... Flicking through the pack I noticed lots and lots of manuals, it seems Sony decided to print each language separately. The only other useful item in the box was the CD, browsing the manual showed me I was going to have to either figure out how to use it on my own or download the pdf file with ... Read review
Advantages: Very portable Disadvantages: fiddly buttons
...lots of manuals, it seems Sony decided to print each language separately. The only other useful item in the box was the CD, browsing the manual showed me I was going to have to either figure out how to use it on my own or download the pdf file with full instructions so back in the bag it all went, back to my pint went I.
Once home I set it up immediately, CD in the drive, click next, next, next – yes, it’s that easy. It did take about ... ...provided which are typical of Sony style, one short end so they can loop around the back of your head rather than a v shape. I am finding them annoying to store since the player is so small you have to wrap it around 20 times & then it gets all curly. The sound is full & rich, since theres no moving parts it doesn't skip songs so other than the feeling of plugs in your ears its just like listening to music straight from a cd player.
I have been using a mini disc recorder for the past 5 years, refusing to get an i-pod primarily because everyone has got one, everyone raves about them & because I don’t really see what the fuss is all about, mp3 players do the same job and a lot of them look a lot nicer too. So, off I went to Argos, nectar card in hand to trade up & step into the 21st century. A friend had got this model and was showing it off in the pub last week so I had pretty much made up my mind; I was just waiting for my Nectar balance to increase enough that I could get it free. I had seen it in Tesco for £80 so I was pleasantly surprised to see it was on sale in Argos for the miniscule price of £60.
10 minutes later in the pub I opened the bag to have a play with it & read the instructions. It comes in one of those sealed plastic containers so after much hacking with a piece of cutlery I managed to get into the pack. The machine itself is tiny, about 2 inches long & shaped like a normal PC memory stick, and fell out onto the table leaving me with a lot of paperwork & cardboard. Flicking through the pack I noticed lots and lots of manuals, it seems Sony decided to print each language separately. The only other useful item in the box was the CD, browsing the manual showed me I was going to have to either figure out how to use it on my own or download the pdf file with full instructions so back in the bag it all went, back to my pint went I.
Once home I set it up immediately, CD in the drive, click next, next, next – yes, it’s that easy. It did take about 20 minutes to install the software but there were no glitches & it was soon all loaded, a quick reboot and I was off.
At this point I decided to go back to the manual (paper not pdf file) as I am new to this and I didn’t want to spend ages loading up CD’s that wouldn’t work. The CD had installed Sony’s sonic stage (like I tunes on the I-pod) which was going to help me manage my songs, files & playlists. A shortcut had been installed on my desktop which I clicked to open up the program. On set up I had chosen to automatically upload CD’s when inserted so as soon as I put in a music CD I was given an option to upload. This took about 3 minutes, each song ticking away, which was nice and quick I thought. When I tried to put in a new CD I was faced with a list of songs from the previous CD, I clicked upload again & ended up with the 1st album twice. I am sure there’s an easier way to do this but I closed the sonic stage & opened it again to clear the history out – only took a few seconds. After about 15 minutes I had a few albums loaded up & thanks to sonic stage, all the songs had titles assigned to them – something I used to have to punch in manually on my mini disc.
Next I had to transfer the songs from the library to the player. I pulled the top of the player & stuck it in my USB port, easy as that. As soon as the laptop recognised a new device a new window opened in the sonic stage program. It looked very similar to when you copy photos from a digital camera, a list of files with arrows pointing in both directions so you can move them across. I clicked auto move, another mistake as it only took about 4 songs from each album – no idea why. I highlighted all the songs on the players tab on the screen & deleted them all, choosing to manually pick the songs the 2nd time. This was much easier & again the little timer showed them gradually transferring across. Now I have 4 albums uploaded onto the player & I can start to mess about with the actual device.
