Audio Reviews

I bought this card to replace my SB live card (which I loved), which suffered a premature death. The 5.1 is really cool, if you can use it, but I don't have a DVD player and the only AC3 songs I could find were the 2 on the install disk. Maybe the firewire port will come in handy, but for now, I don't need it either.

So in that respect, I don't find this any better than the SB live card, which seemed to have a better mixer. I have maxed out all my inputs (being a musician) so I need the TAD input, but this in not on the mixer. And a can't pan or EAX analog inputs separately.

Other than that it sounds great and I did not have any installation problems with WIN98SE. I wish they would "crowbar" the output when the computer is turned off; the floating inputs to the speaker pick up 60HZ hum and take a long time to turn themselves off.

I won't comment on the included software, I see this has already been done.

The Creative line of sound cards have been arguably the most consistent in terms of quality. This one continues the trend. I had a Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer before, and this one improves the sound quality quite dramatically, I was surprised. Other people who have reviewed this have complained of XP problems, I suggest downloading the Windows XP update on creatives site, but people have most likely done that. I just fiddled with the BIOS until it worked, but it was worth it. All the little programs they give you are pretty useless and just take up space and start up when you enter windows, and its annoying. I do love the Firewire port which is ultra-handy for my DV camera. And as games start to program for the audigy sound effects, it will be surreal, the product demo thing was excellent, and if games sound anything like that then there is a lot to look forward to. It's the best sound card out there that isn't a professional sound card, and I'm not going to pay 300-400 dollars for a sound card, so there you go.

This card rocks 100%!

As compared with high end graphics cards that can now be OVER 500$US, a high quality sound card is only like 79$ now. The best bang for your buck!

Although they created the audigy 2, which is still very cheap, and offers a "few" more features, sound quality is basically the same. So, if you have no need for the THX certified or the 6.1 surround sound, the audigy card will be right for you!

First off, the software is a waste.... there is no need for it. I currently have nothing BUT the driver installed in my computer. If you have to choose between the audigy gamer and mp3, just get what ever is cheaper. Also, if you can find a place that sells the OEM version, thats your best bet, because it will no doubt be cheaper.

As for installing it, flawlessly. Being very computer savey, i had no trouble what so ever. Drivers work fine.
Note: there are some reviews that say they needed to go and edit the BIOS and that the software makes their computer very slow. I have a 3 year old dell with windows XP pro, and have had no problems.

24 bit sound quality RUELS! These produce awosme sound quality even with programs like winamp. I have been listening to my computer now with the audigy sound card using Sennheiser HD590 headphones for over a year. If you demand high quality sound from your computer, this card delivers!

Hope this helps!

I have been dying to get a portable DVD player for years, then I received a 1710 for Christmas. It's been absolutely wonderful! When I first sat down to "try it out", I was upset because it seemed like the DVD player wasn't working. I admit, the quick help guide wasn't much help. Then I tried the AV IN/AV OUT button and discovered it was set in the incorrect position. What a simple fix! Since then, I have enjoyed watching an array of movies from mini DVD-Rs (1.4GB), full size DVD-Rs (4.6GB), old DVDs and new DVDs, and even rentals. Everything has played flawlessly. The sound quality is so good that it can be heard clearly from a different room. The picture quality is great in any of the 3 available format ratios. The function keys are spaced well for easy use and are easy to read. From a distance of approximately 10 feet, I could see the picture clearly, plus the remote control worked from that distance too. I've used my 1710 almost daily since I got it for Christmas and have had no problems yet. If my opinion changes, I will get back online to give an update. I can't attest to the customer service given by Audiovox because I haven't had to use them. :-)

My wife and I had been thinking about buying a DVD player for home use. We do some traveling year-round and go camping in the summer, so it seemed like a good idea to get a portable DVD player, but we thought they were very expensive. We chose the D1710 for its portability, appearance, features and mostly its price range. At $200. or less, we weren't expecting much. Smaller 4.5"-screen players were only $30. to $50. cheaper.

