NW-A3000 + Connect Player Impressions

[Guest Stuge]

It's scary to see that sony, talking about rebirth, sell this soft with such a wonderfull player.

Thats why i think connect is still a feeding bottle baby with lots of dirty nappies.

[Ascariss]

That is maybe a possible reason why then canada and australia will be getting their units later on.

The purple A3000 is released nov 28th here, with the silver following on the 15th of decemeber, so I am guessing that that silver one will come with the latest firmware ie with wma support, although that doesn't matter to me. I wouldn't be so sure for the purple one though, my guess is that it will only ship with the latest connect they can get onto the cd before heading out of the factory, but then again I could be wrong.

There is something I do want to know if anyone knows, again just throwing it out there.

Anyone know how many units sony has planned to move for the A1000/3000 series?

on amazon.co.uk the silver 20 gig model is now ranked 14th which is quite respectful. Although most reviews still have negative views about the software, other people are not having problems, so I am at odds why this is.

I am hoping sony works the bugs out for their sake, the bad press in the US witht the XCP might possibly affect launch of the new players if you ask me. It would be suicide to launch a product when the news isn't really in your favour.

Thats why i think  connect is still a feeding bottle baby with lots of dirty nappies.

←

That's the problem, these problems should have been solved while beta testing, surely they would have shown up right away.

[Ascariss]

2 reviews but they are in french:

http://www.generationmp3.com/forum/Sony_NW...6Go-t26636.html

http://www.generationmp3.com/forum/Sony_NW...6Go-t26514.html

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

you can use babelfish to translate.

although the translation is rough I get the major points, but it would be nice for someone who speaks french to translate it better than babelfish.

[Guest Stuge]

Packaging Looks really great..................

Player "Made in Malaysia" like NW-hd5 but doesn`t matter...............

Side Buttons on (A1000) the player looks really bad bad....

such a bad design sony have choosen (YAKKK)

Edited November 24, 2005 by Stuge

[Ascariss]

Even though it is made in malaysia, the build quality looks pretty good when I looked at it.

there are only 2 side buttons. The volume one and the artist link one, the volume is easy to easy and in nice position. I tested the artist link, but with only 2 songs, it was a pointless action.

[AlanL]

I didn't realise until the NW-A3000 arrived that the Connect software does not install on Windows ME. There is no mention of this on the Sony site or on Amazon.

I'm using SonicStage 3.3 to transfer albums onto the player (mostly existing MP3s). This generally works OK, but when transferring certain albums, the transfer seems to hang on a particular track. The only way out of it is to switch off the PC and disconnect the A3000, which can leave orphaned tracks on the player that the library does not know about, but these can be identified and manually deleted in Windows Explorer after restarting.

The hanging problem seems to have nothing to do with the amount being transferred, since the same albums fail at the same point every time. It's happened with MP3 and Atrac files. Does anybody know what might be causing the hanging? I've tried connecting the A3000 directly to the PC instead of via a hub, but the same problem occurs.

I can get round it by re-ripping or transcoding the problem albums, but at this rate it will take me a long time to transfer my 300+ albums.

[Ascariss]

Not sure why it's hanging, but most people now a days are not using ME, and XP is the standard operating system. It could be ME.

[Guest Stuge]

Please installl windows xp first.

Sony software sometime give headaches with old operating system

[Razorback]

1)Which one has louder sound? NW-HD3 with the volumelimiter cracked or NW-A1000

And when we compare the quality of sound, HD3 or A1000??

2)i have no playlist file on my pc and i dont want to have too.. just a folder which is full of mp3s in mp3 format at 192kbps. i will just transfer the mp3s to device directly from connect player and all the sorting will be made in the device?? right? i mean using the time machine artist link sort by genre and etc. is possible??? And, are these playing modes efficient and pleasing???

3)my pc specs are p4 2.4 HT , 256mb ddr400 , asusp4p800 motherboard , 80gb maxtor.. Will there be any problem for the connect player requirements?? i am using win xp pro sp1. will there be any stability problems?

4)which one is better mp3 at 192kbps or atrac3plus at 192 kbps?? and what is the atracs advantage? for the capacity, please give me a ratio..