While the player was plugged in to my laptop getting the songs it was charging itself up. I love this feature, 3 minutes in the back of a computer to fully charge, I have about 7 chargers so it’s nice not to have another bundle of wires & huge plugs knotted up in the corner of the room. Now to the little fella, It’s very shiny, the display merges perfectly into the cover so when it is off you wouldn’t even know there was a display. As soon as you hit any button it lights up & gives you the name of the first file on it then fades back away about seconds later. There are only 5 buttons on the whole thing
Slider to hold, this stops you setting it off in your pocket Volume – up and down (volume to 30 so you can increase/decrease quite specifically) Backwards/forwards – to skip songs either way in the list, once menu is pressed this scrolls through albums & playlists Play /Stop – to erm, play or stop Menu – pressing menu requires using the other keys. If you hold menu down you are taken to the other features like edit playlist (buttons too small – do it on the sonic stage), equalizer, sports timer, clock.
I have quite delicate fingers, like a Victorian lady, but I could imagine some people having problems with the buttons which are all very small bumps really. The Hold slider is especially difficult to grip if you have no nails.
There are headphones provided which are typical of Sony style, one short end so they can loop around the back of your head rather than a v shape. I am finding them annoying to store since the player is so small you have to wrap it around 20 times & then it gets all curly. The sound is full & rich, since theres no moving parts it doesn't skip songs so other than the feeling of plugs in your ears its just like listening to music straight from a cd player.
Overall
1) The sound quality is good although since its my first mp3 I cant compare it to anything other than my mini-disc (better, mostly because there are no record level variances) 2) It looks very nice 3) It was cheap 4) So compact I can take it everywhere with me unlike the mini-disc player which was quite heavy & required spare discs 5) Buttons are fiddly 6) Soundstage is a bit confusing 7) Easy to charge, 3hours playback in 3 minutes
Advantages: Small, great battery, USB connection Disadvantages: Smaller capacity than Ipod
...I asked for the new Sony Walkman MP3! I've now had the product for three weeks and feel able to write a pretty comprehensive review about it, and also compare it to the Ipod, having owned one for 2 years. I have trialled the Sony MP3 an my daily commute and at home, as well as during my recent trip abroad.
I make no apologies for making quite a few comparisons with the Ipod. I am sure that most people reading this review will want to know why they ... ...transfer the song to your sony MP3. Like ITunes, it has a track recognition system, so it recognises and titles the albums and songs for you. The 2GB memory is much smaller than what is available on some Ipods, which may be a problem for some people with very extensive music collections. Transfer of tracks seems to be as quick if not quicker than an Ipod.
Like ITunes, Sonic Stage connects to the internet so you can use it's online shop (called CONNECT) ...
Dan_ep 29.08.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Walkman NW-E005 2 GB
Advantages: Supreme sound quality, Great UI Disadvantages: Plays ATRAC only, Fiddly SonicStage interface
...get with the player are sony and therefore do posses some element of quality. And the player does perform considerably better than my PC speakers with any earphones.
The sound in general is much deeper and fuller, the bass is much smoother without any distortion. The vocals have a less tinny sound, and the headphones do compare very well to SRS sound. The sound range of the headphones is superb, they play sound from below 20Hz, inaudible to human ... ...it as my music player. Sony makes sure you can only transfer music to your walkman via sonic stage. So I would not strongly recommend it if you cannot readily adapt to a new software environment.
Once you have got the music you want on your player, it can be easily navigated, it took me less than five minutes to get used to the buttons which all have a satisfying click. they are not pressed by accident easily (there is a hold switch) they can be ...
Askluke 22.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Walkman NW-E005 2 GB
Advantages: snazzy, small with great sound quality. Disadvantages: the software makes it very hard to use.
...is very good. As a Sony player I wouldn't expect anything less to be quite honest. I have grown up around Sony speakers and audio equipment and know that it is a highly respected manufacturer. EASE OF USE
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The MP3 player comes with SonicStage 3.4 software which I found very difficult to use. When copying music from CD's I had to change the settings to 'unprotect' the files. Basically WMA files that are protected do not work on ... ...was not easy to include them on my player. When inserted into a USB slot most MP3 players automatically open a 'removable disk' file and the music files can be copied over through a 'drag and drop' method.
