My thoughts on the MZ-N505

[Nel]

Well, after around 3 years of owning a Sony MZ-R55 (which hardly ever left my sight) and virtually burning out the 'chewing gum' battery (had to resort to the bulky AA caddy) I thought it was about time I upgraded to a new unit.

I read a bit about the MDLP features (which was new to me) and also the NetMD capabilities of the newer models and decided to opt for either the 505 or the 707. (After my success with the R55, I didn't even consider going with a brand other than Sony.)

Yesterday, I took the plunge and went out and bought a new Silver MZ-N505 choosing it over the 707 due to cost. I brought my 'new toy' home and eagerly delved into the packaging...First impressions weren't great to be honest. the unit's much more lighter and smaller than the R55, but the plastic casing made it feel INCREDIBLY cheap. But, never judge an MD player by it's cover right? .

Next up was the remote control...what...the...hell? Maybe I'm spoiled coming from using the R55's remote control with it's backlit display and easy controls, but I was really disappointed with the 505's remote. It's black (doesn't match with the unit) 'boasts' fiddly controls and, worst of all, no LCD display. I took one look at it, threw it back in the box and found my R55's remote control a new home. It works like a dream. The earphones stayed in the box, as I bought a set of Sony MDR-EX70LP last week. (Which are the best sounding earphones I have ever used, but that's another post. )

So, onto the 505's features. The NetMD capabilities appealed to me the most, so, in went the CD. I installed the drivers and the (God Awful) piece of shi..software - OpenMG. I'd read up on the problems with OpenMG beforehand, so I had no intentions of using it. Real player seemed to be the best option with it's NetMD plugin, so I had it at the ready. I gave OpenMG a shot to test it all worked, didn't like the interface, didn't like the restrictions but it worked fine. Used Real player...that worked fine too. Hurrah!. Realplayer doesn't have the 'grouping' facilities of OpenMG, but for me personally I'm quite happy without that particular feature.

I also came across this forum while I was searching for various information on the 505 (great forum, I'll stick around) and I noticed the 'hack' that upgrades some of the features. I love stuff like that, so I dove straight in and began hacking my new player. Everything went without a hitch, and now my 505 is beefed up a bit by a few new features. great.

Overall, I'm impressed with the 505. it's smaller than my old R55, has a longer battery life (and only uses 1 AA) and features both MDLP and NetMD. The downsides are really bad remote control and cheap feeling casing. As you can tell, the pro's outweigh the con's.

Although, even after all this, somethings telling me I should have held out a bit and bought the 707 and I'm currently in two minds as to whether I should take the 505 back and shell out the extra £20 for the 707. Would it be worth the hassle?

Nel

[Sugo]

The only major difference is the Mic input on n707. If you don't need live recording, maybe n707 is not worth it.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks Nel. I found that useful. I think I would struggle with the dodgy remote though, and I don't have another Sony unit to steal a substitute from.

Looks like I'll have to save for the N10.

Cheers.

[KJ_Palmer]

The casing of the N707 is a tad sturdier, the buttons feel more responsive, and (if it's important) looks a bit better than the 505. Not forgetting the mic input - you never know when it might be handy. Oh, and the better remote. I'd say it's worth the extra 20 quid.

[Leland]

Just for perspective: you mention the build quality of the R55 being better, but remember when it came out it had a list price of about $300 as compared to the $129 for the N505. A capable recorder, with NetMD features (only a dream at the time of the R55 intro) for $129 would have seemed like science fiction. To some extent you are comparing apples and oranges.