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Take a deep breath, you've now learned that Sony DRM is a pain( judging by the expletives). First of all, don't sell the DAP...It's an excellent player. The important question is this.....Has the firmware been upgraded to allow your HD1 to play MP3 files? If not do a search on this forum for the relevant instructions on upgrading. Secondly, right off your atrac files, all sorts of things go wrong with DRM if a failure occurs during a transfer.Sony are quite clear about this in their instructions. Delete the whole lot of them. Now, remove SS2.1, download and install SS4.3. Go to Sony Europe Support site ( can't remember the address....Google it ) In the settings on SS.4.3 set the music library folder to the standard Windows 'My music' folder by using the browsing feature and select your chosen ripping format as MP3 and whatever bitrate you like. You may have to do a bit of familiarising here. What we have done here is ensured that yoyr music is ripped without DRM and the files have not been buried somewhere in Windows where you can't find them, i.e they are all in your 'My Music' folder in MP3 format. Next time a transfer goes wrong or you do a system restore your files will remain intact and usable. You can now transfer your music to the HD1 in MP3 format. ( with all devices connected to the mains supply) BTW this works for me, I am sure there are others witha different approach. The point here is your ATRAC files are probably trashed and you don't want the same thing to happen again. Good Luck.

Actually, I think that is a bit harsh. They may be 'OLD' but they are excellent players if you can tolerate being locked down to ATRAC. They are still supported by Sony, and SS 4.3 still acknowledges and sync's with the MS series of Walkmans. The styling is nice too,very unique.........BTW, I have the MS 77D and can vouch for the quality of these players.

Yep, DEADLY silent...........the best has just got better!!

I am really pleased to see such good support for Sonicstage. I have been using SonicStage since V1.5 which was pretty awful but it is excellent music management software now. This is the key issue for me .....music management...'Drag and Drop' offers no facility to manage my music files. Personally, I don't like 'Drag and Drop' and hope that Sony have no intentions of going down that road as appears to be the case with the upcoming B-series of Walkmans.If this happens I am sure that the Atrac codec will be next to suffer and eventually Sonicstage will get the hammer. I recently convinced a friend of mine to buy the NW-S705 for the NC properties alone. When I questioned him about Sonicstage he responded that it was nothing as bad as some of the reviews he read on the 'net. So, the whole point about reviewers trashing something before really testing it is a valid one.I am also certain that a lot of these reviewers actually own an ipod and are biased towards Apple before they even take the device ( and software) out of the box. I still cannot believe that the ipod nano got 8.3.

8.3 for ipod nano........absolutely unbelievable. Also,Is there any way we can stop comparing everything with the ipod?

To answer GQ Smooth; these are images of the original leather case for the NW-S70* series. Incidentally,thanks for the review of the NW-A80* case, I am still waiting for it to arrive to the Sony Centres in Ireland though. Anthony

IN fairness to Dura I think his point related to the salespersons reasoning. Looking cool is for fashion outlets, there is a lot more to choosing any form of technology than simply the way it looks.........Having said that Apple have managed to pedal the ipod on appearances only. It 'just looks good''but it's crap digital music player IMO...and yes I do continue to try each new generation just for fun.

If you transfer your music to the NW-A806 in it's current compatible format ( WMA-non DRM; AAC-non DRM;MP3) there will be no extra hard disc space required by SonicStage. The software will only index the file path when you import the music.. If you decide to convert to ATRAC format you will need the extra disc space but there is really no need to do such a conversion.SonicStage is now a very stable and capable piece of software unllike earlier versions. You are asking a lot of questions of a forum that (in general) don't like the ipod for all the reasons already mentioned. Do yourself a big favour and treat yourself to the NW-A80* or NW-S70*.You WILL NOT regret it.......ipod is a fashion statement,not a quality music player. As for the headphones they are probably better quality than the EX71's IMO.

Unless I require NC I always use my Seinheisser CX 300's. While sound quality is much the same as the bundled phones they cannot be beaten for comfort IMO.

Does the S705 cradle with the silicon sleeve fitted?

It's a Sony Memory Stick reader model No.MSAC-US40. I use to transfer ATRAC3 files to memory stick for the NW-MS7. I also use it to read images from my digital camera.

Okay, here's my collection.

I own the NW-HD3 which is similar in many ways to the HD5. I now use it for the car only as I have it hooked up to my head unit. I find the sound quality is excellent compared to a lot of MP3 players including the various ipods. However, the new batch of Walkmans,particularly the NW-S7 and NW-A8 series are far superior in sound quality. I presume this is down to the Clear Audio technologies and improved DSP's. As for headphones,stock buds have improved dramatically but I always fall back on my Seinheisser CX-300's especially when comparing sound quality between units. SE phones are great MP3 units,but again the audio is not up to the same standards as the Walkmans.

God,we are all so sad............It's Great!!!!!!!!!I'll post my pictures later.

I have the SE W800i, very good MP3 player (and phone) but in no way matches the quality of the NW S70* or the NW-A80*...........simple as that really.

What's wrong with the Frauenhofer Professional codec . I didn't realise there was another variable in the search for high sound quality. My understanding was high bitrate and a good playback device was sufficient. Anthony

http://marcnetsystem.co.uk/cgi-bin/mn2.pl?...,V83M0R564,39,2, I asked the same question some time back on another forum and was sent this link. I'm only passing on the link........I do not promote breaking DRM,neither am I certain it will work in all cases..................... . Anthony

I have a 20GB NW-HD3 which I use solely for the car. I have a 35 mile (each way ) commute daily. Once a week I bring the walkman indoors to recharge the battery and synch any new downloads via Sonicstage. To answer your question, yes, I have use for a high capacity walkman, my entire music collection is on the HD3.However, I use my S703 around town and my A805 for admiring technological advancement.

Interesting case dita. I hear the Samsung is bulkier than the NW-A8 series. Is this true?

As I posted on another forum.....scratches are for everything except Sony Walkmans.My NW-MS7 is still in perfect condition and I still use it. Anthony

How dare you suggest it would be okay to get a scratch on the A80*......tut.tut

NINE INCH NAILS-BROKEN E.P, especially 'Gave up'...........great track..and for old times sake I have transferred it to my NW-MS7(memory stick) walkman. The player still sounds great considering it was one of the first NW's. Anthony

I contacted my local Sony Centre ( Cork,Ireland) today. They will have a range of accessories for the NW-A80* series delivered next week. I am told there are three different types of case due in.

I think your nuts enough to join the club.

I am so impressed with the NW-A805 that I am afraid to take it out of the house. Sad, I know but this device is so expertly put together that it would be a shame to get even the tiniest mark on it. As for the idea of ever dropping it, don't go there.Even my wife (who thinks I have a problem )has commented on how impressive this little gadget looks and sounds. Which leads me to my point. I have searched the 'net and the high street for a leather case for the NW-A80* and so far I have failed to locate one. I read on some of the threads here that some people have purchased a case, I would be grateful if someone would let me know where to locate one and at what price. It's time to cut the grass, I'll have take the NW-S703 I think. Anthony ( My name is Anthony and I have a Sony Walkman problem )