Other than that it is quite easy to use the USB jack fits nicely in the slot in my USB hub and due to the thin MP3 player it fits quite snug between other appliances such as my memory stick, mouse and card reader. The MP3 player has a very good ...
leofluffy69 04.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Walkman NW-E005 2 GB
Advantages: Has a screen, aesthetically pleasing, light, nice colour choice Disadvantages: Bad software
...MP3 devices, i expected that Sony would be up there with the best of them- after all, the popularity of a certain fruit-named company has taken the global market by storm. I'm sorry to report that this is the second Sony product i've reviewed in a short space of time (the other being their latest sat-nav device) which has not lived up to the hype.
At a first glance the walkman looks great- a little plastic-like but shiny and modern all the same. ... ...iTunes, the same applies for Sony Walkman where it is only compatible with the Sonic Stage V3.4 software that comes with the product in the £90 price bracket. The reason for this is that Sony convert the file formats of your music to fit their software which rather than "protecting copyright" seems to smack of market domination. If this doesn't bother you then you'll be pleased to find that the software package itself is easy to install and use, ...
Lofnorsk 08.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Walkman NW-E005 2 GB
Advantages: Easy use - Simple, and USB attatchment Disadvantages: Sonic Stage (program supplied)
The Sony Walkman NW-E005
Available in a wide variety of colours- violet, black, silver and pink as far as i am aware of! It has a choice of 512MB (which approximately stores 250 songs), 1GB (500 songs), 2GB (1,000 songs).
It is a compact small and convienient shape, and can easily be carried around in a handbag or whilst participating in sport activities (expect for swimming i should add!). Features of the Product
On top of the standard basics ... ...funtions - Sound The control is simple and increadibly easy, with a simple location on the back of the player, in options there is an extensive range of adjustments that can be made to the sound emitted - . One handy function i find handy is the avls, which prevents the increase of the volume up to a certain point where it may no longer be safe for the ears - especially when as the environment changes you may keep increasing the volume without noticing ...
bitter_sweet 23.06.2008 (20.06.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Walkman NW-E005 2 GB
Product Information for "Sony Walkman NW-E005 2 GB" »
Audio system
Capacity
2 GB
Digital Storage Media
Flash memory - integrated
Sound Output Mode
Stereo
Equaliser
Built-in
Built-in clock
Yes
Features
Battery level indication, hold button, volume limiter, date display, upgradeable firmware, variable bit rate support
Equaliser
Equalizer
5-band
Digital player (recorder)
Supported Digital Audio Standards
WMA, ATRAC3plus, MP3, ATRAC3
Playback Modes
Repeat shuffle, repeat all, repeat folder, random play / shuffle
Supported Bit Rate
32 - 320Kbps
Sample Rate
32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz
Response Bandwidth
20 - 20000 Hz
Features
PC Connection via USB, variable bit-rate compatible
Headphones
Headphones Type
Headphones - binaural
Connectivity Technology
Wired
Sound Output Mode
Stereo
Connections
Connector Type
1 x headphones ( mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
1 x USB ( 4 PIN USB Type A )
System requirements
OS Required
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
System Requirements Details
Pentium III - 450 MHz - RAM 128 MB - HD 200 MB
Manufacturer's product description
Sony's worldwide reputation for creating unique, attractive, high-quality, advanced technology products rests on a long line of innovations embraced by people from all walks of life. With a diverse product lineup serving a variety of lifestyles and industries, Sony continuously strives to introduce new products and technologies to meet changing market needs. PRODUCT FEATURES: Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery with great Stamina of 30 hours; High speed battery charge: 3 minutes charging will give you 3 hours playback time; Transfer up to 90 CD's onto the internal memory thanks to ATRAC3plus compression technology; Direct USB plug for ease of use; Bright and clear 1-line OLED display for easy navigation; Multiple codec support: ATRAC, MP3 and WMA compatible; SonicStage software for easy music management and transfers of your favorite tracks.
