Sony D-NE500 ATRAC Walkman Portable CD Player (Black)

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [789kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches ; 6.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001NBHNA
• Item model number: DNE500BK
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,578 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

With the new D-NE500 ATRAC CD Walkman, you can enjoy all your favorite music in style. The exceptionally slim design and supplied carrying case make portable audio easier than ever.

Listen to your ATRAC3plus, ATRAC3, MP3 and CD-R/RW files, and use SonicStage Software to easily create your own personalized mixes.

With great features like the supplied clip-on style Remote Control, Skip-Free G-Protection Technology and Jog Dial® Navigation with Easy File Search, the new D-NE500 is the perfect choice for music on the move.

Features

• New High-Tech Slim Line Design is exceptionally thin and has a new high-tech look that sets it apart from the typical portable CD player
• ATRAC3plus, ATRAC3, MP3 and CD-R/RW Format Playback --- ATRAC3plus is an advanced audio compression technology offering multiple bit rates, allowing you to create music compilations tailored to your listening preference with the ability to get up to 490 songs3 on 1 CD-R/RW disc at 48kbps. ATRAC3plus offers extended song capacity with superior sound quality. You can also play back MP3 files (16-320kbps) downloaded and recorded onto a CD-R/RW disc.
• SonicStage Software (supplied) is easy to use and allows you to create your own ATRAC3plus music file compilations on CD-R/RW media using your PC's CD-ROM drive. The ability to add your own titles and edit your music groups allows for an element of customization in your portable music
• 4 Line Dot Matrix Display allows for fast and easy identification and location of your ATRAC or MP3 selections
• File View Image Display allows you to sort through your tracks by folder for easy search of your favorite songs or albums
• Jog Dial Navigation with Easy File Search provides high speed, intuitive file navigation
• Supports CD Text and ID3 Tagging to easily view CD text and ID3 tag information including song title, album title and artist name
• Clip-on Style Remote Control (supplied) can be clipped on to your bag or belt and fits naturally into your hand allowing you access to essential playback operations
• 3-Color Playback Mode LED gives you a visual indication if you are in ATRAC, MP3, or Standard playback mode
• Over 60 Hours of Continuous Playback4 with (1) "AA" battery (not supplied) for ATRAC3plus Playback and 70 Hours for CD Audio Playback. Advanced Sony DSP technology provides dramatically extended battery life from predecessor models
• Off Timer Auto Shut Off Feature to Conserve battery life by powering down the player when not in use
• Skip-Free G-Protection Technology continues to provide quick recovery from both horizontal and vertical shock
• 18 Playback Modes offer many predetermined choices in the playback of CDs, including hearing one track over and over, hearing a selection of tracks in a desired order, or listening to tracks randomly
• Auto Ranking Playback Function programs your favorite song based on the listening frequency
• Bookmark Playback Function for Easy Programming lets you easily program your favorite songs from multiple CDs and play them back with the touch of a button. This feature makes it easy to program and playback a personalized mix of your favorite songs
• Carry Case (supplied) A new high tech carry case

Product Description

SONY D-NE500 -- Whether you're commuting, working at a desk, or working out at the gym, the D-NE500 CD Walkman(R) Portable CD Player will keep you entertained and informed right up to the moment. File View Display Image Jog Dial Navigation with Easy File Search Supports ID3 Tagging and CD Text Customizable Equalizer Clip-On Style Remote Control Supplied Up To 80 Hours Continuous Playback with 1 AA Battery (Not Included) for ATRAC3plus Playback -- Up To 50 Hours CD Audio Playback Off Timer Auto Shut Off Feature to Conserve Battery Life Skip-Free G-Protection(TM) Technology CD-R/RW Playback 18 Playback Modes Auto Ranking Playback Function Bookmark Playback Function for Easy Programming Digital Mega Bass(R) Sound System Digital Volume Control Heat Resistant Lid 2 Position Automatic Volume Limiter System ( AVLS ) Carry Pouch Supplied Color - Black

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing short of excellence, February 9, 2005

By 

Carlos Nunez (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony D-NE500 ATRAC Walkman Portable CD Player (Black) (Electronics)

I have gone through more than six CD players of all kinds throughout my life, and this CD Player is quite possibly the best one I have ever owned. Of course, many people know that when they see a product with the Sony label on it, it is usually guaranteed to be a lasting and high-quality product. The D-NE500 MP3/CD Player continues that trend of excellence while creating a revolution of futuristically-styled products to keep up with our fast paced world.

The one key feature about this CD player is its battery life. Most CD players require 2 "AA" batteries, and some thinner, more versatile CD players use "gumstick" reacting batteries. However, the D-NE500 is quite different from most of these CD players with the fact that it only requires 1 AA battery to operate! This eliminates the hassle of buying bulk sets of batteries and constantly changing and confusing batteries just to listen to a couple of hours of music. Furthermore, the D-NE500 maxes out at 35 hours of battery life in MP3/ATRAC3 operation and 17 hours of CD-Audio operation! I have personally challenged this statement and this CD player can continuously play for days on end without running short on battery (I was able to count about one and a half days of continuous play). For a mid-range CD player, this is a very impressive quality that should not be overlooked.

