pata2001

I think he meant the release of the NWZ series walkman, which don't require Sonicstage nor support Atrac.

As long as you can still use Sonicstage, you're fine. The question is what will happen when MS release the next version of Windows and Sonicstage is not compatible with it? Well, you get a nice USB flash drive.

Pure drag-n-drop (UMS), support of variety of codecs (FLAC and OGG), gapless with any codec that is gapless capable (Lame MP3, OGG), usable EQ, variety of skins/themes. Note that this is true for ANY of the DAPs supported by rockbox, not just iPods. It's just easier to get iPods as the hardware since they're more readily available than others.

You're not ignorant? I said there are other alternatives for DAPs with gapless playback. I didn't even say anything about iPods. Next thing you said: So there you go. I provide the solution: rockbox for gapless playback, yet you're ranting on and on about Sonicstage.

But the NWZ version, the version that will be released outside Japan, does not.

Err, how does Sony view the format as a threat? They co-developed AAC themselves. The lack of HE-AAC is not the same as the crippled MP3 playback. HE-AAC to AAC is like MP3pro to MP3. Most MP3 devices do not support MP3pro.

What makes you think Sony gave up? Sony co-developed AAC for God's sake. How do you know they didn't implement some of their knowledge of Atrac in AAC? Sony tried to keep Atrac proprietary in the past. It failed, and Sony knew it would fail, thus now we have a standard called AAC.

I guess you don't really follow the history of Sony. Nothing to do with Atrac or sonicstage. Heck, Sonicstage came in pretty late in the game. Blame it on Sony USA, not the consumer. In the past, many MP3 DAPs were NOT drag-n-drop either. MD is successful in Japan because Sony Japan fully support it, releasing plenty of colorful units, plenty of blanks and accessory, plenty of MD boomboxes, decks, etc. Plus support from 3rd party like Aiwa, Panasonic, Sharp, etc. Did the same thing happen in the US? Nope. The rest is history.

No you fool. Sure iPods work great and gapless capable, but there is something called rockbox. Gotta love ignorant fanboys.

Err, who is that "reviewer?" I doubt that this is true. Sony already have chips that can decode both Atrac and MP3 natively long before the A3000 is released. If the A3000 is doing transcoding on the fly, SQ and battery life would suffer a LOT, not just a little. Nothing to see here.

Yeah, and also the A9 series, but what's the point if they're not even available outside Japan?

SS4.2 can encode to HE-AAC as well. However, NONE of Sony's DAPs can play HE-AAC properly, except Sony Ericsson cellphones. I agree that the lack of support for HE-AAC is disappointing. It's the same thing with any DAPs too. iPods don't support HE-AAC either. Almost any current non-cellphone DAPs that support AAC don't support HE-AAC. This only contribute to the confusion for the consumers and slow down the adoption rate of AAC.

No, you don't have to suffer. Sure, back then, there are not many options for gapless playback capable DAP. Now, there are plenty of alternative DAPs that can do gapless with MP3 just fine. I was in your position, but not anymore. If Sony thinks gapless is not important, let them be, buy something else.

The S70x series can do gapless with AAC just fine, so Atrac is not the only way to achieve gapless. Let's face it. Sony decided to move on, to AAC. They co-developed AAC in the first place! Just think AAC as the next version of Atrac.

:D LOL Yeah, MS is the reverse of Sony. The software is unicode capable, yet Microsoft refuse to put the required fonts on the Zune itself. Even a Microsoft person complained about this on his blog.

Try re-initializing your HD5. This will erase all content on your HD5. If you're ready to re-rip your CDs, here's a couple things to do: 1. Re-install Sonicstage. Make sure you use Asia Pacific version of Sonicstage. Other versions like US are plagued with DRM initialization issues with Atrac AD devices. 2. Use version 4.2/4.3. 3. Make sure you disable copy protection when you rip your CDs to Atrac. This will eliminate many of potential problems later on, including backups. Of course, you can always rip to MP3 instead and not having to worry about DRM. 4. Gotta love Sony huh. Remember that Sony is stopping support for Sonicstage and Atrac outside Japan.

Both the EX71 and EX90 don't have noise reduction. If you want cheap, MDR-E10. Surprisingly decent SQ for the price. Other than that, the EX71 is for you (bass+treble).

If you're going to keep using your A3000, then why delete the Atrac files? Your player will still be able to play those files. However, if you're thinking of moving on, then start ripping newer tracks in MP3/AAC. If you need gapless, there are other DAPs that can play MP3/AAC gaplessly.

So, you already know there is no gapless playback, yet you still buy it? Good luck in "hoping" for a firmware update, while there are other DAPs that can do perfect gapless with MP3 and AAC readily available. Why don't you just buy a DAP that actually capable of gapless playback in the first place? Crossfade != gapless.

LOL How ironic. With MD, 1st gen HiMD, early Network Walkmen, HD1, everybody was saying how they suck because they only supported Atrac. It goes in full circle now.

OK, then I'm afraid the standalone CD copier might be the problem. If the CD is gapless, Sonicstage should be able to rip the gaplessly. All I rip thru Sonicstage are copies (ripped via EAC), not the original, and I always get perfect gapless albums as long as I ripped all tracks at one go.

Well, I'm afraid so. That's the problem with US version of Sonicstage. Due to Sony's DRM, it will force initializations on Atrac Audio Devices everytime you upgrade the software. Try installing the Asia Pacific version, see if you're lucky. Other than that, prepare to re-rip your music collection.

70+ views, but no answer to this easy question? Oops, forgot the keyword: Apple, iPod. Short answer is: No.

If the "copy" is an actual copy of the original and gapless, then I don't see why it cannot be ripped and produce gapless tracks.

You forgot the keywords: Apple, iPod. OK, now to the question. Which region of Sonicstage do you currently have? US? You can try installing the Asia-Pacific version of Sonicstage, but in my experience, you would still have to initialize your player once. If you already deleted the songs from your PC, prepare to re-rip your music again. Gotta love Sony huh.