Sony NW-MS70D Network Walkman
By: Sony Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 26
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 On: 2007-06-23
Ive owned this player for quite some time and love it. I use to listen to music and thats it. Sonicstage works fine. I even burn discs from it and if you have a car stereo that reads mp3s it will give you the name of the band ,track, or name of cds. It seems that everyone who doesnt like it wants something more than an mp3 player. the software has never caused me any problems. you can even update it for free. works just like windows media. piece of cake. remember...its for listening to music. Oh , and who needs more than 10 cds on one unit?
 On: 2006-08-20
yea i had this thing for a year i payed 80 buks for it lasted a wile and played reall nice i hated thesoftware it came with suked so bad real difficult to use and plus it broke in half it so not sleek at all very fragile
 On: 2005-05-10
It actually is really good, quality and other wise. Although the memory is a little small and its disk (blah! Download a new one from their site) is really bad. It is easy to use and its size is TINY. I never thought about changing an mp3 until 2005, when by ear phone started breaking. It could be brought on vacation and it has absolutly no skipbacks and its charge is lightweight. Although it is expansive it is durible, absolutly worth it. (I bought it at 299.99 USD) I still suggest you get something like iRiver because this is an expanzive device!
 On: 2005-01-31
I get the sense that Sony rushed to get this product into the market when they realized the inevitable ipod invasion. It seems that product testing was simply skipped altogether in order to sell as many units as possible before ipod completely took hold. I sincerely urge you to avoid this terrible product and wish the resulting frustration upon noone. I will admit that the sound quality is superior to Mp3, but the difference is not enormous and if I wanted the best quality I would play an uncompressed format on my home stereo (duh). As with all Sony products, aesthetically the product is beautiful with clean, smooth lines and innovative (though I fear somewhat breakable) controls. The software was blatantly Sonys last priority with countless flaws and a mind-numbing transfer rate. Atrac3 is not compatable with the rest of the civilized world and Sony Support is non-existent. Do not spend a cent on any of these players and with hope Sony will be forced discontinue this pathetic product line and get back to doing something they actually know about. Hopefully for mankind something that doesnt require software - like good ol VHS.
On: 2004-12-07
I received the Network Walkman as a prize and it has made my life miserable. Contrary to what the box & Sony Customer service will tell you, it does not play MP3s. The computer will confirm that I downloaded the files, but the player displays "No Data" when I try to listen. Therefore, I need to use the SonicStage software, but the software does not work. Every time I try to load music into the music library, I get an error message and the program shuts down. Customer service was difficult to track down and could not help me when I got through to them. The Network Walkman looks good, but it is a very expensive paperweight.
On: 2004-12-04
What a mess. Sony missed the boat big time with this one. The software is a mess, buggy and doesnt work well with Windows. My puter crashed a minimum of 15 times in 2 days. Support? I had to hunt them down and then it took, no lie, 6 hours on the phone. Seems the CD was missing a .dll file and windows would not recognize their .inf files. In addition, the unit itself had to have the memory reformatted, a manufacturing issue. Now that it works, beware, unless you rip your own CDs or want to buy from the Sony Music Store, which, by the way, uses a different version of the software and will also crash your puter, you are pretty limited. I wish I had purchased another product, the use of this will be very limited and I cannot recommend it to anyone for any reason.
 On: 2004-12-02
I used to be a loyal Sony customer...until I recently had issues with both of my Sony DVD players and my VAIO desktop (Sony support SUCKS). I am also now mortified that I spent $300 on this "MP3 player."
As other reviewers mentioned, this thing doesnt play MP3s. You have to use the ATRAC3 format, which is fine I guess--if you dont mind having 2 copies of every song on your computer so you can use a normal MP3 format on other devices. And yes, the SonicStage software has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Its junk, bottom line.
The size and weight of the player is great, but the shape is weird. I used to use the Sony NW-MS9 (which was OK but the batteries were horrible and inconsistent), and it had a perfect shape to hold in my hand. This one is kind of square, and the big bar for the "hold" function is just ridiculous. I have not had it stay in the hold position one single time after putting it in my gym bag. And now after about 6 months of use the bar is getting loose and makes it feel really flimsy.
