The Sony MZ-1 was really the first portable to hit the market with any success, although compared to later models, it is somewhat of a behemoth. It can be best described as a deck unit that's been shrunk to the size of a luggable.I will hand it to Sony, even though this is a heavyweight in terms of portability, it is a solidly built unit that has none of the optical block problems that plagued the MZ-R2 and B3. It has a sleek black finish, a large backlit display with recording-level meter similar to what you'd find on a deck unit. It has a deck-like motorized front loading mechanism (which as of late has started occasionally to jam) so if your pockets are actually large enough to house the unit, you can load it without having to remove the unit first.
In terms of controls, the main ones are nicely and logically laid out, and I believe it's the only portable to have search buttons distinct from scan buttons. The editing mode is accessible through a slide-switch, but regrettably it only has a "SWAP" function, not a "MOVE" function. Like many Sony discmen, it has an optional 'Resume' mode so it starts playing wherever it left off. It has all the usual recording options, with the addition of a Rec. Level dial, which you can change during recording (something I'm missing on my R50..), as well as Mic Att controls. It is the only portable to ever hit the market with a digital in as well as a digital out, which is nice since I can now do digital MD-MD transfers (SCMS notwithstanding). Titling isn't much fun, since it only has a ten digit numeric pad on it, Sony laid out those buttons similar to how they're laid out on a touch-tone telephone (1-ABC, 2-DEF etc..), and also it seems to have put more limitations on how many characters you can put in a title, I think the maximun is around twenty...
Battery life isn't anything to write home about, Sony says that a fully charged battery pack should last (conveniently) about 74 minutes, in practice that fell to about forty minutes on a full charge. Needless to say, as a portable, the MZ-1 failed. Now that I've bought an MZ-R50, my MZ-1 makes a marvellous deck unit, with the possible exception that it doesn't have a remote, still, I wouldn't trade it for any other unit.
On visiting Hong Kong in late 1992, I attended an
audio/video exhibition. Naturally, these shows
are always fantastic to see, but one product in
particular made me excited: MiniDisc. I took a
brochure and was tickled pink at the whole
concept of how MiniDisc works. I vowed to buy one
as soon as they were released in Australia.
Almost 12 months later, I did just that. After
parting with about AU$1500, a Sony MZ-1 was my
new toy.
Unfortunately, this tale does not have a happy
ending. Whilst I was very happy with the unit's
features, sound quality, and just the whole
concept of MiniDisc, it was a bulky unit with
poor battery life (and extra batteries were
obscenely expensive), and went on to have many
faults. A number of trips to Sony service centres
proved a waste of time and money and I
reluctantly threw it away in the end. Buying
brand new technology is definitely not a good
idea.
Others have had no problems with their MZ-1
units, shame I wasn't on that list.
Nowadays, I own a Sony MZ-R50, and, touch wood,
I've had no problems with it and am happy with
the unit.