5)eweryone buys the silver one.. here is only available the purple one.. i think the purple one is the best.. Why do you prefer the silver? please explain..

6)after all the problems, do you still recommend the A1000??

7)We must as soon as start a mail bomb to all of the sony sites individually.. i can handle Turkey's..

Edited November 24, 2005 by Razorback

[Razorback]

one more question.. is it possible to change the key pad color in A1000 model??

[Guest Stuge]

one more question.. is it possible to change the key pad color in A1000 model??

←

Photographs(published in the forum ) gives us view that pad Colour in A-series can be changed.....

[Razorback]

anwers the previous post please.. it is more important.. according to your opinions, i will buy it in a few days.. please be objective..

thanks...

[Sispéo]

2 reviews but they are in french:

http://www.generationmp3.com/forum/Sony_NW...6Go-t26636.html

http://www.generationmp3.com/forum/Sony_NW...6Go-t26514.html

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

you can use babelfish to translate.

although the translation is rough I get the major points, but it would be nice for someone who speaks french to translate it better than babelfish.

←

too lazy to translate , but you can find it in english via : http://www.dapreview.net/news.php

Edited November 25, 2005 by Sispéo

[Ascariss]

A full out translation would be better, hopfully once I get my player I can write a complete review.

[Guest Stuge]

1)Which one has louder sound? NW-HD3 with the volumelimiter cracked or NW-A1000

And when we compare the quality of sound, HD3 or A1000??

Ans1.. Its obvious that NW-HD3 with volumelimt cracked will sound louder then NW-A1000..

I don`t think there will be any sound quality difference b/w HD3 or A1000.

2)i have no playlist file on my pc and i dont want to have too.. just a folder which is full of mp3s in mp3 format at 192kbps. i will just transfer the mp3s to device directly from connect player and all the sorting will be made in the device?? right? i mean using the time machine artist link sort by genre and etc. is possible??? And, are these playing modes efficient and pleasing???

ANS2.No, NOT AT ALL U CAN`T sort songs on the player .U will have to make groups if u want differents alums to be on the same folder..

3)my pc specs are p4 2.4 HT , 256mb ddr400 , asusp4p800 motherboard , 80gb maxtor.. Will there be any problem for the connect player requirements?? i am using win xp pro sp1. will there be any stability problems?

Ans3. 256 mb ram is enough but sony at the same time Recommend 512mb ram for "Connect " Player

For windows xp u will need to upgrade to windows service pack 2

4)which one is better mp3 at 192kbps or atrac3plus at 192 kbps?? and what is the atracs advantage? for the capacity, please give me a ratio..

Ans4.Atrac3plus 192kpbs is much better then mp3 192kpbs.If u compare same file one in atrac 192kpbs & one mp3 192kpbs then both will be of same size.....

But Atrac3 132kpbs seems to to give same sound quality as Mp3 at 192kpbs

Since u have Songs in mp3 192kpbs so i will not recommend u to convert ur songs to atrac format as during conversion sound quality is lost....

(It is better to convert audio cds to atrac)

5)eweryone buys the silver one.. here is only available the purple one.. i think the purple one is the best.. Why do you prefer the silver? please explain..

Ans5. It`s a very personal thing .SINCE PURPLE is only colour available in ur country so ur handicapped in this case.No other choice for u.Then go for purple its not that bad either...

6)after all the problems, do you still recommend the A1000??

Ans6.As Chris(Admin) has already mentioned in his new post that there will a MAJOR UPDATE for Connect in few weeks.....

So u can wait till then ...As we will test the software at that time & we will give reviews(about the update)

7)We must as soon as start a mail bomb to all of the sony sites individually.. i can handle Turkey's..

Ans 7. NICE SUGGESTION .i HAVE ALREADY SEND MAIL REGARDING NEW "CONNECT PLAYER TO Sony India,U.K,US ETC

Edited November 26, 2005 by Stuge

[jshaw300]

Photographs(published in the  forum ) gives us view that pad Colour in A-series can be changed.....

←

I think you might find that is just the 'Artist Link' function. My A1000 has a coolish blue light but when you press the Artist Link button, the buttons glow orange. Looks pretty....

Edited November 25, 2005 by jshaw300

[Razorback]

İt is so weird?? What is the point by doing this???

