The SONY MZ-NF520D : More Options for MD Users

A Little History


This little 520D was purchased by my roommate to replace a Nike/Phillips PSA256 that didn’t work from the word go. Granted, the two devices are night and day as far as size, codec, and versatility, but I have long crowed to him and others about MDs superiority and absolute versatility. Although the software (v1.5.3 w/ patches for the 410) has become cumbersome to the point of restricting use, MD is still the way to go in my opinion, but I will talk more about that later. Also, having just purchased a Sony MDS JE-480, recording is now no longer an issue though it has to be done real time, but again, more on that later.

For those that may be a little new to this and the confusing world of codecs, devices, drivers, and manufactures, Here’s a little primer. The codec is the method of encoding the music you here. Some of the more popular codecs are mp3, wma, and ATRAC. The coding method used for MiniDisc is ATRAC which is highly versatile and, for the most part, has very good sound even under extremely high compression. The current ATRAC is ATRAC 3.0 which might seem like a step back for those that may be a little familiar with MD, because the last incarnation was 4.5dsp. The reality is it could be seen as ATRAC 1.4.5 whereas the newest method is actually 3.1.0. It may seem confusing right now, but the bottom line is the same as any player, transferring music to a device for listening.



First Impressions


At first I thought he might have gotten one of the smaller mag bodied units as I wasn’t immediately familiar with the model number, but then it made more sense as I realized this was the obvious successor to the 510. When I saw the display hanger plastic bubble case it came in, I was sure. The one thing I noticed right off the bat was the fact that although the 510 didn’t share the same body as the 410, but the 520 did. It has the identical body as the 410 with a few tiny little cosmetic modifications for the face and ear/fm plug and the top cover. The screen is the same, and though the control pad is smaller by about one mm, even the key lock is in the same location. With a battery in it, the weight of the two units is mere grams apart.

The 520 has a different color scheme dropping plain black or blue for a silver, black, and white mix with a greenish turquoise center inlay and chrome accents via the buttons and play/stop/ff/rew pad on the front to the right of the screen. The headphone plug is updated with a combined mini plug and hard style feed for the tuner encased in the control stick, which is a lot larger than the last one I saw, probably on the N1, but still different than the 510. Everything is plastic, no hint of metal anywhere, which is too bad, but cost is king and this thing only goes for $149.99 retail and as little as $119.99 online, so it’s certainly not the end of the world. The first half of the headphones cord with the remote control has a nice feel to it, but the headphones are identical to those that came with the 410 I have and feature a cord only about 18” long. . . odd at best, requiring the active user to clip it close.



Function


Nothing about the function of this unit has changed about the menus or options of the lower end MD players. There are just a few choices for playback and start-up modes, sound options including only minor bass and treble adjustments, display, and some minor options. In the case of the remote for the 520D, there is a direct access button just for sound. Understanding and implementing these systems is quite easy. Unlike Sony’s usual protocol, the directions are easy to understand and even give examples of questions you might have and where to look to find the solutions. I’m not just talking about a basic troubleshooting guide, but one that extends to the software and online use and suggests more unusual problem types and even how to search help menus for the keywords that will most likely lead you to an answer.

Operating the unit off the face of the player is very easy as is operating the device through the remote. There are hold switches on both the unit and the remote so accidental operation is unlikely. There are also displays on both the player as well as the remote so it’s always easy to see what you are listening to or to simply bop through a given folder to find what you are looking for. Unlike the 410 the 520 has a toggle button for volume, but is just as easy to operate and because of the difference in shape differentiates it from the menu and group buttons.

Although you can use a set of standard of headphones with a mini jack, you will lose the radio feature as the tuner and control for it reside on the first half of the headphone cables. The radio has good reception with a small and light antenna and a tiny little magwrap to help with interference and can even be removed if desired. One can listen to a weather band or even over the air TV broadcast, if you are in an area that still has them. I can’t imagine these two features are a) heavily used or b) an actual selling point, but there they are if you want them. The sound on FM bands is quite good with little interference and a smooth sound overall. Even talk radio isn’t to fatiguing, which is nice because sometimes NPR on a walk, run, train ride, bus ride, lunch break can be nice.

The battery life on this device is very good and just off one AA battery. The choice of battery does have some effect, but use defines longevity. The more you stop and start the less time you will have. The best battery life (from my own testing) that can be expected from a standard AA (Duracell) is slightly better than 43hrs, with a NiMh rechargeable the best expected performance is a little better than 48hrs. This falls in line with Sony’s claim of 48hr playback. It needs to be understood though that these time figures are based on a single disc being played back on repeat with no stop/start. Obviously this will never be the case as sleep can get in the way. With that in mind, don’t expect the Sony claim of 48hrs as true usage time off a single battery. The average consumer should expect 30hrs or so.


