Looking for a new flash based MP3 Player

.Lethal

.Lethal

.Lethal

Soldato
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Posts
8,421
Location
United Kingdom
Rather than look into all this myself and spend weeks trying to decide on something I would like to try and get a general opinion to try and narrow things down before I look. Basically I want a flash based mp3 player that is small and does not scratch to hell like the ipod nano does. I would also like it practical to be used in the gym.

Now for the techy stuff. I like my bass, now I know mp3 players are not good for this but I know some are better than others, I'm also looking for something that has very loud output (where the volume can be cranked up stupidly loud).

I know SONY has some nice lil flash based mp3 players thats small, practical AND stylish which is a huge plus (I think I forgot I would like something cool looking also :P )

I think thats about it, if anyone has any ideas where to start please let me know.

Any opinion on these 2?

Sony NWE005

Sony NWA608
 
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I have bought the A608 version but to be honest I wish I went for a slightly older model. The sony players are very good, my brother has the NW-E405 which is pretty much the same but without the fm radio/higher atrac bitrates/menu options. You can get the 1Gb version for slightly more than £70 so you would be better getting that than spending another 60 to get the A608.

They are easy to use with a little playing about, the sound quality is pretty good (I normally use 132 Atrac quality), and they are small and sexy :D. I also have a Sony HD5 player that has served me well.

If you want the less flashy features then the E version you mentioned is probably just the same in its ability to play music but it just looks like a pen drive to me.
 
I just bought the same one as you for £130

It was hard to resist, and I do want an FM radio so it was fairly the clear choice. The pen drive looking one is £100 out end of this month and has a fair few less features soooo there we go :P

I'm happy for now
 
check out monolith's range of flash based mp3 players. I have the monolith II and im well happy with it. fused aluminum case, the thing is bullet proof and looks very nice. audio quality is also first rate. got 5 stars in what hi-fi
 
I think the OP has already decided (and bought) the Sony one. Monolith players are nice, I had a look at them in the past. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the ones mentioned.

I just got my player today, quite impressed :)

One thing to note when you get the player, switch the damn Beep off. Drove me nuts until I read the manual.

As a side note I wouldn't trust What Hifi to be honest, they had a pullout a while back and it was basically an apple advertising campaign. They would say that the Zen touch had great features etc etc then say the iPod was better anyway for no reason, and things like that for every category of mp3 player. Most people who have iPods and those that don't agree that it isn't the best sounding. I'm not saying that the Monolith doesn't have great sound, I'm just saying don't trust that magazine for mp3 player reviews.
 
I've never heard of these mp3 players, can you link me to some?

and on another note my mp3 player was delivered 2 minutes ago! I only ordered it yesterday afternoon!!! thats quick delivery.

I'm at work atm so I wil play with it tonight and let ya know what i think
 
Another word of warning: Don't install Connect. I've heard it can mess up really badly.

I've been using Sonicstage without issues for the last 6 months or so and that is pretty solid in comparison. You don't get the use the smart shuffle and some other menus but I'd rather have the stability. I'm waiting for them to sort it out before migrating from sonicstage.

You can find most mp3 players on a competitors website but we can't link there :D. Try google and their respective names.

I've had a play with mine for most of today and its a very nice piece of kit. I bought mine for running and stuff like that but might end up using it more often. It's my 4th mp3 player ever: I've had a 3rd Gen iPod, an iRiver H10, and now have the Sony HD5 and A608. The sony players are better (imo) than the ones mentioned and hopefully you like yours.

You'll also need some decent cans if you haven't got some already :).
 
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Well after playing with it I can say it is everything I want but has 2 bad points.

1. the light for displaying tracks/menus etc is bad in daylight, really poor really.

2. the sounds max output is really really really low, I dont know if its just me but I thought that sucked. my last mp3 player was a 60gb ipod photo (american) and i know laws in america allow a louder output than european so it might be that im use to there standard, but I thought that really blew.

other than that, it is everything I wanted.

Also someone mentioned above about the software.

Yes it sucks, it would be a lot easier if it was plug and play and u could drag and drop but its not sony's style. Also sonicstage is just as bad. personally I never have any problems with ST or Connect. I used the bundled cd and installed that, as it installed it got all the updates and even informed me of a firmware update for my mp3 player (i already had the latest version tho on the one i recieved (v2.0)). so that was a nice feat. I personally hate the way u transfer the music but its only a one off really when you first get it, after that you dont use it as much so I can live with it.

If anyone knows how to increase the output (volume) please let me know. (it was at max vol.31 not on that AVIS thing at 19)

cheers
 
Damonic said:
If anyone knows how to increase the output (volume) please let me know. (it was at max vol.31 not on that AVIS thing at 19)

cheers
Click to expand...

I've seen this asked in several other forums but, sadly, there's not been any solutions found. I've got the NW-E407 but the loudest I've ever had it is at volume level 15. Anything higher is too loud.

Regarding the drag and drop problem, the NW-EXXX range of players can use Sony's MP3 File Manager software that allows drag and drop. However, according to Sony's site, your player does not appear in the list of supported players:

http://www.sonydigital-link.com/DNA/downloads/downloads.asp?l=en&ct=NWF&f=MP3FM20

I'm not sure whether you want to take a risk and try it out?

Ray.
 
The drag and drop thing isn't to big of a deal to me, but for others im sure it is. Thanks for letting me know though.

Regarding the output thats just to bad. I don't know how you dont need to use it above mark 15, in doors on your own I can understand but on public transport or in the gym its no where near suitable for me.

Then again, I like my music loud, perhaps I've destroyed part of my hearing after all these years of stupidly loud listening.
 
Hi there,

What headphones are you using and have you tried swapping with a different model? The player could be having problems driving them perhaps? Just a thought but could be complete rubbish :p

When you import your music into Sonicstage is there a volume control in there you can set? I can't remember if there is and, as I'm at work right now, I'm unable to check.

Ray.
 
I got no idea about the SonicStage thing, I can't remember since I haven't used it in such a long time. I didn't notice anything on Connect. I really dont think a volume control on these programs would effect the output on the portable device if thats what your thinking of?

Also regarding my headphones, I have a pair of 2month old decent sony headphones, so no probs with those. I even use them on the PC sometimes and have used them with a CD portible player.

SONY MDR-G57 are the headphones I'm currently using. I'm considering getting Shure e3 headphones since the Etymotic ER-6i headphones lacked base when I had those.
 
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