Sony NW-HD3 Network Walkman 20 GB Digital Music Player (Silver)
By: Sony Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 38
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 On: 2008-01-21
I bought the Sony NW-HD5 - about two years ago, because is had 20GB and a rechargable/replaceable battery, it worked fine for about two years, the the battery failed, for $50 I bought another one, which wouldt hold a charge, I sent that one back for yet another now it appears that the player failed, because the second battery will not hold a charge.
The player only works now on AC-power. I replaced it with an Archos 604 with WIFI
 On: 2007-08-21
I love Sony, i really do. So when i went looking for a mp3, i started with Sony. In 2005 i bought my hd3 and quickly found it to be lacking. I cant believe in the list of the features it has, "comes with an ac adapter" and "you can connect to your PC". Why, because for this type of dmp(digital music player) these features should be synonymous. The problem is there is nothing else. The one thing I thought would have been included was the ability to make a play-list. And with out a play-list the "incredible battery life" is about ¼ of that when youre changing to a different artist, or albums because you turn on the back-light every time you touch the thing. I know u can turn it off, but I dont only listen to music when it bright and sunny. And Im not going to change it back and forth. My friends have mp3s with Swappable rechargeable lithium-ion battery, multiple play lists, Built-in voice recording and FM tuner with FM recording capability. Anyway get something else and do some research if your going to spend this much money.
On: 2006-07-08
But the software sonic stage made this by far the worst mp3 player I have ever owned. I suggest you try iaudio. Ive had 3 of them (sold one, gave the other one away, and kept one for myself). Easy to upload music, and no headaches like sonicstage. With Iaudio it took me minutes to upload music. With sonicstage it took me 3 entire days (with the computer running) to upload the 4,000 songs. Pathetic.
 On: 2006-05-22
almost everyone said is correct about this tiny lil player.
but id like to add that we CAN transfer music of files even when there is no charger connected to it.
 On: 2005-12-09
A few days ago I finally got my first ever real, full-featured portable music player, a beautiful red Network Walkman and I love it. The thing I like the most is that it ISNT an iPod (which is for ultra-chic, wannabee-cool-people, music loving lemmings) and it does a good job at what its supposed to do! Heres a quick bullet-point review:
+ Great battery life!
+ Beautiful red design...neat "sideways" format
+ Simple and easy to use
+ Sonic Stage tranfers files fast, does a good quick & dirty job
- No WMA support
- Atrac3 encoding necessary for quick transfer of music to player
- Compilation CDs have messed up track orders in SS & on the Walkman
- Recharging / USB connection is messy and overly complicated
- Included Earbuds kill your ears (hard plastic!...ouch!)
Overall, I think this is a B+ product. I gave it five stars because as a music player, it does a great job at that. I see many places for improvement---but since no current music player does everything I want right now, Ill be happy with my Walkman for the next couple years. Its a good 20gb backup drive as well and shopping through [...] (even amid all the controversy of Sony rootkit files, etc.) is very easy, very fast and practically painless.
On: 2005-11-10
First, all those people that say it takes for ever to scroll through the music are just wrong. I have nearly 10k songs on the device and it scrolls through the music faster than an IPOD, which I also own.
It is better functionally than the IPOD, although it lacks in add-ons (except for the remote which is far better than anything by Apple).
Now the downside. Sonicstage is just awful. It is glitchy, the major one being that for no reason it can stop working and nobody at Sony can figure out how to fix it. The program is very cumbersome, you can configure your music, but it is a royal pain. Although I am not a big fan of I-Tunes, it is far superior to Sonicstage. I would buy it over an IPOD for the device is better, but be very leary of the Sony software, it sucks. I think the industry is missing the boat on forcing you to use there interfaces rather than a third partys (i.e. Microsofts).
On: 2005-09-30
The best thing about this player is the four way navigation buttons. If you find wheels and touch-sensitive strips irritating, this is the mp3 player for you. Simply press the ^ and v buttons to scroll, > to skip or select, < to go back, play to start or stop, menu to change the settings, and mode to switch the browser between artist, album, genre, etc.. The whole thing is very intuitive after just a few minuets of use.
The display is very clear and informative, the exception being that the battery display has only three sections, making it not that usefull.
The whole thing is rock solid yet very light, and the on/off switch is so flat and sunken it will NEVER be turned on by accident. One time I dropped it and it just hung on the end of the cord without hitting the floor its so light.
The earbuds that come with it are strangely shaped and hurt my ears so I dont use them. The so called carrying case is just a felt cover to prevent scratches, not padded or anything(but still nice to have).
The sonicstage software is a bit sluggish, but if you just want to transfer files and use a different program for listening, I think its fine.
I am confident this thing is going to last a long time beacause i got my sony cd player about five years ago and after much hard usage it still works great.
Also, this thing can playback and charge at the same time so you can plug it in when it gets low on power without skipping a beat.
One of the best things is that if you set playback to random you can shuffle all songs, one artist, one album, one genre, etc. just by selecting it.
Also dont listen to the guy who complained about the scroll speed. First of all, there is no comprehensive list of individual songs, so there could not even be 3000 items to scroll through. Secondly, even if there was, the menu is wrap-around so it would only take half that long. Due to the multiple categories to organize tracks by, it could only take about 30 sec. tops to find the song you want.
Overall the only three petty complaints I have are these: the AC/DC power adapter partially covers the on/off switch, so you cant turn on or off without taking the plug out(a minor annoyance), artists are organized alphabeticly even if they start with the, which I know is silly but it gets on my nerves, and thirdly, the shuffle algorithim is a little sketchy and seems to play some songs more than others. But belive me, if you can find a seller, buy it.
P.S. The battery is user-replacable, and you can probably find a new one at Batteries Plus.
On: 2005-09-21
A good solid player with amazing battery life, sound quality, its small, lightweight, easy navigation buttons. A joy to use
On: 2005-09-21
Fantastic player with good software to burn CDs as well. Able to type in and search by Artist, genre and albums. Great sound quality and bass booster options. A* product!
On: 2005-09-07
If you can find this player for [...] or under and dont mind a player that uses id3 tagging, you will get a awesome sounding and great built piece of equipment.If you have used sonic stage before or had a minidisc, that would be a plus for this player. I have owned or own a ipod mini , ipod 4g 20 gig, iriver h10, creative zen micro,and a rio carbon pearl, and can say this player bests them all in sound quality, especially with atrac files.
