One complaint however... I dont like the fact that the recorder always defaults to "automatic" recording volume level. You will quickly find out that the auto volume feature doesnt let enough sound in. It also makes "mush" out of live albums as it compensates too much for the crashing percussion instruments. I found this out when I recorded the live version of Orange Blossom Special by Johnny Cash. I thought something was wrong with the MD recorder. When I set the recording volume manually, the mush went away.

It must be set to manual each time you record, from song to song or album to album. Any time you start recording, in other words. All other settings the user makes stays put, just this ONE feature resets to auto. Quite frustrating.

Once these small issues are figured out, this is a fantastic little gadget. Certainly meant for folks on the go. Simply start it playing and slide the "hold" feature in place. All the buttons are now disabled and cant be hit accidentally. Drop it in your shirt pocket and go! This thing does NOT skip either!

Cheers.

... a previous customer had bought my MD recorder, but then returned it for one reason or another, anyway ... :)

I immediately bought the R500 and a 5-pack of MDs, (which I now know will last me forEVER) went home and without a 10 minute delay, started recording my own songs! It was the easiest thing to figure out, and the cables came with it! Now, an hour later, I have figured out most of the functions (with the help of the instructions manual) and I am using my MD player like a veteran.

If you are looking for ease-of-use, good price, and overall great deal, look no further than the MZ-R500. Though the previous owner put a couple scratches on it, they make the recorder look rugged. :)

Again, dont look any further if youre looking for ease-of-use, good price, and an overall great deal. Buy some new headphones though.

...

First of all, is the sound quality good? Depending on what you use to record, and how youre recording it, the sound quality can either be poor, to average, to excellent. The trick is to record at full blast, both on the mini-disc player and on the stereo/computer. Then, you can adjust the volume on the player to whatever feels comfortable to your ears. The bass works very well, and doesnt seem to drain as much battery power as the feature seems to do on most portable CD players.

How easy is it to record? This depends. I, wasnt really able to pick up with ease how to record, but once you figure it out, its very easy. The only problem I have with this medium, is that to record a 40 minute CD to Mini Disc, it will take you the entire 40 minutes of the CD, but, with a CD Burner, this time is usually cut in half, so depending on how fast you need to record things, the Mini Disc might not be as great. However, thanks to the LP2 and LP4 recording modes on the Mini Disc player, you can record double, and quadruple the amount of minutes listed on the Mini Disc, so that is a plus, but once again, if you plan on recording 2 and a half hours of music, youre going to have to let it sit for 2 and a half hours. Also, the computer cannot be touched once recording begins, less the sound becomes distorted (the mini-disc records on the same principle as a cassette)

What about the portability? This is where the MD shines. A CD player might be able to fit into a deep pocket, but its going to be very noticeable, plus theres the chance you might hit a button, causing the music to mess up, or remove the headphone plug. Sure, you have the same chance of doing that with an MD player, but the size of this little thing makes it much easier to carry, to hide, etc. Ive found it well worth the time of recording to MD, just for the portability of it.

Is it worth buying? As of now, once I got pass some of the problems recording, Ive found my MD to be a very helpful item, well worth the expense. For someone who owns a CD burner, and doesnt really listen to music on the go, this would probably be a costly novelty item. Try out a friends, or ask people at a store what they think, Im sure that will help you decide whether to get one of these or not.

Finally, some advice for those having problems with their MD Player. The booklet (from what I remember) does not say that you can record directly from a CD player, just with the equipment that comes with the player, but, this is wrong. To record from a CD player, hook the cord (the one that has two headphone plugs on either end of it) into the line in slot on the MD, and the other into the CD player. Press and hold play and record on the MD, and start the CD. Sit back, and let it record. For best results in the level of volume, you should turn the CD player up to maximum. Remember, unless youre recording a burnt CD with the 2 second space between tracks, youre going to have to go back and manually record the tracks, if you need to. The best way to do this is to load up the CD into Winamp, move the MD near the end of the track, and if you hear silence, press the Track Mark button.

Also, the best way to record Mp3s onto your MD player, is not through the PC link. Even with the volume level turned all the way up, I barely was able to hear the music. Hook the cord into the speaker slot, and then into the MD. Make sure that whatever youre recording from is turned all the way up, and the computers speaker function is turned all the way up as well. Record as usual.

I hope my review/advice has been of some help for you.

so all in all its preatty kool except for that obne thing but i can do without it

I had one of the old Sony MD recorders - cost me alot of $. It quit working a few years ago. I think it was the MZ-R1. I needed something to play the 30+ MDs I had.

For the average user, this unit is fine. It works as advertised for the most part. The PCLink barely works on my PC. Theres a conflict with the USB drivers. PCLink is designed to take over the speaker output so if you can get it to work, you cant leave it connected. Im planning to get a Y-adapter so I can connect both my speakers and any recording device at the same time.

There is no Line Out connection so you have to use the headphone jack if you want to hook it up to a stereo system which I often did with my old MD unit.

The MZ-R500 also seems to operate more slowly than Sonys older recorders. The controls are not as straight forward as they used to be. Erasing MDs and tracks are more difficult than before. It wasnt something you could easily do on the old unit. The menu on this one isnt organized in the best way.

On the plus side, you are able add titles with this unit. The battery seems to last forever - on one AA battery. Sony used rechargeable battery packs in the past - with a battery pack that used 3 AAs that could be used as a backup.

The controls are a bit small for people with big hands but its not impossible. I just have to be careful.

PROS:
- text capability
- MDLP (which allows for up to 5 hours of music onto one MiniDisc)
- FULLY Mac compatible (with iTunes, anyway)
- excellent sound quality
- repeat function
- unbeatable price
- PCLink included
- small size allows for maximum portability
- excellent battery-life
- easy recording

CONS:
- records in real-time
- comes with cheap, flimsy earbuds
- no remote-control
- small buttons may provide some problems for big-handed people
- small display

This model is a perfect choice for a first-time user, or even an electronics savvy audiophile.