Hello everyone! My review of the NWZ_A816

[alitarbegshe]

Hello everyone!

Been lurking for a while and think it's high time I gave something back!

Sooooo.........after a lot of thought and research, decided to pick up one of these beauty's.

Price

Some great deals out there at the moment.

Sonycentre are selling these with a free leather case, but no discount, saving £20

Play.com have these, discounted by 10 pounds with free STSP1 speakers.

Advancedmp3players.com have these again discounted by 10 pounds, plus free mdr-nc11 headphones.

But the best deals by far.....................

Currys (unfortunately) NWZ-A818 for £99.99

Amazon.co.uk for the NWZ-A816 for 74.99

These are brilliant prices, since they translate to $130 and $170 beore tax, which is just as good if not better then what our US counterparts get. Result!

Went for the 4gb since it was more then adequate for my needs. Primarily going to be used for music at 192kbps approx. More is not always better and having a limited palette makes sure there are no fillers when I load it up, as i found with my 6gb mini ipod.

Looks

How gorgeous are these! Not in a wham bang in your face way,more in a classy understated manner. I like. loving the 2 tone colurway with silver accents.

A really really sexy piece of kit

Pack ins

Nothing really to speak of that is of note. Brilliant that sony have decided to put some decent headphones, but they've been donated to my lil 'sis and replaced by some Sennheiser cx-300. Props though to sony for including them.

Those who feel a little aggrieved for paying the original release price can rest a little easier in that they no longer include the lanyard or case as a pack in (and hey, it was worth it when you bought it, so in that manner nothings changed)

The WMP11 included, is a free download of the net, and I am on mac so of no use to me anyway. Which neatly takes me on to...............

Usability

Drag and drop, works brilliantly. No complaints.

Can make the machine sync with itunes by using a macscript called "itunemywalkman" (google it) Lets me transfer playlists easily and quickly.

The actual machines GUI itself is very very similiar to a mobile phone and very simple an intuitive.

Sound quality

This is always subjective since people want different things from a sound system.

Some want transparency, others want excitement in the sound. Achieving one can result the other being sacrificed.

Compared to an ipod, this has better richness and depth, whereas the ipod has better clarity and precision.

Better? Yes. Why? I dont mind the sound being coloured if it gives a better listening experience, and transparency just reminds you that you are listening to an imperfect system

Lossy format and tiny speakers mean the sound has all ready been compromised. You want something that works within these compromises to give a pleasurable listening experience, which this does

Drawbacks

No ATRAC - I would never use a proprietary format, but it's always nice to have.

No gapless playback - My biggest bug-bear. Hopefully (but prob not) This may be updated in the future.

Conclusion

The best mp3 player I have owned. Not perfect but it is close.

Ipod killer? Too late

Ipod beater? Definitely.(ESPECIALLY ON A PC)

-------------------------

If a picture paints a thousand words, where does that leave video?

A youtube review in full with good comparisons to other players)

Edited December 6, 2007 by alitarbegshe

[alitarbegshe]

Sorry, I've just realised this is in the wrong section, if ADMIN could please move it.

Yes, the review is lite, but I was aiming it towards the new user and possibel ipod convert. (Still took me half an hour though!)

ADDED BONUS

If ordering from the currys website, get a further 5% discount using the code;

YAW834

takes the price to £94.99

An 8gb for less retail then a 4gb ipod nano. You lucky lucky people!

Edited December 6, 2007 by alitarbegshe