Customer Reviews

Sony 8 GB Walkman Video MP3 Player (Black)

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I won't even compare it with any other mp3 player as this is a class on its own.
I just got it 4 hrs ago from sonystyle shop and am playing with this for a couple of hrs now.
I've had tons of mp3 players in past. Actually i have 3 ipods at this time (shuffle(1GB), nano(8GB) and ipod (20GB) and except shuffle other 2 are going to go to for sale today. Personally i can say with 100% confidence that ipods sound quality is at the rock bottom. Shuffle 1st gen is good though.
Ok now about this player, sound quality is beyond comparison (you need to hear it to believe). player itself is smaller in size than 2 gen ipod nano and is all brushed metal body so no chance of scratching. screen is absolutely gorgeous and vibrant with more than 260k colors.
player is extemely responsive and there is no lag in anything.
Drag and drop is the best you can ask for. it plays mp3 and wma files with no issues.
Connection port is also covered with inbuilt cover that automatically engages once usb cable is disconnected.
supplied earphones is of extremely high quality (though not as good as my shure e2c).
Overall i am absolutely convinced that Sony is the only company that knows how to reproduce excellent sound quality.
Also this player doesn't seems to need any kind of enclosure as it is really durable.
I'll update once is use this over the weekend.
Okey here is the update!!!
I've been using this player for a week now and i'm extemely satisfied with the performance, sound is the best i've ever heard from a mp3 player and there are lots of useful sound settings...
i've transfered a lot of video songs to the player by converting them to AVC format using nero 7 and it playes with absolutely stunning details and as i said earlier "no lag" the player is very responsive (i think sony used some very fast processor in there).
earphones that sony bundled with player is extemely good and very very comfortable.
I converted some movies to play on this player using nero 7 into AVC format and a single 2 hr movie is about 500 mb (at highest settings) which is great as i can have about 4 movies in addition to about 6 gigs of music on the player.
I have uploaded some pictures that i took comparing this player with various ipod models which might be useful for potential buyers.

Important Update:

Based on several other reviewers comments and a couple of emails i have received it seems that several users are having trouble playing and/or transferring videos onto the player. So for the benefit of everyone i'd try to explain the process.
For playing videos there are 3 important aspects
1. This player can only play videos in MP4 format (sony's "memory stick" video format) which has 2 varieties MPEG4 and AVC. Max bitrate for MPEG4 supported is 2.5 MBPS and for AVC 750 KBPS.
2. The player can only play video with maximum video size of 320x240, anything larger than this size will not be played.
3. Videos needs to be copied in video folder on player.
I find Nero Recode 2 (included with NERO 7 Ultra) to be an ideal SW for converting videos into MP4 format as it gives options for manipulating video size and audio range and also extracting parts of videos.
I use the following settings for video conversion
AVC format (portable) with 320x240 video size and 500 KBPS bitrate and i use very high audio settings (to keep audio low on player).
I hope this information helps users. Feel free to seek more help.

I was looking for an mp3 player to replace the iPod shuffle that was a gift. I like the shuffle. It has nice sound quality but the UI - if there's any - is just not good for use in a car. I narrowed my choices down to nano, classic, and this walkman. Evetually, I decided to get this sony because I am not a big fan of iTunes and this new walkman finally gets rid of SonicStage so I can play wma and drag-&-drop files into it. Besides, I read that the sound quality is pretty good from various users' reviews.

However, I wasn't expecting sound quality this good. It's at a totally different level from iPod.

The first thing I notice is that the walkman produces an amazing level of details. No matter how complex the song is composed of, the player never falls into ambiguity and always handle it with an authoritative feel. In addition to the resolution, the walkman reproduce songs with a sense of dimension that expands not only in breadth but also in depth. I find that the walkman especially good at handling vocals. I can easily visualize the singer singning in front of me, to the level that I can feel how he/she uses his/her mouth... IMHO, I think this mp3 player would sound better than usual portable CD players, let alone mp3 players....