Another great quality about the CD player is, of course, the sound quality. Sony CD players never fall short of excellent in sound quality, and the D-NE500 is by far no exception to this. This CD player has integrated Digital Mega Bass to enhance low-range sounds while keeping mid and high-range sounds uneffected, and it also has Auto Volume Levelling, which can compute the appropriate increase and decrease of volume during song play. This truely enhanced the fidelity and precision of the music, and it prevents distortion. However, the real selling point of this CD player is that it includes a parametric equalizer to custom-tune the sound the way YOU want. While on most CD players, this feature is not a great help to assist overall sound quality, the D-NE500 actually has good preset settings and easy-to-use adjustment controls.

The size of the CD player is somewhat thick, but thick enough to fit in one's pocket fairly easily. The 4-line LCD on the front of the CD player is extremely user-friendly, and coupled with the "iPod like" circle and joystick controls, it is definitely dummy-proof. The player allows you to view ID3 tags, folders, and the bitrate and sampling rate of a playing song. It is not backlit, but that is solved by a small, but nonetheless useful remote.

Also, don't forget about the one-of-a-kind G-Protection that it provides for MP3 CDs and regular CDs. It truely does not skip, even when running under heavy conditions.

The front does look very plastic-like, but it is definitely nothing cheap.

All-in-all, the D-NE500 exceeds the quality of a CD player of a similar price tag. It is definitely worth having in your home. I recommend using Sony Fontopia or Sony CD series headphones as well, even though the stock headphones are alright.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little MP3 player, January 6, 2005

By 

D. Reynolds "a wood pusher" (Oklahoma City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony D-NE500 ATRAC Walkman Portable CD Player (Black) (Electronics)

I've probably gone through 2 or 3 CD/MP3 players - most of which were the cheaper RCA players (all of them flaked out and were a frustrating experience to operate). I picked up this Sony at the local discount superstore with a Belkin TuneCast II FM Transmitter (read my review on that also) as a gift. These two units work very well together (especially when using the Sony remote cord which acts as an antenna for the Belkin TuneCast II).

What I like about best about the Sony is that it works - and it works well. It doesn't skip, hang, or take a long time to figure out what is on an MP3 CD. It takes a little bit of time getting used to how to access the menu mode with the little 'joystick' button and the scroll wheel. After glancing over the manual, I had it all figured out.

I do not plan on using the ATRAC3 format (tempting, but I prefer a non-proprietary format) - nor do I need AM/FM/WB/TV in a CD/MP3 player - this unit will be used primarily for listening to MP3's while traveling in the car.

How well does this unit work? Well- if I stop the unit and it turns off - when I turn it back on and press play, it picks up where I left off. That shows a little bit of intelligence in design. It takes a split second to jump from one track to the next (no hang time trying to relocate the beginning of the track). It doesn't hang half way through a track either (the RCA models would act like a record player stuck on a scratch - at which point I had to fast forward through the track or jump to the next track - or turn the unit off and on).

The best part of this unit? It runs on 1 AA battery. I figure if I used it for only 3-4 hours a week while traveling in the car, I might get 10 weeks out of a single AA battery!

Yes - it is pricey, but this unit is worth it. Having gone through 2-3 RCA's in the last couple years, I wish I would have had this one to start with.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Walkman, Poor Build Quality, August 8, 2005

By 

Esrom Nosnets (Lexington Park, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony D-NE500 ATRAC Walkman Portable CD Player (Black) (Electronics)

I got the Sony D-NE500 Walkman for my birthday last year based on my past experiences with Sony products. As a matter of fact, I had only owned one other Sony CD Walkman before I got this one, which lived through four years of being battered and abused in my school bags and lockers. So, as you can imagine, I had very high hopes for one of Sony's best Walkmans available when I got it. Initially, I was impressed with the D-NE500. With it's several sound settings and crystal clear sound, I decided that, after only an hour or so of ownership, that this was the way music was supposed to sound.
The first six months of listening to music on my D-NE500 were excellent. Not only was listening to ot a pleasure, but so was just looking at it. This is one of the coolest looking pieces of electronic goodness available for less than $150. Based on the first six months of ownership, the Sony D-NE500 gets five stars, but after the first six months, things went wrong.
The first thing to go wrong was completely unexpected. One day after school I was listening to it on the bus when I adjusted the volume. I looked down to see if the volume was just right on the screen, but saw nothing at all. I sat there in awe of what had just happened: My $110 Walkman's screen had just quit working. This of course didn't effect the sound quality, but Walkman use depends heavily on being able to see the screen. Soon after the screen quit working, more things began to go wrong. On several occasions on which I attempted to skip a song, the volume turned up. Basically, everything electronically controlled except the laser and motor that turns the CD is messed up. When I spend $110 on something, I don't expect to have it rendered useless by electronic failure less than a year after I purchase it. This seems to be a rare problem, however. Looking at the rest of the reviews here, it seems that nobody else experiences the problems I did. Maybe I just got a defective unit, but it should still work perfectly after only eleven months of ownership.
The quality of sound the Sony D-NE500 Walkman provides is enough to earn it five stars, but the defective build quality gets it a three out of five.