If you want a radio , recording, or the ability to just dump files on the player look elswhere.Sonic stage 3.2 actaully works pretty good , though not as smooth as itunes and the sony connect store is lacking.You have to have your songs properly tagged or else you will have a mess with the "artists" catagory. Keep in mind you can still find albums with multiple artists under the "album" search, or make a playlist of random songs under Sonic stage (GROUP MODE). I am used to this because itunes does the same things to my multiple artist albums ie "the southpark album", its the same thing I have to look under "album" on my ipod, because it lists every artist on the album on the artist search , which makes it a pain.
Anyway, the unit is built very nice, aluminum shell and stiff buttons and very good quality plastic is used. I think this is the last Sony HD nw built in Japan , the hd5 is built in Malasyia.
A score of 5 may seem high , but I really love the battery life, sound and beauty of this unit. If I had paid 299.00, I probably wouldnt be so happy. If your the type of person who likes superior sound and has a well tagged music library and can live with sonic stage and dont need voice recording, FM ect. and can find this for a steal you probably will be a very happy camper !!
Also, here is a link of a program that lets you transfer mp3s to the hd3 , hd5 , e501 ec. ect. without sonic stage. If you dont have SS installed already you will also need the driver.
http://www.sonydigital-link.com/DNA/common/asp/details.asp?l=en&v=mp3installer_2_0&m=mp3
On: 2005-09-05
I have owned this device for about 4 months and Im glad I made the purchase. I found this new for $170 at another site - sorry Amazon :( - so I really couldnt pass it up.
Good points:
Cheap, Sony name(some may find that bad), Sound quality is good, mp3 support, I got about 25hrs of battery life, small size, and nice styling.
Weak points:
Menus are a little cumbersome to navigate but nothing major.
I often have the player lock up or skip during high-impact running. I suppose a flash type player would be better suited for running.
The biggest disappointment was uncovered the first time I transferred my collection of music onto the unit. SonicStage 2.3 would crash on my system during transfers with Win XP Pro SP2. Also, many of my mp3s would not transfer. I downloaded an XP hotfix and I somehow managed to fill up the drive so I didnt need to add anything else for a while. Recently i wanted to add some new music so I downloaded version 3.2 before making the transfer and had no problems! I recommend everyone upgrade to a newer version of Sonicstage if you are having reliability issues. 3.2 also organizes tracks a little better and its a little easier to clean up the artist/title/album names to make everything nice and neat.
If you can manage to find this for <$200 I would say go for it and make sure you download some better transfer software.
 On: 2005-08-25
When I bought this in the store, I also looked at those little round 1GB players and found those a lot more attractive, but I let myself be talked into buying this one because of the space. Frankly, 13K songs is WAY more than Ill ever have on this thing; its kind of like renting an entire condo complex so I can use three or four rooms. But for those who want a lot of space and want to back up their music collection on it, its fine.
I have had the same problem people have mentioned about the way the player sorts songs (I have a lot of soundtrack albums by various artists, and when I copied them they were scattered all over heck and gone in the menu) but I found a way around it--SonicStage lets you create personalized playlists, so I simply divide up my music into personalized playlists in My Library and then copy those to the player. Kind of a pain, but it works.
I also have another issue with the hardware--the power switch on the bottom is rather small and flimsy and difficult to manipulate, and I am afraid it might snap off (probably the day after the warranty runs out).
If I had it to do over again, I would buy a different player.
On: 2005-07-09
What is everyone talking about? If they just read the manual they could work it better. The software for this player is not brilliant but it DOESNT crash your computer... it depends if youre computer sucks. It:
1. Holds up to 13,000 songs and this theory is TRUE
2. Has more shuffle options than the I-Pod shuffle
3. Is the smallest mp3 player out there for its memory
4. Has better sound quality than other players
5. Can search for songs by name of song, album and artist. Also searches by Genres and you can form groups.
6. Can have one playlist that holds 100 songs.
7. Is extremely small and good looking
8. The 7 line display is very clear and informative.
9. Many different sound options with an equaliser.
So there.
On: 2005-07-08
This is one of the worst purchases Ive ever made.
While the mp3 player itself is not bad, the software it forces you to use to transfer songs, is aboslutely awful. It will only organize songs by their ID3 tags and sortof artist, album, etc. but the software WILL NOT allow you to create any kind of subdirecty what-so-ever and this drove me insane. If only have 10 albums, fine, if you only have albums made by one artist, fine. But if you have a soundtrack or a compilation album with multiple artists, the whole thing gets split up in alphabetical order according to artist. And if you want to sort by album, every album you have is listed on the main screen. Personally, this way forced me to scroll down for literally minutes to get to an album a ways down the alphabet.
All I wanted to do was organize music so I didnt have to scroll through so much to get to something I actually wanted, but it was literally impossible. And there is no way around this software(SonicStage), I checked with Sony support (I called repeatedly) and everyone I talked to said it is impossible, and judging from how many updates have come along for sonicstage, without this support, I dont see it happening in the future either.
Stay away from this mp3 player, I highly suggest an iPod or an iRiver brand player.
On: 2005-06-27
Absolutely terrible. Thats the best two-word description I can give this player.
As many other reviewers on this and other sites have indicated, the SonicStage software is a laughable abomination- as if they outsourced the coding to a group of novice programmers with bad senses of humor. Moreover, if youre lucky enough to get your songs onto the player, the player scrolls through tracks at a mind-numbingly slow pace- for my modest collection (roughy 1k tracks) scrolling took 2-3 seconds per movement. So scrolling through the entire collection in order would take roughly 2-3k seconds, 30-50 minutes. Thats simply unacceptable for a device that costs as much as this.
Two notable positives were sound quality and form factor. The device looks and sounds good, and if all you wanted to do was turn it on, press play and let it run, itd be a great product. But if you like to flip through tracks, my best advice is this- buy something else because it will drive you out of your mind.
Thank goodness for reasonable return policies.
On: 2005-06-24
Only someone who is from another planet would buy this player. It has problems playing MP3 and WMA files. It forces you to use the dumb Sony software. It costs more than an IPOD.. In short.. buy something else. Sony get your act together.. You invented this category and now you have lost it
On: 2005-06-23
The NW-HD3 looks and sounds excellent. Navigation via the LCD display is ok but not quite as easy or as quick as on an iPod.
