neb
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2001
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Since this unit has been appearing in discussions on this board quite frequently I thought I'd post my opinions
On the whole its not a bad unit. I've found with a fair bit of experimenting it can produce a very good sound - all depending on the megabass setting, volume and headphones!
With a set of EX70 earbuds which I normally use with a MZR900 MD unit, I had to leave the megabass off. The EX70's don't seem to cope very well with either megabass setting. The maximum setting is way too boomy and the first setting tends to boost the bass at the expense of the treble.
However, I've recently rediscovered a pair of E888's that I had lying around and they are a much better match with this unit. The maximum bass setting is still a bit much for them but the first setting sounds fantastic - so if you own this unit and think the sound sucks then experiment with headphones before ditching it.
The battey life is fantastic and most importantly 'AA' size. Those proprietry 1400mAh NiMH gumstick batteries used in the 925 (and some MD recorders) cost $60AUD each here which I think is a complete ripoff - you can buy 1600mAh NiMH 'AA' batteries for $5. Reliance on proprietry batteries reduce the portability of a unit in my opinion. If you're going on a long holiday you either have to take a charger or use a clumsy 'AA' battery pack - so why not use AA batteries in the first place? (or design a unit that uses AAA batteries like some of the Panasonic models). Incidently, does anyone think the inclusion of an AA battery pack with the 725 is a bit strange?
Another advantage (IMO) over the 925, and 825 is the built-in display. Sony seem to be sacrificing the display in the high end units for smaller size. Ok, so the remote tells you whats going on but I find remotes just get in the way and don't use one - so a display on the unit was important to me.
Just on remotes - I bought the Australian version of the D-EJ725 which comes with a backlit remote, however I discovered that not only will the R900 remote work fine but the display button (to show track time remaining, disc time remaining) also works - even though it does not appear to be possible to display this information via the unit itself or its 'native' remote!
As for cons, the main one would have to be the use of plastic for the lid and buttons (some of them at least). While it will not stop the unit working properly I've seen display models where the paint has started wearing off.
Without hearing some of the 'better' units talked about here I can say I'm reasonably happy with it so far and don't intend replacing it with a 925
Neb.
On the whole its not a bad unit. I've found with a fair bit of experimenting it can produce a very good sound - all depending on the megabass setting, volume and headphones!
With a set of EX70 earbuds which I normally use with a MZR900 MD unit, I had to leave the megabass off. The EX70's don't seem to cope very well with either megabass setting. The maximum setting is way too boomy and the first setting tends to boost the bass at the expense of the treble.
However, I've recently rediscovered a pair of E888's that I had lying around and they are a much better match with this unit. The maximum bass setting is still a bit much for them but the first setting sounds fantastic - so if you own this unit and think the sound sucks then experiment with headphones before ditching it.
The battey life is fantastic and most importantly 'AA' size. Those proprietry 1400mAh NiMH gumstick batteries used in the 925 (and some MD recorders) cost $60AUD each here which I think is a complete ripoff - you can buy 1600mAh NiMH 'AA' batteries for $5. Reliance on proprietry batteries reduce the portability of a unit in my opinion. If you're going on a long holiday you either have to take a charger or use a clumsy 'AA' battery pack - so why not use AA batteries in the first place? (or design a unit that uses AAA batteries like some of the Panasonic models). Incidently, does anyone think the inclusion of an AA battery pack with the 725 is a bit strange?
Another advantage (IMO) over the 925, and 825 is the built-in display. Sony seem to be sacrificing the display in the high end units for smaller size. Ok, so the remote tells you whats going on but I find remotes just get in the way and don't use one - so a display on the unit was important to me.
Just on remotes - I bought the Australian version of the D-EJ725 which comes with a backlit remote, however I discovered that not only will the R900 remote work fine but the display button (to show track time remaining, disc time remaining) also works - even though it does not appear to be possible to display this information via the unit itself or its 'native' remote!
As for cons, the main one would have to be the use of plastic for the lid and buttons (some of them at least). While it will not stop the unit working properly I've seen display models where the paint has started wearing off.
Without hearing some of the 'better' units talked about here I can say I'm reasonably happy with it so far and don't intend replacing it with a 925
Neb.
