▸MD-SS70

036   |   Sharp   |   '96  09.10

Quest for Innovation

In contrast to Sony's traditional and formal Japanese-style design, Sharp employs slanted elements and embossed array decoration, delivering an unconventional yet elegant sensibility.

At the time of release, the astonishing 10-hour battery life left people amazed, marking the first time an MD achieved such a milestone.

The newly developed ultra-thin holographic optical head, using a super-slim three-beam method and measuring a mere 3.6mm in thickness, features a magnesium alloy for the optical head component's housing—a lightweight and robust material, a first in the industry. Compared to the typical zinc alloy, it weighs approximately half (12g→6.4g), enhancing both power efficiency during operation and structural reliability.

The newly developed compact LSI single-chip manages signal processing, encoding, decoding, digital servo, compression, and decoding, achieving a reduction in the board's footprint.

Equipped with a smooth disc-switching experience, the slim Slot-In mechanism simplifies the disc-loading process. Unlike typical shell mechanisms, it requires just one touch for horizontal quick disc insertion/removal, with the thoughtful feature of automatic playback upon disc insertion. However, the Slot-In design requires more space, resulting in a slightly bulkier and heavier device.

The LCD remote control features a proportionally smaller screen compared to the overall device, capable of displaying alphanumeric characters and kana. It adopts a detachable 3.5mm headphone jack, fully supporting the interchangeability of headphones from all brands.

Additionally, it offers a choice of four power sources: battery, home DC, external battery box, and car power. However, the external battery box (AD-SS70BC), typically offered as an accessory, is available for separate purchase (¥2,000).

MZ-E50