No analog audio cassette comes close to the sound quality that the Mini Disc can, which is the market that Sony is trying to take over with the Mini Disc. From the readings and other resources used to find out the downsides of this technology, there are really only two main disadvantages of the Mini Disc. One basically concerns it's high costs of repairs . Another impact is the competition. Samsung's Yepp , a portable MP3 player with an optional base unit, allows direct recording from CD and connecting to a HiFi system.
More information indicates that one model provides speech recording capability .
The RIAA recently wrote email clarifying the legality of home audio recording, stating that consumers are free to copy CDs to MDs.