The D1710 reads DVD's, CD-ROM's, MP3's, JPEG's, TIFF's, and possibly other types of disks/files. It has audio/video and coaxial outputs so you can watch movies on your regular TV, and it comes with a credit card-sized remote control, which works well. The screen is as clear as other players we saw on display costing twice as much, and the sound is typical for such small players with little speakers; it sounds good, but tiny. When using headphones or plugging into a TV or home stereo system the sound is crystal clear and as powerful as a home-based player.

So far we've watched about 10 or 12 movies on the D1710, and although it's tracking is decent, it's not flawless. We haven't played a single DVD yet that didn't momentarily skip or hang at least once or twice during the movie. An occasional black screen happens, but each time we waited and the movie picks right back up within maybe 5 to 15 seconds. To be fair, most of the movies we watched have been on cheap DVD's, and judging from reviews of more expensive units this seems to be quite common among portables.

The battery, though we've only used it once so far just to test it, lasted exactly 2.5 hours on the first charge. I understand the life increases after a handful of charges.

Lastly, we couldn't get JPEG's to show, and the manual is all but useless. I looked up the Audiovox website, which wasn't much more help. You have to create a user-account and then send off some text (no email address for help!), and someone will get back to you within 2 business days. They did, and directed me to call a toll-free number. It turns out that in order for the D1710 to read JPEG's, you need to record them onto disk using CD burning software as opposed to using the "drag and drop" CD feature in Windows XP. After that, it works fine.

Overall, this is a great player for $200.

I decided to invest in a DVD player to keep my 2 1/2 year old toddler occupied on a cross-country plane flight. This product was definitely a worthwhile purchase. We have had no problems with the player so far, after use on 2 roundtrip plane flights as well as daily usage for a week in the hotel. The battery life is reasonably good, and the picture quality is good as well (no problems with skipping either). My only complaint is that the battery pack is pretty heavy, so the entire unit weighs a bit more than I expected it to.

If you are scrolling through all these reviews trying to find a pattern you might be hard pressed. I think people went a little overboard with '5 stars' well I guess just in my opinion. This player took a bit to figure out on the software side, and all the stories on the format issues are true.

Sony's customer support for this devices driver updates, software, and repair is very poor. It is very difficult to find an email address, phone #, or contact. I have seen other MP3 portable type devices that have a much more friendly support model. I think I'm pretty patient too, but considering what I paid for this I think it shouldn't be that hard.

Also mind the battery door it breaks after normal use in my case (about 2 months after warranty). What is the kicker is the battery door holds the battery powering the device and you have to fix it somehow if you want to use the device. Mind you the repair Sony wants to charge is like $59.95 (w/o parts) so at that rate you may be able to buy a cheaper player!

My end advice is if you find yourself reading all these review pay attention to the battery, software points. You are paying a lot of money for this, don't risk it on this one.

I've been wanting to purchase a portable MP3 player for quite some time now, and I finally bit the bullet and got the Sony NW-MS9. I think it's a really great little player, though I have some issues with the "digital rights management" (DRM) implementation. I'll separate this review into two portions - the player and the software...

The player (plusses)
* Sound quality is great! Though I have no other players to compare it to.
* Comes with a trendy keychain attachment, not a carry strap.
* Small, compact, fits in that pocket-within-a-pocket in your jeans!
* Feels sturdy (not like a toy) for it's size and weight (1.5" x 3.25" x 0.75", 2.5oz without keychain)
* It has a blue backlit (can be turned off) LCD screen with different display modes. (the equalizer is tres-cool!)
* It does have a two level bass booster (which is more than sufficient).
* It can be used as a portable yet small hard drive.

The player (neutrals)
* It uses Sony's ATRAC3 compression - which is similar to that of an MD recorded in LP2. In my opinion, it's almost indistinguishable from CD, especially under the conditions I use it in. (bike rides)
* It can only utilize OMG (ATRAC3) files recorded at 66, 105 and 132kbps. So the software provided (OpenMG) converts audio files into a format that can be used by the player. Note that the bitrates give you ~131min, ~82 and ~65 minutes respectively on the provided 64MB card.
* Would be nice if it came with some kind of leather/vinyl carrying sleeve.

The player (minuses)
* The "gum stick" battery needs to be charged externally, though if you have an MD player that uses the same battery, it's not an issue. However, when connected to a PC via USB, the player can be accessed, and files can be read/written to it (including playing music from it through the PC)
* It only works with MagicGate memory cards, which are white, cost more (+~$10 over normal) and hard to find. It would've been nice if it came with the 128MB card to start with.

