Another NWZ-A818 Review!

[cliffster115]

I posted this review on Amazon.com around 2 weeks ago, but for those who are looking for another opinion on the NWZ-A8XX series, read on...

5.0 out of 5 stars This Walkman Simply ROCKS!, November 22, 2007

WOW. This player simply handles music superbly well and just ROCKS!!! Before getting this player, I originally was going to get either the iPod Touch or the Samsung YP-P2, from my dying 4G iPod and insufficient 1G 1GB Nano. The touch interfaces are pretty cool, but eventually thought that they were ultimately a gimmick and also provided no tactile controls. Plus, excellent sound quality is a top priority for me, and then cost. Before I made up my mind to spring for the YP-P2 for it's above average sound quality versus the Touch on Amazon, I came across the Sony Walkman NWZ-A818 which won a CNET Editor's Choice for it's excellent sound quality and bundles of features.

After reading CNET's review, I became a member of AtracLife forums and read almost all of the reviews for this player. Sony has always made quality players with superb sound quality, but software packaging always marred the overall user experience and package. However, I learned that this Sony, the NWZ-A818, no longer supports the notoriously horrid SonicStage and thus the ATRAC format. Rather, the player supports Drag & Drop and MPT, which users will be able to sync and use the player with Windows Media Player, and music formats of WMA, ACC, MP3, and WAV.

I have always been a fan of iTunes and it's excellent integration with iPods. Before the iPod, I had a Rio Karma, which I still miss today because of it's excellent sound quality. After the Karma came the 4G iPod, and then the 1G iPod nano. I have always thought the iPod's sound quality lacked something, a particular enveloping warm sound and low levels of bass. (I highly disregard the iPod's EQ, but bass reproduction is certainly biased with ok to good sound with the use of Sony's MDR-EX51 or Vmoda bass freq, or so I thought until I got the Sony A818)

Then came this Sony NWZ-A818. I simply cannot emphasize how excellent the sound quality of this player is, so I'm certainly not biased in anyway in giving high praises for this Sony Walkman. I listen to a variety of music genres, but my love is for EDM genres such as trance, dance, or drum & bass. Sound quality is of a high caliber on the flat settings. I'm listing to the player as of writing this review. I have the volume on a relatively low level, at 10/30, and the sound is very well balanced. The treble and bass are very well defined and correlate together perfectly in harmony. And then there are the multiple options of boosting the sound even further with two custom equalizers (5-band parameter settings) along with other presets and other 'surround sound' (most noteable is the Matrix setting). Not to mention that it comes with Clear Stereo, proprietary DSEE (sound enhancer for high bitrate files), and dynamic normalizer, which all work well. As a bonus, Sony included $70 MDR-082 earbuds, which are one of the best balanced earbuds I have owned. The player above all simply works great right out of the box, with no hassle of purchasing better earbuds.

Many user reviews for the sound quality of the NWZ-A818 are certainly not kidding (such as the excellent reviews from "S. Su" or "Wookalia 'Wookalia'"). It really doesn't surprise me since Sony and sound quality really come hand in hand since they have nearly 2 decades of sound expertise from their original Walkman. You will really appreciate the sound quality of this player, especially coming from the iPod line. Sound is crisp, warm, and enveloping, which is just simply bliss. Classical music sounds clear, so well defined that you can hear all the ranges. Enya never sounded better. Sound reproduction of her work is so good that she seems to be literally standing in front of you and you can visualize the movement of lips singing. From what I hear, the treble is very crisp and detailed. With bass on the flat settings, it is clear and defined. It doesn't have the low quality muffled sound that degenerates the treble. I have to be honest and say that I'm a basshead. The "Clear Bass" of up to +3 definitely cures any of my cravings for pounding bass, and the name is very appropriate... the bass really is clear and not muffled. It is deep, defined, and and gives off a very nice punch. Bass heavy tracks are just simply amazing. Kanye's work is very punchy but not overwhelming so that you can't hear the treble, in another words well balanced and you won't be fatigued with long listening periods of bass intense tracks (on flat settings). Tracks from the more electronic genres such as Tiesto, Trentemoller, Armin, or Diesel boy simply makes my head spin with joy.