However, it's not all-conquering. I find the player in its default setting not so remarkable at classical music. The player handles Sonata well. However, the sound can feel a bit artificial and has a processed feel, a bit like DG's 4D effect. It doesn't seem to suit larger pieces, like Symphony or Concerto, well. I find the response a bit slow and the sound lacking power. It's a bit disappointing because usually a setup with high details and clear dimension should be good for classical... I also try it with iPod's earpieces (which sounds brighter and lighter.) Unfortunately, the music still doesn't sound that attractive. I eventually dig into EQ and bump up treble. It sounds more favorable, but still not as wonderful as when playing pop music.

Talking about EQ, I don't know why the range of adjustment is only +/- 3. I find that a bit limiting. There are a lot of "gimmick" sound enhancing modes in this player. I don't care about surround effect. Sony's implementation is decent but still induces broken sound sometimes. DSSE really works. It's a bit like a tuned-down BBE. I can do without it just fine. ClearStereo is less obvious... it seems to me for DSSE it works better on files with average bit-rate (like something in the 100-200 range), but for ClearStereo it works better on high-bitrate (200+) files. The effect is minimal and again I can do without it just fine. I like these two options this way because they are flavors that would not spoil the good base sound that the walkman can produce. The last one is the ClearBass. Well, it simply works. This kind of bass enhancement always work so there's not much to talk about. One thing to note is at its default setting with the supplied earphones, I find it not necessary to turn on ClearBass for pop music. It is more useful to boost classical.

Sony almost always have good UI and the one on this unit follows the norm, though it can be better. For example, Sony should learn from Sony Ericsson and enable the ability to go into/out of options by pressing right/left button. I find that having to move your thumb away from the 5-way controller to reach the "BACK" button can be slightly annoying at times. I am being critical, though.

Overall, this walkman is definitely worth considering. It has no extra functions but it does what it is supposed to do exceptionally well. I don't want to give out five stars but there's little to find fault with. It might sound like sony paid me to say this, but after listening to this mp3 player, I can't help wondering how much is left quality-wise in mp3 playback... for this fact alone, I gave it four stars. Plus good UI, long playback, and solid build quality, it has to be a five-star recommendation. Unless you are into buying accessories, you can't go wrong with this model.

[ Update#2 ]

I played with the walkman more and felt that ClearBass affects the sound quality, in addition to bass level.

I decided to update my previous update.... in the previous one I said ClearBass +3 suits Anne-Sophie Mutter's Tschaikovsky Violin Concerto very well. However, I later found out that ClearBass colors the sound differently depending on the setting. Which one works best depends on the music and one's preference. For example, I listened to Beethvon's Piano Concerto and felt +1 was better because the sound was more expansive. However, in the wrong cases, that could turn into excessive echo. The differences are not huge, though.

So my conclusion is none of the settings affects the sound quality negatively; they are just different in flavors. Try them with the music and pick the one that sounds better.

I think I am too much into review mode and that spoils the pleasure I have listening to the walkman. So I'll stop here. Thank you for reading this long review hope it helps.

[ Update#3 ]
I like the player a lot so I have uploaded some pictures I took in the gallery. Hope they are persuasive enough to make you click the shopping cart button.... cheers

Sony FINALLY scuttled its abysmal propietary SonicStage interface.

FINALLY.

That is the first observation anyone familiar with their older players will make. I had long wanted Sony quality, but was unwilling to grit my teeth and use the horrendous software Sony mandated. The whole tactic smacked of Microsoft.

That software is gone, so I purchased this without hesitation immediately.

This player is MTP, meaning you plug it in, it appears like a hard drive, you drag and drop files. It supports all the usual playback options, sorting by Artist, etc., but also lets you sort, view, and play by FOLDERS. This simple but highly useful feature is not available on Sansa, Creative, etc. players. I put my audio books in one folder, lectures another, music another, and have subfolders for artist/album. On most other players, they all get jumpled into one heap, and if the ID3 tags aren't perfect (frequently the case with downloaded music), you have a mess on your hands no matter how perfect the interface. Being able to switch to folder view in certain situations is a VERY useful feature I am amazed so many manufacturers neglect.

