Customer Reviews

Sony NW-E505 Network Walkman 512 MB Digital Music Player with FM Tuner Pink

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you are like myself and like things as simple as possible, do not install the enclosed CD, do not use SonicStage software, by far one of the most unfriendly players I have seen. You may fit up to 300 or so atrac3 files in this player, but you have to go through all the hassle of converting your mp3 files and once in the player they are copy protected meaning you can't do any further copying plus the quality isn't as good as that of 160kbps or 192kbps mp3 files...the solution: the most simple there is:

go to the Sony asia pacific website at:

http://www.css.ap.sony.com/consumer/template/DDSummary.aspx?Id=44358&Category=Personal+Audio

to download the NW505/507 driver (do this step first) and MP3 File Manger software which installs right on your player in seconds. Then is just a drag'n'drop game from iTunes player with no hassles whatsoever. The downside: you'll only be able to fit 80-100 songs in a 512Mb player or 160-200 songs in a 1Gb player, but if you are like me that keeps a music library in iTunes in my home PC and just uses this portable MP3 for trendy music this shouldn't be an issue and the sound quality is unbelievable!

One more tip - Plan to spend $15 more on headphones (Sony's MDR-E827G are the best) as the headphones included with the player are useless.

I agree with the other reviewers who complain that the product is marred by the awful SonicStage software. The reason I still give it four stars is that you can replace SonicStage with software Sony makes but fails to advertise. See the directions at http://www.syndetics.net/sony-hacks/sonicstage.html

The replacement has a really simple drag and drop interface and doesn't have the annnoying copy protection restrictions. Without it, I would not recommend the NW-E505 at all.

Incidentally, although it does not come with a lanyard, there is a place made for hooking a lanyard to.

Summary: with its great battery life and nice form factor, and with the replacement for SonicStage, the NW-E505 has enough redeeming qualities to get a high rating.

I've had this MP3 player for about 1 week now, and I must say I'm glad i bought it! Here's my rating:

Look: Cute! Yah, it looks like a lighter. Mine was pink. At first I didn't see any champagne bubble display (like I read about) so I was disappointed. Well, you just gotta press "display" several times. They're oh-so-lovely. The guys will probably not get pink like I did, but there's also silver and blue.
Price: Cheaper than the iPod. Enough said.
Durability: It feels sturdy (compared to the flimsy feel of a Sony voice recorder I bought last year). If it's broken or defective within the year, I'll be sure to update my review.
Sound Quality: Pretty good (I'm not a picky person though), although I thought the bass was not the best. The difference is quite obvious when I listen to... Green Day as opposed to listening to soft music.
Earbuds: Sounds good (again, I'm not a picky person), but so freakin short. I'm not tall, and yet I can't put the player in my pocket without it yanking the earbuds off of my ears. Unless you wanna walk around with a hunched back, you might wanna buy another set of earbuds.
SonicStage: Didn't even need it. I followed some people's advice about downloading this driver and MP3 File Manager from the Sony website. Simple, simple, simple...
Overall, I'm hapy with my purchase. I think my sister is eyeing this thing and wants to buy one for herself...hehehe

It's tiny (about lipstick size), easy to use without any manual, has cool color and display (you cannot see it when the thing is turned off), produce gread sound and have enough space for all my music and my little daughter's music too (it has a position that blocks all the buttons, so it's very convenient if you want to give it to a toddler, which always wants everything you have). The presence of FM radio is a big plus too. The only disadvantage is that you cannot record anything from radio, but I can live with that. And the battery life is amazingly long!

I've never had an iPod, so I can't compare the two, but I have been quite pleasantly surprised with this baby. First, though, the downsides:
-While the required (and this is a gripe in itself) Sonic Stage software has almost exactly the same features as iTunes, it is nowhere near as user-friendly and is kind of a pain to use
-The player comes with a belt clip rather than a lanyard that you put around your neck. The clip is fine, but can fall off.
-Not a ton of accessories available from Sony
-No cute name. It's much easier to say "my iPod" than "my Sony NW-E-505"

Given all that, though, I still think this player is a great investment. It is so handy to use. I love the flexibility of the one-handed control, being able to toggle between playlists, adjust volume, and switch songs with a twist of the wrist. I love the bright screen and have never had any problems with the display fading like some other reviewers. The battery life is astounding. And let's be honest - it just looks cool.

Judge for yourself, but I've never looked back.

I received this mp3 player as a gift and I'd have to say that I'm very pleased with it. It is super easy to use. It is simple to put songs onto and sort. Plus the battery life is great. It's nice and small about the size of a lighter. The FM tuner comes in very good. At my work I had a hard time getting in stations but this little player gets even the ones I didn't even think could.

I love the NW-E505. I used it at work and a co-worker thought I had lost my mind because I was bopping my head and he couldn't see the ear phones or the player (cause it's so small). It's great for the gym, which is why I bought it. Very easy to use software included. Best of all IT'S PINK! I'm not even close to maxing out the # of songs it holds. Great for the price, I'm very pleased.

This player is great. Forget about the iPod Shuffle. This has a much longer battery life, an fm tuner, and an incredible OELD screen. A previous reviewer said that it doesn't support mp3. Well they are wrong. I only use mp3s on it.

The only down side is the terrible Sonicstage software that you use with it. This is the worst software I have ever used. Thankfully there is an alternative. Get MP3 File Manager. It is drag and drop and works great.
(...)

Super fast shipping from Sony. I got mine for $79, I don't know why they raised the price. Anyway I've had mine for a few days now and I'm completely satisfied, didn't have to read the manual, for me it was as simple as any CD player or walkman. However, like most other people I did have some issues with the SonicStage software not accepting some of your files, but I just figured that all you need to do is convert your files to .wav Instead of .mp3 before you add them.

Look: comes in lots of cool shades, I liked the design much better than the ipod.

Battery: this mp3 player is supposed to have some kind of technology that allows you to enjoy hours and hours of listening time before having to recharge, which still takes a few minutes. I left mine on accidentally all night yesterday, and woke up with it still running, with more than 3/4 full battery.

The only other con I would say are the very awkward headphones, the right piece is twice as long as the left, but you can always get replacements. Other than that, I'm very satisfied with my purchase.

It is true to the description. The battery lasts like forever and it is so cute. Sonic Stage is real easy to use unlike what others are saying. The only thing I did not like was the extended headphones. It should not have an extender. The length should have been like that anyway. I end up losing the extender. So that sucked but other than that, I love my sony mp3 player.

Must Buy!!!!