Apart from sound quality, the excellent user interface is logical and fast to find songs. A 35 hour battery life is just stunning for such a thin package. I got a polycarbonate hard clear case for this model and it's still thin at 14mm (which i prefer over the original player of 9mm). How thin is too thin? Probably when Apple comes out with the iPod Pico, that is literally paper thin and has 1 hour of battery life, considering the rate that each phase of the nano is going haha . Pictures and Videos look excellent, but I rather save the memory for of course music .

Sony is also coming out with Media Manager for Walkman soon, which is a software that will offer even tighter integration with music files (hopefully gapless) and conversion of various files. One downer though about this player (at its current firmware) is that it does not support on the fly playlist creation and rating songs. I am quite sure sony will address this issue with future firmware updates, since the NW-A808 (a European sibling of the NWZ-A818) supported playlist creation and rating of songs on the player. I can live without these features missing at the moment, since my music library consists of 106 GB and playlists can be transferred quickly from iTunes to Windows Media Player and then synced to the player.

All in all, I am extremely happy with the purchase of this player, and quite frankly will probably not go back to the iPod line until Apple does something about it's sound quality (such as a custom EQ), which will probably be never since I have been waiting for that feature since the 4G. It is VERY VERY ironic since they can create such a fantastic User Interface and OSx on the iPod Touch but not create a much more simpler program such as user defined EQ? Ultimately, the build quality, sound quality, user interface, and other unique features of this Sony NWZ-A818 most definitely outweigh any of the player's cons. I'm very confident that true music lovers and audiophiles will not be disappointed with this player .

[EDIT]

After owning this player for about a week, it's really amazing what this player can do. Not to kid, but the player actually has breathed new life in my older songs. For instance, the bundle of the player and the MDR earbuds enable me to hear subtle background noises with great clarity, such as the ping of a music triangle. Seal's new album "System" just sounded wonderful. I was listening to the player in the library at a low volume of 6/30 and even at this low level, the music is still VERY WELL defined. I do use the dynamic normalizer on the player and the sound image (at flat settings) is just amazing! To me all ranges of the treble, mid, and bass are just perfectly balanced. Or rather, this player really enables you to truly listen to what the artist originally recorded. Perhaps it was the significant upgrade of the MDR-EX51 to the MDX-EX082, as headphones do make a huge difference in sound quality, but i did a sound comparison of my 4G iPod and this Sony. With the Sony stock earbuds, i hooked it up to the iPod and played "I can't get no satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones. Volume was at 50% and sound definition was good. But lower than 50%, i started to lose the sound definition. What is interesting though was that the Sony at a volume of 10/30 matches the volume level of the iPod at 50% approximately. Of course the Sony sounded much better, sound was definitely warmer and more defined in all ranges. Even at a lower volume on the Sony, say 5/30, the sound retained the track's definition but at a lower decibel. I can definitely see why this player got the CNET's Editor's choice, this player really makes me appreciate the artist's work!

Pictures!

Definitely the Best DAP i have owned so far...!

NWZ a little big bigger, but i really prefer it's feel.

These headphones make the NWZ a total winner! And they look good too, caught a few glances around campus today in the sea of bland white earbuds . The chrome accent is definitely cool with the walkman logo!

Edited December 6, 2007 by cliffster115

[juli_]

Nice to hear you're enjoying it so much. I enjoy mine a lot (A808). Sony has really rocked with these gems.

There are over 30 5-star reviews on Amazon UK for the 818 compared to about twenty something for the 808 (which has been around for a lot longer), and the only difference is that SonicStage was dropped. So it's good to see a Sony player finally getting some well-earned recognition without losing 'stars' for the software.