Another thing about Sony Network Walkmans in general that stinks is that they dont make belt clips for them. The only place I use these players is at the gym, and I dont have pockets in my workout gear. So I end up stuffing the thing in my waistband when I need both hands, and since this one has an odd shape it doesnt stay put very well. Sony included a necklace-type thing to go with it, but personally I think its totally lame. I dont want that plastic rubbing on my neck when Im working out, and if Im jogging forget it...who would want that thing slapping on their chest constantly?
The player has 256MB of internal memory, which works out to be 8 to 10 CDs worth. Thats OK for the gym, but when I do decide to switch out the songs it takes way too long for everything to transfer. And the memory stick slot is for a memory stick duo, so of course all of the other standard memory sticks that I bought for other Sony products are useless now.
The one thing about this product that I can say is flawless is the batteries. I use it 3-4 hours per week at the gym and I think I charge it less than once a month. For $300 though, one would hope for more "pros" than that. Im replacing this thing with an iPod next week!
[edit]
OK...so the grass is not greener with the iPod. I have never owned an MP3 player other than Sony...and there are some good features to the Sony that I did not realize until I used another brand:
1) You can do just about everything you need to without having to look at it. I really like the fact that you can switch between albums, not just songs...and its very easy to do so without having to watch what youre doing. On the iPod you can just hit the forward button 15 times to get to the next album, or you have to look at it and backup a couple menus to switch. Very cumbersome when youre on the treadmill or something.
2) The sound quality is not bad at all, and you can set the EQ to where you want it. The iPod just has a bunch of preset EQ settings w/hardly any bass...I was very disappointed with the sound quality.
3) Its not such a bad thing (for me anyway) to have just 8-10 CDs on the player. Usually I swap them out every month or two. Its nice not having to search forever to find another album to listen to...having up to 1000 songs on the iPod is just a pain. Takes way to long just to find something Im in the mood to listen to, then once that album is finished I get to do the search all over again.
I returned my new iPod mini after using it at the gym only twice. The belt clip was awesome...but thats about the best thing I can say about it, and thats certainly not worth $250. If I could edit my rating here I guess Id change it to 3.5 or 4 stars.
On: 2004-12-01
I used to be a loyal Sony customer...until I recently had issues with both of my Sony DVD players and my VAIO desktop (Sony support SUCKS). I am also now mortified that I spent $300 on this "MP3 player."
As other reviewers mentioned, this thing doesnt play MP3s. You have to use the ATRAC3 format, which is fine I guess--if you dont mind having 2 copies of every song on your computer so you can use a normal MP3 format on other devices. And yes, the SonicStage software has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Its junk, bottom line.
The size and weight of the player is great, but the shape is weird. I used to use the Sony NW-MS9 (which was OK but the batteries were horrible and inconsistent), and it had a perfect shape to hold in my hand. This one is kind of square, and the big bar for the "hold" function is just ridiculous. I have not had it stay in the hold position one single time after putting it in my gym bag. And now after about 6 months of use the bar is getting loose and makes it feel really flimsy.
Another thing about Sony Network Walkmans in general that stinks is that they dont make belt clips for them. The only place I use these players is at the gym, and I dont have pockets in my workout gear. So I end up stuffing the thing in my waistband when I need both hands, and since this one has an odd shape it doesnt stay put very well. Sony included a necklace-type thing to go with it, but personally I think its totally lame. I dont want that plastic rubbing on my neck when Im working out, and if Im jogging forget it...who would want that thing slapping on their chest constantly?
The player has 256MB of internal memory, which works out to be 8 to 10 CDs worth. Thats OK for the gym, but when I do decide to switch out the songs it takes way too long for everything to transfer. And the memory stick slot is for a memory stick duo, so of course all of the other standard memory sticks that I bought for other Sony products are useless now.
