Sony MZ-N710
HexaPunK here again, by (popular?) demand! Okay, okay; I was asked gently to maybe do another review. And as last time…
The Top
The N710 is a really good place to start. That’s the top as before. You’re welcome.
For the rest of you, let’s dig in!
Specs and things
Released in March 2003 as the ‘mid-level’ unit for $289, along the N910 on the ‘high-end’. It was the second generation of NetMD portables featuring Type-S ATRAC ICs. This edition improved MDLP playback, and had more RAM (for longer buffering, both reading and writing).
Its mostly plastic construction means it can get brittle, but mine has held up pretty well. It has dealt with New England summers and bitter winters just fine. It fits in a pocket, but it’s a bit bulky as some plastic units can be. It is 4 caseless MDs tall, 3 cased MDs tall. Only a bit larger than a single MD, as you would expect. Weight is listed at 107g (3¾ oz).
Power is provided by NiMH gumstick or AA sidecar. Combined this can give you up to 85 hours (over a full work-week straight!) using both, with LP4. For those of us that like the balance of audio quality and battery life, you can eek out 70 hours with gumstick and AA. I normally run around with my sidecar and a few Eneloops as backup, and that’s good enough for my purposes; in my car or at my work desk. It also accepts 3V DC in, that I use mostly for writing.
It’s got headphones out/remote port, Microphone and Line In (analog/optical) for input, as well as USB Mini-B for the glorious NetMD.
It comes with a charging dock, and RM-MC33L as standard; at least my example did when I bought it used a couple years ago.
My Experience
My life using the N710 has been basically pain/nuisance-free. I screw on my sidecar, slap in an Eneloop, find an MD, and go. The gumstick door is slightly broken, and will open from the slightest of breezes in its direction, so I don’t use them. It does work, though, if I want to use tape or a rubber band.
Using WMD Pro, I can use the SP Speedup exploit to….do what it says on the tin. For the few instances I use SP these days. I mostly use LP2 for my day-to-day; 2-CD sets on a 64mm2 shiny disc? Yes, please!
The controls are nicely laid out, but at a 45° angle for some reason. The screen is readable, though it doesn’t keep the track name cycling as I would like. The ‘main’ control wheel is kind of weird to use ‘blind’, but is intuitive-ish if sitting on a desk or in your hand.
My example is an EU-spec model, noted by the CE mark on the sticker on the bottom; that just means the headphone amp power is lower than North America/Japan models. EU is 1.2 mW while RoW is 5 mW. I don’t find this limiting most of the time, as even at max volume it’s fine.
If you can find one in good-enough condition, go for it. This is a reliable, workhorse type of unit that you (probably) won’t feel bad getting knocked around in the real world. Other than servicing it, I haven’t had any issues with my N710. Aside from the plastic case cracking here and there, it's still intact!