Got this for Christmas from my wife. Knew she was buying me a Sony player but was expecting the NW-HD5 so this came as a real surpise.
This is my first foray into the world of MP3 players so can't compare with other items, but this is definitely worth getting from my experience so far.
The unit is very easy to use. I haven't looked once at the instructions (which are a PDF file with the software rather than a manual). All you need is the quick start guide and common sense to navigate round the player - it is that simple.
The sound quality is what you expect from Sony but you MUST remove the EU volume limiter or you will be very disappointed. The unit is supplied with the limiter ON and, even at full volume, it's just not that loud. However turn the limiter OFF and it becomes a different beast all together. As well as being louder the sound is much clearer and crisper. It is extremely easy to find the hack to turn the limiter off on the internet. You do not need to pay for the codes on auction sites - plenty of places display it for free. Only takes a minute to do and transforms the whole device.
The Connect software has been savaged elsewhere on this site, but to be honest I've found it OK so far, although I don't have anything to compare it with so I-Tunes may be much better. I have an old Compaq computer with a dial up connection but it still seems to work fine. Have loaded on about 200 CDs so far without any major dramas. Simply load in the CD and when it's loaded drag and drop it into the device. However, bear in mind if you load a lot of CDs and put them all in at the same time (I was doing it artist by artist and when it came to The Fall there were about 40 CDs) it takes a fair while for them to go onto the device, and it is not really made clear when the export has been completed. The 'Do Not Disconnect' instruction seems to go on and off all the time (whether you are loading things in or not), so you can get a bit confused.
All of the titles/tracklists of the CDs I have loaded in (including some pretty obscure stuff from the early nineties) have been recognised fine by the software, although sometimes the genre the CD is placed in can be bizarre - one album was put in the catagory "General Religious" - but of course you can overwrite this manually.
However, as mentioned elsewhere, the Connect programme (and indeed the computer itself) can start running very slowly when you are importing/exporting lots of material. Often it seems like the computer has crashed/frozen but it tends to sort itself out in the end. I am sure if I had broadband (am I still the only person left in the UK with dial up?) the whole process would be a little quicker, but it is not really too bad at the moment.
As I write this review I am listening sitting at my desk listening to the Walkman, and could not be more thrilled with it. If there was anyone else in the office (I was under the impression 29 December was a working day!) I am sure it would attract some pretty admiring glances. Everyone but everyone here has got an I-POD, but whenever I have listened to them I have never been particularly impressed by the sound quality. The Sony sounds a lot better to me, has a huge battery life, and looks extremely slick.
Don't let the software's bad reputation put you off too much. Sometimes you need a little bit of patience with it, but overall this is a quality machine and the device itself outweighs the odd computer glitch. The software updates get downloaded automatically anyway, so I'm sure Sony are working to bring it up to scratch.
Advantages: Sounds amazing, looks cool, clear screen, easy to use, feels good, good weight Disadvantages: No support for ogg, connect software is useless, slight hesitation on menus, no remote
Advantages: Looks Good, Good Sound, Large Memory, Sony (Reputable), Range of Features Disadvantages: Initially quiet, Can turn on in pocket, Sunlight makes text invisible, Software.
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (79%):
helpful by (16%):