Everything else is what you have come to expect from Sony, especially the:

Breathtaking sound quality. I cannot overstate this point. I listened to 2-Pac, Enya, Louis Armstrong, Sinatra, Britney Spears. . .songs that sound somewhat flat on other players have life on this one. The bass resounds for Tupac, Enya's high notes really resonate, you can hear the horns in Louis. I do not have an audiophile's ear, and was very surprised that I noticed such a profound difference in sound. I have owned Creative, Sansa, and a few other players (no I-Pod because I won't tolerate I-tunes any more than Sonic). This player has FAR & AWAY the best sound I have ever heard on an MP3 player. In part this is because Sony spent the extra few bucks on some great, space-age-looking headphones (the ones that arrived with every other player I ordered were a joke, and thrown out). But when I run this player through my Alpine car unit with a plug-in headphone jack (I have MB Quart Speakers), it sounds noticbly better than other players. Clearly, Sony has learned something about the electronic guts of music players that other, primarily computer, manufacturers have not. It just makes sense: do you buy your MP3 music player from a computer maker like Apple, or a company that has been producing high quaity audio equipment for decades?

The interface is the easiest I've seen, the three button format allows you to truly browse like a web browser, going back or forward. The player is remarkably small, much smaller than comparable products, and constructed with pleasing, subtle aesthetics. The screen is clear, bright, very readable.

Cons: My 8 GB player has 7.3 GB usable space, there is always some loss, but this was very significant. No extra memory card, so buy a big one. Proprietary connector (USB to Proprietary), meaning gougathon on cable replacements, and when travelling, another cable to add to the pile. Wouldn't it be great if companies stopped this, and a single cigarette-lighter adapter and USB cable allowed you to operate ALL your devices. Too much to hope for, I'm sure, but a company that did this would earn many converts. Flowing text on screen is somewhat slow, cannot find way to speed up, but I do read fast.

These are pretty serious cons, but they are dwarfed by the exceptional sound quality and easy navigation of this player.

I'm generally not a fan of corporations, but I have bought Sony products for years and have NEVER gotten anything that wasn't outstanding.

This is a pretty glowing review, and I have to reiterate the fact that I am not some corporate shill. I didn't bother writing scathing reviews of Sansa and Creative products due to time, but this is such an impressive product I hopped online to spread the word.

I can't speak about the features of I-Pod, but I know this sounds better. Much better. Tried it side by side with my buddy's with the exact same files. Not even a contest.

Simply put: buy this player. Any minor shortcomings in features will be FAR outweighed by the ridiculous sound quality.

WOW. This player simply handles music superbly well and just ROCKS!!! Before getting this player, I originally was going to get either the iPod Touch or the Samsung YP-P2, from my dying 4G iPod and insufficient 1G 1GB Nano. The touch interfaces are pretty cool, but eventually thought that they were ultimately a gimmick and also provided no tactile controls. Plus, excellent sound quality is a top priority for me, and then cost. Before I made up my mind to spring for the YP-P2 for it's above average sound quality versus the Touch on Amazon, I came across the Sony Walkman NWZ-A818 which won a CNET Editor's Choice for it's excellent sound quality and bundles of features.

After reading CNET's review, I became a member of AtracLife forums and read almost all of the reviews for this player. Sony has always made quality players with superb sound quality, but software packaging always marred the overall user experience and package. However, I learned that this Sony, the NWZ-A818, no longer supports the notoriously horrid SonicStage and thus the ATRAC format. Rather, the player supports Drag & Drop and MPT, which users will be able to sync and use the player with Windows Media Player, and music formats of WMA, ACC, MP3, and WAV.

