Sony Network Walkman NW-HD5 Information and Full Review

The Sony Network Walkman HD5s have been replaced. The closest product currently available are the Sony NWZ 4GB and 8GB.

The video Sony walkman NWZs available are:

The below commentary is on the older Network Walkman HD5

Ahh, the Sony Walkman. The granddaddy of them all, the Sony Walkman was the first portable recorded-music player that was small and light enough to use a belt clip. What is their NW-HD5 MP3 jukebox like?

Unfortunately its name may cause some confusion on more than one front: First the reckless abandonment of the sreies-number-and-capacity-as-part-of-name convention that most manufacturers use - e.g. the Archos AV420 - is the Archos Audio Video, series 4, 20GB model, or the iRiver H320 - series 3, 20GB.

Also, the term Network does not mean "ethernet ready" or anything. Unlike the Rio Karma. Network refers solely to the fact that you connect the walkman to your computer. Just like every other portable Jukebox.

The Sony NW-HD5 is not a 5GB jukebox, despite how criminally small and light it is. You can't help it. You see the size, you see the name and automatically your brain goes "5GB". the "5" in NW-HD5 does not refer to the capacity, nor surprisingly, does it refer to which series this model belongs to.

Lets start at the beginning. You may not be aware that this is not Sony's first Hard Disk Jukebox series model. Its not Sony's 5th either, despite the name NW-HD5. They skipped 4 because of unpleasant associations with the number 4 in Japan (apparently it's closely associated with death). And to be frank we're not sure about number 2 either.

Unlike earlier versions by Sony that claimed to be the smallest HD Jukebox available (the NW-HD 1 claimed to be) the NW-HD5 goes for the more understated claim that the NW-HD5 "is quite simply one of the smallest 20GB HDD players around. With its incredibly light aluminium body and tiny credit-card-size dimensions, this ultra-compact model gives new meaning to the word 'portable'."

Portability-redefined was one of the taglines for the iPod.

However, we still have to say bravo. Its a completely true and accurate description of the relative size and proportions of the unit that will be just as true next year as it is today, regardless of what other Manufacturers produce.

Standard capacity commentary

20GB is 20GB, regardless of make of the MP3 player, so in terms of MP3 files you will be able to get a fully standard 333 hours of music compressed at 128Kbps - as with any 20GB MP3 player.

Other standards being followed in that this NW-HD model does fully support MP3 music. Some older Sony models did not (at least not directly).

Where the Sony offers something different is that its 'other' compression codecs are ATRAC3 and ATRACplus, which are both able to compress files to a significantly smaller size than MP3. This changes things dramatically. Whereas you can fit 333 hours of MP3 on top 20GB, you can fit about 500 hours of music in ATRAC3. That is considerably more music.

Battery News

Hyperbole will not do justice to this. Doubtlessly in 5-10 years time we will be wondering what all the fuss was about, but at launch (Q2 05) Sony are the only company that produce a battery that will last more than 20 hours between charges. In fact it will last double that - 40 hours playback time. If you work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and listen to your NW-HD5 all day at work (but not during your commute) then you only have to recharge this jukebox once a week!

Double bonus: the battery is replaceable, so none of the embarrassment associated with having to replace the whole jukebox if there is a battery fault. Some of the other best selling models still have that design flaw. It also means that you can buy a spare battery and so power your jukebox for 2 weeks - say if you were going on holiday and didn't trust the electricity.

Screen

The screen is not actually large, but it is relative to the overall size of the unit. It's LED (light emitting diode) driven as opposed to the more

Sony Network Walkman NW-HD5 Info

Ultra compact aluminium body Choice of backlight colours Removable battery

funky, modern and useful full colour LCD/ TFT displays on video and photo models. This means that the NW-HD5 uses much less power than its counter parts (see 'battery news' above) but it also means that you cannot play videos, games or look at photo's on-screen. Sony still claim that the NW-HD5 screen provides a superior user experience. Presumably to a digital watch. That's a little unkind - it is pleasing to the eye and an improvement on the crappy screen that was on the NW-HD1.

The screen also does a trick that Sony seem inordinately proud of: If you rotate the jukebox, the screen always displays its text the right way-up. Opinion here is divided as to the usefulness of this feature. In what circumstances is that a real advantage? It does mean that you can decide which way you want to orient your jukebox, but what use is it really to someone who owns one? Still, it looks clever the first time you see it...

Using the NW-HD5 is simple. There are not a lot of options to clutter the place up, so the basic controls can be learned immediately.

Using the software that comes with it is also easy, but we have had some problems with Sony's SonicStage software and with Sony's music download service in the past.

Extras

A G-sensor (G meaning Gravity/ Force) is able to detect if the unit has been dropped and it takes measures to protect the device's internal workings.

Other standards

Stuff that is missing from this jukebox that you could reasonably expect to find would include:

• Line-in, for recording as this model cannot record from live sources
• FM radio option
• Remote control

Those items are not present in all MP3 players, but you could reasonably expect some of them to be available as optional extras, at least.

Something that is present in this jukebox that we erroneously thought was missing include:

• Line out, for connecting your Sony to external stereos to utilise their amps/ speakers;

Line out is available via the headphone socket. Its a good feature to have in a jukebox and we're always pleased to see it.

Conclusions:

This is as small, light and as battery efficient a 20GB Jukebox as you will see over the next few years. The styling is impeccable, the ease of use is simplicity itself and the build quality is superb. It may not have enough bells and whistles for some gadget lovers, but for music lovers who want something small light and stylish, it's a good purchase. If that sounds about right for you then have a look at the 3 cool colours it comes in below.