Sony NWS703 - 1GB Walkman MP3 Player with Noise Canceling Headphones - Black

 

 

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I own the larger 20GB Sony MP3 player, and have been looking at noise-cancelling headphones for some time. I commute into London every day and felt annoyed that I could not listen to my mp3 player due to the background noise. After some consideration, I purchesed this Sony Walkman instead of a set of noise-cancelling headphones and I know I have made the right choice.

This walkman contains exactly the same technology as the big noise cancelling sets but does not have the in-line box that all other sets have (or have placed into the earphones, in the case of some of the larger sets). This is a massive advantage over most other sets. There's no in-line box and no other batteries to worry about. The headphones can be used with any other device, although you won't get active noise-cancellation unless it is used with a Sony NWS700 series walkman. Similarly, any set of headphones can be plugged into the device, but only the supplied headphones will provide noise-cancellation. The headphones are tight-fitting and cancel a fair bit of sound just from the snug fit, but the noise cancelling technology really works. I was half expecting the noise cancelling to be not as good as in a specialist set, but I cannot complain at all about the results so far. I can stand in the same room as a radio or TV and not know it is on, even when the walkman is at a modest volume level.

The three line colour display is clear and easy to read, and navigation is as simple as you can get on a screen of the size. You can search through tracks by artist, album and title. The machine also has the ability to store CD jacket pictures and you can search by those too.

The battery life is quoted at 50 hours, and 3 hours of charge can be added in three minutes, which makes playing around with it when you first get it home very easy. By the time you have finished placing your essential CDs on, it's charged enough for several hours of trying it out.

On top of all of this it has an FM radio (with 30 programable presets), good button layout, time and date display during tracks and is avliable in three colours and three different sizes.

Considering the fact that the 1gb version is about the same price as many noise cancelling headsets, this is excellent value for money and I would recommend it to everyone. If truly breathtaking noise cancellation is what you are after, then maybe a £70-80 headset would suit you better, but if you are looking for a way to listen to your favourite songs on the move, then you could do a lot worse than this.

An excellent solution to hours of boredom on the tube, and I highly recoomend you consider this seriously if you are looking at noise-cancelling headphones.

This mp3 is fantastic. 50 hrs playback, stores up to 1400 songs with only 2GB of memory, built in radio and external noise cancellation, and about the length and breadth of ones index finger.
It feels reassuringly expensive, doesnt even scratch easily, and the screen can easily be be read in direct sunlight.
The sound quality is superior to that of an ipod. The player plays songs on the Atrac format, which is Sony's own compressed format, without losing sound quality.
Navigation is very easy, which is suprising considering the lack of buttons; this is because they all have multiple functions; it can get a bit of getting used to, but once you get the hang of it it becomes a breeze. The noise cancelling headphones are fantastic. They work by detecting outside noise, and the speakers play notes directly opposite to the ones they detect, thus cancelling the noise out. They are even better than the sony fontopia 'in ear' earphones i bought for £25, and so they they are now collecting dust; its usually vice versa when i but these things!
The latest version of sonicstage is now also much improved. It hasnt crashed, is now actually user friendly, and you can upload songs from the player up to any PC now.
I love the extra functions, which some people think are a gimmick but i think are actually worthwhile. These include Sports shuffle, intelligent shuffle and it actually tries to figure out your 'favourite' artists.
All in all i think its the best mp3 player on the market. Technically and aesthetically it is very pleasing, and it is a joy to use. Also, since getting it for xmas i have only charged it a handfull of times, even though i used it every day!!

I would highly recommend this little mp3 player. The sonicstage software is actually fine, much better than the rubbish bundled with my previous iriver which died after one year.

Some things I like:

1. The noise cancelling headphones work rather well. Shuts out the noise brilliantly on airplanes and in noisy airports.

2. Controls are a doddle once you get used to them. And there aren't too many superfluous controls that most people would never use.

3. Sound quality is excellent, though see comment below

4. Very small and light. Fantastic build quality.

5. Battery is amazing. It just plays and plays.....

Some things I don't like

1. If you like listening to audiobooks, there is a slight background hiss which can be a bit annoying.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Comparison between i pod 3 Generation
I have just bought the SONY NW-S705 2 Gb player. It was a difficult choice, since the more widely bought i pod nano was almost the same cost & probably more appealing... Read more

Published on 19 Nov 2007 by CG

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING but ----- DO NOT BUY FROM A SELLER! BUY FROM AMAZON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I simply love this MP3 player. I went for a small one as i have so much music that it forces me to get to know my real faves! Read more

Published on 23 Aug 2007 by Relequestual

3.0 out of 5 stars WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED !!!!!!!
FIRST OF ALL I'M A HUGE FAN OF SONY STUFF, I'VE OWNED A TON OF CRAP FROM THEM AND NEVER HAD ANY PROBS

WHEN THE PLAYER FIRST ARRIVED IT WORK PERFECTLY, NOT A PROBLEM,... Read more

Published on 22 May 2007 by M. Hall

4.0 out of 5 stars Well made and the softwares ok
I bought this player about a fortnight ago having never owned an mp3 player before and am very satisfied with it. Read more

Published on 2 April 2007 by Mike

4.0 out of 5 stars Does the job nicely
Lets get the main points out first.

Sound quality, battery life (50 hours) and portability is fantastic. Read more

Published on 19 Jan 2007 by J. Pickman

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great MP3 Player - Unless you loose the USB cable
This player is fantastic - great build, awesome battery life, clear sound and a reasonable FM tuner. Read more

Published on 11 Jan 2007 by HP76

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