Remote


The remote on this particular player/recorder is the RM-MC34LT. It has a functional and strong spring loaded clip that is slim and can be clipped to virtually anything. It is not the smallest MD remote Sony has made, but it is very light and almost unnoticeable when worn, even when running. As I mentioned it does have a hold switch, which ceases function on all buttons/keys, and well positioned primary function buttons. The display show playback mode (P-MODE) battery life, current play status (playing/paused/off) track number, scrolling track name and/or play time (overall/by track). There is a toggle switch which is also a pushable button for track selection, play and pause. The bottom line here is that everything you need to operate this unit effectively is on the remote, so the player itself can stay in your pocket or purse or where ever you have it. There is a drawback however, neither display is backlit so sometimes seeing them can be problematic if you are out at night in a poorly lit area, in a closet, or locked in a steamer trunk. The display even has some “extra” graphics that come on at various times, serves no purpose, but it’s fun.



Sound


With the radio sound already established as very good, let’s talk about the MD sound. It’s fantastic. The overall sound that you will experience though depends on a few things, the quality of the original, the source the original is coming from (whether external player/recorder or direct from a computer), and most important the mode it is recorded in, i.e., LP2/4 or no extra compression. With no additional compression, the sound is more than comparable with a factory discs; strong, full, and vibrant. This continues almost to the point of LP4 compression.

The fact is the more info you take away, the worse the music will sound, but LP4 simply doesn’t get enough credit in my opinion. Yes, the fidelity takes a pretty big hit at that point, but it does beg the question how often you will need that kind of compression. OK, lets says you are boarding a Quantas flight in LAX bound for Melbourne, sure, maybe then, but is taking a few more of those tiny discs in your pocket that much of an issue? But then of course if you are that hell bent, there is also Hi-MD if you feel the need.

I have, for years, been, plenty happy with the sound off MD players. Personally, I use MD player for exercise, and when I am down at the lake or on the greenbelt, I also want some outside noise coming in from bikers or other folks coming through my path. With this in mind, the most I ever use is LP2, but even at 13-16 songs a disc, carrying a few more in a Sony armband is no big deal as they were made specifically for these chassis (410, 510, 610, 520, 700, etc). The last word here is that the sound quality is as good as you want it to be determined by how restricted you are in taking additional media where you might be going, whether around the block or Australia.



Software


Well, the software is still hugely flawed. This is different software than what came with many models just a few months ago, depending on series of course. The software I have previously lamented was 1.5.3 this new set is 2.0.0 and there are some significant changes. To get everything going you still have to download quite a few patches and even then it tends to take over, but the interface is improved and the library features are more user friendly than the last major revision. The crashing issues are not so prevalent as it used to be and the check out/check in procedure has become less problematic, but it’s still annoying sometimes. The downloading it self is pretty fast overall. At 32x one can build several discs pretty quickly and do it in the background while doing other things whether surfing, writing, paying bills, etc.

The fact is this folks, much of the burning to discs for this unit is achieved through a Sony home deck so a lot of the protection problems are eliminated because the sourcing is often analogue not digital. I am sure there are readers out there saying wtf??? but the fact is sacrificing speed for reliability is an easy tradeoff as the home deck doesn’t pose all of the licensing issues that are repeatedly run into with USB style loading. The simple fact is I can set up a playlist, long or short, and start it when I go to bed and then start another when I go to work. When I get home and go out to run I can put another on and so on. It might seem like a lot of work, but all this can go on while a variety of other sources are used, so its not as if its 1978 and I can’t listen to my radio cause the LP is recording to the 8-track.

The final opinion on the software is still thumbs down. The fact is, Sony as well as other mfrs/music companies are doing their best to win a losing battle against piracy and we as the legit non stealing consumers pay the price. I am not going to suggest that I did not go nuts on Napster or Morpheus back in the day, but a lot of the music I posses was ripped from purchased CDs or tapes and I am not burning illegal copies for other markets, domestic or foreign for profit. Because of this highly restrictive gating, the check out problems that existed with v1.5 are still present with 2.0. I understand this, and accept it, I just don’t like it.



Final Thoughts


Even with the problems I have pointed out and with my irritation with the highly buggy and restrictive software, I can still strongly recommend this unit. It is fairly rugged, does exactly what it should and does it very well. The headphones could be a lot better in terms of sound and to some degree fit, but a simple surf session on virtually any discount audio site will yield good results. Personally, I recommend Koss Porta Pros, but anything that suits you ought to do well. This is a great little MD playback device for the money. If you are looking for something uber tiny then expect to spend in the $300-$400 range, but be prepared to be floored, because the premium players from SONY are that special. Hopefully this review has given enough pertinent info to make an educated buying decision, but if you still have questions, feel free to email me or simply post them in comments.