The big drawback is the Sony Sonic Stage software that comes with the unit and that must be used to transfer tracks (there is no alternative). The softwares faults include but are by no-means limited to; cant handle a large number of files (crashes), intermittantly hangs your PC, relies solely on ID3 information (i.e. often transfers files as Unknown Artist Unknown Track), auto-transfer will re-transfer audio files that are already present on your NW-HD3 as additional files (resulting in many copies of the same tracks), has a confusing interface, requires frequent re-installation (which often requires completely re-formatting the NW-HD3), no longer supports importing Windows Media WMA audio files and is very processor intensive.
Software aside, I would give this product 4/5 stars. With the software I feel generous in awarding it 1/5.
On: 2005-06-23
Only someone who is from another planet would buy this player. It has problems playing MP3 and WMA files. It forces you to use the dumb Sony software. It costs more than an IPOD.. In short.. buy something else. Sony get your act together.. You invented this category and now you have lost it
On: 2005-06-18
Excellent! Fast service, good price and ONLY $5.00 Shipping by UPS ground from Colorado to California (do not "eat" the cost of Shipping & Handling like many others!)
Thank You
On: 2005-06-13
I have had this player for four months and I am an audiophile and i have had most of the different players for music except minidisk. THis player is outstading. Not only does it have unbelievable and unsurpassable sound quality, it also is very functional. The 13000 song capacity is great however none of us will ever use all that space. I find that the extra space is nice because you dont have to worry about if u have enough space. Now to discuss the software. I have used the orginal sonic stage and found it quite confusing, however the version which ships with the HD3 is superb, most things are tabbed or dropdowns, and very easy to navigate. If someone thinks the software is hard to use, then they must be completely inexperianced with computers. I find it uinbebleiavablhy easy to navigate. Now this is a real mp3 player, not a fake like the ipod. The thirty hour battery claim is pretty accurate (honestly who can use an 8 hour charge?). This player has much better sound quality and is easier to use. I did alot of research before buying this expensive peice of equipment (i got it when it just came out). The specs are much better than anything out there. You will not regret this purchase
On: 2005-06-12
I will just mirror everyone elses comments, great player, horrible software. I wish someone would write better software than Sonicstage, it isnt intuitive at all. Even Windows Media Player has a better interface. If you like your music organized in to neat genres, dont get this player, because Sonicstage will make you tear out your hair. if you just download various music files from P2P sites, then this is for you.
On: 2005-06-07
I baught it and feel like throwing it from the highest floor for the following reasons;
1... Like most MP3 players I have used you cannot drag and drop music files directly to the player.
2... SonicStage Software used to "manage" the file transfers SUCKS. Sony should consider firing its software writing staff, or outsource its software from good people.
3... No songs list. Can only list by Artist /Album/Genre/Group/Others. Dude where my file list?
4... Why on earth do we need another audio format (OMG) ?
5... Did I mention that the software sucks?
Avoid till sony releases a better audio manager.
On: 2005-06-05
Initial review (April 2005)
I dont like Apple and neither understand nor want to participate in the iPod mania. My experience with Sony walkmans (Ive got two MD walkmans before plus MD hardware) has always been positive, and the choice of NW-HD3 was obvious.
Here are my impressions:
+ Sound quality in incredible (I dont have the background noise some people are complaining about);
+ Navigation is convenient; Im able to control the device when its in my pocket;
+ Native MP3 playback is nice: Ive got my previous collection of 300 CDs encoded into MP3 because I couldnt take all of the CDs with me when I moved; NW-HD3 didnt require me to decrease the already decreased quality of the music by converting MP3s into ATRAC.
* The battery lasts for 14-16 hours, not 30 (Im mostly listening to ATRAC3Plus-encoded music);
* The charger is inconvenient but seems to be hard to break :)
* The screen is large but long song names get scrolled just once.
* Sonys HD-CASE1 hard carrying case became available just recently; its still hard to find. Its a must if you dont carry your HD3 in your pocket (as I do).
* SONY Connect music store is a joke. It doesnt have what I like (various kinds of metal and rock). I downloaded a few songs from it and they seemed to be in ATRAC3 132 kBps - couldve been ATRAC3Plus 256 (I didnt find a way to switch the format).
- The software takes getting used to. I tried SonicStage 2.3, 3.0 and 3.1. Upgrade requires you to re-authorize your player (kind of inconvenient). The latest release of SonicStage (3.1) occasinally terminates with some error.
- The player sorts music by album name, not by the release year. Its a bit confusing.
- The most annoying feature is that the player forgets the song that was played before charging it, and you have to look for it again.
It should be noted that I dont need some features many people find extremely useful: playlists, genres, games, organizers, etc. I know all the albums I record on my player (so far Ive put 12 Gigs into it), and thanks to the fast navigation I can access any of them in a matter of seconds.
Buying this walkman was my conscious decision which I didnt regret.
Update after 2006-01-31. The walkman freezes for 20-40 seconds every 3-4 hours, and SONY suggested me to pay them $83 for figuring out what the problem is. Next time I will think twice before buying their harddrive-based gadgets.
On: 2005-06-03
This is the perfect mp3 player, with everything you want. It holds up to 13,000 songs, smaller and cuter than an i-pod, better sound quality than any other make, shuffle options, larger toggle navigation button. Just buy it - you wont be disappointed!
On: 2005-06-02
A lot of other reviews have posted all important points, but Ill sum up with the best qualities in this player. All players have flaws in them, but it depends what you are looking for.
1) A 30 hour battery life is great if you play it a lot. Plus you only need to charge it for 2-3 hours to get it fully charged
2) The sound quality is superb for an mp3 player, with its own equalisers, custom and pre-set. You can set your own treble and bass quality.
3) Lots of shuffle options. You can shuffle by groups, singers, albums, and songs (basically track shuffle and unit shuffle).
4) You cant exactly have playlists but you can bookmark up to 100 songs, which acts like a playlist.
5) You can search by artist, groups, genre and album
6) The player is very very small (smaller than an i-pod) and can hold up to 13,000 tracks. It is really thin and can easily slip into a shirt pocket.
