@pesky_wabbit oh man! A little deep in the thread, but I LOVED my portable Sony Minidisc. Still have it as a matter of fact! Great little unit, excellent sound as well! It’s one of those dinosaur era gadgets that will be in my keepsakes as long as I exist. Now, I just may go break that thing out and try it with some REAL headphones!
Regarding the post as a whole, I think there are a ton of products out there that are pure money grabs. It just is what it is.