Sony MZ-B100
by The Technical Initiative
Overview
The Sony MZ-B100 was released in late 2001 as a business-focused recorder for interviews or lectures. Contrary to its business-focus, I think It still looks and feels more futuristic than all but a handful of models (OLED-equipped Sony models and the Victor touchscreen-equipped XM-R2).
There are players that, subjectively, look better. There are players with more powerful headphone amplifiers. This isn’t the only model with built-in microphones or speakers.
Heck, the Sony MZ-B100 doesn’t even have NetMD capabilities.
With all the portable MiniDisc recorders and players I have to choose from, including Sharp, Kenwood and Sony flagship models from 1997 to 2006, The Sony MZ-B100 is always one of the top contenders. If I’m traveling light and know I’ll be mobile throughout the trip, chances are I’m grabbing the Sony MZ-B100 on the way out.
Day in the MD Life - Sony MZ-B100 - YouTube Video Short!
Design
With MiniDisc designs from the year 2000 settling in on a mostly squarish design, the Sony MZ-B100 looked nothing like a flat, boring MD case. Compared to its older brother, the MZ-B50 from a year earlier, the design language looks like an evolutionary leap.
I won’t commit heresy by saying it looks like a swoopy, Giugaro-inspired design, but there were actual curves at the front and rear sections and the side profile reminds me of the classic Porsche 956 race car. The line of buttons on the front line up nicely in a recessed groove while the display is framed by two stereo mics aligned at the front edge.
It has a solid, mostly-metal build with a ring of plastic around the middle. The lanyard loop was handy, functional and necessary. This is a valuable device that you won’t want to drop if you’re recording in the field. The rear has a latching panel for a single AA battery.
I believe most models you’ll see are the JDM ones with Japanese labels. There were “tourist versions” for overseas sale that had English labels and markings.
Controls
Front and center are all your key buttons for recording and playback on the go. The record button is the largest and can simply be pushed into its recess to start recording, reminding me of a cassette recorder. Pressing Stop will return the Record button to its default height.
Review and Cue (or Rev/FF) are a slim rocker above the main function buttons while Record Mode (toggles Stereo, LP2, LP4 and Mono recording modes) and Track Mark live just to the right of the Record button.
Just under the display from the left are Display, Play Mode, Edit/Enter, and Easy Search “-” then “+”. Lastly, there’s a Group button to navigate your grouped tracks. Easy Search helps you scan through your recorded disc by skipping a minute forward or backwards.
The slight curve just below the Sony logo houses a large grille for a single mono speaker with up to 70mW of power. It’s great for checking your recordings on the go. In a pinch, it’ll do to give you some music to listen to at low volume while working at your desk, but this is no full-range speaker.
Up at the top edge are stereo mics that have adjustable sensitivity, controlled by the switch on the left edge. The two jacks on the left edge are for line-in (optical) and microphone (plug-in power). The last button on the left is the Sound button that controls the Digital Mega Bass (off, Sound 1, Sound 2, and V-up). V-up is supposed to emphasize the left/right stereo separation of recordings to make it easier to distinguish during playback with headphones.
The right edge houses a red Erase button, a slider for Synchro Rec, a button to enable/disable VOR - Voice Operated Recording, and a wheel for adjusting the volume. VOR, when activated, will light the LED above the recording button and only record when sound is present, theoretically saving a lot of blank recording time.
The last control we haven’t mentioned is the left-mounted jog dial which was a vast improvement for menu selection and disc/track titling. It could be spun up or down and pressed inwards to select. During playback, spinning it forwards or backwards will show a speed control displayed on the LCD allowing you to slow playback from 80% up to 110%. Please don’t do this with your music.
The included remote lacked a display, but allowed you to mark tracks, pause recordings, adjust the volume, toggle the Sound setting, and more.
Battery Life
As a field recorder, Sony knew their audience couldn’t rely on slim, rechargeable gumstick batteries. Commonly available AA batteries would be the best choice since they were typically readily available.
Instead of requiring two AA batteries like its predecessor, the Sony MZ-B100 works its magic with just a single AA for hours of recording or playback.
When you’re on the go and carrying some rechargeable AA batteries for other devices, this makes it almost a no-brainer to bring along the Sony MZ-B100.
Gumsticks are a bit of a love/hate thing for me. Sure they enable thinner designs and are slim and easy to store, but I’ve had a run of bad luck where fully charged batteries die after a few minutes or are just dead. If I’m not traveling with a charger that can handle them, I typically take 3 or 4 more than I should need, just in case.
I've never had a worry about battery life with the Sony MZ-B100 - it’s just too easy to pack some rechargeables or find a spare AA.
Usage
Subjectively, I love the look and feel of this recorder. It feels great in-hand and the controls are well laid-out. The metal build is solid and the eject and lid mechanism feel just as solid and stable as they probably did 24 years ago.
Recording speech or audio with the MZ-B100 on a desk is easy and works well. Pick a sensitivity setting that works best for your needs. Low would work well if you’re across the table from someone, while High could pick up the speaker and more - allowing for ambient sounds to enter the mix.
If you’re serious about recording a live event or don’t want to hear the mechanism spinning up and down, use an external mic.
Playback, like any Type-R, MDLP-capable device is straightforward and the sound is good enough for all but the most picky audiophiles. With 5mW + 5mW of power at 16 ohms, most portable earphones/IEM/headphones will sound great and you can use the Mega Bass (via the Sound button) to add up to two levels of low frequency boost.
Quirks
No one device is perfect, not even this well-rounded one. The biggest one that jumps out at me, is that the Play Mode button only goes through a Repeat or Repeat 1 as options. There’s no Random or Shuffle. I suppose this makes sense given the target audience and use-case (business/lecture recordings), but I do miss putting in a good MiniDisc, hitting Random/Shuffle, and unwinding.
The second quirk is related to the volume knob. Since it’s a manual knob and not digitally controlled via buttons, you can’t change the volume easily without the remote. If you try to use a different remote, like the fabulous RM-MC40ELK, everything functions, except for the volume controls. The original, included remote can only pass-through or gradually attenuate the volume. As you can imagine, it can’t control the real volume level set by the knob on the body. So in this scenario, it would be best to set the body at the maximum enjoyable level, then use the remote’s volume dial to adjust as-needed.
I don’t think any of these little quirks are deal-breakers. I mostly use this with headphones directly plugged into the unit and I don’t make a lot of volume adjustments.
Wrap up
I listen to music to unwind, relax, and enjoy myself, so I’m not looking to deeply analyze all the nuances in a track even if I’m listening with high-end equipment. I prefer a slight low-frequency boost which suits Trance, K-pop and J-pop along with whatever else I feel like. I like my sound dynamic, warm, and fun - never flat, cold, nor analytical.
The Sony MZ-B100 sounds great to me on “Sound 1” with my warm, easy to drive IEMs. It has accompanied me through Tokyo subways, trains, cafes, and city walks boosting my mood as a reliable partner should.
To me, the Sony MZ-B100 is one of the best traveling companions a MiniDisc lover could bring along. You can record, check your audio via the speaker, and enjoy your favorite MDs, all with one device running on a single AA battery.
MiniDiscs are a tactile, physical format in an age of ephemeral, digital streaming and the Sony MZ-B100 plays right into that with great in-hand feel, functionality, and appearance.