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CNET editors' rating:
3.5
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 58 reviews
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Product summary
The
good: Supercompact and durable design; excellent sound quality; intuitive tactile interface; removable battery; stellar battery life.
The
bad: No extra features, such as FM radio or recording; ATRAC3 is the only DRM option; must use SonicStage software for music transfer.
The
bottom
line: If you want a slick alternative to the iPod and you're into Sony's Connect music store, then the NW-HD5 is a stellar choice.
Specifications: Device type: Hard drive ; Digital player supported digital audio standards: WMA , WAV , ATRAC3 , MP3 , ATRAC3plus ; Digital storage media capacity: 20 GB ; ; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 07/14/2005
- Updated on: 01/26/2006
- Released on: 07/01/2005
The plastic and bubbly controller buttons are tactile and are placed intelligently enough so that first-time users will have no problems navigating the device's simple menu system. To the left of the primary five-way controller with a nested play/pause/select button are the dedicated volume buttons. On the right, you'll find the search/menu and stop/power-off buttons. A few users have opined that the buttons give the HD5 a cheap look, but we disagree. The interface's effectiveness is actually a refreshing alternative to the iPod's Click Wheel.
The top of the device features a lightweight and attached plastic cover (note to Sony: the plastic used here is cheap looking; it could have been better) that houses a standard USB 2.0 port and power input. There is also a hold switch and a smart headphone/line-out jack (the HD5 ships with standard earbuds). You'll find a hand-strap loop on the top-right spine and a curious battery slot on the lower-left spine. The battery cover slides open after you stick a sharp point into a hole on the cover. You'll be amazed at the small size of the battery--more so because it's rated to last 40 hours per charge. No iPod can last that long, nor do any possess the coveted swappable battery.
Sony has always done things a tad differently, and it shows in the main menu system, which includes Find, Options, Edit Bookmark, and Playback Screen. Pressing Find takes you to the music library, which is broken down by artist, album, track, genre, new tracks, Initials Search, and playlist. We do love the playback screen with its listing of track, album, artist, genre, format, bit rate, time elapsed, track number, battery life, and other digital tidbits. However, we do wish the menu would automatically return to Playback Screen after a few seconds. The way it stands, you'll remain on a static menu screen until you select Playback Screen. It's also an extremely legible screen (even outdoors in sunlight) that can be inverted to make the background white instead of black. And the backlight doesn't have to be on in order to view the screen.
The Sony Network Walkman NW-HD5 ships with a standard USB cable, basic earbuds that get the job done (though most will spring for nicer headphones), a wall-wart-style AC adapter, a soft carrying pouch, and a software disc. Given the HD5's luxury feel, you'd think a protective carrying case would have been included. Also, unlike the iPod and other high-end MP3 players, the HD5 has no docking cradle option, but at least you get the standard mini-USB jack rather than a proprietary one.
Sony's Network Walkman NW-HD5 lacks many of its competitors' features. Like the iPod, it doesn't have an FM tuner, voice recording, or line-in recording. Unlike the iPod and most other "flagship" players these days, the HD5 doesn't have a photo- and album art-friendly color screen. It doesn't play Audible files, nor does it come anywhere close to being video capable (even the second-gen iPod can be hacked to play black-and-white video).But the HD5 does do one thing and does it well: plays back compressed digital-audio files. The HD5 natively plays back MP3, ATRAC3, and ATRAC3plus files, including those purchased from Sony's Connect music store. Sound quality is top-notch, and menu navigation is intuitive, thanks in part to the aforementioned lack of features. You also get the standard repeat and shuffle playback options, including the ability to shuffle albums, and songs will resume right where you last left them after you repower the unit.
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- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 58 reviews
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