Sony NWZ-A845 16GB WALKMAN MP3 Player

I bought the Walkman to take on holiday and replace an ageing, but otherwise perfectly workable, Sony NWHD5 unit - mainly because the deal was too good to turn down (and the compact size and weight of the NWZ-A was extremely attractive). My family suggested I might have been wiser to choose an iPod Nano, but I have a fondness for the Sony brand and I can't fault this unit or its ease of use. Compared to the NWHD5 this is an absolute doddle to use with the drag and drop facility. I'm also pleased to note that unlike the NWHD5 there's no need to convert the music from my CDs to Atrac3 format to play on the Walkman - this is a large leap forward. The sound from the headphones is outstanding and the noise-cancelling facility worked well on the aircraft. I don't intend to use it for video, but I looked at the sample which came with it and I am astonished at the quality of the picture the OLED screen provides. I'm absolutely delighted with this purchase.

This mp3 player is fantastic. It is slim, durable and transfers files easily. The headphones are also amazing when compared to anything apple offers as standard. The max volume is probably a bit low but apart from that this is well worth the investment if you are looking for an ipod alternative.

This mp3 player is brilliant and very easy to use.
Transferring music and videos is a doddle with the easy 'drag and drop' method, and it even converts your videos too.

The sound is great and although you might read that the volume doesn't go up as loud as some other players, it's more than loud enough for me, and I listen to it cycling to work!
Video playback is very clear and crisp which make it easy to watch on a small screen.
All in all this is a great little player, and in my eyes beats the ipod hands-down.

Well made, solidly built and looks and feels like a quality item. Thin and very light to hold and slips in a pocket very easily (size is on a par with iPod nano). All controls easy to operate.

The various settings menus could use some refining as it's not always obvious where to look (not a deal breaker, just could do with more thought).
Music playback is very straight forward and simple to use and I particularly like the 'return to now playing' option on the menu which works far better than iPod's.

Also, this model does have a radio (an oversight on the Sony Australia website!). The radio is very intuitive to use, with auto set-up or manual search options and clarity is excellent.

I've only tried it around the office, but so far the noise cancelling works very well (you can adjust the level which I haven't done yet and mine is still on factory settings). It doesn't cancel out everything (typing can still be heard for instance), but for me it works just right as I wouldn't want 0 ambient noise anyway.

Music quality is very good for the sector and the bundled earphones are actually quite good (a refreshing change from the usual rubbish you get).

Screen is fairly good and certainly good enough quality for the player. I wouldn't want to watch a movie on it, but that is more to do with the size than the clarity (if you want to watch movies buy something with a bigger screen).

Sync's with iTunes very easily. Just load the software (all software and manuals are pre-loaded onto the device) and drag/drop playlists and music from itunes to the device manager.

Yet to test the battery life in anger, but my first thoughts are the specs may be a little optimistic. Admittedly I have had the screen on it's brightest setting and using noise cancelling & DSEE but the battery was down to 1 bar by the end of the day. This was a full day, constantly accessing the menu to pause/select new songs etc, but could be that all this is quite a drain.

Would I buy over an iPod? I did and don't feel ripped off or as though I have missed out on anything. The build quality, music quality, noise cancelling and earphones all make this the better purchase (in my opinion). Battery life could be my only gripe. Not that this is particularly bad or a cause for concern, I just don't appreciate being told one thing only to discover another, but then maybe this will improve as I stop playing with the thing...!

Easy to navigate, very solid build quality, gorgeous and responsive OLED screen, superior sound quality and decent quality headphones are bundled with it.
Noise cancelling is a real treat! I am so confident in Sony's reputation for quality that I imported this to Australia to use when travelling to the work, gym etc. Highly recommended.

I have had this a couple of weeks now and I am not an MP3 whizz but this is fantastic!! Was desperately trying to decide between this and an iPod, this, in my opinion wins hands down.

Fantastic volume quality and noise cancelling great. Everyone wants mine, they'll just have to save up for their own!!!!!

I bought the Walkman to take on holiday and replace an ageing, but otherwise perfectly workable, Sony NWHD5 unit - mainly because the deal was too good to turn down (and the compact size and weight of the NWZ-A was extremely attractive). My family suggested I might have been wiser to choose an iPod Nano, but I have a fondness for the Sony brand and I can't fault this unit or its ease of use. Compared to the NWHD5 this is an absolute doddle to use with the drag and drop facility. I'm also pleased to note that unlike the NWHD5 there's no need to convert the music from my CDs to Atrac3 format to play on the Walkman - this is a large leap forward. The sound from the headphones is outstanding and the noise-cancelling facility worked well on the aircraft. I don't intend to use it for video, but I looked at the sample which came with it and I am astonished at the quality of the picture the OLED screen provides. I'm absolutely delighted with this purchase.

This mp3 player is fantastic. It is slim, durable and transfers files easily. The headphones are also amazing when compared to anything apple offers as standard. The max volume is probably a bit low but apart from that this is well worth the investment if you are looking for an ipod alternative.

This mp3 player is brilliant and very easy to use.
Transferring music and videos is a doddle with the easy 'drag and drop' method, and it even converts your videos too.

The sound is great and although you might read that the volume doesn't go up as loud as some other players, it's more than loud enough for me, and I listen to it cycling to work!
Video playback is very clear and crisp which make it easy to watch on a small screen.
All in all this is a great little player, and in my eyes beats the ipod hands-down.