With the announcement from Sony yesterday of its new 20Gb onerous drive MP3 participant, Pocket-lint was given an unique probability to get a fingers on play with the brand new participant. So does it have what it takes to problem the wonders of Apple and have Sony closing cracked the shape issue to make this participant one thing worthy of being seen with. Learn on to search out out.
Now we have to confess from the outset we just like the NW-HD1 and the NW-HD3 beforehand launched from Sony. The models supply a very good various to the primary gamers out there if it weren’t for Sony insistance on utilizing the SonicStage software program.
The HD-NW5 is identical – displaying it across the workplace we have been introduced with “Wow”, “That appears sensible”, “I would like one” – all the time a very good measure of the fabgadget issue, however most of all folks could not consider that it wasn’t a 5Gb participant.
And you’d be proper in pondering so. With a minute kind issue and a weight, as one journalist we spoke to, nothing greater than a cupcake, the participant on the floor doesn’t look able to with the ability to pack a 20Gb onerous drive inside its casing. Poppycock we thought once we acquired the press launch, ah they will need to have executed a “Shuffle” job and eliminated the display anticipating you to randomise via all these songs as a result of it’s the hip factor to do proper now, however no, the display is there and in reality in unfavorable and constructive modes that will help you see within the brilliant or darkish situations.
The display is giant sufficient to offer all of the related particulars you’ll must get the grasp of what track you might be listening to; track identify, artist identify, album identify, style, file format, recording fee, tack quantity, time elapsed and battery cost.
While you’re not listening to a person observe there are two primary menus – the primary appears quite pointless, containing shortcuts to the primary menu, the choices button, and the playback display talked about above. The second is the core of the unit and gives Artist, Album, Monitor, Style, New Tracks added because the final replace and the our favorite Initials Search that lets you search observe names by intitials – one thing that the iPod actually doesn’t do.
Choices for the NW-HD5 appear to be limitless, there may be AVLS (audio quantity limter system) so that you don’t blow your ears out, moreover you’ll be able to go for the 6-band Equaliser, or Digital Sound Presets, you’ll be able to even go for VPT Acoustic Engineering to offer you a Studio, Reside, Membership and Area really feel to the music. For individuals who are planning connecting this to a stereo the unit additionally gives an opportunity to output to the headphones or Line-out.
We examined the participant with a variety of completely different tracks together with The Remedy, The Futureheads and Inexperienced Day. The sound was good throughout all of the tracks we performed included some stuff from Air. In accordance with Sony, the HD5 has additionally acquired in-built G-Sensor shock know-how that robotically strikes the recording head away from the onerous disk if the sensor detects a fall – making certain the onerous disk is protected always. To be trustworthy we couldn’t take a look at to see whether or not this was true or not, nonetheless we are able to say that listening to the music and leaping up and down performing some flash mobbing in Waterloo station induced us no points with interrupted sound – simply embarrassment.
Our fast take
So what’s the decision? We’re actually very impressed with the scale, it’s small and compact and we’re nonetheless struggling to see the way it all matches in (we weren’t allowed to take a screwdriver to it). The dimensions is doubly spectacular as there may be such a big display on the participant (see photographs) – then once more Sony have been shrinking issues within the Walkman enterprise for 1 / 4 of a century.
As for battery life Sony promise a large 40 hours we’ve been enjoying it for twenty-four hours continuous and it’s nonetheless going – one thing that may’t be stated for our iPod. Higher nonetheless, the battery is detachable when it does come to finally dying and Sony has stated that this may price £30 to interchange quite than having to ship your machine away to be fastened.
So what’s the catch, there should be a catch, there may be all the time a catch I hear you cry. Effectively you’ve acquired to make use of SonicStage 3 to switch recordsdata to and from the gadget. That is Sony’s weak hyperlink right here, if solely they may get that sorted we would actually have a brand new king sitting on the podium. So Sony, if you’re listening get this fastened, persuade some third celebration producers to make a heap of add-on equipment and also you’ve acquired a winner in your fingers. If you have not been bitten by the iPod bug and also you want a brand new participant, that is the one to have.
Sony NW-HD5 MP3 participant – EXCLUSIVE – 4.5 / 5
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To recap
If you have not been bitten by the iPod bug, that is the one to have