I have always been a fan of iTunes and it's excellent integration with iPods. Before the iPod, I had a Rio Karma, which I still miss today because of it's excellent sound quality. After the Karma came the 4G iPod, and then the 1G iPod nano. I have always thought the iPod's sound quality lacked something, a particular enveloping warm sound and low levels of bass. (I highly disregard the iPod's EQ, but bass reproduction is certainly biased with ok to good sound with the use of Sony's MDR-EX51 or Vmoda bass freq, or so I thought until I got the Sony A818)

Then came this Sony NWZ-A818. I simply cannot emphasize how excellent the sound quality of this player is, so I'm certainly not biased in anyway in giving high praises for this Sony Walkman. I listen to a variety of music genres, but my love is for EDM genres such as trance, dance, or drum & bass. Sound quality is of a high caliber on the flat settings. I'm listing to the player as of writing this review. I have the volume on a relatively low level, at 10/30, and the sound is very well balanced. The treble and bass are very well defined and correlate together perfectly in harmony. And then there are the multiple options of boosting the sound even further with two custom equalizers (5-band parameter settings) along with other presets and other 'surround sound' (most noteable is the Matrix setting). Not to mention that it comes with Clear Stereo, proprietary DSEE (sound enhancer for high bitrate files), and dynamic normalizer, which all work well. As a bonus, Sony included $70 MDR-082 earbuds, which are one of the best balanced earbuds I have owned. The player above all simply works great right out of the box, with no hassle of purchasing better earbuds.

Many user reviews for the sound quality of the NWZ-A818 are certainly not kidding (such as the excellent reviews from "S. Su" or "Wookalia 'Wookalia'"). It really doesn't surprise me since Sony and sound quality really come hand in hand since they have nearly 2 decades of sound expertise from their original Walkman. You will really appreciate the sound quality of this player, especially coming from the iPod line. Sound is crisp, warm, and enveloping, which is just simply bliss. Classical music sounds clear, so well defined that you can hear all the ranges. Enya never sounded better. Sound reproduction of her work is so good that she seems to be literally standing in front of you and you can visualize the movement of lips singing. From what I hear, the treble is very crisp and detailed. With bass on the flat settings, it is clear and defined. It doesn't have the low quality muffled sound that degenerates the treble. I have to be honest and say that I'm a basshead. The "Clear Bass" of up to +3 definitely cures any of my cravings for pounding bass, and the name is very appropriate... the bass really is clear and not muffled. It is deep, defined, and and gives off a very nice punch. Bass heavy tracks are just simply amazing. Kanye's work is very punchy but not overwhelming so that you can't hear the treble, in another words well balanced and you won't be fatigued with long listening periods of bass intense tracks (on flat settings). Tracks from the more electronic genres such as Tiesto, Trentemoller, Armin, or Diesel boy simply makes my head spin with joy.

Apart from sound quality, the excellent user interface is logical and fast to find songs. A 35 hour battery life is just stunning for such a thin package. I got a polycarbonate hard clear case for this model and it's still thin at 14mm (which i prefer over the original player of 9mm). How thin is too thin? Probably when Apple comes out with the iPod Pico, that is literally paper thin and has 1 hour of battery life, considering the rate that each phase of the nano is going haha ;). Pictures and Videos look excellent, but I rather save the memory for of course music ;).

Sony is also coming out with Media Manager for Walkman soon, which is a software that will offer even tighter integration with music files (hopefully gapless) and conversion of various files. One downer though about this player (at its current firmware) is that it does not support on the fly playlist creation and rating songs. I am quite sure sony will address this issue with future firmware updates, since the NW-A808 (a European sibling of the NWZ-A818) supported playlist creation and rating of songs on the player. I can live without these features missing at the moment, since my music library consists of 106 GB and playlists can be transferred quickly from iTunes to Windows Media Player and then synced to the player.

