Sony NW-HD1 Review

Overall Rating

Size
Sound quality
Battery life (30 hours compared to 12 for a 4G iPod
Looks
Supplied software

A bit on the expensive side compared to the competition

Firstly, just to show that this Sony NW-HD1 review is as unbiased as I can make it, I have used the iriver iHP-100 and 120, creative Zen touch and Zen Xtra 30 gigabyte, the 3G 15 gigabyte and 4G 20 gigabyte iPods aswell as the iPod mini, all of which I have thought are fantastic players for different reasons. The iriver has the best sound quality thanks to supporting the ogg vorbis format, the iPods have the best design and could be classed as a bit of a statement if that's your thing and the creatives beat both on grounds of what you're getting for your money (if you shop around on the web, you can find them pretty cheap).
However, I decided to go for the NW_HD1 when buying my own (to replace my old Sony MZ-N1 minidisc player), it has all the best qualities of the above players combined (apart from cost, which is a bit steep at £300 in shops). It uses the atrac3plus format, which supposedly gives a high level of compression without losing a noticeable amount of quality. After using an mp3 cd player with this format, I was disappointed but on the HD-1 even the highest level of compression sounds good with hardly any distortion (I used a range of music to test this, including the Prodigy with the loudest sound option on). On the lowest form of compression the sound quality is mindblowing, in my opinion there isn't really much of a noticeable difference between that and the iHP-120 using ogg vorbis. The other good thing about this format is that it can make so much more of the harddisc space than an iPod or creative zen without it sounding too bad.

The other feature that makes this player stand out above everything is the battery life, twice that of the iriver iHP-120 and not far off three times that of a fourth generation iPod. However, Sony have also opted for the inbuilt battery option, so after 3-4 years of constant use I expect it'll have to be sent off to Sony for replacing, at which point it will be cheaper to buy a whole new unit... not a great idea but forgiveable considering the life of the battery. Charging takes less time than the iPod, too.

Finally, the looks. I think the magnesium case looks excellent, and the screen is nice (I use the reverse colours, so it's green writing on black background rather than the standard black on green, another nice touch). It isn't as much of a design icon as the iPod, but it looks individual. Even the charging stand is well designed!

This new player is definitely worth a look if you're considering buying any of the competition-its more expensive bet certainly worth it if you're looking for high sound and build quality. Just buy some different headphones for it!

Members' Comments onjonw179's Review

• captainhaddock on 10th Nov 2004

  You've listed this as an mp3 player, is there an update to enable mp3 support? Sony have told me this isn't the case?
  
  An important addition, out of the box transferring mp3 (or WMA) songs to the player (by reconverting them to sony's sound format) has been slower than transferring MP3s to my old jazpiper - and that used the old parallel port! Don't expect to put a few albums on during the morning rush to leave the house.
  
  This from the user manual "we do not guarantee trouble-free operation on all computers that satisfy the system requirement" mine far exceeds the p2 400Mhz required and gettings songs to the HD1 takes an age.
  
  Also, the HD-1 is in my opinion very quiet even on loudest volume with all the levels at maximum and avls set to off. The technical specs show an output of 194mV from the headphone jack. That's not a typo they don't list the milliwattage.
  
  captain_haddock

• jonw179 on 11th Nov 2004

  No, there isn't direct mp3 support, apologies for not putting it in the right category, I did it without realising... I tried putting mp3s on and it does take ages, so I've steered clear. and yes, it does take a while to convert CDs when it's at 256kbps, but it goes pretty quickly on most other settings I think. Also, with regards to loudness, my solution has been to use my Sennheiser hd555 headphones (work a treat with any portable player), which sort it out pretty well, or to make do- I find it a bit antisocial when other people play their music loud enough to be able to hear it a few feet away anyway. It goes loud enough if you make custom1 setting full everything, not as loud as an iPod, but I can't stand it when someone is sitting on the train near me with one playing at full volume... it's all a matter of personal opinion/taste I guess. If you want volume and direct mp3 support, I'd recommend trying to find an iPod.

• captainhaddock on 12th Nov 2004

  On the bright side the instructions do show how to change the battey (in the 'notes on disposing of the unit' section) it seems you just have to unscrew the casing the battery isn't soldered in.