7) Lots of useful little things that makes the player great, such as a measure bar to indicate how much time of one song has elapsed.
On: 2005-05-19
I had purchased the Network Walkman after my iPod was stolen. I had used the iPod and discovered all of its perks and downfalls. The Walkman, to me, is 10x as sexy and as functional. The only downfall is the digital equalizer, which doesnt help the sounds quality whatsoever. What you need is a good pair of headphones. The songs go on a lot easier than the iPods music match and iTunes. My problem at the moment is finding an FM transmitter as good as the iTrip. Buy this product, it comes in your favorite color.
On: 2005-05-09
I bought the Sony HD3 in lieu of the IPOD because of all the reviews I read stating that Sony had the best sound. I was not disapointed with the sound--its amazing. HOWEVER, I had to exchange it after only four days because the flimsy power button bent when my fingernail accidentally slipped under it. The power button on this device is very thin and should anything get caught underneath it, it will easily bend. This is something Sony should consider modifying with the HD5 that is scheduled to be out this year.
Also: The software is not the best but not as bad as some reviews would lead you to believe.
The best reason to buy this MP3 player: The sound--its awesome. Also the battery life is a plus but dont count on getting 30 hours unless you convert to the Sony format.
On: 2005-04-07
IF you are considering this you might want to wait until may when sony releases the NW-HD5, it has an even longer battery life (40 hours ATRAC, 30 hours Mp3) and a user-replaceable battery. Pictures are on engadget.com
On: 2005-03-19
If you spend some time with this player it is equal to or better then the ipod. Ive used an ipod before and its great. But when researching to choose which player I wanted to invest $300 on, I downloaded the manual from each of the players respected manufacturers (apple, sony, iriver, creative). When directly comparing the HD-3 to the ipod (the "most popular player") they both have the same annoying features. Ipod uses only itunes to transfer music and sony uses sonicstage. Sonicstage version 3 was pretty simple to figure out. I loaded up my library from my pc and then transfered album by album to the hd3. It was the same procedure the ipod manual describes.
The HD3 does have a playlists option in which you bookmark songs. Ipod calls it "on the go something" but both have you hold a button to add the track to a my favorite playlist which is a few menus away from the opening screen. Its no problem.
Shuffling is also easy to figure out. Its about the same explanation you would see with any sony audio device. I mean the manual came from Japan but its written in english. So stop whinning. The HD3 actually gives you more shuffling options than ipod. You can shuffle all the tracks, or all the albums, or all the artists, or choose to shuffle tracks within an artist or album group.
Overall the HD3 has way better sound and a much longer battery life than any other player including ipod. Plus if the battery dies YOU can replace instead of paying someone to do it. The HD3 is also smaller, sleeker, and looks cooler. Plus when do sony products break? I still use a six year old cd player.
So dont let U2 convince you to buy an ipod. Buy a freaking awesome player that is unique and much cooler.
No I dont work for sony, I work at Publix. Its a grocery store.
On: 2005-03-06
Sony has released a sure threat to the iPod. The HD3 is sleeker and has a better battery life than the iPod. The UI isnt the greatest but still quite good. The Sonic Stage software is what baffles me. Sony had a winner until they decided to throw in the SS software which I must say needs a lot to be desired. Its not the most user friendly and it frustrating at times.
Having said that this product is hands down better than the iPod.
On: 2005-03-04
People who keep saying there are no drag and drop MP3 players are not fully informed. I have an Archos AV420 & Archos GMini XS200 MP3 player. It blows away any IPOD or Sony NW with sound quality, it has giant killing performance and you can drag and drop with NO restrictions. The AV420 can even serve as a Tivo with NO service fees, simply follow the instructions, use yahoo calendar and bingo, you can watch your favorite programs on the go, when you get home, or any where you please. The AV420 also allows for you to load pictures so it can serve as a photo album. All-in-All the Archos is the ultimate Multimedia device combining Video, Ripping DVDs, Storing Music WMA or MP3 with drag and Drop features, and photo capabilities. Archos devices simply blow IPOD away and are a more solid contender than the SONY NW series. The Archos GMini XS200 is as simple as you can get but WOW! talk about performance, drag and drop music and its really small and light as a feather! You can just drop this puppy in your pocket and hook up at a moments notice and then you get blown away buy great sound. Its like putting on your home headsets. Howd they do that?
Before I bought my Archos players, I had the Sony NW-HD1 and raved about it in a previous review. I have now sent my NW-HD1 to the factory to upgrade the firmware so it will also play native mp3 and supposedly get better sound quality, we will see. (All this for $20 bucks, Ouch! Why couldnt Sony just do a Firmware upgrade via online?) But I figure, what the hey.
This player is just an slightly updated version of the NW-HD1; the only differences I can see are the Native MP3 playability and Coloring.
Make no mistake, I love this unit, it is stylish, beautifully designed, but it just didnt have the sound quality I wanted, which the Archos AV420, AV300 or GMini SX200 does. (I know, I sound like a broken record but its so true).
To be fair, Sony has created a real jewel here with the NW-HD1/3, they just need to address some sound quality issues and add a mega bass feature. As for battery life? Not even the Archos can touch the NW-HD3 in this area. My NW-HD1 lasts on average about 26 hours.
It really depends on what you are looking for; I would say if the Archos did not exist, this device would be at the top of any list hands down. If youre only looking for an MP3 Player this device certainly will do an excellent job, but the ARCHOS clearly wins with blow away sound quality. To be honest though, I am torn because I love Sony products and they clearly put lots of effort into this.
The only true negative is the software and downloads restrictions this thing has. While the new version of Sonys software is MUCH better, it still has problems, and finally BUYER BEWARE! This part is very important! If you do a system restore on your computer, make sure you de-authorize the Sony BEFORE you do this, otherwise it wont be able to see your computer any more and youll have a lovely paperweight.
UPDATE: 03/15/05
Got my Sony NW-HD1 back from the factory. The only thing to report truly is on the sound quality since the whole purpose of this exercise was to update sound and MP3 function. Im happy to say that sony improved on the sound quality greatly, with two new Custom Preset features which gives this little device added Umph! But, sadly to say, it STILL cant beat the ARCHOS with sound quailty. Overall though, very very pleased with this update, highs and lows are much crisper and cleaner with no distortion!