The one thing about this product that I can say is flawless is the batteries. I use it 3-4 hours per week at the gym and I think I charge it less than once a month. For $300 though, one would hope for more "pros" than that. Im replacing this thing with an iPod next week!
[edit]
OK...so the grass is not greener with the iPod. I have never owned an MP3 player other than Sony...and there are some good features to the Sony that I did not realize until I used another brand:
1) You can do just about everything you need to without having to look at it. I really like the fact that you can switch between albums, not just songs...and its very easy to do so without having to watch what youre doing. On the iPod you can just hit the forward button 15 times to get to the next album, or you have to look at it and backup a couple menus to switch. Very cumbersome when youre on the treadmill or something.
2) The sound quality is not bad at all, and you can set the EQ to where you want it. The iPod just has a bunch of preset EQ settings w/hardly any bass...I was very disappointed with the sound quality.
3) Its not such a bad thing (for me anyway) to have just 8-10 CDs on the player. Usually I swap them out every month or two. Its nice not having to search forever to find another album to listen to...having up to 1000 songs on the iPod is just a pain. Takes way to long just to find something Im in the mood to listen to, then once that album is finished I get to do the search all over again.
I returned my new iPod mini after using it at the gym only twice. The belt clip was awesome...but thats about the best thing I can say about it, and thats certainly not worth $250. If I could edit my rating here I guess Id change it to 3.5 or 4 stars.
On: 2004-09-13
I ordered this player when it was first available from Sony. For the last year and a few months I have been happy with it. I do agreee with the software problems others have commented on, but the size and ease of use was a bonus for me and I was able to deal with the software issues. Now just as I am training for my first marathon... the battery will no longer charge. I have searched for information on replacement and I doubt I am/ will be the only one with this issue, there isnt even any information on the Sony website. Apple with the ipod/ipod mini have already addressed this issue with replacement batteries.
I spent good money on this player more than a year ago, so it is no longer covered, but now I am stuck, with no options and no player. I would advise finding a different player unless you are willing to afford a new one in two years or unless Sony can fix the battery issues.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-15
Yes, the design is nice and the battery live is good but the software is a disgrace. I also can not understand why Sony only supports USB 1.1 in this day and age. The disaster recovery - well the complete lack thereof - is a serious issue if you dont want to re-transfer all your CDs to a hard disk every time you experience hard disk problems or have to change machines. The SonicStage software is slow and not very user friendly. Why does the list of just recorded song keep refreshing every time a song is converted? Nice try Sony, but please package some usable software with your poducts.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-09
The Sony NW-MS70 sounds and looks amazing. I bought this product expecting that once I had uploaded my CD collection on my PC then Id have many happy hours of listening. Sadly this is not the case! If like me, you suffer hard disk problems on your PC and you are away from your music collection, youve had it! When I bought my MD walkman I never thought about this eventuality but it has happened. Sony support say theres nothing they can or WILL do because its down to copyright - so thank you SONY. As for my walkman, it did sound great but now it is useless! I think this is a fundamental flaw and if Id known this at the time of purchase, I would NOT have bought this player.Some other points worth considering are the lack of USB2 so songs take an eternity to check in/out to-from the player and the fact that "SonicStage" is the worst piece of professional software I have ever used - its slow, uses up heaps of resources and is not in the least bit user friendly. Sony should take a long hard look at iTunes because that is just so much better.
In the end, ive ditched my network walkman for a mini-iPod and Im really happy I did this. My nework walkman was a waste of $300 but it was a learning experience.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-13
This is a light weight, compact unit thats perfect for those who listen to their own CDs. I havent had issues transferring WAV files since I record off of my own CDs. It doesnt skip with movement and the sound is very good. However my unit stopped working 105 days after I received it. Being that the full warranty is only for 90 days, I am now stuck with paying shipping and labor charges to get it fixed (Sony only covers parts for 1 year). This is an expensive unit and I was happy with it while it worked but the price works out to 3$ per day. No MP3 unit is worth this price regardless of size, features and sound. You expect to pay a lot for a Mercedes but you also expect it to run for longer than 3 & 1/2 months.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-07
Ive owned this for almost 1year. It looked Cool, yet after carrying and slighty bumped against a desk few times, it broke..
