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Sony sound quality is amongst the best out there. That's why a lot of us here put up with their 'quirkiness'. If you want to get the best out of your player go for the best headphones you can afford. It is,however, a matter of taste........For me the Seinnheisser CX 300's are superb at a reasonable price.Don't even think about getting them on eBay as most of them are fake. I cannot comment on the headphones you have linked to as I don't know anything about them, but the price would lead me to believe that they are a bit too 'average' for your A3000 though.

This will not download as an MP3 file so I cannot check it out!!!!

You say that the battery isn't charging and the PC doesn't see the device. You clearly have a connection issue either with the USB port on the PC or the WM port on your Walkman. Try plugging the device into another PC to see if the Battery icon indicates a the device is charging.....

I have posted a few complaints about network connectivity and this device in another thread. However, once you get this little device up and going you will not regret it.The sound is absolutely AMAZING. It streams radio extremely well and it looks cool. The detail on the screen is a little muddled and incomplete but I'm sure improvements are saved for a later version. I have the 'line in' connected to the 'audio out' on my satellite TV box and the sound improvement over my JVC flatscreen is incredible. With the price of this device falling I would highly recommend it. But beware, there is a learning curve with the networking side of the device as it is not entirely straight forward.Also, it is troublesome if you use it to cradle your 70* or 80* as detailed in another thread here. The buttons on the remote don't seem to do as described when it comes to selecting tracks. I do expect this to be sorted out with a firmware upgrade ( he says hopefully).

Just bought and set up this device. What a bloody nightmare. From what I can gather, all of the remote control functions work fine with the 'Networking' side of things. But, the remote is useless with both my 703 and 805. The only buttons that work for the tracks are the +/- buttons, everything else is 'dead'. As for networking, well, at the moment it keeps dropping the connection with my PC ( Ethernet). Lovely device, sounds great, but the usual effing crap with Sony devices. I also have a DLINK Media Streamer.............plug it in,select 'Connect' and never again a problem...............What the hell is it with SONY.

Only for the NWZ series though. http://support.sony-europe.com/dna/MediaMa...ation.aspx?l=en

But the NW-910 series supports SS and Atrac. Doesn't make 'Drag and Drop' redundant for this device. I thought Media Manager was intended as the new alternative to SS.

Thanks for that. You put a bit work into the detail. I don't have the technical background to comment on SQ but I know 'shit' sound when I hear it. My cousin has the new nano and quite honestly I don't know how reviewers can rate this damn thing at all. As for the Samsung, well I have some funds for a new DAP and I just may start looking at Samsung......................cheers.

That's not very 'GREEN' for a company that consistently claims to care for the environment. http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/Environment/e...sion/index.html

Download registry mechanic http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/ It's free to try and has solved all sorts of problems ( some serious) for me. There is a free trial version. Check out what it comes up with after a system scan, if you find references to SonicStage you may a registry problem. The trial will fix 10 errors at a time.

Thanks all, that's one issue out of the way. Now, for a definitive review from a trusted source.

Once again my PC has ground to a halt because of various reasons and will soon require a re-install of the O.S. Given that it is a high end PC and will be able to run VISTA am considerring the upgrade. However, it is CRUCIAL that Sonicstage will work. Does anybody have any experience...... I am one of the lucky ones that has had no issues with SS under XP.

They couldn't care less, I would say. I was just wondering...........Is Sony in a profit situation with their Walkman range? Does anyone know anything about this.?

To assign album art in SS; do the following.......... In SS Library list your music in album/playlist format>right click on the album>select properties. Open the folder containing the album art ( I usually download cover arts to a folder in 'My Pictures') and drag the image into the provided area>click ok. Wait while SS applies the cover art to each track.............done. Ensure 'intelleingent features' is also selected in transfer settings in SS options.

I tried out your suggestions and I agree. All I need is a small increase in Clear Bass to add a little warmth.....thanks for that

I agree, i think the A80*,A81* looks more stylish

There will be punishment for forcing Sony to Drop SS in some regions. The first crack of the wip will be NO NW-A91* for the 'bold boys'. Soon we will be wishing for the 'Good Ol' Days' of ATRAC.

I find this icon business a bit time consuming and 'Hit and Miss' also. On the face of it, it is a very simple thing to do. I've had my devices 'iconed' for some time now but they have all decided not to work again over the past few days for no apparent reason.

By the way, you don't have a 'strange' taste in music at all - it's diverse which gives you a lot of variety. If yours is 'strange' then mine must be 'certifiable' Thanks for your reply, Juli. I will try your suggested settings as soon as I get the chance and will report back. I'm glad I'm not the only one here that has such a wide range of musical interests. I used to think that classical music was for a 'particular' stereotype, but I actually like it sometimes.

I have the strangest taste in music........... ranging from Metal all the way to Classical depending on my mood. I have a fairly good handle on setting up my Walkman(s) for 'LOUD' music but would appreciate some help with the Classical end. Classical music has such a wide range that I find it very difficult to settle on EQ and other settings. One thing I realized fairly quickly is the effect that the 'Dynamic Normalizer' has in increasing the volume when it is turned off, but I cannot decide whether to leave it on or off. Could somebody please post some of their settings here for me to try out. P.S I listen in MP3@192k or VBR ( some downloads are in VBR)

You can get the cradle here; http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/A...WS700.1951.html They provide worldwide shipping. I bought this cradle also, well worth the investment as it really shows off the player ( if you're into that sort of thing)

It's good to see they are 'giving' away this speaker system with the NW-A80* Walkman. I would imagine they will turn up on ebay at a good price soon. At the moment my local Sony Center is looking for €299 for this device...........It might be good but it's not worth that!!!!!!!!!

It won't work as it was designed for the earlier A-series. Besides, as bad as SS is, Connect is absolute CRAP.

Ipod is not ( and never will be ) about sound quality. It is all about the being the latest fashion ( must have ) icon. When you realize this, as I eventually did, you will stop reading ipod reviews and learn to ignore the fact that reviews on all other DAP devices have to include ( frustratingly) a comparison to the ipod. As for the Wall Street Journal reviewing a DAP, well, it's a bit like Vogue magazine reviewing a car, it should be passed over as an advertisement really.

......and as author of this thread I thought you might be interested in this sound bite from www.advancedmp3players.co.uk weekly e-newsletter............ .........The NWA-800 series has been a great seller and was universally praised on launch, for it's build and sound quality - not to mention the fact that it was aimed fairly and squarely at the non-video iPod Nano and had great quality video playback. Sony are in the process of updating this player to rid it of the need to sync with SonicStage. It's going to become a full MTP player, capable of synching with Windows Media Player and renamed NWZ-A810. Sony have also promised a firmware patch for existing NWA-800 owners who wish to drop SonicStage. More news the minute we get first stocks! :excl: :excl: