Yeah, the comparison is a little unfair, but these are models that I own or
have owned.
FEATURES
Battery Life: MZ-R90 wins this one hands down. The R90's NiMH flat pack is
good for upwards of 11 hours of playback. The R30 (and R50) share the #2
spot with their Li-Ion battery packs. The only thing going for the R37 and
MZ-R70 (inexpensive R90 variant) is that they use standard AA cells of all
types and can charge some of them.
Convenience: Tough call. The R90 is *tiny* compared to everything else.
And the "one-touch eject" mechanism is a significant improvement to the
clamshell mechanism. But slot loading is superior in every way, even if it
makes the unit a little larger.
Buttons: MS-702. The important buttons are big and easilly found with my
fingertips. The unimportant buttons are out of the way. R37 takes last
place for the most inconvenient layout ever.
Remotes: I don't use them. Too many wires to get tangled in whatever.
That said, the R30 has the simplest, most straight-forward remote of the
bunch.
Titling: Prize goes to the 722. A friend of mine described it as cracking
a safe. The big jog dial really rocks. Second worst goes to the R37 just
for the awful button layout. The R90 has a lever mechanism for titling, or
the front panel buttons can be used, much like the Sharp 702. Last place
goes to the R30/R50: that thumbscrew they call a jog wheel is the worst
pain in the thumb ever.
MISFEATURES
R90: The buttons should have been larger. Combine Play/Pause, get rid of
End Search, they could fit two very large buttons for Play and Stop on the
front panel along with a couple of larger FF/FR buttons. The R90 is also
"slow". It takes longer by far to "mount" a disc or search for tracks than
any other recorder. No impedance matching on the integrated headphone/line
out jack as with Sharp recorders.
702: The FF/FR buttons really need to be given some separation, and the
volume buttons would be better if recessed. It is difficult to use the A/C
adaptor if you also use the external battery pack.
722: The front panel is exceedingly "busy".
R30: A good recorder for digital input, but setting record levels for line
or mic input is a pain, and they do not keep between discs so you have to
reset them.
R37: Don't bother. The only reason I have one is because it was cheaper
than a full-sized deck (I got the "SP" edition).
Sony vs. Sharp: End Search ('nuff said). When shifting character sets
(upper, lower, special), the R90 resets the letter to "A" each cycle; 702
is smart enough to remember that "n" and "N" are the same letter.
I'm sure someone else can add to this.
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