Design is fancy and the format type(ATRAC3) is good to save a memory. However, the software occupies immense system resources. Overall, it was nothing but a funny toy for me.
Although sound quality,design and portabilty are OK, durabilty makes this player as one of worst mp3 players ive owned...
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-01
Do not buy this poorly thought of, out of date player. Sony is falling behind in the walkman dept. I usualy like their products, but was very unhappy with the network walkman. Lame software, lame interface and carrige. BIG WASTE OF $$$. Get an Ipod.
On: 2004-01-13
This is a very durable little mp3 player. I take it everywhere and to all types of gyms. Sometimes I cant hold on to it while doing activity, and I just hold it in the strap of my sports bra, put in my pocket while snowboarding, tuck it away in a hat or visor, etc. Its great! I would suggest anyone who is active and likes to take their music everywhere they go to buy this little walkman. Well worth the money!
On: 2003-12-23
Sony NW-MS70D Network Walkman. If you hear these words, quickly turn around, run away and never look back. This is absolutely the worst experience with a Sony product Ive ever had. The unit arrived earlier today and 16 hours later I can safely say that monkeys coded the SonicStage software. Drunken monkeys. I popped the CD in expecting a quick and easy install and then to transfer some songs onto the unit and would soon be listening away. Wrong. The included software refuses to connect to the device, even though my PC sees it no problem. After countless installs, google searches, and system tweaks Im worse off now than when I started. Now the install wont even run. Mind you, this is on a custom machine, Intel 875 motherboard, P4 2.8C, with a GB of PC3200 RAM, WinXP Pro, running off a WD SATA Raptor, so it can handle pretty much anything thrown at it. You name it; I tried it in trying to get this going. Checked permissions, services, shut down all security, av, anti trojan, spyware blockers, disabled everything in start, rebooted, repeated ad nauseum. In the course of my research I found that many people have had such problems, just go look at the Sony support forums yourself. For this kind of money youd expect that the thing would at least give you some sort of error code to clue you in on whats wrong. Pros:
-Best looking design out there.
-Made from titanium.
-Good battery life. Cons:
-Doesnt actually play MP3s.
-Songs need to be recorded in proprietary Sony format for which no alternative editing/playing utilities exist.
-Software buggy. Id recommend staying away from Sonys NW-MS70D. It may be that I was stuck with a defective unit, but the under whelming software packaged with this player is enough to make me want to return it anyways. Who wants an MP3 player that doesnt play MP3s? ***Additional input After complete reinstall of system OS the unit is functioning. Sound quality is excellent. The Sony player is one of the best Ive heard, the SonicStage software is not nearly adequate. Maybe Ill get used to it.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-21
Awesome walkman but I jog had to rig up a necklace type holder but it beats your chest all run long. come on sony think it through. teenagers that lay around all day arent the only ones who use these!!!
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-07
This digital music player is very useful when traveling because: 1) It is small, lightweight and thus will fit almost anywhere (ipod is at least 4X larger not to mention about 100X heavier); 2) Sony has made it easy to change the volume or song while the player is still in your pants pocket or shirt, so you do not have to take the player out every time you want to change a song or the volume (ipod requires a remote control and is a its white color is a big tip off to thieves that you have a $400 dollar ipod player available). 3) The battery life is great for long train trips or flights (Good luck with ipod battery life); 4) Sony software allows for easy transfer of your music to the player (the reviewers who complain about mp3 formats not working obviously do not own the player, because it is ridiculously simple to load your songs onto the player, and anyone who owns this player can figure out within minutes how to "bypass" the "mysterious" Sony "proprietary" software to record any song they want on this player (The key to this is that Sony software requires that you have the wave file for the song, and not just the mp3 file. 5) The player is built very ruggedly since everything is solid state and not a disk drive (i.e ipod). It has never skipped while playing. 6) The memory is expandable to whatever size you decide and Sony now has 1GB cards that you can purchase(i.e. your player is not limited to 10, 20, or 30 GB like the ipods). This is by far the best digital music player money can buy. You definitely get better options and quality for your money than with the ipod. Highly recommended for the professional who wants only the best.
