the brushed magnesium that gives this impression. I've been carrying it all over the place to conferences, to record my weekly radioshow, and to record performances for the last two years and it's held up very well. I use it primarily as a recorder, not a music player.

The display on the NH1 itself is next to useless and I hate it. No backlighting, just one slender line of text. But the display on its three-line remote is very useful.

The display on the RH1 is great for recording. The bright OLED display is much better than the backlit LCD on the NH1's remote. And I have to say that it actually makes a lot of sense for it to be on the side of the unit rather than the front panel.

I also agree that the RH1's USB-only power and data configuration makes a lot of sense, especially since it will charge off the USB connection. While I like the NH1's charging cradle, I hate the fact that I have to take it out of the cradle and connect a proprietary cable to make the USB connection to my PC.

The RH1 also has a universal voltage-capable AC adaptor. So if you plan to travel outside your home country/continent, it's a nice feature to have.

Another small difference that I think really makes life easier is that the RH1 remembers retains your settings between uses. So, if you use manual recording levels and then shut off, it will be set for manual recording levels when you start up again. This isn't true for the NH1, where you have to dig into the menus and set it for manual every single time, which is annoying.

So, my final conclusion is that if you don't need the legacy MD upload capacity, then the advantages to the RH1 are mostly minor, and may not be worth the extra cost. If it weren't for the legacy upload I wouldn't have bought my RH1, even though the additional refinements are all worthwile.