Sony NW-HD5 20GB Network Walkman / MP3 Digital Audio Player - Silver
Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First
(5 out of 5)Great, and you CAN make it louder!
This player is, quite simply, the best i've come across. OK, it doesn't have as many options as the iPod and, as a previous iPod user, i find it a bit trickier to navigate. Minor gripes though. Style and performance wise it is unbeatable. And the software is fine. If you're used to iTunes / Windows Media Player, it'll take you a while to get used to it but, ultimately, it is as easy to use as either of these. The volume is a bit too quiet on the EU models though. There is a hack for the NW3 player in another customer review; i've adapted it slightly and it works for the HD5:
1. Be in playback mode (playing a tune)
2. Press stop.
3. Straight away, flick the 'hold' button on the top of the player.
4. Hold the Search/Menu button down and enter the following combination of buttons in quick succession:
RIGHT RIGHT LEFT LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT LEFT UP DOWN
5. Stop pressing the Search / Menu button and flick off the 'hold' switch. The backlight will turn off and the display will say "POWER". This means you are in the service menu.
6. Press UP until you get to "OTHER".
7. Press RIGHT until you get to "G TEST".
8. Press UP until you get to "SP SET".
9. Press PLAY button. If the display says "OFF", you have a non-EU player and the limiter is not in place. If it says "ON", the volume is limited.
10. Press the Search/Mode button so that the display shows "OFF".
11. Press the PLAY button to store the new setting. Now the display should say "SP SET".
12) Hold down the Stop button until the unit performs a normal startup and displays the WALKMAN logo. Go to the normal options screen and switch the backlight back on.
Be careful with this; it does get noticeably louder (maybe too loud at top volume). Also, you can do all sorts of damage to the player in the service menu; make sure you don't mess with anything else or your lovely new player could be irreperably damaged!
(5 out of 5)HD5 is a great walkman - at last
Ok so lets get the downside out of the way first. Sonic Stage 3.1 is much better than earlier efforts, but it will never be Itunes. Does this really matter? Well if you are transfering music over for the first time, not really? If you have previous music set ups then converting is a pain in the arse, so I just forgot my itunes files and started again. But once your music is on SS it really is ok to use, but if like me it is more important what the device is like and sound quality then once you listen to the HD5 you'll know it was worth it. The sound is a more rounded less tinny version of the ipod, even at 64kb it sounds better but at 132 and 264 it is superb, and the fact that the minimum attery life i have had after 2 weeks use is 30 hrs playing alot of 264kb music is incredible from a battery that you can replace. Build quality is exceelent and feels better built and looks likely to last longer than an ipod where the clickwheel and screens are too delicate in my opinion. Buy it you won't be dissapointed...
(2 out of 5)Sony Still Disapoint
Sony have created an mp3 player to be proud of in the hd5. Easy to use menus great sound quality, a screen that changes depending on what way you hold it. overall im very impressed but unfortunatly there is a downside that knocks all the good points of the unit away and that is sonys sonicstage software. it is incredibly poor meaning it is not easy to control downloading tracks to the hd5 resulting in poorer quality listening experience and a truly frustrating time for you.
(5 out of 5)Stunning
As usual, Sony have taken the latest music player technology, made it smaller, smarter and more innovative. Sony have been shrinking music players for years and although the HD-NW3 came close to matching the leaders in the mp3 player class, it never quite got the recognition it deserved. The NW5 is truly a piece of art. The pictures really don't do it justice, the sleek Sony elegance is there again, even down to the way the top hatch opens to allow the USB connection. I went for the silver option which looks very "Sony" and gets great reactions from people. Something about the aluminium look appeals much more than the white plastic of the Apple.
The player weighs just enough to make it feel solid while not noticeable in your pocket. The design is such that it sits in your hand, the contoured sides make it feel comfortable and easy to hold, the buttons are just where they need to be.
The automatic screen orientation means that when you turn it on, the screen and the controls are the right way up whether you hold it vertically (as iPod) or horizontally (as previous Sony's). If nothing else, it's a conversation piece.
The controls are simple and second nature after ten minutes playing with them. Same people criticise the lack of the patented iPod click wheel, saying it's too hard to navigate with button when you have such a huge capacity but the simple navigation which can be broken down by artist, album, track, genre or play list means that even a large collection of music is quickly accessible.
The G-Sensor technology means that if you drop the player, the reader retracts away from the surface of the hard disk as to ensure it isn't damaged. This along with the removable battery gives the player a longevity that others in its class simply don't have. The lithium batteries in the NW5 last up to 40 hours, more realistically 30-35 if you're playing mp3's with a normal kind of bitrate around 128. Still, this is massively superior to the latest iPod which only boasts an 8-12 hour battery life. This coupled with the need to replace batteries after something like 200 charges means that not only does the NW5 last longer before the battery runs out but when it does you can simply go pick one up rather than go through the hassle of sending the unit off.
I found it hard to believe that the battery could be so good at first but even after a week's playing, switching on and off, and general fiddling, it still has copious charge left in it.
I've not yet tested the G-sensor and thrown it to the ground but knowing Sony, I'd say I trust that it would work.
Sound quality is superb. The built in EQ allows for some great sound, it comes with presets such as Arena, Studio, Live, etc and has the option for a number of customisable preset EQ settings. All of them give a crisp and full sound. The volume is maybe slightly quiet but any louder and you'd be seriously damaging your hearing anyway so Sony's doing you a favour here.
Everyone makes digs at SonicStage and it part I'd agree. I'm pretty competent on the computer and with a bit of clicking and playing I soon figured out how to do it but can completely understand how less seasoned users might need to walk through with the manual. The transfer rate isn't fantastic, took an hour to get about 8Gb on when I first dumped many of my CD's on but hey, leave it and go make a cup of tea. As far as reliability goes I've had it crash once but am not totally sure that's not simply my computer playing up! With a little practice, SonicStage gets easier and this is by no means any reason not to buy this player, once the music's on, it's on. I can understand that if you have a smaller capacity player with a need to continually change the music stored then it would be a nightmare with SonicStage but when you've got such a huge capacity it's pretty negligible that the software isn't the best out there.
I know I've made a lot of comparisons against the iPod which is a great player too and it did take considerable time before I settled on the NW5. I simply feel it has more user-friendliness, maybe not in terms a click-wheel but the long battery life, the replaceable battery, the orientating screen...it goes on...and finally, the price on Amazon was what really swung it for me, at £183 this player simply tops the market.
(5 out of 5)New sony HD player
Ipod, hang your head in shame, thsi little beauty has stolen your crown. I have used countless ipods and this player really is better! The build quality is second to none and as I am writing this review I am astounded at the sound quality of such a compact unit, it has a nice blend of bass and treble with crystal clear sound clarity. The size is just miniscule for a 20Gb player, with a good weight, not so light that it feels flimsy but not as heavy so that you feel it carrying it around.
Pros:
Size and Weight
Massive battery life (40hrs) and quick charge time (full charge in less than 3hrs)
Sound quality
Price (on a par with the 20Gb ipod)
larger display (7 lines)
Cons:
Annoying insistence on grouping your mp3s into albums, i cant seem to get it to list all the tracks under each artists name, its really frustrating me.
Software, sonicstage IS that confusing, it DOES have a good transfer time though, 950 songs took around 5 minutes to transfer to the player. It has a rough layout and pretty horrific user interface. I will say this though, it wouldn't stop me buying this player.
Amazon delivery and service was fantastic, kept me well informed.
All-in-all, a great little player with some very minor flaws, I'm really pleased with it.