And i thank you stuge again... But if you give me more detailed answer about my second question.. i will be so pleased..

[stuartmees]

Ascariss, and everyone else reading, Im affraid the rumours you heard about the new Connect Player not being compatible with HD5's (and all earlier models) is very true. I phoned Sony and spoke to them about this and they confirmed that the new Digital Music Manager, "Connect Player", isn't compatible with these models, only with the new Walkmans.

Its a shame to hear all these problems with the new player but it does make me happy in a way. I only just bought the HD5 and was pissed off when they annouced the release of the new walkman with the new Connect Player. I thought atleast this player would be compatible with my HD5, but apparantly not. So these bugs makes the release of the Connect Player a bit easier for me to stomach. It looks good though!!!!!!!!!

How long do you think we will have to wait for these bugs and backwards compatibilty problems to be sorted out?...if at all?

[Guest Stuge]

How long do you think we will have to wait for these bugs and backwards compatibilty problems to be sorted out?...if at all?

As Kurisu has already mentioned in his new post that a Major update will be available in few weeks & it will make connect more playfull ...so we r waiting for that update to come....

[Guest Stuge]

I think you might find that is just the 'Artist Link' function. My A1000 has a coolish blue light but when you press the Artist Link button, the buttons glow orange. Looks pretty....

←

BUT CAN U CHANGE COLOUR FROM BLUE TO ORANGE FROM MAIN MENU PERMANENTLY....WITHOUT PRESSING ARTIST LINK

thanks for telling that.......

[onepixeldeep]

Hi - I Am seriously considering purchasing one of these machines - but am having second thoughts after reading some of these comments.

Can someone answer me this...

Do you have to use 'software' to transfer .MP3 files across to the Sony NW A3000 ?

At the moment I am using an antiquated Archos device and basically when connected, my PC sees it as a Hard Drive/Storage device and basically I just transfer albums of music in their own folders via USB 2.0 onto it. This is done via drag and drop thru Windows XP.

I don't use 'playlists' or anything fancy like that ;-) - so don't care about extra 'features'

Can this be done on the NW A3000, or what ?

[Ascariss]

You can use sonicstage 3.3 to transfer music to the device, there is no drag and drop like on the connect player, but SS is rather simple to use.

The device once connected to the PC can also be used as a storage device, but you can't transfer music to listen to it, by just using windows explorer.

[subLime]

There is a tool available on the sony website which allows you to add music via drag&drop onto your player:

Driver & MP3 File Manager Ver.2.0 Installer

Applicable Model : NW-E103/E105/E107/E403/E405/E407/E503/E505/E507

For Network Walkman owners, we offer MP3 File Manager Ver.2.0 program which can transfer MP3 files by dragging and dropping them to the Network Walkman.

http://www.sonydigital-link.com/DNA/downlo...p&f=lp_mp3&l=en

Maybe this will work with the NW-A series, too?

Would be really interesting. Maybe someone who got one of those new players could check that out!?

I´m sure i am not the only one who would like to know.

Thanks in advance

[Guest Stuge]

There are some NW-A3000/1000 firmware update have been released on japanese site..Those having japanese models can try it.But i don`t think it is wma firmware update

NW-A3000 itself software update program

NW-A1000 itself software update program

[snowy999]

Just thought I'd add my opinion.

My NW HD5 stopped working so Sony replaced it with the A3000. However whereas the HD5 was small, had an easily replaceable battery, and came with a soft cover, the A3000 is big, does not have an easily replaceable battery (i assume you have to send it in to Sony just like the ipod to Apple), comes with no cover, even though it can very easily be scratched, and comes with sony CONNECT software, which I could spend the whole of this email complaining about, but I believe there are enough posts in this forum explaining just how very bad it is. Aparently Sony thinks this is a step forward in MP3 dominance, hmmmm!

The sound is good, but I don't feel it goes loud enough, especially when in the vicinity of heavy traffic, even after disabling the volume delimiter.

Features are good, but speed of scrolling through the menu-ie track back to album, back to artist, back to main I find particularly slow.

The worst thing I find (apart from 'CONNECT') is the fact that once you transfer your tracks over to your A3000 you cannot transfer them back. I tend to delete my music from my PC once they're on my MP3 (they take alot of room), trouble is now you can't get them back, using file explorer to browse the A3000 just shows a load of files with OMG numbers!