The software (plusses)
* Good music recorder (ATRAC3 files, supports high speed ripping)
* Very simple to use interface.
* Imports MP3 songs by adding it to it's internal database; does not convert them on the spot, only when needed.

The software (neutral)
* Songs can be checked out to up to three different devices (though they can be checked back in at any time).
* MP3 files need to be "optimized" into ATRAC3 - which adds to the conversion and download time (normal download times are ~4-5sec on my PC), unless you've done that before (cached)
* No special "visualizations" like WIMP/WINAMP/etc. Just a simple interface with a simple spectrum analyzer/wave displayer.
* To backup your music, you need an internet connection. I haven't tested this function yet (the internet backup isn't available on OpenMG v2.0)

The software (minuses)
* ATRAC3 (.OMG) files cannot be transferred from one PC to the other due to the DRM requirements. In fact, I tried moving a file, and I couldn't use it anymore.
* I think I know what the implications of this are when your PC gets nuked by say a virus, though I won't post speculation until I try the music backup function.
* Doesn't link to the media hotkeys (next/prev/stop) like WIMP.
* The software has a horrid screen refresh rate, even on a P3-850.
* The software doesn't support "NSSM" (Non stop mega mix, like some of the new trance/ayumix CDs I have) playback style (there's a noticable pause between files being loaded) on music files, though it does support it on CD Audio (unlike WIMP). I haven't tried this on the player though.

So there you have it, the biggest minus was because of the Digital Rights Management thingie, which is why it gets a 4, but it's a great little portable music player. I'll just have to keep my entire collection in MP3 format, not their proprietary OMG format =)

I have to say, when I first opened the package, I was a little skeptical about the whole thing, but when I plugged it into my PC via USB port, I was blown away. This little device (which is conveniently the size of a cigarette lighter) has a spectacular sound for a small MP3 player. This system is very flexible due to the fact that it plays back in ATRAC3 and supports MP3, WMA, WAV, and liquid audio. It comes with music management software, a keyring-style carry strap, a rechargable battery, a battery charger, ear buds, a USB cable, and a removable 64MB MagicGate Memory Stick Media card (which lets you record up to 120 minutes of music.) The LCD display is blue backlit and you can have it in three modes, all of which are helpful. One thing about this system, which I like, is that it fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and weighs only 67 grams with battery and MagicGate card already inside it! Also, since there are no moving parts, it cannot and will not skip which is perfect for when you are doing your daily jog. It also has the "see saw" switch operation which lets you move quickly through tracks and such simply by pressing up or down. Also, the software is relatively easy, especially if you are familiar with the whole digital music thing. I must admit however that the MagicGate Memory Stick Media cards are a bit on the expensive side. But hey, that's one small price to pay for a great unit! Overall, I found the Sony NW-MS9 Network Walkman to be a SPECTACULAR piece of equipment and I recommend it highly. Hope this review was of help to you!

I would give it zero stars if I could. This product may be good for something, but it certainly does NOT do what its packaging advertises; i.e. "easily turn old records and tapes into MP3s or CDs." If you have a PC, stay far, FAR away from this bogus item. The packaging claims that it is designed for Macs AND PCs, and also claims to include a full version of Final Vinyl Recording Software. Both these statements are *technically* true... what the packaging does NOT say is that Final Vinyl does not WORK on a PC--and the only software included for PCs is 30-day trial software you will eventually need to buy for an extra ~$50. Buying such extra software (not even made by Griffin) may or may not be worth it to you--but this does not change the fact that if you did, it would be THAT ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE allowing you to convert your LPs and tapes into mp3s (together with a good RCA-to-3.5mm cable for your sound card), and NOT this product at all!! As far as converting old LPs, the only thing you can do with this product alone (using the Sound Recorder that YOU ALREADY HAVE preinstalled in Windows) is to record sound bytes NO MORE THAN 60 SECONDS LONG... now tell me how many of the songs on your old LPs and tapes are less than 60 seconds long? So without additional software, from another company, at an additional cost, this product will do absolutely nothing for you (unless you have some burning need for sound bytes under 60 seconds long).
But just to be fair, before returning this product to the store (not Amazon), I e-mailed Griffin to make sure I was not overlooking something, and got a defensive and insulting reply from someone in tech support (we'll call him Wendall), who told me, "I apologize that *you* do not have a full understanding of what our product does." To which I reply, "Well, Wendall, I understand that your product does not do what its packaging claims." Another amusing piece from Wendall was his technical(ity) argument that "Nowhere on the packaging does it say that you do not need any recording software." Is this man a lawyer or what? Okay, Wendall... this is exactly what it says on the packaging: 1) that the product works on PCs and Macs (presumably, the *whole* product--including the enclosed software?); 2) that a full version of Final Vinyl Recording Software is included; and 3) that the PURPOSE of the product is to "easily turn old records and tapes into MP3s or CDs" (for goodness' sakes!). But I guess we are just supposed to guess as to whether 'working on a PC' extends to the included software?? Wendall's take on this was that "we do not say anywhere on our packaging that [Final Vinyl] is either a Mac or PC application." (MY POINT EXACTLY!! Ya don't think that might have been a helpful thing to mention on there somewhere??)
In addition to the misleading packaging, there are next to no setup/installation instructions included (for these, you have to go online--and even then they are very brief, unclearly written, contradictory, and do not answer the questions you would think one would need to ask). One precious design gem is that you have to push the switch to the opposite side from the function you actually want to use; e.g. to enable the microphone, you push it AWAY from the mic symbol... nice, huh? My iMic (otherwise known as the headache of this past weekend) is going right back to the store for a full refund, as is the 3' RCA extension cable I had to buy to hook this useless gadget up in the first place... that is, if Radio Shack will even take it back opened (if not, that is six bucks down the drain, thanks to Griffin).
NUTSHELL: maybe this device improves sound once you have all other not-included required components in place (I wouldn't know, since I was duped into thinking it came with software that would work on my computer--and since it doesn't, I can't use it)--but it *definitely* does NOT serve alone to convert old analog music to CDs, as its packaging implies with a capital I. Consumer, beware!!!!!!

I'm using it to record NPR. I used to use a PCI sound card but got annoyed at all the noise and buzz coming from the computer. The solution was move the sound card outside the computer. It records faithfully and quietly. I'm not going to say it's easy to get it working under Linux, since sound is still not trivial, but I was successful and am very happy with this product.

I currently using Redhat Linux 9, with Alsa 1.0 patches and ecasound to do the recording. One upshot of switching to usb audio was that the quality of the recording improved so much that the size of the recordings got smaller. Now I get excellent sound quality using VBR and average about 12kbps.

This device is a totally plug-n-play way of adding sound input capability to your Mac. It plugs into a spare USB port and accepts a mini mono mic/line input. G4 Macs, among others, come with a line in audio jack, but they have no mic input and can't amplify a mic enough to make it audible. So, if you want to use an unpowered mic for direct sound-in to your mac, this is a cost-effective way to go!

The driver came installed with Jaguar, so there was no installing to do - I plugged it into the USB port and the Mac OS immediately recognized it. It shows up in the 'Sound' pane of System Preferences and is easy to select. There's a handy level meter there, so you can twiddle the amplification just right.

I've used it for a couple months to DJ my live internet radio broadcast, which goes out over the "airwaves" as a 56K internet stream. I'm using it with a cheap Radio Shack combo phones/mic headset (nine bucks), and the sound quality is totally adequate. I'd agree with the manufacturer, though, that you oughtn't expect to use this for studio-quality sound; although I can't discern any distortion or hiss from the peripheral over my cheap speakers or headphones.

This device works best when plugged into its own USB port. I had trouble when using it on USB busses that already had a lot of activity.

It fails to get 5 stars because the cable is too short - only about 18 inches - not really even long enough to make it around to the front of the computer. Also, there's an occasional (once a week) bug/problem with sound degradation after the computer's been asleep. Unplugging and re-plugging in the peripheral fixes this problem, but it'd be nice if it wasn't there at all.

In short, if you need average quality mic-level sound input into your Mac, and price is important to you, this is the peripheral you need!

