JimmyD

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Wonderful purchase

Sep 12, 2007

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: Immense sound quality
Cons: Needs Sony propriety Windows only software to transfer files
Opinion:
Only bought this to try it out whilst I was in Singapore. However, it is my loyal iRiver which has found itself on eBay instead. Awesome little player.

The Sony software to transfer the files is a little clunky although nowhere near as bad as indicated in other reviews on this site. Maybe I am a little biased since I am well-versed in how to get the best out of it going back to my Net Minidisc days.

The device itself is a joy. The sound quality playing back ATRAC3 encoded files (which I had been led to believe was inferior to mp3 in blind tests) is truly stunning. An album compressed to about 40Mb sounds crisp and warm. The MP3 playback is very nice. There is no perceptible noise on the signal. There are 3 fully configurable graphic settings for the tone which is a real bonus for me since my CX300 are normally overloaded with bass on these players which expect you to use the headphones which come with the device.

User interface is great to use. Minimalism at its best. Gives great functionality but is very simple. I especially like the 'Jacket Search' which allows me to choose albums by album cover rather than text.

This device has the sexy looks as well (mine is black). Even my girlfriend likes it and she is an iPod enthusiast.
You won't regret this and it seems like Sony might finally be clawing back the market which they once had in the palm of their hands.