[cliffster115]

Nice to hear you're enjoying it so much. I enjoy mine a lot (A808). Sony has really rocked with these gems.

There are over 30 5-star reviews on Amazon UK for the 818 compared to about twenty something for the 808 (which has been around for a lot longer), and the only difference is that SonicStage was dropped. So it's good to see a Sony player finally getting some well-earned recognition without losing 'stars' for the software.

Hey juli, yes i absolutely enjoy this player without a doubt! LOVE IT! I may not even need to look for more expensive earphones, as the ones supplied already are already good enough for me . Over here in the US, I'm sure the CNET editor's choice will definitely make Sony more popular, especially with all the great reviews going around!

Although I am still waiting for the Sony Media Manager!

[juli_]

I meant to say that I bought the clear case to help bulk it up a bit as it was too skinny without - and I prefer the feel of in the case!

Also, your comparison with the iPod volume doesn't surprise me at all. My b/f has a Zen Touch which he listens to at 95% volume, and when I tested it, I had it set to about 80% - and that was to get the same volume as 50% on the Sony.

Although the specs look weak, they don't tell the whole story, as the 808/818 pack more punch than other players with higher specs.

[Zizone_]

Glad to hear you like NWZ-810 seires. Sony seems to be moving toward right direction by allowing drag-n-drop and ability to use many different softwares to manage musics. Also, the price is very competitive.

One thing that I don't get is that... they don't advertise... also, they don't advertise the supplied headphone...

Sony has some of the best engineers and designers... But, where are their marketing people? orz

Edited December 6, 2007 by Zizone

[juli_]

also, they don't advertise the supplied headphone...

Sony has some of the best engineers and designers... But, where are their marketing people?

I know, it's crazy. When something is this good, and receives consistently good praise - you think they'd be desperate to market it. Especially since so many people were waiting for SS to be dropped. Who ARE these invisible marketing people?

[markey]

I know, it's crazy. When something is this good, and receives consistently good praise - you think they'd be desperate to market it. Especially since so many people were waiting for SS to be dropped. Who ARE these invisible marketing people?

Being heavily advertised on the London Underground. Also advertised on British TV.

[ceres]

I know, it's crazy. When something is this good, and receives consistently good praise - you think they'd be desperate to market it. Especially since so many people were waiting for SS to be dropped. Who ARE these invisible marketing people?

busy on PS3 and HD-War. It´s plain to see that S is moving in the right direction with portable audio. As nobody else in the business is moving at speed of light let´s just wait for

new models that will be available by march/april at the latest.

[juli_]

Being heavily advertised on the London Underground. Also advertised on British TV.

The only ad I've seen on TV is the one with a million musicians playing, and at the end it says "sound like no other" and shows the 818.

But it doesn't explain any of the functions/features that make it such a good buy. If it was me, I'd have an ad where loads of people throw their crappy stock headphones in the bin in disgust - and then one of them puts the Sony headphones on and jumps with joy. . . and then laughs at the poor people who chucked the crap ones out!

Hmmm, maybe that's why Sony haven't asked for my help in marketing LOL.

Although the ad is interesting - it doesn't give away any information. By the way, I was on the tube last week going to Oxford Circus and didn't notice any ads - so I'll have to keep my eyes open this time!

[markey]

The only ad I've seen on TV is the one with a million musicians playing, and at the end it says "sound like no other" and shows the 818.

But it doesn't explain any of the functions/features that make it such a good buy. If it was me, I'd have an ad where loads of people throw their crappy stock headphones in the bin in disgust - and then one of them puts the Sony headphones on and jumps with joy. . . and then laughs at the poor people who chucked the crap ones out!

Hmmm, maybe that's why Sony haven't asked for my help in marketing LOL.

Although the ad is interesting - it doesn't give away any information. By the way, I was on the tube last week going to Oxford Circus and didn't notice any ads - so I'll have to keep my eyes open this time!

As I walk through Liverpool Street station each day, I see at least 3-4 ads for it throughout the station.