All in all, I am extremely happy with the purchase of this player, and quite frankly will probably not go back to the iPod line until Apple does something about it's sound quality (such as a custom EQ), which will probably be never since I have been waiting for that feature since the 4G. It is VERY VERY ironic since they can create such a fantastic User Interface and OSx on the iPod Touch but not create a much more simpler program such as user defined EQ? Ultimately, the build quality, sound quality, user interface, and other unique features of this Sony NWZ-A818 most definitely outweigh any of the player's cons. I'm very confident that true music lovers and audiophiles will not be disappointed with this player :D.

[EDIT]

After owning this player for about a week, it's really amazing what this player can do. Not to kid, but the player actually has breathed new life in my older songs. For instance, the bundle of the player and the MDR earbuds enable me to hear subtle background noises with great clarity, such as the ping of a music triangle. Seal's new album "System" just sounded wonderful. I was listening to the player in the library at a low volume of 6/30 and even at this low level, the music is still VERY WELL defined. I do use the dynamic normalizer on the player and the sound image (at flat settings) is just amazing! To me all ranges of the treble, mid, and bass are just perfectly balanced. Or rather, this player really enables you to truly listen to what the artist originally recorded. Perhaps it was the significant upgrade of the MDR-EX51 to the MDX-EX082, as headphones do make a huge difference in sound quality, but i did a sound comparison of my 4G iPod and this Sony. With the Sony stock earbuds, i hooked it up to the iPod and played "I can't get no satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones. Volume was at 50% and sound definition was good. But lower than 50%, i started to lose the sound definition. What is interesting though was that the Sony at a volume of 10/30 matches the volume level of the iPod at 50% approximately. Of course the Sony sounded much better, sound was definitely warmer and more defined in all ranges. Even at a lower volume on the Sony, say 5/30, the sound retained the track's definition but at a lower decibel. I can definitely see why this player got the CNET's Editor's choice, this player really makes me appreciate the artist's work!

Now that Sony has removed its proprietary handcuffs (Sonicstage and ATRAC), this player really shines in all respects. Plug and play with Windows Media Player 11 - works great. Or drag and drop. The design and build quality rivals and I think maybe exceeds Apple iPod. It's solid, feels good in the hand, but easily slips into a pocket (it is very tiny!). Sony can definitely design a world class product, nice touches abound: the small dimples on the play button and volume + button are nice for blind use. The speed at which this player boots, resumes and navigates through interface is great.

Other big pluses: sound quality, screen quality (if small at 2"), the ability to support H.264 for video podcast compatibility (very handy), album art throughout interface, battery life, EQ customization

Some negatives: proprietary USB cable, no podcast software from Sony (I use iTunes to download, and then manually drag over to the player).

Highly recommended.

I received my Sony Walkman NWZA818BLK, 8 gig MP3 player and I couldn't be happier! I love it! It looks much better in person, I think, than what you see online. It is sleek, smooth, shiny and very cool. It is something you won't be embarrassed for others to see. Actually, you will probably want to show this one off! If Fonzie, or the Fonz, was transported to our time, he would definitely have this MP3 player. It is made of metal with a silvery high polish and complimented with black. It is the "Harley" of MP3 players!

I have had all sorts of MP3 players through the years, everything from A-pple to Z-en. I didn't buy a Zune though, as I thought it looked cheap. My friend has one and I borrowed it. Glad I did, because it just doesn't look great and I don't think it looks well made. This one looks like it will last. Sony must have decided to come back to the market and bring back a simple to use, well made construction player with EXCELLENT sound! The sound is about as perfect as you can get for a MP3 player. You can customize it with many choices. For example, there is a function for Clear Sound using a cord, an extention cord too. Playback can be in all ranges or selected. The Equalizer has None, Heavy, Pop, Jazz, Unique or you can customize it. There is VPT Surround Sound of None, Studio, Live, Club, Arena, Matrix or Karaoke. DSEE Sound Enhance can be on or off. Clear Studio and also Dynamic Normalizer can be on or off. There is also an AVLS Volume limit you can turn on to protect your hearing, if you want it. There is a Time and Date Screensaver to pop on every so many seconds that is nice. You can also decide when the screensaver kicks in such as 15 sec. 30 sec. or 60 sec. The battery life is wonderful. Look for many hours of fun.

