Weighing only 70g, which is comparable to some solid-state players, along with a petite form factor (91 x 56 x 10.6mm) to match, this Lilliputian music device scores high on the drool factor, though the necessary reduction in hard drive space (1.5GB) might put off those with the intention of stuffing their entire MP3 library into their player.
Design
With a slim profile that is just slightly larger that a conventional aluminum name card holder, the HZ-WS2000 can slip unobtrusively into any shirt pocket without any unsightly bulges. Our test unit was encased with a shiny silver finish which can evidently freelance as a convenient hand mirror when you have the sudden urge to check yourself out. However, too much fingering can leave behind a collection of unsightly smudges which had us constantly wiping away at our unit. We would recommend making good use of the included carry pouch to keep the unit away from grubby fingers.
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Aiwa's wheelie-deelie |
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Size was apparently a major consideration for Aiwa designers when they embarked on the HZ-WS2000 since they opted to migrate the blue backlit LCD display to the wired remote control instead. Though it was certainly cut down on the footprint of the player, it does leave us wondering how the user intends to navigate his way around the menus should they inadvertently misplace their remote control? Button layout is kept to a simplistic collection of Play, Forward, Backward, Volume control buttons, a Hold switch and a recessed Reset button. This is good enough for basic functions but hardly adequate for secondary needs like equalizer controls and playlist selection.
Menu navigation is delightfully simple to use with a straightforward design that does not require reference to the user's manual. The remote control has an added plus of a clickable scroll wheel, though its rather light and plastic feel is certainly not a patch on the iPod's clickwheel.
Features
Compared with other microdrive MP3 players like the iPod Mini (4GB) and MuvoČ FM (5GB), the HZ-WS2000's 1.5GB certainly does seem rather stingy. We were not wowed by the fact that Aiwa's determination to maintain space-saving aesthetics has led to a player that lacks voice recording and FM tuning, not to mention support for only one audio format, MP3. We also miss the punch of Aiwa's parent company Sony's SonicStage software which allows for ripping and burning of tracks. For the included Music Transfer Giga Pavit app, we were limited to song transfer and playlist creation.
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Yeap, minimum buttons equal minimum control |
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On the bright side, the HZ-WS2000 does have speedy USB 2.0 connectivity as well as the option to create your own playlist through the player itself, though the user is limited to up to 99 tracks. Equalizer controls stand at Rock, Pop and Jazz as well as a bass boost function without an option to define your own equalizer settings. The HZ-WS2000 also has a four-track buffer that withstood our vigorous hand shaking, which should stand joggers in good stead.
If your ID3 tags have been filled in, the HZ-WS2000 can also hunt for songs according to artist, album, song title, genre and new tracks recently added to the player. Though the HZ-WS2000 supports the transferring of files via Windows Explorer, MP3s uploaded in this matter cannot be played on the player itself. Another caveat for potential buyers is that songs, once transferred through the music app, cannot be converted back into MP3s again.
Performance
Sonic performance on the HZ-WS2000 is beyond mere mediocrity with surprisingly warm vocals on Diana Krall's I Don't Stand A Ghost of a Chance With You and a thumping good bass on Jealous Sound's The Fold Out. We had no issues with the startup time on the HZ-WS2000 which was almost instantaneous.
Data transfer using a 1GB file was an average 3.88MBps while the sending of multiple smaller data files with an average size of 4MB went down a notch with 3.06MBps. Using the Music Transfer software, we were able to achieve a speed of 1.83MBps of which the slack in speed was due to the MP3s being first converted into a proprietary storage format before they were stored in the player.
Battery life on the HZ-WS2000 was a mere 7 hours and 43 minutes which put this behind even the iPod Mini in terms of battery longevity.
