juli_

Yes, I have the 808 which uses SS/Atrac. The 818 seems to have been brought out for people who were sick of SS and wanted drag and drop. The gapless feature, on-the-fly playlists, ratings etc are tied to SS/Atrac. It's like Sony thought it would be a good idea to give us each 'half' a player, instead of combining the 2 so we had the best of both worlds wrapped up in one model. Did they think to combine to 'join' those 2 halves together for the new 82x series? No. . . . .

Thanks Zizzy!! That's just what I wanted to know. Bigger soundstage P.S This is the first user review I've read. The one which said sound quality was 'inferior' to the previous model was apparently stated by generation mp3 (whoever they are) and they didn't give any details so it was totally useless!! And as for a 'spec' sheet. . . what does that actually tell us about how it sounds? Nothing! Thanks again.

Hey!! Zizone wrote a pretty thorough review and it's the FIRST review here. If you've had yours for 'weeks', didn't you think of doing the same? Where exactly did you get it from? It's only just been released. The 'official' website only listed them for preorder so we are ALL clearly suffering from 'wintersleep' if you have owned it for weeks. Where was it available to buy a month ago then?????

Another great review Zizone. Thanks very much for that. So. . . the sq is improved slightly, that's good news, especially as there was 'rumour' it had inferior sound compared with the 800/81x series. But what I'm most interested in is the soundstage. I've noticed my Zune has a much bigger soundstage than my 808, it's very noticeable. If the new Sony has a noticeably bigger soundstage than the 808, I would buy it and sell my Zune as the soundstage is really the only thing the Zune does better than the Sony, and I really do like the increased space. I know you said the new one had a bigger space - but is it a lot wider? I mean, if I went back and forth between the 808 and the new Sony, would I hear the difference immediately? I can between the Zune and Sony. so that's all I really need to know. You've covered everything else. Thanks Zizone.

Hello Nuld - no, you can't make on-the-fly playlists with the 818. This feature (among others), was left off the 81x series. The 'older' models, the 800 series (which use Sonicstage/Atrac) - support on-the-fly and ratings etc, but not the 818. There were some reviews on the 818 which stated it didn't support these features. I guess you didn't see them before you bought it

As far as I know, the 729 is identical (spec wise) to the 829 except for BT. I read the battery life for the 829 is about 30 hours and for the 729 about 36 hours. I'm assuming the BT is what reduces the battery life of the 829, but I'm sure there must be a way to turn it off if it's not needed.

Thanks for that Doohickey. Although Sony likes to provide more misinformation than information, it's still reassuring to hear/hope that this time it's correct shirleywhite - As Amazon UK have the 16GB version listed on its website (available for preorder), I'd have to assume that Doohickey was given (believe it or not), the correct info for once, or else why would Amazon have it listed? Of course, it still makes no sense that the Sony UK site hasn't listed it, but I've long given up trying to fathom that out!

Sorry, my misunderstanding. I also don't need Bluetooth and can't see myself needing (or wanting it) in the near future. That's why it's a shame they're not releasing the 729 in the UK. I guess they think we all use BT????

You can still use ordinary earphones with the Bluetooth version, it just means you can go wireless as well (if you have BT earphones!!) - but I think most decent earphones are going to out-perform BT ones anyway (within the same price range) It's the device that supports BT, not the earphones. But if you don't need BT, there's no point in buying a model that supports it, it's just a waste of extra money.

Oh yes, that's right. You're getting the Blue-toothless ( ) version. Think we're only getting the BT one, no other option. Anyway, looking very forward to hearing your impressions of it.

Me too. Although £228 sounds extortionate (compared to Sony US where it's the equivalent of £150!) - I did pay £200 for my 8GB A808 from Amazon UK less than a year ago, so I suppose £28 for an extra 8GB isn't really so bad. But having paid the full price last time, I'm going to wait for a price drop with the 829. I think £180 is a more realistic figure. Also I want to hear some reviews first. Someone said that generation mp3 (whoever they are) claimed the sound quality of the new models was not as good as the 800/810 series (which I find hard to believe), it doesn't make sense for Sony to release expensive high-end models with inferior sound to the previous series. Still, we'll wait for the reviews to start trickling in. Sony US are shipping from tomorrow so there'll be at least one review on Head-Fi from someone who's ordered one, except I don't know if he has an 808/818, and I'm really only interested in the comparison. Yes. . . exciting times ahead!!

Hmmmm, maybe you clicked on an outdated link. Did you try downloading it from somewhere else? Like here? http://support.sony-europe.com/DNA/softwar...stage_dl.asp?l= It's so long since I installed mine that I can't remember if I needed an internet connection, but I vaguely remember one part of the installation taking a long time. I think maybe the SS database registration requires internet access. When I use the backup tool to restore files, SS always needs internet access to 'authorise' the database before it restores, so I'd imagine it also needs it on installation also. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

I don't have a Sony NW-A3000 but it might help if you give us a little more detail. You don't say if you've tried to transfer them, or if you had an error message during transfer. Can you be more specific? Have you successfully uploaded any other files, atrac, mp3 etc?

