Digger's Full Review: Sony Network Walkman NW-E75 (256 MB) MP3 Player
I can honestly say, this is the best mp3 player I've owned and heard, to date. And I've heard them all, including the i-pod. Sony just seems to always be one step better than the rest. The sound quality is very close to CD playback.
I purchased this player on my way home from a hurricane evacuation. I had stopped in a Walmart to buy some groceries, and of course I had to browse the ole bargain aisle. This nifty little player caught my eye right off. It looked unique, different than any other player on the market. At the time I bought this player, I was leaning more toward another Sony mp3 player, a unit that plays mini discs. I chose this unit, mainly for the lower price, and also for the compact cool design. But I must say, I still have not ruled out the mini disc player for the future, if the price is right that is. To be honest, I feel your always better off with no moving parts, as is the case with the NW-E75. The less things to go wrong, the less chance something will go wrong. I have used this Sony player extensively, and it's still running like a charm.
It is so well designed in every aspect. From the protective plastic cover surrounding the player, to the unique toggle switch for moving in between songs. After you have used it for a while, you soon appreciate the time Sony has taken, to put things right where they belong. Looking straight down on the player you will see the display window. When you first start the playback, by pushing the stop/play button, the display lights up an ocean blue color. The light will fade to dark after about 5 seconds or so. This is to preserve battery power. You also have a "group button", that allows you to move forward or backward between whole song sets, or groups of songs. This is a real time saver when you are interested in getting to one particular song, say at the middle of the playlist.
On the front side of the player, you'll find the volume button. By holding down the repeat/sound button ONCE, you can choose playback options, holding if for about 4 seconds or longer, you are able to select from different bass level settings. I did not find this later feature out, until a few weeks ago, yeah I know..read the instructions. I find the normal bass setting is more than adequate for most listening. There is a menu button, which allows you to customize settings, such as beep on/off, display, sound.
To me, the real plus of any Sony MP3 player, or audio product in general, is their very unique and exclusive software. Just check out one of their personal computers, and you will see what I'm talking about. In this case it is known as "Sonic Stage". Sonic Stage is everything rolled into one package, it's a CD/mp3 player/music recorder, and a song transferring utility. Similar to MusicMatch Jukebox, but better. The Sony designed compression/recording system goes by the name of ATRAC Plus. It is my opinion that Atrac Plus does this compression thing a little better than the rest. You have the option of three quality settings, the default is 64 bits per second, and for most purposes you will find this more than adequate. I don't know if I would recommend the option of 48 bits per second, the system is ideally optimized for 64. Now for the die hard sound fanatics out there, you can try 256 bits per second. Can you tell the difference? Personally, I CAN tell the difference between 64 and 256, but it is very subtle. The music seems to be a bit more open sounding, more true to life. Just be aware, you are going to get a lot less songs on the player at this recording speed. To be honest, the sound is so good at 64 bps, you really don't need to record at the higher speed. The ability to hear sound at "near CD quality", is something pretty amazing in it's own right.
The player uses one AAA battery, battery life seems to be quite good, lasting for many hours. To date I have got over 20 hours on one battery, and it's still playing! The transfer from computer to player, is done with a universal USB cable. The fact that it's universal, is a good thing, because very often you can misplace your cable.
Something to note, if you are still using Windows 98, this software will only work with 98 second edition. I am still using Windows 98, but I also have a laptop that runs XP. If you happen to have another Sony MP3 product, such as a CD player or minidisc player, you may not be able to use the two together on the same computer. There are software conflict issues with different sonic stage versions. I had to choose between my CD/mp3 Atrac plus player, and the NW-E75. For now this player won squating rights on my computer. Sony definitely needs to address this multi-player compatibility issue.
To me the most unique feature of this player, is the forward-backward shuttle switch, very unique in it's own right. It's a no brainer to operate, move it to the right and you go to the next song/s, move it to the left and you go back to the previous song/s. Frankly I'm amazed nobody has thought of this before. If and when you buy this player, you will see what I mean. As well as moving back and forth between songs, this switch lets you fast forward or fast reverse in a song. You can even figure out which way is which, when the player is turned upside down.
Some may argue, is 256 megs of memory enough? Some will say "yes", some will say "no" For my purposes it's more than adequate, I have still not been able to fill this player. On that note, I will say 128 is not enough, whereas 256 megs just seems to fit the bill. Give this great player a try, you wont be sorry you did! You'll be amazed how something so small can sound so darn good.
One final word, I highly recommend anybody getting this player, or any mp3 player for that matter, to invest in a good set of headphones. The ones that come with these players fall way short of what is considered "high fidelity". It truly is an investment, that you will not be sorry you made. I personally own and use, the Sony Studio Monitor headphones. They sell for around $20.00+. They give you excellent bass, and overall great frequency response. This is a big thorn in the side for me, that the best these companies can furnish with their players, is bud phones. Tacky, real tacky. YES even I-pod ships with bud phones!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 55.00 Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
This Sony ultra portable 256MB digital audio recorder/player lets you record and carry up to 11 CDs of music thanks to 256MB of internal flash memory....More at Target
Ultra-Compact design fits comfortably into the palm of the hand or is easily carried in pocket or purse (1.5 x 2 x .75 inches, W x H x D) 256 MB built...More at Amazon Marketplace
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