I got this mp3 player about a year ago. It was good at the time, but you could fit barely 3 songs on a disk. Now I have Windows xp and it is useless becaus efor some stupid reason they decided not to make drivers for xp. So now it is useless and i can't use it. I would definately not suggest buying this, go for a better one that you can actually use.

I bought 2 IJAM 100 MP3 players at a boxing day sale (12/2001), spent 15 hours TRYING to get them to work, and they are flaky, half baked products. DO NOT BUY!!! Why?
IJ-100 CRASHES if you have ID3 tags on your MP3s
IJ-100 CRASHES if you look at it the wrong way
IJ-100 CRASHES if you strip ID 3 tags, test individual files, and then load more than 3 file on the MMC card.
IJ-100 CRASHES if you use WINDOWS EXPLORER to transfer the files to the MMC instead of MusicMatch
IJ-100 Documentation/manuals [are bad].
IJ-100 DISTORTS HORRIBLY (Clicks, grunge, AM, etc) if the MP3 files are loud (higher volume during encoding)
IF you actually get it to work for a track, the audio quality is MEDIOCRE.
FM in unit is useless, very noisy, incapable of holding a station with any quality audio maintained

...DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!

Here is what you get:

IJ-100 MP3 player, Wrist strap, Ear Buds, Belt Clip, 2-16MB Multimedia Cards (not SmartMedia), Parallel port Mulitmedia card reader, Software, No batteries (2 AAA)

Features:

Memory- No built-in memory, one slot for Multimedia card, Sidemounted Power switch, Backlit display with very small characters, AM/FM/Hold button, Stop button, 16 volume steps (high powered output (~50mW), Bass and treble controls, Random Play, A/B repeat, 3 Presets for FM tuner, Plays back 32 - 160 Kbps encoded data

Pluses - Small Size, FM tuner w/3 presets - Perfect for 3 TV channels at the gym, High power audio out - Will drive other headphones, Card reader and cards can be used like a removable 16 MB hard drive

Minuses - Small size - hard to read display, Memory card limitation - only 16 minutes at 128 Kbps

Recommendation: If you are looking for a high quality MP3 player pass this one up. Get something with more storage. If you need a simple player and don't care a lot about sound quality (64Kbps is OK) this is the unit for you

It worked beautifully for the first six months of owning it, then it began to make a horrible noise on the VCR output whenever the DVD player was working, then it siezed up and stopped ejecting the DVD tray altogether, right at that point in "The Shining" when Scatman Crothers gets it ... I was never able to get it repaired to satisfaction again. Maybe my model was defective, but, just a suggestion -- watch out for this one. It's the first and last Samsung product I'll ever buy.

There are only two real negatives that I've discovered. But both are really annoying.
First, the output from the unit for both VHS and DVD is only via composite LINE OUT. This means you need to switch your TV's input each time you change from watching a tape or DVD to watching tv. Older models had dual outputs where you could hook up a coax line to the tv as well as composites to the Video input and both would be driven, so there would be no need to switch unless you really wanted the slightly higher video quality from the composite line.
Second, there's no indicator light when you've programmed the VCR to tape on a timer. What's up with that?
Otherwise great value for the cost; and quite an attractive package. Tech support from Samsung was very very good when I called for a quick answer to a complex question.

This unit performs the basic functions well. I had no trouble hooking it up to a 20-year-old TV with just an RF connection, but I didn't set it up for component cables (DVD only). No optical output, which may matter to someone wanting to hook it to an A/V receiver. I read three reviews on amazon.com that mentioned a buzz or hum when playing video tapes, but I still decided to buy the unit. It is noisy, but bearable.

The Duo-Aria was a disappointment for several reasons, only one of which was the fact that I was never able to make it play an audio book.
The cassette controls are tiny by necessity, but they are also ill-designed. For instance, the off /on / hold slide switch is difficult to manipulate and even more difficult to place into the center "on" position without having it slide all the way to one end or the other. The manual is poorly organized and because of its tiny font and blurry printing, difficult to read. Installation for use with audio books under Windows XP requires three pieces of software - the DUO manager, a Windows Media plug-in, and the Audible Manager. I spent a most of a day working through install - uninstall - search for drivers that actually work - process before realizing that the software supplied with the Duo Aria won't run under XP - you have to download a newer version from their web site.
I was eventually able to transfer and play MP3 files directly from the cassette, but even after considerable effort and more wasted time, unable to transfer an audible book to the cassette or make the Audible Manager software function properly. I'm reasonably sure that this is possible, but given the awkwardness of the device, I'm unwilling to invest the additional time.

