Way back in the mid-1980s, compact disc players appeared on the market, freaking a lot of people out with their audio clarity -- and their price tags.

Now, with the advent of mini-disc (MD), digital compact cassette (DCC) and digital audio tape (DAT), the high-end audio market is becoming more confusing than ever. And it's just as expensive to test run these new products, especially for the typical cash-strapped college student.

But thanks to Bender, Goldman and Helper, a New York promotional firm, I got the chance to sample a portable Sony MD player as part of an advertising program.

The model was the MZ-1, available in State College at nearly every quality audio place for more than $600. And it kicked ass.

The MZ-1 has numerous qualities unavailable in portable cassette or CD players, but also has some minor problems inherent to almost all digital technology.

The MD system is sort of a cross between a laser disc and a computer diskette. Unlike many CD players, the MD player reads ahead on the disc, electronically processing about 60 seconds of music before it even gets to your ear.

The consequences are remarkable: It basically won't skip. Two people could probably play catch with the thing without so much as a blip or pop in the sound.

Here's a look at what else does or doesn't work well with Sony's version of MD technology.

-- Sound Quality: The MZ-1 can serve as a Walkman or a stereo component, and it sounds good to the average ear. Unlike most portable audio, the Sony MD player has a top-of-the-line internal amplifier that fixes the tinny nature of the digital sound, giving it more warmth.

-- Battery Power: The MZ-1 plays anywhere from an hour to two hours before its battery croaks. For home use, the power adapter works like any other portable audio.

-- Speed: One advantage that MD technology has over the DCC and DAT formats is that it uses a disc rather than a tape, which means it finds songs more quickly.

-- Physical Size: The MZ-1 is small enough to be portable, but seems like it weighs more than most Walkman-style cassette players or even portable DAT players. Eventually, the technology should get small enough to be about the size of a calculator.

-- Music Titles: Of course, with any new format, the recording industry will be a little wary of putting out tons of new albums in the new medium, but the MD system has the extra advantage of being closely linked with Sony, which owns a huge portion of the recorded-music industry.

In any case, the MD excels as a personal recorder. The format is meant to replace cassettes, not CDs, so it works best with dubbed versions of previously recorded music.

-- Durability: The MDs themselves are as sturdy as a 3.5 inch computer diskette and much less vulnerable to wear or abuse than either cassettes or CDs. The only complaint I have about all the miniaturization is the near-disappearance of album art. Nothing will ever replace the feeling of cracking open a big, colorful 12-inch LP.