Sony's NW-HD3

[MDX-400]

...So much that I actually purchased a second one! LOL...

This time I got a blue one (the colour I originally wanted). I'm thinking now I can mod the output on one (to stay in fixed Line-Out mode) and have the other if I ever need to use headphones... I'll also get to see whether this one has the alleged hiss or not (because the pink one does NOT).

[Modding the headphone amp is going to be a lot harder than I originally thought though. Dismantling the pink one revealed that the internals are absolutely *tiny*--I may have to find a shop that will do it for me because I definitely don't have the equipment to solder that small scale.]

Anyway here's a pic from the auction....

Going to end up perhaps $25 US more than the pink one but comes with the AC adapter (pink one didn't) and even the packaging, which is nice.

It's unfortunate that Sony never marketed this thing in Canada (nor the HD5) because I think it would have been popular. I honestly don't see how the [ugly IMO] HD5 or the newer A3000 really improved on the HD3. The HD5 you get a screen but the thing looks like a GameBoy, lol. The A3000 seems pretty pricey (for the price of an A3000 I pretty much bought two lightly used HD3s) and though it has additional features and a very nice design, these are minimal enhancements... I mean Sony could have at least made the A3000 40G or something...

[Guest Stuge]

Hey ,You are not the only one who has to two HD3`s..I`m also sailing with you in the same boat ...LOL

[MDX-400]

Hey ,You are not the only one who has to two HD3`s..I`m also sailing with you in the same boat ...LOL

Haha cool Hey you even have an HD5 too eh? Well I guess since I only have two HDD DAPs and other people have like three or more, I'm not crazy LOL...

Hey here's a question I thought of though Stuge. (I didn't think of this until I remembered about having to initialise/erase the first HD3 when I installed SS...) If I have two HD3s, how does all the DRM stuff from SS like that? What I mean is, can I simply transfer whatever I have in my library to either/both devices without any hassles? Would SS even recognise connecting two HD3s at the same time, or can you only have one connected at a time?

[Guest Stuge]

Yeah ,I also have one HD5 ..My brother gave me the his HD3 as he lost the BCA-NWHD3 adapter & Sony was asking huge amount for that little thing so he decided to buy new hd5 & gave his HD3 ..SO that atleast i can use it as spares or storage hehe..

But i can confirm you that you can use both the network walkman connected at the same time to your computer .No fear of DRM what so ever ..

[lxrichbirdxl]

Cool! Is it possible to transfer from one Walkman to another?

[Guest Stuge]

Cool! Is it possible to transfer from one Walkman to another?

No,It is not possible to tranfer songs directly .

[metal]

Currently HD3 is on sale in HK and I'm thinking if I should get one.

But before that I would like to know two things:

(a) How's the battery life as I'm rather disappointed with the battery life of A1000.

( The playback behaviour -- under normal playback after it play the last track of an album, will it start playing the first track of next album. Selecting album mode (normal play), will it stop at the end or rewind the first like A1000?

Any advice, thks.

Edited April 20, 2006 by metal

[Guest Stuge]

Currently HD3 is on sale in HK and I'm thinking if I should get one.

But before that I would like to know two things:

(a) How's the battery life as I'm rather disappointed with the battery life of A1000.

( The playback behaviour -- under normal playback after it play the last track of an album, will it start playing the first track of next album. Selecting album mode (normal play), will it stop at the end or rewind the first like A1000?

Any advice, thks.

I usually get 17-20 hours battery life (Atrac3 Plus 192kpbs ).It aslo it depends how many times you fiddle with your player

For the second Question ..Yes ..until you select play mode "play unit "

[metal]

THanks. Looks like it's worth getting afterall.

[maggior]

I just purchased one of these myself from EBay. I lost patience for Sony to release a new HD based DAP here in the US. When the A3000 was dropped from SonyStyle Canada, I lost hope.

I got a red one that is a Sony refurb. I am just now finished loading it up about 3/4 full. I messed about with it before - it rocks!!! If the seller told me it was new, I would have believed him. It doesn't have a single scratch on it and included all accessories.

So, in addition to my 2 MD players, I now have a 3rd ATRAC DAP to add to my list :-).

What impresses me is how solid this unit feels. As on any Sony unit I've used, the buttons are solid feeling and provide good feedback when pressed. Plus, the unit is metal! The rounded edges feel good in your hand. The rectangle orientation will take a little getting used to, but that's not a big deal to me.

The navigation is straight forward and relatively no frills. Just what I was looking for. And the gapless playback of ATRAC that I've learned to love!! The LCD panel is pretty high resolution for what it is and provides the essential info, along with a backlight. Good enough for me - a color screen may be nice, but this does the job. I don't need to view pix or videos on my music player!!

I highly recommend this unit. It sounds as good as my RH910 HiMD player, but is smaller and has a more solid feel to it. And it holds just a bit more music ;-). I normally don't go for refurbished units, but I'm impressed with this one. I'll be burning it through the battery over the next couple of days to make sure it is OK. So far so good :-).

Cheers!

Rich

Edited April 28, 2006 by maggior

[metal]

Me too! I've just purchased the last unit (silver) in a departmental store at a clearance sale.

And the unit is Made in Japan really is a nice surprise.

I personally like this one more than the A1000 due to the latter's weird playback behaviour.

Generally agree with your remarks.

I'm currently checking the battery life and do hope it is much much better than A1000.

Edited April 28, 2006 by metal