I have to agree with the person from Edgewater, MD United States. I had exactly the same situation with my DUO-64. I purchased the DUO-64 on June 2001 and on October 2002 the internal memory got corrupted somehow (few months after its one year warranty period). I contacted DIGISETTE and they said that the product couldn't be repaired, i.e. if you ever have a major problem with it... throw it away in the garbage. The product is just a great idea. It's fragile (battery cap and its contact, on/off button, head alignment button), sometimes it does not line up with the magnetic head of the tape player, making the sound too low and bad to hear, and once and a while the software won't recognize the player or the expansion memory (if you dare to have one installed).
As I was not satisfied with their response, I tried everything I could to overcome the internal memory problem. After lots of attempts I managed to successfully low format it, and the player went back to operation. But for the price and problems that I had, I wouldn't recomend it at all.

The Duo-Aria is a great concept since it allows you to dispense with the cassette adapter. The sound is on par with other players like the Rio 500, and the battery life is reasonable, esp. when taking the car recharger with you. It also provokes response from people when they see a cassette with a headphone plugged into it. The small/thin form factor of the digisette is exceptional, even compared with other MP3 players.

However, there are some problems with the Digisette concept. After having a LCD display on several other players, I found that its absence is sorely missed. The power connector on the player is quite fragile, being composed of two easily bendable metal prongs. They should have went with a circular design like almost all other consumer devices. The control of the device through your cassette player is hit-and-miss, with the rewind and fast forwarding working some of the time. This was particularly true when using the player with Audible.com's audiobooks. If you almost never bookmark, rewind, or fast forward, the device works great.

I'm ready to throw mine through the window! Sometimes it worked ok and sometimes not.. now it skips all the time. I can't find my receipt or the software so now I'm out $.

This portable cd has the best mp3 wma sound I have heard yet, with excellent detail and high frequency sound. The preset equalization settings offer modest adjustments that are usable. There is no custom equalization. Two other minor quibbles: You cannot access the file menu while it is playing, as far as I can tell. And the resume function only starts at the beginning of the file, and only on mp3 or wma. I have some long mp3 spoken files, and wish I could resume within them. The big problem is that when I use the cigarette lighter adapter, with the sound fed into the car stereo via a patch cord, I get heavy distortion, apparently from electrical noise from the CDs electonics and motor. This makes the adapter unusable. I tried the cassette adapter on a portable cassette player, and barely got any sound. It seems equivalent to the RP2478, but without the fm. Update: This player skips like crazy on some copied music CDs. Ironically, the skipping occurs when the ESP is on. The skipping is much less when the ESP is off and the player is sitting horizontally on a table. And when it skips, it cuts out significant time slices of the recording. I have a music disk that skips every 2 to 4 seconds. But the disk plays fine on my other CD players. The WMA and MP3 seems to be unaffected.

This portable cd has the best mp3 wma sound I have heard yet, with excellent detail and high frequency sound. The preset equalization settings offer modest adjustments that are usable. There is no custom equalization. Two other minor quibbles: You cannot access the file menu while it is playing, as far as I can tell. And the resume function only starts at the beginning of the file, and only on mp3 or wma. I have some long mp3 spoken files, and wish I could resume within them. The big problem is that when I use the cigarette lighter adapter, with the sound fed into the car stereo via a patch cord, I get heavy distortion, apparently from electrical noise from the CDs electonics and motor. This makes the adapter unusable. I tried the cassette adapter on a portable cassette player, and barely got any sound. There appears to be very little sign of skipping. On the other hand, I get the impression that when there is, the processor just edits out a fraction of a second of sound, so that the music is offbeat. But this has not happened often enough to be sure, and may be due more to errors within the recorded cd than to jostling. But the basic cd player is very good. I suspect that some newer ones may offer more up to date features. But I'll tell you one thing for sure: This beats the Riovolt-IRiver cd-mp3-wma player I bought last year, which was a piece of poor engineering combined with absent quality control. At least this RCA works. And it seems equivalent to the RP2478, but without the fm.

