Sony's NW-MS70D Network Walkman Digital Music Player is the latest solution from Sony for listening to digital music on the go. Small enough to carry in your pocket or purse, this... more
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A review by suffol on Sony Network Walkman NW-MS70D 256 MB March 24th, 2003
Author's product rating:
Sound Quality
Good
Ease of Use
Very Easy
Look & Design
Excellent
Range of Features
Diverse
Value for Money
Satisfactory
Advantages:
Looks, battery life, music capacity, functionality
Disadvantages:
expensive, USB1 only, clunky PC interface
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Saw this one advertised (new on the market just this month), and just had to get it. £250 and five days on, I don't regret it, not one little bit.
This has to be (easily) the best flash memory MP3 (Okay, ATRAC3)player on the market now. Sony uses the ATRAC3 codec because they reckon you get cd-quality sound in much less filespace than the equivalent MP3 codec. My experience so far bears this out, but it does mean that you have to go through a conversion process, via a software interface, rather than just drag-and-drop.
Out of the box the looks are initially a little quirky, but you quickly come to realise that each part of the little beauty does its bit, and the arrangement of controls means that you never need to look at it to operate the unit. Also, when you sling it around your neck on the clever little neckband-headphone thingy, its looks make it appear to be some kind of hi-tec adornment. Lovely brushed metal titanium body, smooth and seductive, will last and last. Nice dual-colour display.
It's just incredibly small for something that'll hold 11 hours of music (plus another 6+ hours if you spend more on a memory stick to go inside it). The sound , too, is extremely good, with treble and bass you can set, and two separate customisable sound presets. It advertises an amazing 33 hours from a single (fast) charge, and I'm well over 25 hours with no drop in performance. I had it loaded up with music within an hour of opening the box, and it's rarely left my person ever since.
I can't recommend it highly enough; it knocks spots off my previous Diamond Rio 60, Archos Multimedia Jukebox, and Neo Jukebox. I normally suffer badly from post-purchase dissatisfaction (normally at the point when I'm looking at my credit-card statement the month following!), but absolutely won't with this one. Indeed, I'm found cradling it lovingly in meetings when not even listening to it, just for the tactile pleasure of that smooth titanium....
See it and you'll love it. No, I don't work for Sony. Gripes? No USB2, but the music transfers quite quickly anyway. It'll even hold non-music files as a kind of super-floppy for transfer between computers. The software interface isn't the easiest (I prefer drag and drop through Windows which it undoubtedly isn't), but I mastered it fairly quickly. See this, buy this! Shop around, as you should get it at less than the RRP (£299)if you try.
Advantages: Excellent sound quality. Good build Disadvantages: Restriction on transfer of songs, poor docking station
...problems begin...
First off Sony uses its own ATRAC file system and although you can use mp3 and WMA files you have to go through an unnecessary and complicated conversion program. Once you have your files stored within the software's library you can then transfer them to the player which sits in the neat little cradle. Unfortunately the transfer continually cut out and it would take several attempts to get all the files across.
Worse still is ... ...times. I can understand Sony wanting to protect the copyright of artists but this is quite simply ridiculous.
When you consider that the cost of the unit with additional memory is over £300 then it would be fair to assume that buyers could afford the cost of CD's and most would use legitimate files and that Sony has adopted a big brother attitude towards copyright and taken away the shine on what could have been an excellent player. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Tiny MP3, stylish, its not an I-Pod Disadvantages: Small memory capacity, limited functions
...capacity. This is due to sony using its ATRAC3PLUS compression format, which maintains good sounds quality and reduces file sizes drastically.
The software provided is very simple and intuitive to use. First time users will find it very easy. A good thing is that you can create sub folders to sort your songs on the mp3 players. eg you can have a 'rock' group, a 'classical music' group etc..it will make it easier to navigate through your songs.
... ...hours in my case.