So you'll be using the disc? Can you explain a bit more? When do you get the 'forbidden' message, as soon as you try and download? Or part way through? Is there a specific error code, like a number or something? And what does 'dl the above' mean? I didn't understand

I have the clear plastic one and it's fantastic. It's sturdy and all the functions are easily available through it. I had the silicon for about 3 minutes before returning it. It has no screen protector at all, which is crazy as that's the most important part to protect! You can use one of those 'press on' protectors but they don't protect it! I haven't used the leather case, but from what I remember reading - it has a proper coverflap so the 808 isn't visible through it, which is a shame as it's so pretty.

Yes, it's hardly an inviting price is it? Even ordering from the US and getting it delivered by friends/relatives is still going to make it close to £200. I already got stung buying the 808 at the full Amazon price of £199.99 and then the price dropped by about £60 after about 3 months! So I think I can wait for someone else to buy it and review it And Zizone has one on order, unless he's cancelled too. Zizzy???

Wow, it's gorgeous! It completely passed me by when it came out. I went straight from the Walkman Cassette (which I used to use all the time when I did night shifts) to a 1GB Packard Bell Audiodream player (which sounded pretty nice to me for a first player). then to the 706 and 808. So the minidisc era went straight past me. Markey, it seems the minidisc and the NW-HD5 still hold really high in people's estimation, (despite the advances in sound quality etc with newer players.) Makes you wonder what kind of success Sony would have if they revamped/updated the 2 units that so many people still love. I would definitely get a minidisc thingybob!!

I've never had (or heard) the mini disc, but I've always read good reviews about the sound quality. Zizzy . . . does it have a warm sound? How different is it to the 706 for example? Does it use SS/Atrac and what's the highest bitrate it supports? I'm very curious about the sq.

Are you getting picture but no sound? Or sound but no picture? Either way, you might need the divX codec to view/hear. You didn't say what OS you're using either. Vista seems to be more unpredictable than XP. But you could also use VLC media player to play dvds as it comes pre-loaded with just about every codec you'll ever need.

I did do a review on the Zune somewhere here. I thought it was in the thread, but I don't remember now! Anyway, I'm using it alongside the 808 and although I didn't care much for the Zune sq at the beginning (because I felt it lacked the Sony punch and fullness) - I can now appreciate the very clean sound it has. It also has a much bigger soundstage than the Sony, very noticeable when I was going back and forth. I like both of them very much, but the Sony is easier and faster to use. Also, the Zune will only play one album at a time whereas the Sony will continue to the next album. So I have to make loads of playlists on the Zune if I want to hear more than one album! Of course there is NO eq on the Zune, which I thought was really weird, since you can't adjust the sound in any way at all, so headphone choice is more crucial than with the Sony. Anyway, I'm going to wait till someone buys the Sony and tells us what the sq is like in comparison with the 808. Only a few weeks to go!!

Oh good, I'll wait to hear your views first. I want detailed comparisons between our current beloved A series and the newbie - and when I say 'detailed' - I mean is it the same, or better?? LOL! Re: the Touch - I saw one being used by a guy at the hairdressers, and I couldn't help but strain my neck to get a good long peek at the screen. Have to say it was absolutely beautiful, big and bold with bright vivid colours. . . then while I was lusting after it, I thought I bet he set the brightness to maximum to show off. I comforted myself with the thought it probably looks like pig dirt with the brightness down And it doesn't score highly for sq either, so while it's fancy for those who need an all-in-one media player with internet etc, those features don't interest me at all (and I can't see that changing over the next few years). Even the BT goes over my head. I just want 16GB, a big enough screen to view album art, an easy to use menu (of which the 808 is the easiest ever), great sq and a sturdy build. That's all. Is that too much to ask? Nooooooo!

WOW!!! Now I don't know what to believe any more. Sony is driving me crazy with all this farting about. And £225??? It's a lot more than Sony US are asking, at least another £60 on top. Still. . . it's 16GB!!! The A729 (same as the 829 but without Bluetooth) is cheaper than the 829 at Sony US - but it doesn't look like we have the option of NOT having BT. I wonder why? And I wonder why I always use the words 'I wonder why' whenever I refer to Sony! I wonder if Amazon will stock it cheaper?

If you leave it until September, we might know for sure if we'll get the 16GB here. The woman I spoke with at Sony did point out it might be a possibility and she even mentioned the actual month. . . so I don't know what to believe. Remember when she asked how I knew about the 16GB, like it was some top government secret or something?? Well, maybe she knows something we don't, or else why mention possible availability in September? I don't think it will be, but I like to cling to some hope! In the meantime, I think I'll also hold off for now as I still have my beloved 808 and the clunky old Zune, and that's more than enough to keep me going. Bloody Sony, I still don't get how they decided no one in the UK, Canada and rest of Europe would want a 16GB???

Sony US has an estimated release date of 28th March. I haven't found out when Amazon.com are stocking them, but I assume it will be around the same time, end of March-ish!

Thanks Zizone, I forgot about that