[Old skool D]

As I walk through Liverpool Street station each day, I see at least 3-4 ads for it throughout the station.

I'll second that. On the tube in London I see loads of 'em.

[juli_]

I'll second that. On the tube in London I see loads of 'em.

OK, I concede - I am not very observant. I have been using the Colliers Wood tube station for over 10 years - and it was only after a program entitled: "The most ugly buildings in the country" that I realised one of the top ten was actually the building behind the tube.

It's enormous, grey, ugly as sin, and is visible from anywhere in the area - except to me, who had never noticed it before. . . after 10 years

[cliffster115]

all i can say is that in the US, there is probably VERY little to no advertisement for the Sony NWZ series. They also started to show up in retail stores such as those in Circuit City. Yes, I totally agree that Sony has some prevalent issues on what to do with their marketing. In one way I believe they are pulled into the HD format war. It seems that their marketing (here in the US) is more focused on their digital cameras, BRAVIA, and PS3.

I don't think they have given up yet on the MP3 market yet, but perhaps maybe discouraged by the immense popularity in how Apple pulled most of their (and everyone else's) business in the Mp3 world. Of course Apple probably spends millions on advertisement, which is why the ipod is so popular today... I always see ipod this... ipod that... and am quite frankly sick of it.

However, i think Sony's goal is to first of all hone in on broad appeal, which is why they are starting to create mp3 players without ATRAC and SS. And of course, they had always consistently made excellent products (with exception to the BEAN). If they continue on doing this, perhaps people will start noticing Sony. Sony wins hands down over their quality of products versus competitors. It's just that sometimes they get locked into their own proprietary methods of formats (such as betatrack, ATRAC, etc...) that they believe are more superior. Superior yes, but is it really what is best for the consumer?

The first MP3 players by Sony from what i remember didn't support Mp3 natively. Now Sony has ditched Atrac, and is more opening minded and finally sees what the consumer really wants if it means sacrificing a few things. So yeah, Sony is definitely off to a great start, they just need to invest more in advertisement or just let the the reviews speak for themselves.

Edited December 7, 2007 by cliffster115

[Trondis]

Hi!

Just a question: Does this player support gapless playback? Some says it don't (in this forum), others says it does. Those who says it does says that the files has to be ripped properly. Can anyone try this and confirm it?

Also, does it support the HE-AAC format, or just "normal" AAC?

[cliffster115]

Hi!

Just a question: Does this player support gapless playback? Some says it don't (in this forum), others says it does. Those who says it does says that the files has to be ripped properly. Can anyone try this and confirm it?

Also, does it support the HE-AAC format, or just "normal" AAC?

No, the NWZ-A818 does not currently support gapless payback. There is no way of doing this because a. due to the original firmware now on the player itself and b. because there is no Sony specific software that allows this.

Hopefully, when Sony comes out with the Music Media Manager for Walkman, it will also have a firmware update for all the NWZs to support this function and others. But for now, gapless payback, on-the-go playlists, and rating of songs are currently NOT supported on the NWZ-A81X... unless Sony comes out with firmware update!

Edited December 7, 2007 by cliffster115

[Trondis]

If the player doesn't support gapless playback I don't understand why it get good reviews. A player should be able to play back any album just as it was created and meant to sound by the artist. If not it is a failure. So gapless playback is just as important as good sound.

However, I mentioned this in another forum as a comment to a review of NWZ-A818. The reviewer claimed that he had ripped Pink Floyds "Dark side of the moon" to test gapless playback, and that the player played it back perfectly gapless. But he said that you had to use the right software and settings when ripping.

[metal]

If the player doesn't support gapless playback I don't understand why it get good reviews. A player should be able to play back any album just as it was created and meant to sound by the artist. If not it is a failure. So gapless playback is just as important as good sound.

As much as I agree with your view, I guess most ppl doesn't really need gapless playback as they tend to listen to tunes by songs rather than by albums. Geez, some ppl don't even know what is gapless.