Personally I wouldn't buy another, Sonic Stage was bad until the 3 series came out, Connect is even worse, it is slow (using a 2.4 P4 with 512 ram), does crash, and should never have been release without prior extensive testing.

[Guest Stuge]

snowy999,

Welcome to "AtracLife"

does not have an easily replaceable battery (i assume you have to send it in to Sony just like the ipod to Apple),

I would like to correct you here A3000 has a replaceable battery there is no need to send it to Sony service station for that ...If you replace battery by yourself it doesn`t void warrenty ..

Please Read NW-A3000 Online manual page no"84"

[snowy999]

Sorry I stand corrected it does have a replaceable battery!

I got my information from asking the staff in the Sony Centre on Tottenham Court Road in London.

The only reason I asked was because I couldn't see a way of opening the case. The screw is in fact hidden behind a small circular plate on the back thay you remove with a pair of tweezers.

[Chris J]

Hi everyone! I thought I'd register and post about the new Sony NWA 3000 which I got today for Christmas (a black one)

I found this forum when I was thinking of asking for this player for Christmas, and every site has so much negativity about the CONNECT player. I really was risking it when I finally decided this is the player I want. But I thought to myself, "really, it can't be THAT bad. I'm sure it will be fine".

Installed CONNECT which was fine, no problems. Then I launched the program for the first time, where it told me I should install a new update from the net, so I just clicked OK and it installed the update by itself, so I'm now all up to date (v 1.0.02.11170). And then I imported all my tracks and ripped a few albums, all going really nice and smoothly, no problems.

I even went as far as ripping 2 discs at the same time, even that was fine. And transferring everything to my player was even easier, really quick, no fuss.

I've had 0 problems with CONNECT. It's brilliant, okay it's a little slower than iTunes but this is only Version 1 and ALL first versions of programs aren't perfect!

I'm not saying people are exaggerating about CONNECT, all software works differently in different environments unfortunately, which can be a nightmare for developers. But I thought I'd post my postitive experiences with everyone if people are a little wary of buying this player because of the software.

Oh and the player is brill

[Ascariss]

Welcome Chris J, thanks for sharing your opinions on your player, do share some pictures in the near future when you can.

[Chris J]

Here are some pictures

Nice shiny purple outter card box.

And inside is a solid cardboard box. No where near as big as this photo makes it look!

Here it is opened up (shows the actual size of the box better than the one above).

The player switched off with the earphones and the USB connected in the bottom.

Just another picture of the player switched off.

Edited December 27, 2005 by Chris J

[Guest Stuge]

Hi,

Chris J,

Thanks for your contribution...

[Stevetynant]

I'd just like to back up Chris J's feelings on the players- the negative reviews all seem 99% focussed on CP not on the walkmans themselves. I bought three of the 20 GB models- two for my daughters and one for myself back in November but couldn't load them up until Christmas day- the amount of bad press I read was giving me major concerns I must admit.

Loading the software was a bit of a problem and I had to uninstall once before I got it up and running but now I have over 1000 tracks on the player.

It was a bit of trial and error to begin with - I've not had an MP3 player before - but now I've got the vol limiter hack enabled, WMA support and all the upgrades to CP loaded- perhaps holding back a while just after the players were first brought out and software developed is a positive in my case and it will only get better before it is released further afield.

One of the problems I had was trying to load to the library certain albums like Alanis Morisettes jagged little pill acoustic- which has video files - but once I sussed out you could rip them in WMP then import - thing have gone pretty well.

The synchronize button I've avoided a bit to be honest as it did tend to hang a bit but apart from that I've become pretty comforatable with CP and I'm a first time user - so don't let it put you off - and the player itself is fantastic.

like Chris says- only positive things to say really - enjoy

cheers

Steve

[tazdevil]

Just got a new nwa-3000 and installed the connect software to import songs, it kept crashing on me. I had issues with my connect software, right from the go. Reinstalled the OS, and dumped 5 gig with of songs on a fresh install, in less than 17 minutes. Everything worked as it should. It sounds good, and looks good. Im impressed at this point.