Sony MiniDisc MD Walkman MZ-R90 18 discs Spare battery

A nice Sony vintage MiniDisc player, from about 1999, if you are looking for something a bit different.

At the time of their release, they were the smallest recorders with the longest playback time available. The R90 is slightly slimmer and lighter that the R91 and also had a magnesium top cover.

Comes with 18 pre-recorded discs and a spare battery.

Dimensions: 78.9 x 17.3 x 72mm

Condition report: A disc has been placed in it and it all seems to work as you’d expect. Cosmetically it is quite tidy. Please see photos to assess and ask if not sure.

You will need: A charger – Sony AC-MZR55 or equivalent (from about £12).

Brief history of Sony MiniDisc

MiniDisc (MD) is an erasable magneto-optical disc-based data storage format offering a capacity of 60, 74, and later, 80 minutes of digitised audio.

Sony released the MiniDisc in late 1992 in Japan, Europe, North America, and other countries. The music format was based on ATRAC audio data compression, Sony’s own proprietary compression code. Its successor, Hi-MD, would later introduce the option of linear PCM digital recording to meet audio quality comparable to that of a compact disc. MiniDiscs were very popular in Japan and found moderate success in Europe. Although it was designed to succeed the cassette tape, it did not manage to supplant it globally.

By March 2011 Sony had sold 22 million MD players, but halted further development. Sony ceased manufacturing and sold the last of the players by early 2013.