juli_

Well, I will get the chance to listen to my first iPod ever on Monday when I meet someone who is going to try my headphones. He has the 5.5G iPod and believe it or not, he also has the Sony NW-A806. In his opinion, that particular iPod model has a 'flatter' sound than the Sony and the only good thing about the Sony is the ability to EQ it to one's own preferences. As I simply cannot believe that iPod SQ can compare to Sony SQ in this lifetime, I am very curious to hear what he hears! I agree. I'd also like to have a phone that's 'just' a phone but it seems everyone wants to bring out some fancy device that does everything, e-mail, surfing, video watching, and no one seems to remember that some of us just want to listen to music, or just use a phone - and don't want to pay out for extras we'll never use. Shinji, would you like me to look out for anything in particular on the iPod?? I know I'll only be using/trying it once. . .

I've only downloaded the update - I haven't installed it yet. I was worried about transferring back to the computer - but now I've read how everyone's managed to do it successfully (without having to transfer) I'll take the risk and download the update tonight

Did your son format the player through Windows Explorer or from the device itself? I'm positive it has to be formatted from the player's settings menu. Whether this is causing the problem, I don't know - but you could try anyway.

It doesn't look like it will ever be fixed by a firmware upgrade from what I was told yesterday, but then he didn't seem sure of what he was talking about anyway, since he kept insisting the 808 wasn't compatible with the unit!

Are you saying the +/- buttons are switching tracks?? I use the +/- buttons (in the middle black section of the remote) to switch albums on the 706 - but the same buttons don't operate for the 808. On the upper half of the remote, the 2 cursor buttons operate the track switching on both the 706 AND 808. I don't know why you're not able to switch albums on the 706. When I get time, I'm going to go to my local Sony store and take the 808 in and try it with the previous model CPF-NW001. If I can switch albums with that model, I'm going to see if Argos will take this one back (since I don't use the wi-fi anyway). The person I spoke to today said it WOULD work with the NW001, but I don't have that much faith in him after today. What's really annoying, is it's supposed to function in exactly the same way as the earlier model and it doesn't. Bloody Sony!!

This is unbelievable. Sony called back and as I type I've been on the phone for 45 minutes with absolutely no joy at all. I was actually told that the CPF-IX001 is not compatible with the NW-A8xx series, only with the NW-S7XX series! The 'helper' stuck me on hold 5 times while he went to check the details, he then came back and explained very condescendingly that the A8xx series are. . . VIDEO walkmans (like I was mentally slow or something) and that the 7xx series are. . . MP3 players. . . and therefore not meant to be used with the CPF-IX1001! I told him it IS compatible, it states so on the Sony website - in addition I told him that this unit had been heavily discounted with purchases of the 8xx series, therefore how could he state it wasn't compatible? I even directed him to the Sony website which states quite clearly that the 8xx is a compatible product. But fortunately (for him) he couldn't get his page to load and couldn't comment. After a further 10 minutes of him arguing that I was wrong, he offered to call me back in a few minutes after he'd gone to check the details with someone else. So he just called back and told me this: "The A808 spec is different to the S706 spec, the folder options are set differently and the remote control cannot switch albums because of this difference in the spec". Annoyingly, the remote control for the previous model CPF-NW001 (which I had, and sold) DOES switch albums on both models (according to him) but he couldn't guarantee it. Instead he suggested that I go into a Sony store and demo it for myself. Another 'useful' tip he came up with was, if I wanted to switch albums, why didn't I just use a CD player??? How rude, the whole point of the speaker cradle is to be able to play music from the 808 on it. Anyway, I will go and demo the 'older' unit and if it switches albums, I'll get it. My problem is that Argos are going to be reluctant to switch them over since the issue isn't anything to do with them - it's to do with Sony not making things clear, so I don't know where my consumer rights come in. . . EDIT: Does anyone have a number for 'higher-up' Sony customer service reps? I'm a bit peeved because Sony themselves state that the wi-fi model is the SAME as the earlier model but with wi-fi capabilities. If it's the same, then the remote should operate the 706 and 808 in the same way. Isn't their description misleading? It should say the same - but without the facility to switch albums on the 808.

HELP! The instructions state to set the reset button with a small pin. Where's the reset button? The only one I'm aware of is the settings menu on the player. When I updated to 1.02, I'm sure I used the reset from the settings. Can someone can confirm this? I've just downloaded the update, but I haven't connected the player yet as I want to make sure I don't mess it up. EDIT: I found the reset button. Sometimes the user manual is actually helpful

Thanks Lulu and Shinji - I have all my music backed up via the backup tool on an external hard drive, and I also have the physical copies. I just wanted to avoid having to restore everything from a back up. If it's a standard warning, I think I might ignore it. . .

