Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony Walkman NWA805FP 2GB Video - Pink

I decided not to follow the sheep and buy an i-pod, This video walkman is by far more superior. It's smaller, it looks terrific, sounds fantastic, smaller than the i-pod and plays video (unlike the Nano). The software is fine, i've had no problems, it performs well. The ear phones are terrific (unlike the i-pod). All in all this is a terrific little machine.

I have just read all the reviews from other people and must say that 95% of them is wrong regarding this unit.

I own one for about 2 weeks now (bought mine in argos as they were giving free Sony 2.1 Craddle which is easier to charge the battery and has a good sound quality as well) and must say that this item is brilliant.

It is very slim and yet feels solid and good finish quality and if you are looking for something different then iPod (which I hate) this is deffinitely an item for you. The menu is very simple to use with very clear icons that are marking each of the options you have in your player.The earphones that this beauty comes with are good quality but not the best you can have for it (I use MDRNC11 Fontopia Noise Cancelling Earbud Headphones which are brilliant) and some people might find the size of them very annoying. The options that equalizer gives you are brilliant and you can really hear the difference when changing from one to another. The biggest difference you can make in quality of your music is actually made by the SonicStage software. I know some people find it very cocky but it is not the case because if you know how to set it up and run everything properly it is one of the best softwares you can get with multimedia players that are on the market right now. Everything in downloading the music from the PC to your unit and the quality of it comes to the format that you choose. I personally don't have a problem with an ATRAC format and when you convert your music to this format using 256kbps you can get a really clear sound with no loss of volume and the CD takes about 120MB, I know this sounds a lot for some people but if you want to go for quality I rather have less music with good quality then loads of rubbish. If you use an Opera browser (which sligthly changes your web settings) SonicStage gets all the information about the album in about 20 sec.

The overall performance is brilliant and there's nothing to worry about. The only thing that is not the best solution is charging the battery. You don't get a mains charger (And i couldn't find one on the web) so you have to plug it to your PC or docking station for about 3,5 hrs and this gives you around 30 hrs of good listening, so if your up for good quality product with brilliant performance and very high quality of sound I will say : Go for IT.

I feel moved to write this after reading the other reviews here and on AV forums. Get this straight from the off - the 808 is a great product.

I have owned a NW-HD3 a NW-A3000 and so too has my wife. We are far from satisfied with Sony of late (they seem to have general issues with quality control) and aren't fans but there are several things about the Sony that keeps us coming back:
1) Battery life absolutely kills iPods. Sony batteries last and last
2) Sound quality on the Sony units is far better than on the Apple and most 3rd party offerings
3) Sony units are far sturdier than their more popular counterparts

The 808 has all the features of the earlier NW-A series players. It improves over it's A1200/3000 counterparts on a number of levels:
A) Sound quality is improved over previous models
B) The supplied headphones are superior to the old ones
C) The unit is far faster than the old hard-disc based NW-A and NW-HD players and is quicker than an iPod nano of the same size
D) Sleek and light without sacrificing sturdiness
E) The screen is far superior, being easily viewable in almost any lighting conditions
F) (and this is the obvious one) It plays video and pictures

Why have an MP3 player that plays pics/vids anyway?! I never quite understood that one...

Last, but certainly not least, a word about the software. Listen carefully.

SONICSTAGE IS NOT RUBBISH (anymore)!

It's about time that the iTunes generation realised that other software packages aren't always inferior - SonicStage 4x can do everything iTunes can and in most cases it can do it quicker. I've been a SonicStage user from the early days of NetMD and SonicStage 1.5 and I more than most understand how clunky and unhelpful it could be. Sony have learned a few lessons along the way and produced a reasonably good music management, ripping and burning solution with an online store integration. Want to see a truly horrible offering? Try Sony's Connect software - now THAT's dire!

Be not afraid of SonicStage - it's friendlier than the public will lead you to believe. While it is true that it isn't perfect (neither is iTunes, BTW) it does it's job well and is a good partner for an MP3 player that is superior to the equivalent iPod model.

In summary, this Sony player is the best yet from the Japanese giant and a viable alternative to the trend-setting Apple icon - here's hoping for a 16GB model soon!

I bought it from argos a few days ago, but i seen a few negative feedbacks on here so i thort id do a quick review. The player itself has a few top features such as a very clear screen, its very light, navigation on the player is very good (alot like an ipod), the video playback is great, it has an intelligent shuffle system, their is virtually no loading time when turning on the power, and it comes with some wierd looking but very powerful and comfy headphones. As far as the software goes, which seems to be the main downfall in peoples view, i found it very good. Took a few mintues to install, done a search of the pc for all media files and sorted them into artist then albums. The layout and format of the program i found was very good, details of each album is clearly visable with the number of tracks, duration of the album etc nicely laid out. To transfer you simply click on the "transfer", ironically, button and you simply just select which albums, or songs from that you wish to transfer over and your done. I personaly cant fault the software so far and have had no issues with it. All in all i would highly recomend this mp3 player, as an obvious alternative to an ipod or zen.

First things first - I own an iPod as well but this Walkman is the best MP3 player and the smallest and lightest video player in the world.

Similar to the review below, I too purchased it at Argos with the £200 Dock free. The sound that the player gives is fantastic, and the bundled earphones are a joy to behold. The Walkman also has a VERY clear screen which is perfect for watching videos.

People often complain about the Sonicstage software and when I first used it I was beginning to understand what they were rambling on about. But after one week of using the software I got used to it, and infact, I now realise the power of the software and it is now favoured over iTunes on my PC. I am not sure and correct me if I am wrong, but can you also use Windows Media Player to sync it if you cannot get to grips with Sonicstage?

The battery of the player lasts for a whopping 30 hours, something that Apple has been unable to achieve.

Conclusion:

If you are thinking of buying an iPod or any other MP3/MP4 don't. I was deciding between the Nano (which my friends have and I see regularly) and this, and let me tell you, I am extremely happy that I chose this!

10/10 The Sony slogan is true: Sound. like.no.other.