I was a little hesitant to buy a minidisc player, because I already have  CD's, and portable CD players are cheaper.  However I really enjoy this  product.  First, it's much more portable than a CD player, it easily fits  in my pocket along with my wallet and keys.  The discs are tiny and easy to  take along as well, and are conveniently stored in cases, so you don't have  to worry about them scratching.  Secondly, recording features are really  cool.  The digital/optical line results in near perfect copying of CD's.  I've also used a small clip-mike to bootleg concerts (with the artist's  permission!), and as long as the sensitivity is turned all the way down, to  compensate for the loud noise, the quality is excellent.  2 1/2 hours of  mono recording is pretty cool, too.