From the instructions for the 1.03 update: 1. "Please transfer all tracks and data from the unit to the computer before carrying out the firmware upgrade." 2. "It cannot be guaranteed that during the upgrade process, the tracks and data stored in the unit would not be damaged or deleted." Well, I can't transfer any Atrac files back to the computer, as I always receive the message: "cannot transfer files back to library" - the only files I can transfer back to the computer are ones that are not Atrac. The Atrac ones remain on the player unless I delete them. So I'm not sure I want to take the risk of updating if there's a chance all the data could be damaged. How big is the risk? And has everyone who's updated managed to successfully transfer all their files back to the library?

Oh yeah, it's about a 1.03 update in a 1.02 thread

I already have a 'FWUP' folder in the c drive from the last update. Do I delete that one and make a new one?

Oh no. . . and I was so looking forward to it working. Still. . . tomorrow is Friday and I was promised a call about it by the end of the week. So if I haven't heard back by 4pm, I'll call them again. Thank goodness I have a reference number

Thanks dura, I'll download it. When I clicked on the link, I could only see Japanese characters so I was trying to find the download elsewhere, but maybe the English instructions are further down the page? I could only see ???????????????????????????????????????????????

I can't find that update on the Sony site. Has anyone downloaded it yet?

How good is it compared to the 808? The person who's testing my headphones also has an 806 (4GB) in addition to the iPod. He didn't compare the two, he just said that particular iPod had a very good sound. I'd like to know 'how' good compared with the 808. I know he said that applying any EQ at all distorts the sound, and that the custom EQ is abysmal, so that 'flat' is the only way to listen. I do like the 808 EQ, it really gives me a huge variety of sounds to choose from, it's very versatile.

Well I've never ever tried an iPod because I'd read too much about the inferior sq beforehand and it put me off. But in a couple of weeks I'm meeting someone to let them try out my headphones, and as he has an iPod (5.5 or something) I'll get to try one out for the very first time! I expect it to sound dire in comparison with my A808, and let's face it - praise about the iPod sq is very thin on the ground. But I am very curious to hear just to how bad it is!

I called Sony today and after explaining for 10 minutes that the + and - buttons could be used to switch albums on the 706 but not the 808, she disappeared to get some help, and when she came back, she told me to to try the + and - buttons for switching albums. . . ??? I explained again, and she disappeared, came back and told me the + and - buttons were supposed to change tracks, not albums. . . so I explained that the track switching is not activated by the + and - buttons but by the double arrows (forwards and backwards) in the section above on the remote. She disappeared again, came back and asked me what the + and - buttons did - I said they do nothing, that's the point! The unit's compatible with the 706 and 808, so the same functions should be available for both units. Anyway, she's given me a reference number and I'll 'apparently' get a call by the end of the week. I wonder if Sony even know this function doesn't work, it seems they didn't test it first. I'll update if I hear anything back.

I wasn't aware Sony users yearned for a click wheel OR a touch interface. I for one, hate click wheels and a touch interface. Is there a majority of users who want these features then?

Sure Sony are going to be pleased about that!

Is it something to do with simple/advanced mode maybe? I'm sure I read a few posts about that. Maybe it needs to be in advanced mode as well. I'm probably wrong, but that's OK, because someone will correct me anyway

Crazy, I thought the whole point of discussion forums such as these, was to discuss! People shouldn't get thrown off just because they offer different opinions to other people (namely the moderator it seems). Maybe he/she had a bad experience with SS and slammed it for no good reason

You're kidding! You got thrown out?

Sony are definitely not stopping Atrac. They confirm this on their website. They are continuing to support and update Atrac for all existing users, and the 818 (same model) will be Atrac free. Maybe your e-mail referred to the fact they're doing away with Connect next year?

Did you try it exactly like I said? And did you reboot?

If I can remember without looking, I think you go into tools > options, and then highlight 'transfer' in the left column. It should then say 'audio device' on the right - highlight that and then click 'transfer settings'. This should bring up the 'transfer mode settings' page. From there you can select either 'standard transfer' or 'specified transfer'. Sorry if this sequence is incorrect, but once you're in tools > options - it' easy to see where to go next.