On: 2005-03-04
Im not going to get into tons of detail, as other people already have. I just got my Sony NW-HD3 a few days ago. A brief comparison with the Ipod Mini:
1. Size: The HD3, on its side is the same height as the Mini and just 1/2 inch wider than the Mini. Impressive give the Sony is 20GB (5x more than Mini) and the Mini is 4 GB.
2. Sound: HD3 had better sound than the Mini. I played Snoop Doggs Drop It Like Its Hot on both players and it has a slight echo on the Mini. Suburb on the HD3.
3. Interface: The Minis click wheel is the winner. Its just easier to find songs.
4. Software: ITunes wins for sure. This SonicStage software is horrible. Took forever to load and once you get it up, you have to authorize your player if you want to buy music. It crashed 3 times. I finally got all the songs loaded. Wish the HD3 had firewire connection.
5. Arm strap. There is none for the HD3. The Minis strap rocks. I love it for running. Hope Sony gets one for the HD3.
6. Battery: The Sony wins for sure. Even when I dont use my Mini, the battery runs dead fast.
7. Overall: Id chose the HD3, simply because its prettier and had better sound. Im all about the sound. Once you get your songs loaded, the Sony rocks! However, Sony can still learn from Apple. They need better software.
On: 2005-03-04
Got this great little hard drive mp3 player couple weeks ago and overall its pretty nice. Some things to keep in mind if youre considering getting one:
1. Battery life
Touted as 30 hrs, but that is only if you play 48kbps mp3s which are extremely low quality. For 128kbps quality (close to CD quality), it officially lists 22 hrs. Of course, these estimates assume you never use the backlight and dont raise the bass. Many of my mp3s are 192kbps, and playing those with liberal use of the backlight and bass boosting and the battery only will last about 4 hrs or so. No "removable battery," but there are instructions on how to remove the internal battery for disposal. Dont know if you can order new batteries and replace them yourself or if you have to send it in to do that (like the iPod).
2. Sound quality
Hey, its a Sony, and yeah it sounds good! No "base boost" bottom, per se, but you can adjust bass and treble in two presets, but bass cannot be increased very much, unfortunately. You can also adjust equalizer settings.
3. Size/Design
Awesome, so small and stylish and light, perfect for holding in your hand while jogging. However, note that the hunk of glass that covers the display is not that sturdy. I dropped my player from about 2 ft high on the bottom surface (opposite the side with glass) and the glass got cracked. Dont think that hunk of glass was a very good idea.
4. Skip protection
Great, never skipped while held in my hand and jogging for 30+ min. Never could happen with CD or MD players.
5. Accessories
No remote control, but Im told that many Sony MD remotes will work for basic functions (obviously, not the menus), but in practice, Ive found that I dont miss it or need it since its always in my hand so that I can flip through the menus. The USB/AC adaptor attachment is flimsy and looks like it could easily snap. Unfortunately the nice cradle, that was included with the NW-HD1, is not provided. Still, its functional so I dont really care too much. Nice that Sony AC adaptors are compatible with 100-240V power supplies, so that you can use it other countries with no problems with a cheap plug adaptor (not included). The carry case is weak and there is no supplied hand strap (but an attachment is present). Headphones are of the standard ear plug variety.
6. Functionality
There are some functionality problems/deficiencies with this simple mp3 player. First, the backlight brightness cannot be adjusted at all, leading me to leave it off since it drains power so much. Also, the light will turn on when you change volume, giving another reason to leave it turned off. Second, the "direction pad" that is used to navigate menus is fine but slow when you have a lot of stuff in your player. The iPods wheel is more useful perhaps. The player can also function as a, well, hard drive to carry around non-music files. It will show up as a drive on "my computer" and you can drag and drop files into it like any other windows folder (mp3 files will not play when transferred like this).
7. Software
This is the worst part of this player. You MUST use this terrible software to manage all your files and transfer them, etc. If youve ever used this before, youll know how annoying and aggravating it is to use. On the other hand, its not as bad as before because the NW-HD3 fully supports mp3s and therefore its not necessary to convert all your files to Sonys proprietary Atrac format. Still, it is a cumbersome and slow program with a very sucky interface that makes transfering files onto your player a hassle. Most annoyingly, you can not drag and drop files to your library. Also, files must also be entered into your library before they can be transferred from your PC to your player, which is a hassle and waste of time. The functionality of the software also sucks, as there is no ability to create playlists, and so if you want to make mixes, you need all the mp3s in a certain folder. And if you have a song in more than one mix, that means the song will have to be duplicated on your player, which is obviously dumb and wastes hard drive space. And forget about the software arranging folders in alphabetical order for you, thats up to you!
Anyway, in summary, I am rather pleased with this nice player and much prefer it to the iPod.
Player grade: 4.5 stars
Software grade: 2.0 stars
Overall grade: 3.75 (heck lets round it up to 4) stars
On: 2005-03-01
pros... a rebel to the ipod nation.
cons... longer battery life is a fraud! you can only use it upto 30hrs ONLY when you are using ATRAC
OVERPRICED!iPOD is 50bucks cheaper plus with a lot of accesories are tempting
no color screens
On: 2005-02-26
The previous poster is incorrect -- my Creative Muvo TX FM allows me to drag-and-drop MP3/WMA files directly to the device from the Windows Explorer.
Im not sure where that poster is getting their information.
--Kevin
On: 2005-02-20
I found the NWHD3 an excellent piece of kit and many of the claims of problems with the unit are just because users have not got used to the player.
1) No Mp3 Hard drive can drag and drop MP3 files in windows explorer and expect to play them. Hard drives as CDs have to have a set archiving and data storage method, allowing the hard drive to see where the files are and whether they are playable files or not. Therefore software such as Sonicstage is always necessary.
2) Although the player bitches (brings up a message) if you do not have the power cable connected while connecting to the computer it is perfectly possible to transfer files without the power cable so you do not have to carry it everywhere with you.
3) You do not have to authorise the player with connect unless you want to download songs from the connect site, I have not sone so and I can use the player fine.
4)The ability to create playlists (groups) I admit is fairly limited but as many as you like can be created on the computer and they can be named which is not available on many units.
5) Shuffle and random play are exceedingly easy to set up and can be done while playing a song, press menu, press down to reach repeat and/or random and select which you want on. Also the random plays in a logical order, select an album to play and the tracks in an album will be shuffled, If all tracks are selected to play all tracks are shuffled, couldnt be easier.
