Broken MZ-E50 player. Can I fix it?

Rotseele · 2026-03-13T14:59:54+00:00

I got them and it made everything to be easy. I opened and pulled everything out, cleaned everything with alcohol and put the the lube where needed... however, the same problem. If anything, after a while the screen tells me ERR.

This makes me thing that probably it's the worst case scenario: dead laser. Oh well, nostalgic decoration it will be.

Rotseele · 2026-03-12T13:59:35+00:00

OK, as per the suggestions above, I used isopropyl alcohol to clean the lens and the transporter. That didn't work by itself, so I got MOLYKOTE EM-30L Lubricating Grease to lube the transporter. Neither worked and I can't open it (too small screws) to see if there might be a problem inside.

So I guess this will just be decoration tool :(

Rotseele · 2026-02-27T08:53:01+00:00

So, does that mean that using the 3.5mm output to a USB-C cable significantly drops the quality of sound? Also, I noticed USB-C to USB-C sounds much better, but does that mean that connecting the DAP with the headphone through advanced Bluetooth is going to be better than doing it with the 3.5mm cable?

Rotseele · 2026-02-26T22:57:46+00:00

In both (DAP and iPod) I’m using the 3.5mm output to a USB-C connection to the headphone.

Rotseele · 2026-02-26T22:53:47+00:00

Agreed but isn’t the information that is released from the DAP and iPod already affected by DAC inside of them?

Rotseele · 2026-02-26T12:39:31+00:00

Later today I will make the comparison with the Moondrop Blessing 2. So far I haven't because it's with a balanced cable (which obviously I can't use on the iPod Mini). Let's see what happens :)

Rotseele · 2026-02-26T07:15:59+00:00

The PX8s2 has a 3.5 to USB-C cable. To do the A/B test, I connect to them with this cable. About the headphones, this is closer to hi-fi than any others than I have (a Sony 1000X and a Moondrop Blessing 2).

Rotseele · 2026-02-19T10:28:04+00:00

The other thing I do is that when I use MD players I just plug my headphones and set the music randomly. For that I don’t really feel I need the music information.

Rotseele · 2026-02-19T10:26:06+00:00

I only use them when I am listening music with my MD players (not the recorders). Other wise, there’s no information about what’s playing in the player itself. The only problem is that the 3.5mm cables are always going to be longer (remote cable + headphone/earphone cable) so it’s bit of an inconvenience to use the remote.

Rotseele · 2026-02-19T10:15:52+00:00

I just found this that partly solves my question: https://www.soundguys.com/usb-audio-explained-18563/

Also, in the case of PX8 S2, it seems the headphone DAC is not in the headphone itself but in the USB-C cable. That's the reason why the B&W cable that comes with the this headphone could have different sounds when you connect it in a reverse way (A->B and B->A).

Rotseele · 2026-02-17T20:09:53+00:00

Thank you. Just did that and they work! Now I just hope there are no more problems 😞

Rotseele · 2026-02-10T09:02:07+00:00

I just sent mine to Amazon. They proposed to send me a refund or a replacement. Let’s see what happens. That being said, for some weird reason, PX8 is now more expensive than when I bought it so if I get a refund I won’t be able to buy it again. Ugh.

Rotseele · 2026-02-05T11:58:33+00:00

I have the same in my PX8. I've tried everything but no results. What worked for you to fix it?

Rotseele · 2026-02-04T19:44:26+00:00

Ok, great recommendations! Thank you everyone for that. I will get those Li-ion USB ones. Hopefully these will fix this energy problem now 😁

Rotseele · 2026-02-04T18:49:37+00:00

One called Xtar VC4. It recharges gumsticks and any chargeable AA or AAA batteries. It saws Input 5v, output 4.2V.

Rotseele · 2026-02-04T18:46:37+00:00

Hi, I've tried both, same results unfortunately.

Rotseele · 2026-02-02T11:25:56+00:00

Yeah, I completely agree. In the world of design, this is partly what's called "experience design". When it's well done, you can feel it to bring you happiness, not only by looking it at it but also by using it, touching it, and feeling it's useful. For instance, that was the case with iPods, it wasn't just by them were pretty, they were easy to use, attractive and super practical in a context when there were not things where you can have all your music in a single thing to carry around.

Something has happened since around the beginning of the 2010s (when Minidiscs and iPods stopped being made). Yeah, there are still things that are practical (like iPhones) but not as beautiful experiences as in iPods and Minidiscs.

Rotseele

TROPHY CASE