The jog dial still allows you to search through the track titles while playing a track, and pushing the jog dial in before turning it enters the N1's complex menu system (which is virtually identical to the R909's menu maps, with the exception of the MAIN UNIT and REMOTE options under BEEP in OPTIONS). Overall, I personally find the layout of the controls aesthetically pleasing but ergonomically-challenged. It would have been better to place the pause button in place of either the END SEARCH button or the GROUP button for this purpose. not an easy task to pull off if you've got big thumbs. Due to the placement of the bar (just half an inch above the RECORD slider-switch), it is particularly difficult to start a paused recording - you need to slide the record switch while holding UP on the rocker bar. The design of this new controller mechanism is not without flaw - although it is easier to push the center position more accurately than with the R909's flimsy feeling control pad, it is somewhat difficult to push up and down on the control bar with certainty. The new rocker-switch control bar sits to the right of the N1's LCD the left, center, and right sides of the bar can be pushed in (for |>| respectively), and the bar can be "rocked" up and down (for PAUSE and STOP). This is the one button I have a hard time pushing (the rest of the buttons on the unit are fine), although maybe this is a good thing, since the T Mark button isn't something you want to be accidentally pushing in.Ĭlose-up of the N1's face LCD and controls The Track Mark button has been moved down to the lower half of the left edge of the unit, and is now a smaller, plastic button that doesn't protrude much (if at all) from the body. The jog dial remains embedded in the top-right of the body the volume buttons have been moved to the left edge of the body (where the T Mark and END SEARCH buttons were located on the R909). The main controls are laid across the upper portion of the N1's face. The Sony engineers did a great job of giving the face of the unit a clean look, but some of the controls could have been laid out in a more ergonomic fashion. The solid, rigid feeling just isn't there when closing the lid, however this is something that you will probably get over pretty quickly, as the incredibly small size of the unit will amaze you.ĭiscs are inserted from the top of the unit Generally the N1 feels well contructed, however when you close the lid, it doesn't close with the same "snap" that the R909/R900 does. The N1 is noticeably lighter in your hand than the R909 however the extremely light weight of the unit actually makes it feel a little less "solid" than the R909 and R900. If you've been using the same Servired leather case since the R90/91 (like I have), you might need a new one, as the N1 is a little small for the case for the R90/900/909. The N1 measures 78.7 mm x 71.8 mm x 16.9 mm at its slimmest portions (maximum dimensions due to protrusions are 79.1 mm x 73.8 mm x 19.9 mm), and it weighs a paltry 117g with the battery (90g without). The result is a clean, sleek looking unit with futuristic hues to its design. The Sony and Walkman logos are now chrome-stamped. The round, conspicuous control pad is gone in its place is a new, slim, "rocker-switch" control bar, which takes up less space on the unit's face. The LCD is slightly smaller, however nothing is lost in the display, as everything is slightly scaled-down in size to fit the smaller window. Gone is the chrome "trim" around the edge of the unit the top and bottom panels of the body now close together flushly. The body is constructed of magnesium-alloy panels (to slim down on its weight, from the standard aluminum body). While the previous 3 generations of flagship recorders were "square" with flat edges and nothing-but-90-degree corners, the N1's body features curved edges and angled corners. Sony has finally broken out of the cookie-cutter body mold that was used for the R90/91, R900, and R909. (The separate BEEP settings for the main unit and remote, the group number display on the LCD in group mode, and the ability to charge the unit in the stand during usage were the only three real differences I could find on the main unit).įrom left-to-right: the Sony R900, R909, and the N1. In fact, if you take the time to compare the two units, you'll find that the N1 is essentially a R909 with a redesigned body - the two units are almost functionally identical.
#Sony openmg jukebox software portable#
There is not a single feature on the MZ-R909 (the N1's predecessor, and previously the most feature-rich Sony MD portable to date) that is not present on the MZ-N1. Apart from its NetMD high-speed-music-transfer capabilities, the N1 is a fully-functional (and fantastic) MD unit in its own.