Sony MZ-R37
Review by @highfidelity1989
Overview
The Sony MZ-R37 Portable MiniDisc Recorder is a cost reduced version of the Sony MZ-R55, which I reviewed earlier. The R37 was released in early 1999 and instead of gum stick batteries runs on 2 AAs. Overall it is a little bit of a stripped down version compared to the R55. However, this MD is special in its form factor and button layout. Some people call it the big brother of the Sony MZ-RH1 even if the features available are not comparable of course. More on that shortly. Same as the Sony MZ-R55 it does not support MDLP (LP2/LP4). The Sony MZ-R37, apart from the Sony typical silver color, also came in a beautiful purple. I have taken some shots of this R37 purple version during the MDCon 2025 in Switzerland. Thanks to Gunner5! Enjoy! Please note that this review is based on my personal experiences and less of a technical review based on data sheet specs.
Design and Controls
The Sony MZ-R37’s front and back panels are fully made out of aluminum and this unit has a special form factor as mentioned above. Since the display and main buttons for playback/ recording are located on the front side, it gives a unique feel. It definitely looks different than most other MD units released during the late 90s and also later models. With its top located MD opening mechanism and design details, it is an appearing and outstanding MiniDisc device in my opinion.
The MiniDisc opening- as well as AA battery compartment are easily accessible and allow for quickly changing fresh batteries or swapping discs. Placing the Sony MZ-R37 on a larger HiFi stack for recoding purposes makes sense and is ideal to track the recording process or swapping a disc. The R37 has no sidecar mounts, since it uses AA batteries anyways. The power plug requires 4.5V DC supply. I have tested it with some standard AC adaptor (4.5V) from some Sony Discman and it works fine.
There are dedicated buttons for any functions such as play, pause, recording or Mega Bass as with the R55. Some of the buttons for changing the display options, Synchro Rec or T Mark are located on the bottom of the unit.
The vertical mounted display is really tiny, but shows all information necessary. Track number- and name, remaining play time, etc. There might be some difficulties with this display to clearly read information displayed, due to its small size and kind of awkward position.
Connections
Same as with the Sony MZ-R55, the R37 features a nowadays highly sought out physical line-out port. The Sony typical line-in/optical plug is available for analog and optical recordings as well as a plug for recordings with a microphone and also the headphone jack with remote connector. The Sony RM-MZR37 was the original remote shipped with this device, which has no screen, but only physical buttons. I have also tried other Sony remotes like the RM-MZR55 and this remote works fine. Other remote models may not fully or not working at all, see also the list below. So, if you want to buy a R37 and use a remote with it, make sure to have it included in your order. Wether it is the original remote it came with or the remote of the Sony MZ-R55.
The following remotes have been tested:
- Sony RM-MZR37 (original remote, no screen)
- Sony RM-MZR55 (fully working)
- Sony RM-MC33EL (non-compatible or not fully compatible)
- Sony RM-MC38EL (non-compatible or not fully compatible)
Usage and Battery Life
I enjoy the Sony MZ-R37, but in my opinion the built quality does not hold up to the R55. Also the size of this unit is relatively large, less of a pocketable device. What is definitely a positive aspect is the use of AA batteries. Easy to replace and long runtime. So in terms of battery runtime there are no complaints from my side so far.
Sound
The Sony MZ-R37’s sound is similar to the R55’s - in short: great. There is plenty of bass with the two settings of Mega Bass. It can drive some bigger headphone models as well, as tested similar with the R55. Also here, the clarity might be a bit lacking for this model though, keep that in mind with some music genres. There are no other presets or EQs available. Take the bass or leave it!
The following headphones have been used with the device:
- AKG K450 (my all time favorite headphones probably)
- Beyerdynamic Custom Street (a larger over-ear headphone with different bass level settings)
- Bose OE1 (Bose’s first portable on-ear headphone)
- and more...
One more word on sound: I have not use the recording function of my Sony MZ-R37 a lot, yet. But I imagine this device being a capable MiniDisc recorder as well.
Conclusion
The Sony MZ-R37 is a true MD marvel, which can be recommended to anyone who wants a more special designed unit. Classic Sony MD sound!
Thanks a lot for reading. Keep rockin’ MiniDisc!
HighFidelity1989