The downside is that now you can get an ipod or a zen micro quite cheaply and they will offer much more storage and features. However there will never be as small or stylish
This mp3 has a time/date feature but thats about it. No voice recording, no alarm clock. Quite limited
If you can get a very good deal for this mp3, by all means get it. First time users or users with a small song collection will love its tiny size. (there ...
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Sound Quality
Ease of Use
Look & Design
Range of Features
Value for Money
helpful
14.11.2005
Only Sony Review ofSony Network Walkman NW-MS70D 256 MBby
emma_bedward69
Advantages: looks fantastic, quality of sound, attention grabber Disadvantages: design meant the headphones didn't last
I was already a Sony fan before buying this MP3 player, I've bought other brands in the past for walkmans etc., but I've always found Sony to be the best. When I saw this MP3 player it stood out a mile from all the others on the market at the time, and I think it still does. Although it's been around quite awhile now, it still grabs people's attention - I've had several people stop me in the street and admire it. The sound quality is great, but it's ... ...from a sony centre or wherever, rather than just pick up a regular pair from dixons. I found that a bit of a pain, especially as the thing is so expensive to begin with, but apart from that this is a great player and looks fabulous. I would definitely recommend. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Definitely the look, The Compression, The Whole Aura of the Item Disadvantages: It is delicate, and expensive for what it is
...am going to buy another Sony just so I can carry on using the Atrac 3 technology. This technology is so effective it allowed me to store upto two hundred tracks on just the 256mb on board memory, this could not be achieved without the Atrac3 encoding. Although transferring it to a 48KBps quality (the most compressed there is) does of course lose some of the quality it isnt anywhere near as much as if I was using the more mainstream MP3/WMA. And if ... ...it to be in my pocket while im doing everything, this did not bode well for my player. For a year i had no problems but then unfortunately It broke, also Sony will no longer do instore repair,. Overall this is a very good player, jus dont move much ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: small, handy, ten albums in one Disadvantages: none
...and portability, this is the Sony Network WALKMAN NW-MS70. The 256MB built-in flash memory provides approximately 12 hours of music storage in a unit that is under 5 cm tall! The additional new Memory Stick Duo(TM) compatibility gives even more hours of listening enjoyment and multi data formats can be stored. Also equipped with an attractive cradle that lets you charge the WALKMAN battery and connect to a PC. A high-tech fashion statement, this ... ...memory system. Embedded 256 MB flash memory plus Memory Stick Duo(TM) slot
More than 10 CDs music into embedded flash memory with ATRAC3plus high quality sound compression
ATRAC3plus / ATRAC / MP3 / WMA / WAV compatibility
Full titanium body
Up to 33 hours battery life using supplied rechargeable battery
New USB charging cradle Possible to charge via USB port in PC
Easy PC editing with supplied SonicStage® application software
Easy operation ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
1 x headphones ( mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ), 1 x headphones ( mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
1 x USB
Slot Provided: 1 x Memory Stick Duo
Manufacturer's product description
Sony's NW-MS70D Network Walkman Digital Music Player is the latest solution from Sony for listening to digital music on the go. Small enough to carry in your pocket or purse, this titanium device comes equipped with 256MB of embedded memory allowing you to store 178 songs. The Internal Battery provides up to 33 hours of continuous Playback (ATRAC3 Playback), and the Magic Gate Memory Stick Duo expansion slot allows you to take along even more music! The NW-MS70D also plays back ATRAC3 Audio, supports MP3, WMA and WAV, and is supplied with Music Management Software for creating music mixes for transfer at super fast speed. Plus - the Skip-Proof Design (No Moving Parts) keeps your music playing smoothly despite your active lifestyle. Take your digital music to go with the NW-MS70D.
System requirements
OS Required: Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000, Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP
Min Processor Type: Pentium II
Min Processor Speed: 400 MHz
Min RAM Size: 64 MB
Min Hard Drive Space: 120 MB
Peripheral / Interface Devices: Sound card, CD-ROM, USB port