[cliffster115]

If the player doesn't support gapless playback I don't understand why it get good reviews. A player should be able to play back any album just as it was created and meant to sound by the artist. If not it is a failure. So gapless playback is just as important as good sound.

However, I mentioned this in another forum as a comment to a review of NWZ-A818. The reviewer claimed that he had ripped Pink Floyds "Dark side of the moon" to test gapless playback, and that the player played it back perfectly gapless. But he said that you had to use the right software and settings when ripping.

IMO I think the player is getting all these good reviews b/c of the excellent sound image & customization with it. As for gapless, I don't use it much unless i listen to an album or mixes. Hmm yes i think there are some get arounds to get 'gapless' with software, such as merging all the tracks into one large track, but I still don't think the player natively supports it (yet).

And yes, i'm one of the users who listens to my music library via playlists and shuffle, and occasionally by album. Since i don't listen to albums as frequently, the gapless playback function wasn't a needed feature for me.

Although, when i'm out running and such while listening to a dance mix or whatever, yeah I would then like the gapless playback since the momentary skip in the transition of the track would mess up my beat.

I really do hope Sony listens to us and adds features to the walkman players with firmware updates!

BTW, with this whole gapless issue, are people talking how to achieve gapless through software manipulation (such as iTunes + ipod with metadata) or hardware native support directly on the player such as the gapless playback found on the Rio Karma and Trekstor Vibez (Gapless hardware players with no software dependency) ?

Edited December 8, 2007 by cliffster115

[Ascariss]

I am sure there would be some method to modify the firmware on the device to play gapless, but then perhaps the player's chip might not support gapless playback to begin with?

I am unaware if the chip in the 818 is the same as the 808, but if it is different then there might not be gapless playback. Anyone know what chip is in the 818?

[kino170878]

I don't believe these Sony MP3 players will ever have gapless, now or in the future.

1) As somebody else already stated, the demand simply just isn't there for it.

2) Sony's philosophy is why give them quality music. Don't forget that the company is still recovering from the Atrac debacle.

If I need gapless playback at the highest quality for a portable, I go for my minidisc. For everything else the NWZ units seem to be unbeatable.

[Ascariss]

Quality music is not dependent on sony themselves, they already provided a device that can play back music in amazing quality, all the user has to do is rip the music to wav or high quality, wma. aac or mp3 and then you will hear the amazing quality.

[cliffster115]

I am sure there would be some method to modify the firmware on the device to play gapless, but then perhaps the player's chip might not support gapless playback to begin with?

I am unaware if the chip in the 818 is the same as the 808, but if it is different then there might not be gapless playback. Anyone know what chip is in the 818?

It always seems that Sony could easily implement new functions/features via firmware updates, but currently, I don't think they ever will. In the business sense, they just might release a new player with new functions. Take Ipod for example, for the 1st generation nano, they didn't have the search feature. The 2nd generation ipod nanos included the new search feature. Although the 1G & 2G can be said to be the same or similar hardware-wise, Apple didn't even bother updating the old 1G nanos with the 2G nano's features.

I honestly think this business stragegy is good for Apple to pull money out of the consumers, but it's terrible for consumers in the sense they we have actually have to PAY for some for some feature that we really want. I do give Microsoft props for updating the original Zune software to the same as the 2nd generation Zune, that to me is very preferable.

So back to Sony, whether it be budget considerations or software development goals, I don't know if they ever will create firmware that will add new features to the NWZs. Oh well, I can only hope... It's good to know that some companies like Samsung and the YP-P2 are releasing promised firmwares that add new features to the player such as ACC support, and bluetooth phone support.

[Ascariss]

bluetooth can be added via an adapter which you can buy from sony for the nwz series, the old A1000 had the wmv format implemented via a firmware update, so depending what chip is in the 81x series, any further firmware updates would depend on that chip's capabilities.