I also bought the Sony Docking Cradle. I got it at the Sony website for around 50-60 bucks. It looks fantastic with the Walkman. It is also shiny high polished silvery steel with black. You can record to your Walkman, play to your stereo or speakers, transfer data to and from your computer and of course the nicest feature of all, you can charge it up without the computer. You do get a USB cable with your Walkman for transfer of music and to charge it via your computer.

The headphones are sleek, super cool looking and there are three ear piece sizes to customize your earpieces to your ears and they sound wonderful. I also tried the Walkman with my Koss and other Sony headphones and they work equally well. Sometimes I like the larger headphones to have the music surround me with sound, but these earphones supplied work very well indeed!

I tinkered around with my music settings and for me, I love the Live VPT sound. It sounds like they are right there in the room with you! I like the Heavy for the Equalizer. I thought Pop sounded a little off, to me, but that may be because my music is more geared toward Bass and more heavy sounds. The Dynamic Normalizer really works great for me with it on. I notice a big difference. Clear Sound on also made my music more crisp.

The pictures look great on here. The menus are simple and easy to move around. One of the best features is the very simple drag and drop via Windows Explorer. I tried the Windows Music Player you can download with the supplied software and used the Sync function, but it was WAY too time consuming for me and I have a Duo Core Intel Pentium, so not exactly a slow computer. The Windows Explorer was quick and easy. I made sure I have my file folders put into each music group. Like Pop, Rock, Oldies, Latin, Classic, Jazz, etc. Then I just drop those into the Walkman and Voila! I use the Music Library Folder and it takes me to my folders and I can just go to and hear whatever I am craving.

Also it has a nice search function. There is the video function I haven't used since I filled my Walkman with all music! There are shuffle functions, playlist function for dropping playlists into as well. All functions are quick and easy. Note: You can also use an online CDDB or some database to sync your MP3s to update genres and all that, so you can go right to each category. The folders alone work well for me and don't take hours to do. It can play a lot of different files such as WMA, WAV, MP3 among others. It can even play AAC, MP4, if they are not copy protected. I wish Windows and Apple would get together and allow ALL music to play on ALL players, but still, this player plays more types than many others.

Pros:
Simple to use; sleek and cool looking; well made, metal looks great with the black; excellent sound; easy to use menus and transfers; nice clear pictures; bright, crisp window; excellent battery life and the Fonz would approve! I have had many players and by far this one is the best sounding player I have ever had and one of the easiest to use.

Cons:
I wish it had a few more gigs, like 10 or 16 gigs. Still I have more then 2,000 songs on there, so that is a lot! There isn't a carrying strap included, so you need to factor that into the price of buying one, I think one should be supplied. I wasn't impressed with Windows Media Player's sync function. But you don't have to download Windows Media Player at all, which I like that option. Windows Explorer is just easier and quicker. The earphones, as great sounding as they are, should have just one longer cord instead of two sections you connect together and should be longer, but it is adequate. I use other earphones on this player too and they work equally well.

I am SO glad I purchased this one. Thanks Amazon!!

UPDATE:
I have had this Sony player for about a three weeks now and just have to add that it works great! I have not had any problems with it. I got Rhapsody To Go on it without any problems, despite someone commenting that you couldn't use Rhapsody with this player, but it works great on it.

The only thing I wish is that it had a 16 gig since I have to take off music and put music on, because I have too many music files. I have to decide which to put on and to take off, but I do not regret buying this one at all. The sound is excellent and I have already had several people comment in public about how nice a player it looks and my friend with the Zune has begged to trade with me. NO WAY! He updated his Zune and now it won't play due to the sorry software on it. Anyway, Sony did it right with this player!