• MattyMarsh on 30th Dec 2004

  All the sony hard disk models can be updated to support fully, without conversion to ATRAC, the MP3 format. You can get the update from the site I believe. In Japan a $10 cd is availible until may next year, which updates ANY sony portable music player so that it can play MP3s straight away.
  
  Bravo Sony! AT LAST!!

• noelr on 7th Jan 2005

  Erm. Got the NW-HD1 for Xmas (lucky me). Have a huge database of mp3's on my office network which is annoying as I have been to the Sony website and they don't seem to have the converter. In fact they are particularly vague as to when one will be available. I quote:
  
  "Posted: Dec 27, 2004
  A firmware upgrade will be available for NW-HD1 devices to support ‘native’ MP3 files. Please check back soon for further information about this upgrade."
  
  Good old Sony he!

• Cloysterpeteuk on 3rd Feb 2005

  The upgrade is now available see http://www.sonydigital-link.com/DNA/Hotnews/NWHD1_Upgrd.asp?l=en for info, costs you £15 though!. Not really worth it as Atrac3+ is a better format. As for the volume all that needs is the volume limiter to be turned off in the service menu see http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184051

• captainhaddock on 11th Feb 2005

  The upgrade service does not come on a CD, it costs £15 and you have to send your player freepost to a Sony service centre.
  
  I sent my player for the upgrade on 3rd Feb and it returned on the 11th Feb, quite fast turnaround. I have tried MP3s of different bitrates, they all play.
  
  There are limitations to this upgrade that are not made known until you pay your money and the unit is returned to you. This from the upgrade info website :
  
  " # Upgrade:
  
  * Transfer of MP3 files using SonicStage
  * SonicStage ver.2.3 CD-ROM supplied
  * Shorter handling/transfer time (times will vary with different PC environments)
  * Playable MP3 file formats are:
  o MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3
  o Bit rate 32 - 320 kbps (CBR/VBR)
  o Sampling frequencies 32/44.1/48 kHz
  
  # Other features: As part of this upgrade some enhancements will also be made to the operation of the player:
  
  * Digital Sound Preset. You can preset the treble and bass levels to your preference.
  * Some changes will be made to the information shown in the LCD display:
  
  * New SHUFFLE pattern. If "SHUFFLE" playback has been selected and the player then goes in to sleep mode, press "PLAY" and playback restarts with a new SHUFFLE pattern. "
  
  Sounds great. Compare with a note folded into the upraded player's box:
  
  "The “V-SUR” or “Sound EQ” functions have no effect during MP3 music playback; the display changes but the sound quality itself does not change." [the equaliser and surround sound effects don't work for Mp3s]
  
  "MP3 files that were transferred to the unit from SonicStage cannot be transferred back to SonicStage. Deleting them by SonicStage is possible." [Ridiculous surprise restriction I resent paying for]
  
  "Do not to change the path of the original MP3 file on your PC. When the path of the file is changed, the MP3 file cannot be transferred or played back by SonicStage."
  
  In addition, no ammended instructions are given for the upgraded player. Instead Sony just includes the manual for a different model on the sonicstage 2.3 CD that "includes information that is not applicable to the NW-Hd1".
  
  This manual starts off in Japanese you have to scroll down to find English. If you don't have acrobat reader you can't view the manual, Acrobat reader is not included in the sonicstage2.3 cd.
  
  Personally not very impressed, draw your own conclusions. The upgrade offer ends in July of 2005.

• corriganphilip on 20th Apr 2005

  I have a md and am about to buy a mp3 hard-drive player but all my music is stored on my Sony sonic stage so this obliously lessens my options. I was going to buy the SONY NW-HD1 but after reading the reviews on that atrac/mp3 format stuff i got a bit worried so...I'm not a big technological guru as you can tell, I just want something simple, no hassle about converting etc...NEED HELP, visiting America shortly....

• ianshiels on 24th Apr 2005

  I'm just about to buy this player but I NEED to know, can the software convert my mp3s saved onto my HDD to the ATRAC format? Or do I have to get out all my old CDs?

• benol1 on 12th May 2005

  My decision to purchase the NW-HD1 was made after reading your review. I'm very happy with the product and performance exceeds my initial expectations. Thanks heaps!
  Ben O'Loughlin
  Ballarat, VIC, Australia