
Personal Audio doesn t get any better than this - The important question has to be do you want an IPod? IPod is a culture, a fashion statement for some, and thus any talk about sound quality and user friendliness is not for the IPod community. Be honest, everything is compared to an Ipod, and it takes more guts to look elsewhere.However, if you want sound quality then this Sony player really does take the IPod and walk all over it. I didn t buy it for user friendliness, or looks. I love my music, I have a quality hi-fi at home and I wanted an MP3 that I could enjoy. When my old Sony started making worrying noises (it was a 20GB hard disk model) I decided to read some reviews and find a suitable replacement. It did not take too long to figure where all the professional reviewers were looking for quality sound. Sony have been in the personal audio business for many years. Clever marketing and making everything out of white plastic is no alternative for experience and years of investment. Everything about this Sony player oozes quality. OK, so the screen is not touch sensitive, but does that make the music sound better - not to my ears. I must be one of the few people who never really had a problem with Sonicstage software. I could fit the whole of my CD collection on the old 20GB player, so did not spend hours doing bespoke playlists etc. The new player is a more conventional drag and drop interface, and I use Windows mediaplayer to control my CD library. I have no idea how this compares to other software because it is very simple to use and works. I have never had a problem.Bottom line. Decide whether you want sound quality or an IPod, then buy the Sony. It might not be as trendy, but your ears will thank you.
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! - Sony NWZA829K 16GB Video WalkmanI have never been a fan of ipods, partly because I am not a sheep & partly because the sound quality is rubbish! Talk to any ipod owner & they will try & tell you otherwise but I know good sound & I know good music & they just don t cut it. Sony hardware has always been far better than anything Apple can produce & it may not be a 100GB ipod but I don t care! This little piece of gear is as good as other reviews I have read if not better. The sound is exceptional! The screen is amazing! And the ease of use is perfect! I have not bought a Sony audio product since 2002, their CD players were always good but have been looking for THE MP3 player since (I think I have found it). One thing I will advise people is to forget the Sony software, not good but also not needed, Media Player 11 works perfectly & as I already used it (as itunes kept making my computer crash) it suited me perfectly. Believe me, if its all about the music, this is the player you want!!!
Bye Bye ipod Touch.... - After reading the other reviews from people who have purchased this player I went ahead and purchased one from Amazon.I have only had this Sony Walkman NWZ-A829k since 23rd Dec and I have used it everyday since then, I can t remember ever using any of my ipods as much, I also have an ipod Touch 32GB 1st Gen, which now sits in my draw not being used.Without a doubt this Walkman is the best sounding MP3 I have ever listened to...1. I think this Walkman looks every bit as good as the latest gen of ipods, nice to hold to.2. The SOUND the most important part of any MP3 player and Sony have done an amazing job, the sound is open and with great detail, the bass is clear it s like having a HIFI in your ears, AMAZING !!!3.The screen is bright & clear, although I shall not be bothering with the video on this player4. The Bluetooth side of things, I have a pair of Sony DT-BT22 headphones and it works really well, the sound is pretty good to.5.I use windows media player 11 and syc my music to the Walkman and it works just fine no probs.So if you if your after a different MP3 player, that is not an ipod then this might be the one for you, this is one fantastic player so don t be affraid to breakaway from the rest of the herd.Buy One and enjoy it!!!!
The Bluetooth option - I ve been thinking about buying the 829 for quite some time but I kept telling myself that my 818 was perfectly fine. Typically, I went into a Sony center (sorry Amazon, I m out of town) and couldn t help myself - I have the see-buy disease.I have the bluetooth headphone option and wouldn t say they are perfect but they are really good. In the gym, they are amazingly handy - no more cable getting in the way and no need to wear the Walkman either. I found it a weird sensation when I first used them. Look, no wires! The on ear control is a little flawed. It s a spring return slider for the shuttle control and the pause/play function is the same slider as a push in. I keep finding myself shuttling whilst trying to pause it. A seperate button is required. Connection/disconnect is simple - there s a small button on the side. Not sure if this is correct or not but the volume control is disabled when the headphones are connected. It would be better to allow control using both. I ve seen no option in the settings.I m hopeful the bluetooth will work happily with my PS3 when I get home, that ll be cool.For those that haven t used a Walkman since the iPod revolution, it s a very simple MP3 player. No fancy gimmicks (apart from the custom Sony only connector), no DRM, just plug it into a USB port of a Windows OS and off you go. Drag and drop, use the supplied Sony software or use Media Player. Battery life, as it was on my 818, is amazing - even with the bluetooth on. By default, the screensaver is on which it is better to turn off to extend the battery even more. If you use the Walkman heavily, you may even have to charge it once or twice a week!Video playback is on par with my N95. I don t use the Sony software so I don t know if that configures the video size for you or not. If not, a piece of third-party will probably be required. There s plenty out there.The corded headphones are great and fit ears very well, I ve warn them for some prolonged periods and not haven t suffered any pain. I m going to be trying out some upgraded versions soon - including the EX. All-in-all, if you re hunting for a simple, big capacity ipod alternative, this is probably it.
Almost Perfect - Like many these days I ve owned quite a few mp3 players and this is the best yet. Sony have focused on something strangely missing in many mp3 players out there. Sound quality. Many have remarked on the sound being accurate rather than too bassy. The headphones provided are fine, but if you love music reproduction at a high quality buy some quality earphones and this player won t let you down.I am lucky to own a pair of Shure 530 earphones and sound of Camille s Music Hole makes for such a joyess experience that I will forgive the fact that sony did not include an fm radio.The screen is also a joy to watch. Unfortunately this player is not compatible with iplayer, whilst sony s latest mp3 player Sony NWZ-S639FB 16GB Drag & Drop MP4 Video Player with FM tuner in Black is. Before you re tempted to run off and buy that one (as I did), be warned that the screen on the NWZ-S639 is disappointely small compared to this player and the sound quality is not of the same standard (by some way i think).It would have been nice if they d supported iplayer as as the screen is fabulous and I also miss not being able to listen to the radio using it. However, if you re something of an audiophile then this player won t disappoint.