Sony NW-HD3 20GB Network Walkman / MP3 Digitial Audio Player - Black Best Buy [2]

3 years and it's still fantastic! - 29 Feb 2008

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

Very simply, if you can get hold of one of these on the cheap, do so.
I've had mine for three years now and th battery life is still incredibly long and it has only "crashed" three times.
Software for the HD3, granted, is a little poor. However, it's still pretty fast at uploading your music if you have a new-ish computer. It does the job.
The screen is clear, the menus are clean and simple (although not in colour), anyone who picks it up gets to grips with it fairly quickly, I've found.
Sound quality for the HD3 is fantastic and I've had no problems with Sony's Attrac 3 format; it's actually allowed me to put 4500+ CD tracks on it in only 11GB of memory (leaving me with 5 GB to play with).
One thing that would have bettered the system is a "Playlist" function, but there is still the option for one hundred "Favourites" in a seperate list.
The headphones were fantastic and lasted a solid year; my advice would be not to coil them around the player itself, I've been inform that that is what ruins them.
Ultimately, it's 2008 and I havn't been able to find a simple player that betters this (perhaps the Creative ZEN Vision:M 30GB MP3, but that includes a colour screen). It's robust, having been dropped a fair few times, and it's very small and light too. The fact that you can't pick these up for any cheaper than when I bought one (£150) is a testament to the HD3's quality.

Super Mp3 Player. - 26 Nov 2006

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

I`ve had this model for nearly two years,it`s out with me every day on my Postie round in the rain and wind,cold etc and has NEVER let me down.
I have a large CD collection and have put them all onto this model with no fuss at all and I still have loads of space left,only have to charge it up once a week so the battery life is amazing.
Bought the new sony model for both my daughters and whilst looking amazing it`s always freezing.
This is the best MP3 around so do yourself a favour and seek one out.

Quality - 14 Aug 2006

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

I've had my NW HD3 for over a year and i've never encountered a problem with it. The battery life is immense and the sound quality is also what you'd expect from a Sony product. It looks smart, feels sturdy and the 20G storage is excellent value for money. My only reservation is that the supplied headphones are cheap looking and uncomfortable when compared to the main unit and also the software (sonic stage) is also cheap looking and generally quite poor in comparison to some of the competitors. Even with those negative points I would still advise anyone to buy this product.

quality product - 29 Jul 2006

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Ive had this lpayer for over a year now and have had no problems. The software is simple to use and ive never had a problem with the volume limiter, infact, i've never actually encounterd one. ive never fiddled with any manner of buttons and yet i can still pump it up to full volume and here nothing but my tunes whereever i am.
Great product, brilliant battery life and storage, I would recomend this to anybody as a worthy equivilent to an ipod. Infact, no, its not an equivilent, nowhere near, its far too good for that!

Small and Perfectly Formed - 14 Dec 2005

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

Believe the hype - this player is a thing of beauty - small and perfectly formed.

Firstly Sonic Stage - not as bad as they say. Load up the player - insert a CD - choose a record rate (Atrac3 105 kbps - is my preferred option - a good balance between size and sound quality) - and off you go - make sure you are online so it can look the tracks up for you. (Note - don't put in the CD first and then open Sonic Stage as it doesn't like it for some reason)

To load to the player - click on transfer - select your transfer options and off you go.

The downside is - I run a 1200 MHz AMD with 256mb Ram and as I type this my CPU usage is at 100% - it uses a lot of system resources! I wouldn't want to try anything more than surfing the net at the same time. That said I can burn an average CD and up load it in 5-6 minutes - longer for a full 80 minute CD.

The player - yes the charging adaptor could be a bit more robust - but then look after it and what's the problem. Headphones are OK - but then I'm no audiophile. And as for volume - I can hear it on the train no problem without unlocking the sound limiter.

I know this is yesterday's model but if you get a chance to pick one up cheap then do - well worth it - and you can pick up a nice case very cheap on a certain auction site!