On: 2003-09-11
I was looking for either a CD Player, MD player, or MP3 player that I can bring when I go for a jog. I was specifically looking for something small, something I dont have to hold on to. I eventually came across the MS70D, and this tiny guy has been great. I cant put the thing down! If you want to listen to the MS70D at the gym, no problem. You can dangle the thing around your neck like a necklace. This, I think is one of the great pros of buying this device. ...The headphone jack locks in when you plug it in, so it doesnt get accidentally yanked out. It really is like wearing an oversized necklace, and after a while you even forget its there. However, when you go for a run, it might be better to use the extension cord and slip the device in your pocket. If you were to run with the MS70D around your neck, the thing would hit you in the chest repeatedly. As mentioned before, the factory headphones that come with the MS70D arent spectacular, so I use the B&O A8. I record the songs at the Atrac3plus setting because I want to cram as many songs as I can, but the sound quality is good enough. You can get a 128MB Magic Gate Duo stick to add an extra 10+ hours of music, but so far Im satisfied with what I have. If youre like me and want to listen to music anywhere and everywhere, then this MS70D is a must-buy.
On: 2003-09-08
The proprietary formats wont stop you from getting great use out of the player. I can store a ton of music on it, and Im an audiophile willing to admit that the maximum and next to maximum setting for Real Players compression algorithms are indistinguishable using anything less than an MDC 2000 style headphone--AND NOBODY WALKS AROUND WITH ANYTHING THAT HEAVY!If you have a bunch of MP3s that you were too cheap to buy the CDs for, then you may run into problems. They are surmountable, but everybody has their own favorite methods. If you have the CDs, then you will not know what Im talking about. The unit is incredibly small and attractive. Ive had my MP3 player start conversations at bars, restaurants, in class, and with my clients (yeah Ive got all of those). I like to use it with a noise reduction headphone so that I can still appreciate the sound when walking on the street or in the subway...or to just overpower the new age music at the gym. Its a great player with high memory, strong lasting power, terrific ease-of-use options, and futuristic look and feel. Better for professionals with more spending power than time to take advantage of illegal downloads.
On: 2003-08-12
Do not confuse this player with REAL mp3 players. This player DOES NOT play mp3s! It only plays Sony formated sound files. Sony did this because its trying to protect its copyrighted music, but it is a pain to have to convert your music to some special file type when there are plenty of REAL mp3 players out there. Be warned, you have to be very carefull when purchasing mp3 audio players from RIAA member companies!