[cliffster115]

bluetooth can be added via an adapter which you can buy from sony for the nwz series, the old A1000 had the wmv format implemented via a firmware update, so depending what chip is in the 81x series, any further firmware updates would depend on that chip's capabilities.

I'm still confident that Sony will ultimately release something beneficial in terms of firmware for us consumers, hope they are listening!

[Trondis]

I don't believe these Sony MP3 players will ever have gapless, now or in the future.

1) As somebody else already stated, the demand simply just isn't there for it.

2) Sony's philosophy is why give them quality music. Don't forget that the company is still recovering from the Atrac debacle.

If I need gapless playback at the highest quality for a portable, I go for my minidisc. For everything else the NWZ units seem to be unbeatable.

I hope that you are not right. For me this player is completely useless. I listen a lot to gapless albums, and nothing is more irritating than getting gaps where it is not supposed to be. I have one Hi-MD minidisk, NW-HD1, NW-HD3 plus a Pocket PC that all can playback gapless. But when/if the players break down I would have to choose a player that support gapless. Currently the only one I know of is iPod. And that is sad.

[cliffster115]

I hope that you are not right. For me this player is completely useless. I listen a lot to gapless albums, and nothing is more irritating than getting gaps where it is not supposed to be. I have one Hi-MD minidisk, NW-HD1, NW-HD3 plus a Pocket PC that all can playback gapless. But when/if the players break down I would have to choose a player that support gapless. Currently the only one I know of is iPod. And that is sad.

YES the ipod indeed is very sad if you really want to risk getting a brand new player, which i would doubt since you have all those gapless gadgets, you could check out the Trekstor Vibez. Heard it actually does gapless through hardware on the player itself and sound quality is comparable to the Rio Karma a few years back. Doesn't surprise me because the Dutch company bought all of Rio's assets. However, it's an ugly duckling and uses a microdrive *gasps* But I digress, I don't think I could ever leave the Sony sound quality!

[epicure]

Hi

I'm sorry to ask what is probably a very dumb/basic question, but can somebody please tell me if the sony walkman nWZ-A818 does "video out"? That is, can I connect it to a TV and watch videos stored on the walkman, on the TV?

Any info would be appreciated!

Cheers

Adam

[aafuss]

Happy to hear that you like the A810 series-it makes me wish that I had one.

[cliffster115]

Hi

I'm sorry to ask what is probably a very dumb/basic question, but can somebody please tell me if the sony walkman nWZ-A818 does "video out"? That is, can I connect it to a TV and watch videos stored on the walkman, on the TV?

Any info would be appreciated!

Cheers

Adam

not a dumb question at all, i too have wondered about this, but i don't think the current "standard" dock includes video out for the walkman NWZs... maybe the the dock with the WM Port that can hook up to bravia system and do video output? not quite sure, since i don't own the WM Port dock

[jim1234]

where did you get that plastic case from, ive been looking everywhere for one. thanks (a link as to where i could get it online would be nice)

[juli_]

where did you get that plastic case from, ive been looking everywhere for one. thanks (a link as to where i could get it online would be nice)

Which case are you referring to, the clear polycarbonate case?

[ceres]

Granted that demand may not be that high, it would still be a boon for those that listen to electro samplers, classic and such. Surely Sony should implement gapless in new players should it

prove not feasible in the current lineup.

ceres

[juli_]

Surely Sony should implement gapless in new players should it prove not feasible in the current lineup.

I hope they do. It's the only reason I didn't buy the 818 as an addition to my 808. Of course, gapless is only a concern for those of us who have live albums in their collection, and many of my friends play individual tracks, and so don't care about gapless.

But I really do, so it would be a major disappointment if the next generation of players overlooked what I consider to be a basic feature. Regardless of whether the gap is only a 'blip' - all it does (apart from thrusting me rudely into the next song instead of wafting me there on a fluffy cloud), is draw my attention to the fact I am now listening to a previously gapless CD with a 'blip' at the end of every track. It's very unsettling