6) Nearly all MP3 Hardware and software combinations incorporate copy protection and do not allow you to upload copy protected music from the player, Sonys is not any more complicated or overbearing than most of the other systems out there. Sure Atrac is a proprietary format but since most players dont let you upload the music from the player anyway what difference does that make. It sounds a lot better and takes up less space.
7) 13,000 songs can fit on the player, as stated in the manual this is if the file is encdoded in ATRAC3 PLUS in 48 Kbps. This sounds pretty reasonable but obviously not the best. Sonicstage even allows you to download the files specifically in this comressed format rather than at normal compression so you can fit the most on the player.
Overall much smaller, much better battery life, much better sounding and overall much better build quality than any of the other hard drive walkmans I have seen. I mean come on not a single component of the IPOD is made by apple, it is not a quality product. Great advertising and product placement do not a great product make. The only thing that lets this player down is the slightly flimsy connection point to the power and USB, apart from that quality all the way.
On: 2005-02-16
Well, because I live in the UK, contrary to the release date on Amazon, I got mine from a computer shop Monday 24th January for £249.99 as an early birthday present.
Plus points:-
1.It has a slimline, very sexy sleek solid build. Mine is silver and if fits into your pocket.
2.Its SONY. No questions needed.
3.The battery life is 30 hours and only needs 2-3 hours charging time. Plus It charges up whilst connected to your computer
4.Its got a 7 line very easy to read display with a backlight in the choice of positive or negative
5.The navigation button has a simple design thats easy to use. Only if you have long nails you might snap off the `On/Off and `Hold buttons
6.Sonicstage is pretty easy to use. Just insert a CD or import some files and it converts in into Atrac depending on your settings
Minus Points:-
1.The biggest fault is that it claims to have G-Shock protection that protects the hard-drive when it is dropped. However, on Monday 1st Feb morning I was listening to it, and accidentally dropped it onto the carpet. It stopped playing but when I turned it off and back on again it carried on playing. When I got back home from school, on the other hand, it was an entirely different matter. I turned it on and the usual `walkman displayed on the screen but then nothing else came up!! It completely froze and wouldnt work, so I had to take it back and got a new one Tuesday 2nd so that was a complete waste of time I spent converting those 400 songs :@!! I had to do them all over again! But maybe I got a faulty one
2.The bass isnt very good even if I set the bass option to highest, as isnt the headphones, so I bought my own Sony In-Ear Headphones MDRED228LP with bass boost. No worries. Id recommend these headphones because they are BRILLIANT value for money. When the bass option is at maximum and you have these headphones in, the sound quality is EXCELLENT.
3.Sonicstage, while being easy to use makes you type in your own data (song title, artist, album etc) which takes FOREVER and if you make a little error typing, you have to connect your SONY NW-HD3 up to your computer all over again just to change it. They also make up their own genres for a song sometimes, which I dont want
4.Im not sure what they mean by having 13,000-song capacity if you compress the file, but this isnt the case for me. I compressed it as much as I can and I only got 400 songs in 2 gigabytes, which means Ill only have 4000 songs altogether. But when you think about it, 4,000 songs in plenty. Im only saying this for the people whos music collection exceeds 10,000 songs :)
Overall, I really like my SONY NW-HD3, despite the very stupid faults. I give it 4 stars because I have no problem with using the player and maybe typing in everything in Sonicstage is a good idea. You can see what youre doing then *shrugs* Basically if you have a lot of songs then Id choose this because maybe Im doing something wrong and maybe it really can hold 13,000. even so, 4,000 is still a lot. In addtion a SONY NWHD3 is more gorgeous than a disgusting white clunky I-Pod, and of course looks are the most important, right? So if you want to show up a friend with an I-Pod, buy this ;) *wink wink* youll also stand out from the crowd. Be different! 30 hours battery life is a plus, seeing as I play is non-stop. I am very happy with baby (my SONY NW-HD3, not a real baby!) and you feel a sense of satisfaction owning it. So buy it - but dont drop it!
Hope this helped :D
by: gadgester On: 2005-02-16
In NW-HD3, Sony finally added native MP3 support to its tiny hard disk-based digital music player, so no conversion to its proprietary ATRAC3 format is necessary. This makes the player much more attractive to users already with a large collection of MP3 files. Styling-wise, this new player comes in five color choices: red, pink (looks purplish to me), blue, black, and silver. Backlighting color is also different depending on the exterior color. Plenty of eye candy, for sure. (FYI, mine is red.)
Internally, other than the added support for MP3, the HD3 is exactly the same as the HD1. In fact, even the dimensions and weight (4.5 oz.) are the same. Its also the same 1.8" 20GB hard drive inside. It has the same SUPERB sound quality as the HD1. (Seriously, before listening to ATRAC3 on the HD1, I hadnt known compressed music could sound so good.) Both models claim up to 30 hours of battery life when playing back ATRAC3Plus files. (On my HD1, I routinely got over 25 hours of playback on a single charge.) For MP3, Sony claims "up to 20 hours." As I write this, Ive been playing a mixture of 128kbps and 192kbps MP3 files for about eight hours on my last recharge and the battery is at the half mark. Of course, if
you turn on the equalizer, choose shuffle (random) play, or press the buttons a lot, the battery will run down faster. (Hard drive spinning and backlighting consume the most power.)
BTW, the LiIon battery in the HD3 *can* be user-replaced in theory; see p.39 of the manual. The only question is where can you and I get a spare battery. I wouldnt buy a generic battery on ebay because 1) there are reports that these "fake" batteries dont work, and 2) if improperly charged, they can explode, just like with the exploding cell phones. Like the HD1, the HD3 has just a few buttons. The menu and mode buttons on the top seem easier to press than the HD1, which is a welcome improvement. The play/stop button is still a bit too small for my big thumbs. The four-way arrow buttons are responsive and I personally prefer a simple linear control scheme like this over other "weird" interfaces such as scroll wheel or touch-sensitive strip. I also like the hold button on this thing; its very easy to slide. Backlighting on the HD3 works well and the monochrome LCD is small but sharp.