On: 2003-07-10
Yes, Sony is ridiculously proprietary, but if you only own Sony products, then compatability and memory stick media issues/costs shouldnt be a problem. This is my second Sony Network Walkman (I had the NW-MS9 a while back but sold it when I got my Clie), and I am absolutely loving it. First of all, you cant beat the size. Its so small and light that youll forget its even in your hand sometimes. The controls were a bit strange to me in the beginning, especially compared to the design of the NW-MS9, but theyre easy to get used to once you realize that holding the MS70D kind of like a gun gives you great access to the most frequently used buttons. I know the gun metaphor isnt the clearest image in the world, but once you get your hands on the MS70D, youll understand what I mean. Second, sound quality is excellent. Im not an audiophile by any means, so I wont even try comparing ATRAC3plus with MP3s. All I know is that everything sounds great. I recorded all my songs at the highest rate, though, so maybe that has something to do with it. I havent tried the lower setting, but Im sure its great for the non-audiophile listener. Third, the controls are relatively intuitive. Everything is pretty easy to get to. By the way, for the reviewer who asked about the memory stick duo expansion slot, its actually embedded at the bottom of the actual unit. So it adds no bulk to the unit at all (i.e., even if you could remove it, it wouldnt make any difference). The "bulkiness" to the player is at the top - that spacey-looking cylindrical thing. On one side is the headphone jack. You can remove the silver jack cap if you want to use your own headphones (which I would recommend, only because stock headphones are always uncomfortable in the ears and inferior in sound quality). The volume control is also on this side. One the other side is the play/hold button and the "joystick" thing that you can push away or toward you for fast-forwarding, rewinding, searching, etc. The silver bar thingee below the cylindrical thing (yes, very high-tech talk!) is the HOLD switch. This switch is the only thing on my CONS list of the MS70D. It definitely feels very well made and sturdy, but I cant EVER remember which way to move the thing. This isnt a huge problem, but I always try moving it the other way before getting it right. Yes, it wastes only milliseconds of my life, but still. It would be like having to flip a light switch twice before actually turning on the light. Not really a hassle, but somewhat annoying anyway. I like Sonys "regular" HOLD switches, like the ones on the Clies and the NW-MS9, where you just need your thumb to slide the little textured metal piece. For this switch, since its quite large, you need your thumb and index finger to move it back and forth. The expansion slot is a nice touch, especially since its undetectable. I dont have any memory stick duo cards, though, and the embedded 256MB is more than enough for me. I also have a minidisc player (MZ-E10, worlds smallest and lightest!), so if I ever need more variety than what 256MB yields, Ill use that. The MS70D is perfect for listeners who like the shuffle play mode. As long as you only transfer songs you actually like and want to hear, then youll never have to use any of the controls on the player at all. Just turn it on and leave it on. The battery life IS 33 hours, after all. Theres a sweet group function mode, too (similar to playlists), which is nice if you have your music categorized (which I dont). I know a lot of people complain about the SonicStage software, but because I have a Vaio computer, Im used to using it. And familiarity often influences preference. I think its really easy to use; this version looks a lot better than the older version that came with my computer. If you have a HUGE mp3 collection, you might be annoyed at the conversion time, though SonicStage does give you the option of keeping the tracks in mp3 form. The MS70D supports other formats as well, but I dont have anything but ATRAC3plus on it. And finally, just look at the thing. Its gorgeous and cool and will definitely be an eye-catcher no matter where you are. The docking cradle is nice, too. Not a bad addition on your desk. So if youre looking for the perfect balance between form and function, look no further. The NW-MS70D is here.
On: 2003-07-10
This walkman has nice attributes and but fails for most people who take music seriously. If you want to continue using a more robust media manager (Media PLayer, Music Match, or Realplayer), use playlists, or have more than a few hundred songs on your PC, the encryption software Sony requires you to use simply will not work. Sony is the only company that will not allow you to transfer MP3s and WPAs to its devices. It converts them to ATRAC to protect copyrights (many of whish Sony owns). The software that handles that is proprietary, badly written, and untested. Furthermore, their software support is really horrid. I strongly discourage this product for most users.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-06-28
I was wondering whether the MagicGate expansion slot can come off the actual MP3 player.
On: 2003-06-19
I really like this walkman - especially the small size, large memory, and long battery life. I use it almost every day on the long commute to work, or when Im in the gym. So why only 4/5? The styling looks cool, but the whole unit would be smaller if the "hold" mechanism was smaller. Also, I find the "jog dial" thing that you use to change tracks sometimes sticks and doesnt feel very robust. In addition, the music management software - Sonic Stage - is really poor.
(3 months later)
No, I take that back. The Sonic Stage software is terrible - it has the usability and reliability of a 2nd year computer science project. Sonys software support is equally bad: expect 3 week turnaround times on questions or problems.
Its a shame - nice device, let down by appalling software.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-06-11
I love this walkman. I use it all the time now. The battery life is great and the 256 built in memory is more than enough.
The only problem I have is that you have to convert your MP3s to ATRAC in order to play them on the walkman. This adds about 10-20 seconds per MP3 when uploading. Other than that this thing ROCKS!
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