OK.... let me start out by saying that I am an active musician. I have been playing the guitar for 7+ years and I am currently involved in recording my own music professionally. I really appreciate excellent sound quality when it comes to digital music recordings..... and OH MY does this SONY WALKMAN sound fantastic. It is with out a doubt the best sounding mp3 player I have ever heard. When I listen to music at home I use my studio recording headphones by Beyerdynamic-- they cost me 200 dollars at guitar center. The included earbuds are the best sounding buds ever paired with an mp3 player in their box. SONY WINS.

Pros:
Excellent sound quality
Great UI
Fantastic earbuds
Strong physical build quality---- metal, glass screen
MTP device (no itunes or stupid software to transfer files)
I have only had this for 1 day, but have been using for at least 10 hours--the battery life is excellent--- rated at 33 hours continuous music

Cons:
No on the fly playlist creating
Proprietary usb cable
Can't change the background to a picture of your own


The PROS of the SONY WALKMAN greatly out weigh the cons, those of which are not a huge issue. I have purchased and returned 2 mp3 players before I settled on this SONY. I bought a Zune 8 gb, had problems with my computer with the ****** Zune sofeware. Returned it. Then I bought a Samsung YP-2P. The Samsung was an excellent mp3, good sound quality and the touch interface was awesome. However, I could not find a protective case for it anyware online or instore as it is fairly new. Also, it was quite expensie for only 4gb at 200 dollars. Returned it. Read some reviews on C-net about this sony walkman... and what do you know--- it won a c-net editor's choice award. So I bought it from Amazon with 2-day shipping and Amazon was so awesome I received it the next day! How cool is that? Get the Sony Walkman, you won't be disappointed

This MP3 player is the best I have had so far. I have had 3 iPods and a Zune, and they can not be compared to the amazing sound delivered by this new Sony MP3 player. For those wanting a flash based player, this item is one of the smallest and more portable out there with an extremely bright and clear LCD display which allows for viewing videos on the go. To make it even better, Sony did not go cheap, the player features a nice durable and well designed metal body, thats a bit taller than the new Nano Videos, not as wide and thick though. Sony also includes a set of great ear buds, which are a lot better than those packed with any other player out there.
I was tempted to go with the other Sony MP3 player,which has an FM tuner built in and is a bit smaller, but after comparing them, I think I rather have the one with the metal body, better sound and .2" bigger LCD. Those of you that buy either of the new Sony's will be amazed by the performance of this well built device, and will love it a whole lot more than any other device that has been introduced into the market.
I got the Nano Video a few weeks ago, that went on eBay already. Compared to an iPod and iTunes, Sony has a nice user interface thats nicer than Apple's, you'll have no scroll wheel to deal with, you get better audio quality, a brighter LCD, and in my opinion a much nicer design. You can use Windows Media, but I highly recommend using Napster (which comes with the player). Napster is really close to the iTunes interface and will allow you to purchase albums and songs you like or you can pay $15 a month for unlimited downloads. Those of you buying this MP3 player over the others on the market as of now will be making a great choice and will absolutely love this machine.

The title says it all. Sony has always made great portable audio, with their full rich sound Sig. Now you can have your cake and eat it too, no more sonic stage!! Really, just like the other fine folks, I have owned many daps- cowon, samsung, apple, zune, iriver, creative, rio, meizu, toshiba, kenwood ect. ect. I just have to say this little unit is the best at reproducing full , detailed rich sound. It is incredible with shure e500's, the warmth and soundstage is second to none. The unit is easy to use, the screen is top notch, and the unit is dead sexy and built like a high-end piece of kit.

