Sony NW-HD5 20GB Network Walkman / MP3 Digital Audio Player - Black

Sound wise it is superb, rich and warm if a little quiet, this is due to EU regulations limiting the sound level, however a quick google - nw-hd5 volume solved - will give you details of how to remove the volume limit. After applying the fix volume is PLENTY loud enough. I've been using MP3 at 160kbs and the sound is fantastic. The supplied ear buds are pretty good as freebies go, but using my Beyer Dynamic DT 231 you get to hear just how good this player is.

I've not used an iPod to any great extent but I found the menus etc of the Sony very easy to navigate and I don't feel that the buttons Vs click wheel battle has a clear winner, just personal preference. A couple of advantages over the iPod are having dedicated volume controls and also the ability to switch the headphone socket to line out - allowing you to connect directly to your HiFi.

I heard a lot of horror stories about Sonic Stage but I have to say i find it up to the task. It could certainly do with improvement - it looks awful!! I can't believe that Sony's programmers could come up with something that is so aesthetically dire and wasteful of screen space. Have they never looked at Media Player 10 or iTunes?? However, in use it does everything that I need it to do and song transfer to the player via USB 2.0 is very quick. Also, I had a load of MP3's I'd ripped using Media Player and it was a piece of cake importing them into Sonic Stage - in fact when you first run it Sonic Stage asks if you'd like it to scan your disk for any music files.

To sum up I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. The battery life is every bit as good as claimed and knowing Sony the unit will be built to last, it certainly feels more substantial than an iPod. All i have to do now is rip my 2000 CD's!!!

It's a fabulous Mp3 player, and the (Sony proprietary) Atrac compression means that you can fit reams of music on the player with very little loss of quality. I was going to buy a Zen equivalent - until I saw it in the shop - the Sony is literally half the size - which really makes a difference. It is a great little piece of design, which really does make it the best stand alone player on the market.

The removable battery and its quoted life of 40 hours is brilliant. Aa stand alone machine it is fantastic. Having lost an iPod to a drop - the idea of having a anti shock hard disk is a must. I fully intend to keep this for a very long time - and it will have space for my music collection even if it doubles in size.

The sound quality even at 66 Atrac is fantastic - although perhaps a little quiet much like the ipod. Just like the iPod it is also a fully featured USB 2.0 hard disc.

On the device side there are a few niggles - it is impossible to find a remote controller either on the Internet or in the real world. Even Sony shops don't know when they will be getting them. Although if you have a previous generation of Sony Minidisc players - the remotes have limited functionality with the player so it is worth experimenting. A decent remote - which is due with an LCD screen - model number RMMC355ELK2S is due to appear soon. But I wish that the companies would offer it is an optional extra as part of the sales package - rather than forcing you to hunt around for a device.

But as with the iPod whose major design flaw was the absolutely appalling battery life (and some would say serious quality issues with the product), there are major problems with the NWHD5 range. What the iPod has got so wrong Sony has got very right. What the iPod got right Sony has got so very wrong.

Personally I am betting on a third party entrant eventually winning the market for hard disc based MP3 players. Sony's technological expertise are at no doubt with this player. The compromises that have been made, yet again, are massive. Sony's ownership of a major music label have again compromised its technological excellence in the production of walkman type devices.

The inclusion of Sonic Stage Sony's much hated music management software really show where the problems lie. It's the only way to load either Atrac or Mp3 tracks onto the player - much like Apple's iTunes. The software - at least compared to iTunes - is appalling. It is slow, appears to crash, stays idle for ages with the appearance of crashing. A very unlovely piece of software. Then, you might have to go through your entire music collection re-tagging it so that the song and album names appear on the player at all. It took me the best part of three days tinkering to get my music collection onto the device in a form I was finally happy with.

It is also very difficult to create playlist on the device - and certainly impossible to create the excellent 'smart playlists' which you can in iTunes. The device itself also fails to have a proper shuffle feature - another feature that is well loved on the iPod.

I am personally not keen on buying digital music from the online stores. The issue being if you have it on CD at least it can be re-ripped as standards change. I can see phenomenal problems with upgrading computers / devices and Sony's media licensing going wrong - or running out of authorised transfers. Therefore, just as with the Apple music store, I will be steering clear of Sony's efforts in this direction.

I can only hope having paid out for this device that Sony will endeavour to sort out some of the problems with the actually usability of Sonic Stage. While a more intelligent use of playlists would also be welcome both on and off the device.

Considerable gripes aside, at least I now own I digital music player that could be expected to last a long journey be it by plain, train or bus. Or even, probably, a week away. That said, an excellent device. It's just such a pity that Sony continues to hobble itself with such awful device management software.

I wait, with some anticipation to a device that suits all my needs. The software of the iPod coupled to the design expertise of Sony, would be a good start.

1) It works. Easy to use and set up
2) Looks very smart, small well built, solid, quality. Small.
3) Sounds very clear and open. Not extremely load, but for me OK
4) In-ear headphones OK, but I prefer clip-on over ear 'phones
5) Comes with a little cloth bag, which is sweet. No remote.
6) The G-sensor is a bit disappointing, as I had imagined the display would flip as you turned the unit. In fact it only resets when it is switched on, and holds that orientation until switched off. Either way a bit of a gimmick.
7) In any case the display is very clear and easy to use.
8) I was attracted by the battery life and ability to replace the battery should it go. This is not a strong point of the iPod. However iPods have better accessories etc
9) The software is easy to use, although does have a mind of its own. I have not found out how to get it to remember a different default file location than the one it insists on using.
10) File transfer twixt the PC and player is astonishingly fast on USB 2. 2.5Gb took what seemed like a couple of minutes. Impressive.
11) I think we are going to be friends