Some nice touches of the HD3 include the ability to choose "line out" instead of "headphones" when you want to run the output through an amplifier. ("Headphones" output is pre-amped and will sound distorted and harsh if it goes into an external amplifier.) Therere also a six-band equalizer and virtual surround sound settings.
Overall, the HD3 feels very solid physically and the player itself is pretty easy to figure out. Most audiophiles will like the superb sound quality theyll get if they rip into the ATRAC3Plus format. Ive used this player in the gym, and it never skips a beat.
Now, the not-so-pleasant side of this little wonder...
Even though HD3 is a HUGE improvement over its predecessor HD1 due to the native MP3 playback capability alone (well, a lower introductory price is also a big plus), its user interface and music transfer interface havent been improved at all. The updated SonicStage software (now at version 2.3) is fine some of the time, but a nightmare other times. There are a number of nagging issues:
1) You cannot simply copy your MP3 files to the HD3 and expect to play them later. The HD3 does appear on Windows desktop as an external drive, and you can copy any files (including MP3 files) to its hard drive. Basically this allows you to use the HD3 as an external disk drive. But, in order for the MP3 files to play back as audio, they must be transferred using the included SonicStage music management software. (Internally, SonicStage places all transferred music tracks, MP3 or ATRAC, in a proprietary database on the HD3. You cannot access these tracks directly from Windows Explorer.)
2) While you can charge the HD3 using the USB cable via the small USB adapter (it doesnt have a docking cradle a la the HD1), which is a cool thing, you cannot transfer music without plugging in the AC adapter. This is just plain stupid and it means if you want to transfer music on other PCs, you must carry the AC adapter with you. The AC adapter is small and one-piece, but its still a pain to have to remember carrying it with you.
3) You still must "authorize" the HD3 with the Sony Connect music service. This is pretty straightforward -- when it works. The whole music rights control system Sony forces upon us is so freaking convoluted and stupid and irksome. To the dumbheads at Sony marketing: we users want a simpler way to manage and transfer music! Even Windows Media Player 10 is way better at these than SonicStage 2.3.
4) You cannot rate music like you can in Windows Media Player. Creating playlists (called "groups" by Sony in the HD3 manual but known as "albums" in SonicStage -- go figure!) in SonicStage is a bit of a pain. You cannot create playlists on the HD3 itself. It only has a feature called Bookmark which basically combines ratings and a rudimentary playlist into one function. You can bookmark up to 100 songs.
5) Shuffle (random) and repeat plays are ridiculously complicated and require lots of button presses; and you cannot activate them when a song is playing! Take a look at pp.25-28 of the manual and be prepared for an anxiety attack. Once again, Sony introduces some totally stupefying concept to make their American users playback experience miserable: this time its something calld "play unit" which involves where you start playback. Anyway, it just makes no sense whatsoever. In a nutshell, its almost impossible to get consistent shuffle plays on the HD3. Sometimes it shuffles the entire collection of your music, other times it does just a folder or artist. Totally bewildering.
6) Native WMA playback is still not supported. You can convert non-copy-protected WMA files into ATRAC using SonicStage, a time-consuming process. If you have WMA tracks bought from an online store (MSN Music, Walmart, Musicmatch, etc.), you cannot convert them.
7) Sony just has to come up with a better name than "Network Walkman NW-HD3." And you call that POS a case???
In short, like the earlier HD1, the HD3 is an amazing piece of hardware with terrific sound quality, amazing battery life and a solid feel (but not heavy in weight) not found on any other MP3 player. If only Sony would improve the players interface as well as the scary SonicStage software (esp. in the copy protection department), this would simply be the best MP3 player, period.
"But," you ask, "is the NW-HD3 right for me?"
The answer depends on what you want. If you want great sound quality *and* the best hardware form factor, the HD3 is your top choice. If you can, rip to ATRAC3Plus for top-notch sound quality and prolonged battery life. If you want a tiny yet solid MP3 jukebox and dont mind studying the electronic manual (in PDF), the HD3 is also a good choice, and you get long battery life as a bonus. If you prefer linear scrolling (like I do) to alternative methods, youll like the HD3s simply four-way controls. If, however, your cup of tea is simplicity (esp. on the desktop software side) over sound quality, youll be better off with an iPod; if you want something with lots of bells and whistles (FM, recording, calendar, etc.), youll be happier with something from Creative Labs.
Here are a few tips that I hope will help smooth your HD3 experience:
1) You must use the version of SonicStage on the HD3s CD-ROM (v2.3, but somehow more "special" than the updater you can download on Sonys website). If you have any older version installed, be sure to uninstall it first. Reboot, then install the new version.
2) If you run into any problems with transferring music -- and many users do sooner or later -- call the Sony Connect/SonicStages toll-free support number. They are much, much better and more competent than the hardware support people, who are clueless and useless on anything other than which button you should press to play music. E-mail me if you want that phone number. (Its on Connects website but a bit hard to find.)
3) Dont bother with getting a remote control. The two that are Japan-only but can be special-ordered are just way over-priced for the simple functions they have. Theres been consistent talk in user forums that Sony will probably introduce one of the remotes here, in which case itll certainly be much cheaper than what youll pay right now. But if you really *need* a remote, e-mail me and I can tell you which one you should get (and which one to avoid) and which legit source to get it from.
by: gadgester On: 2005-02-15
In NW-HD3, Sony finally added native MP3 support to its tiny hard disk-based digital music player, so no conversion to its proprietary ATRAC3 format is necessary. This makes the player much more attractive to users already with a large collection of MP3 files. Styling-wise, this new player comes in five color choices: red, pink (looks purplish to me), blue, black, and silver. Backlighting color is also different depending on the exterior color. Plenty of eye candy, for sure. (FYI, mine is red.)
Internally, other than the added support for MP3, the HD3 is exactly the same as the HD1. In fact, even the dimensions and weight (4.5 oz.) are the same. Its also the same 1.8" 20GB hard drive inside. It has the same SUPERB sound quality as the HD1. (Seriously, before listening to ATRAC3 on the HD1, I hadnt known compressed music could sound so good.) Both models claim up to 30 hours of battery life when playing back ATRAC3Plus files. (On my HD1, I routinely got over 25 hours of playback on a single charge.) For MP3, Sony claims "up to 20 hours." As I write this, Ive been playing a mixture of 128kbps and 192kbps MP3 files for about eight hours on my last recharge and the battery is at the half mark. Of course, if
you turn on the equalizer, choose shuffle (random) play, or press the buttons a lot, the battery will run down faster. (Hard drive spinning and backlighting consume the most power.)