I also echo the awesome battery performance, and don't let the 5mw output fool you, this baby has enough power to drive some full size cans. I'm a musician too and are super picky about my audio, and I can't stress how good this little unit sounds. I actually had the japanese model "nw a808", but sold it to get the non sonic stage model. The Japanese unit had some extra settings like "on the go" playlisting and a "favorite" shuffle setting plus some other extras. I hope sony adds these to the a818 in a future firmware release.

Even on Head-Fi people are praising it's sound and that says alot, you have some hardcore users there :) One member said he was going to buy another a818 as back-up because he said he couldn't bear to live without it if he lost or broke his. Bottom line, BUY IT!! and sony please release some higher capacity models.

Just wanted to mention a couple of more things, I really like how the "door" on the usb port is spring loaded and snaps back in place to prevent dust and debris from entering the player- Nice! Also even though I am kind of a purest when it comes to sound enhancements, the ones on the a818 are pretty amazing and don't seem to add distortion or coloration to the audio signal. "DSEE" really seems to boost the highs on low bitrate mp3 files, and smooth them out.

"Clear stereo" also seems to make the seperation of channels more distinct, resulting in a wider soundstage, very subtle indeed, but nice. "Clear bass" does a fantastic job of boosting the very low end while bringing in no distortion to the bass, resulting in "feeling the low end " but also keeping a the detail. A fender jazz sounds like it should, and a rickenbacker sounds just like it should:) None of that mushyness you used to get with the old "mega bass"


Since I use high bitrate files, I don't use the dsee, but I do use the clear stereo and clear bass quite a bit. The 5 band eq is competent and more than you get on a zune or ipod :) I must say though even without eq you get the full range of the audio spectrum. There is no bass roll-off as there is in other players- ipod, cough cough. So you get a much fuller and "blended" sound not tinny or harsh.


There are many mediocre daps out there, thats why I think when a gem like this comes around so many people want to share their experiance (with some very detailed reviews!) with others. Music is a magical thing and it's great to have something so small, yet awesome to play it on.


One last thing, sony makes premium stuff usually with premium prices. The a818 is priced less than the inferior zune flash or ipod nano. If you take your music seriously or you just love awesome gadgets, then a purchase of the sony nw a818 is mandatory!!! peace out!

To begin with, this is a small "nano" sized player. Easily will fit into the smallest pockets. This was a little bit of surprise when you look at the pictures. Obviously, I bought this without having seen this in person. The player came with just a few items (earbuds, small extension cord, USB cable). I wish there was a way to charge the player without being teathered to a USB port but I haven't checked the accessories to see whats available.

Now the really good part...I was up and running without reading the manual in about 5 minutes. This player is incredibly intuitive and very, very easy to use. It's quite full featured on the music player and the sound quality is outstanding. The hook up to Windows was flawless and the transfer and synch was simple. I encode my MP3's at the highest quality level and the resultant sound quality that I got out of the player was excellent. Overall and excellent experience.

I have not really played around with the video yet but the trailers provided with the player were of excellent quality and resolution.

Sony should be (we'll see.....it's a crowded space) a real contender in this space with these new products. Great job Sony!

Update After a Month:

Okay, I really liked this MP3 when I bought it and started using it. After a month, I REALLY, REALLY like this player. No extraneous stuff, no noise, no gimmicks, it just does what a MP3 player should do:
1) Play music well. The sound quality on this player is exceptional. The enclosed ear buds are very nice and sound great.
2) Easy to upload. It just works with WMP. What can I say....it's been rock solid.
3) Easy to navigate.....the UI is just correct. I hand this to folks and in about 5 seconds, they've figured it out. The functions are easy to understand and execute. Things are laid out correctly. For some reason, I don't get album art, but this is very, very minor.It's small.....the more I use it, the better that I like it's size. It seems like it is very well built, feels very solid for something small (ie it's not chinzy).
4) It lasts and long, long time. The battery on this is quite good.


Things that I haven't tried: 1) No movies yet but this is a MP3 player to me that happens to have a great screen to navigation. Movies are just a plus.

Sony knocked it out of the park with this player