Sony MZ-R500DPC Manual

∗ You should plug the headphones/earphones 

directly to i jack on the main unit. Use 
only headphones/earphones with stereo 
mini plugs. You cannot use headphones/
earphones with micro plugs.

MiniDisc (MD) comes in two types: 
premastered (prerecorded) and recordable 
(blank). Premastered MDs, recorded at 
music studios, can be played back almost 
endlessly. However, they can’t be recorded 
on or over like cassette tapes. To record, you 
must use a “recordable MD”.

Premastered MDs
Premastered MDs are recorded and played 
like regular CDs. A laser beam focuses on 
the pits in the surface of the MD and reflects 
the information back to the lens in the 
recorder. The recorder then decodes the 
signals and plays them back as music.

Recordable MDs
Recordable MDs, which use magneto-
optical (MO) technology, can be recorded 
again and again. The laser inside the 
recorder applies heat to the MD, 
demagnetizing the magnetic layer of the 
MD. The recorder then applies a magnetic 
field to the layer. This magnetic field 
corresponds exactly to the audio signals 
generated by the connected source. (The 
north and south polarities equate to digital 
“1” and “0”.) The demagnetized MD adopts 
the polarity of the magnetic field, resulting 
in a recorded MD.