BTW, the LiIon battery in the HD3 *can* be user-replaced in theory; see p.39 of the manual. The only question is where can you and I get a spare battery. I wouldnt buy a generic battery on ebay because 1) there are reports that these "fake" batteries dont work, and 2) if improperly charged, they can explode, just like with the exploding cell phones. Like the HD1, the HD3 has just a few buttons. The menu and mode buttons on the top seem easier to press than the HD1, which is a welcome improvement. The play/stop button is still a bit too small for my big thumbs. The four-way arrow buttons are responsive and I personally prefer a simple linear control scheme like this over other "weird" interfaces such as scroll wheel or touch-sensitive strip. I also like the hold button on this thing; its very easy to slide. Backlighting on the HD3 works well and the monochrome LCD is small but sharp.
Some nice touches of the HD3 include the ability to choose "line out" instead of "headphones" when you want to run the output through an amplifier. ("Headphones" output is pre-amped and will sound distorted and harsh if it goes into an external amplifier.) Therere also a six-band equalizer and virtual surround sound settings.
Overall, the HD3 feels very solid physically and the player itself is pretty easy to figure out. Most audiophiles will like the superb sound quality theyll get if they rip into the ATRAC3Plus format. Ive used this player in the gym, and it never skips a beat.
Now, the not-so-pleasant side of this little wonder...
Even though HD3 is a HUGE improvement over its predecessor HD1 due to the native MP3 playback capability alone (well, a lower introductory price is also a big plus), its user interface and music transfer interface havent been improved at all. The updated SonicStage software (now at version 2.3) is fine some of the time, but a nightmare other times. There are a number of nagging issues:
1) You cannot simply copy your MP3 files to the HD3 and expect to play them later. The HD3 does appear on Windows desktop as an external drive, and you can copy any files (including MP3 files) to its hard drive. Basically this allows you to use the HD3 as an external disk drive. But, in order for the MP3 files to play back as audio, they must be transferred using the included SonicStage music management software. (Internally, SonicStage places all transferred music tracks, MP3 or ATRAC, in a proprietary database on the HD3. You cannot access these tracks directly from Windows Explorer.)
2) While you can charge the HD3 using the USB cable via the small USB adapter (it doesnt have a docking cradle a la the HD1), which is a cool thing, you cannot transfer music without plugging in the AC adapter. This is just plain stupid and it means if you want to transfer music on other PCs, you must carry the AC adapter with you. The AC adapter is small and one-piece, but its still a pain to have to remember carrying it with you.
3) You still must "authorize" the HD3 with the Sony Connect music service. This is pretty straightforward -- when it works. The whole music rights control system Sony forces upon us is so freaking convoluted and stupid and irksome. To the dumbheads at Sony marketing: we users want a simpler way to manage and transfer music! Even Windows Media Player 10 is way better at these than SonicStage 2.3.
4) You cannot rate music like you can in Windows Media Player. Creating playlists (called "groups" by Sony in the HD3 manual but known as "albums" in SonicStage -- go figure!) in SonicStage is a bit of a pain. You cannot create playlists on the HD3 itself. It only has a feature called Bookmark which basically combines ratings and a rudimentary playlist into one function. You can bookmark up to 100 songs.
5) Shuffle (random) and repeat plays are ridiculously complicated and require lots of button presses; and you cannot activate them when a song is playing! Take a look at pp.25-28 of the manual and be prepared for an anxiety attack. Once again, Sony introduces some totally stupefying concept to make their American users playback experience miserable: this time its something calld "play unit" which involves where you start playback. Anyway, it just makes no sense whatsoever. In a nutshell, its almost impossible to get consistent shuffle plays on the HD3. Sometimes it shuffles the entire collection of your music, other times it does just a folder or artist. Totally bewildering.
6) Native WMA playback is still not supported. You can convert non-copy-protected WMA files into ATRAC using SonicStage, a time-consuming process. If you have WMA tracks bought from an online store (MSN Music, Walmart, Musicmatch, etc.), you cannot convert them.
7) Sony just has to come up with a better name than "Network Walkman NW-HD3." And you call that POS a case???
In short, like the earlier HD1, the HD3 is an amazing piece of hardware with terrific sound quality, amazing battery life and a solid feel (but not heavy in weight) not found on any other MP3 player. If only Sony would improve the players interface as well as the scary SonicStage software (esp. in the copy protection department), this would simply be the best MP3 player, period.
"But," you ask, "is the NW-HD3 right for me?"
The answer depends on what you want. If you want great sound quality *and* the best hardware form factor, the HD3 is your top choice. If you can, rip to ATRAC3Plus for top-notch sound quality and prolonged battery life. If you want a tiny yet solid MP3 jukebox and dont mind studying the electronic manual (in PDF), the HD3 is also a good choice, and you get long battery life as a bonus. If you prefer linear scrolling (like I do) to alternative methods, youll like the HD3s simply four-way controls. If, however, your cup of tea is simplicity (esp. on the desktop software side) over sound quality, youll be better off with an iPod; if you want something with lots of bells and whistles (FM, recording, calendar, etc.), youll be happier with something from Creative Labs.
Here are a few tips that I hope will help smooth your HD3 experience:
1) You must use the version of SonicStage on the HD3s CD-ROM (v2.3, but somehow more "special" than the updater you can download on Sonys website). If you have any older version installed, be sure to uninstall it first. Reboot, then install the new version.
2) If you run into any problems with transferring music -- and many users do sooner or later -- call the Sony Connect/SonicStages toll-free support number. They are much, much better and more competent than the hardware support people, who are clueless and useless on anything other than which button you should press to play music. E-mail me if you want that phone number. (Its on Connects website but a bit hard to find.)
3) Dont bother with getting a remote control. The two that are Japan-only but can be special-ordered are just way over-priced for the simple functions they have. Theres been consistent talk in user forums that Sony will probably introduce one of the remotes here, in which case itll certainly be much cheaper than what youll pay right now. But if you really *need* a remote, e-mail me and I can tell you which one you should get (and which one to avoid) and which legit source to get it from.
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