Well, these headphones look good online. They are comfortable and easy to put on and feel like you're not wearing them. That's about all that's good about them; the sound is very poor - it cannot support a large amount of bass. At high volumes the sound is intrusive and scratchy. Also, they extrude far out on your head, so you don't really want to wear them in public. Anyway, if you're looking for some good headphones for about the same price, go with the silver Sony MDR-G72LP Street Style Headphones. They look great, sound great, and are built well.

I purchased these to replace the cheesy earbuds that came with my Dell Digital Jukebox. I, foolishly, assumed that "Sony" earphones would be a great improvement. Let's see...

They are uncomfortable, they're tinny-sounding, and the cord is ackward. Other than than that, they're fine.

In other words, I want my money back! Crap.

This headphones is a more expensive unit compared with other comparable products. Is this worth it? It depends.

Among the headphones that I have tried so far, this one definitely sounds different. The frequency response is rather flat, meaning the bass and the treble do not get boosted as much. I think over the years my ears got so used to bass/treble boost that I first felt strange listening music thru this headphone; music sounded airier. Also, the sounds get dispersed across the left and right better than the other cheaper headphones. This makes possible to hear the details of each sound element better. I was actually amazed how much detail I was missing with other headphones. With a bit of boost, the bass sounds and subtle detail of sound can blow you away. I would think those are pros depending on your tastes.

Now, the cons. Sometimes I feel the bass and vocal sounds do not get "centered" correctly; I tend to hear them a bit toward the right than usual. I don't know why this happens, but I can assure it's not my ears! Also, the vocal doesn't come out very clearly with this headphones. If you listen to a lot of vocal music, you might be dissapointed. For instrumental music, it works just fine. Another thing is that the ear clips are not as comfortable as a set of Sony headphones that I used to own prior to getting this one.

Also, by construction, this one isn't suitable for listening in a very noisy environment. You can hear too much noise from outside.

Overall, I have a reservation about recommending this headphones for casual listeners. If you know what you are getting, this may be an interesting headphones to try.

My family bought this for me for Fathers Day. Worked fine for one week, but when I decided to erase and re-record new songs one week later, it wouldn't work. I went thru all the steps...downloaded upgraded software from Sony's site, used different discs, and even redid the whole thing on a different computer...nothing worked. So, on top of the $120+ my family spent on the unit, now Sony says I have to spend more money to send it from WI to Texas to get it fixed...AFTER ONE WEEK OF USE! Don't bother with this piece of junk or you might have to deal with Sony's customer service.

The tag price of MZ-N10 Net MD is too high for what it has to offer. For above $300, one would expect MZ-N10 to have the a radio/TV/weather-band, a capability Sony MZ-NF610 offers for only $199. As well, the line-in for microphone, without an actual microphone included, comes too little, and comes too late. It comes too little for reasons that seem to annoy so many prosumers: not being able to upload the recorded content, despite being able to easily differentiate between mic-recordings and transfers from a computer. It comes too late because SHARP had a model on the market that was equipped with microphone line-in some 2 years ago, for only $170 at that time. The differentiation between content that's been recorded (via mic) and downloaded could be easily addressed by a software patch!

As somebody here put it, 5 stars for the technology, 1 star for its flexibility, and 2 stars for the price/value ratio, that's 3 stars average.

Well, right off the bat, let me say that if you're looking for a device to record samples, etc, then like everyone else the NetMD systems aren't for you, because the SonicStage software will still restrict uploading of tracks from the MD to the computer that haven't previously been checked out.
Having said that, at least one person made mention in a previous review about the check-out being restricted to 3 only. The new version of SonicStage just released (2.0) allows unlimited check-out of songs in your library, so you can now transfer songs on your computer to the disks as many times as you like. Still...not much consolation for those wanting to upload from the player, but hey, Sony's trying. heh.

I've only had my NetMD for a couple of months, but so far I love it and have had no trouble with the software, especially now that the check-out restriction has been lifted. It's light, compact and provides great sound quality (even at the LP4 setting the quality is pretty good), but this product may not suit everyone. Shop around.

Unless you're a Sony junkie who can overlook shortcomings. ;)