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(More customer reviews)I've been using a Rio Cali for about 6 or 7 years for running, and it was indestructible. The only thing that stopped it was lack of support for a 64-bit operating system. That and the fact that it had all of 256MB (plus a 500MB SD card that brought the capacity to nearly a gig).
I did a ton of research, and I leaned toward Creative (I'm not an Apple fan). I have the older Creative Zen W 60 GB, but that's hard-drive-based and not good for exercise. And I'm not happy with the direction some of the newer flash-based Creative models have taken. I noticed this new Sony was getting good reviews, after mediocre reviews for some of its predecessors, so I checked it out and bought it.
This thing is very easy to use, and the screen is nice--perfect for viewing the album playing and title, but not SO nice that I'm afraid to scratch it while exercising. So far, I've been running a few times with it, and the battery indicator hasn't gone down at all. It puts out good sound, even with the included earbuds, which aren't bad (I like the Creative EP-630 In-Ear Noise-Isolating Headphones at work). At first I thought the sound was muddy, but then I had the sound settings on fake surround "studio," along with an equalizer set to pop. Since I listen to bands like REM and Radiohead, I didn't think of using the equalizer setting "heavy." When I took off the fake surround and set the equalizer to heavy, everything suddenly popped. I was listening to REM's New Adventures in Hi Fi (heavy on the guitars) and Vampire Weekend's Contra. Both sounded superb. Vocals and guitars were clear, and there was just enough bass to fill out but not overpower the sound. The Creative headphones add an extra level of bass, if you're looking for that.
For the price, you can't beat it. And it syncs FAST. I had 8GB loaded in no time--which brings me to one of only 2 complaints. I really wish they made a 16GB version. I didn't want the Sony S-series with its speakers, so I went with this model. Because it's for exercise, I can fill it with stuff that I'm likely to listen to while running and leave off the 6-CD classical collections, so I'm good. It's just that 16GB would give a little breathing room. The only other complaint is the volume buttons. It's kind of hard to feel exactly where the up vs down are, since they're almost flush with the player and give no tactile feedback. Oh, and if you don't put it on "hold," I've found it's VERY easy to accidentally turn back on.
It's easy to find what you want, even during exercise (by artist, genre, album, whatever), and the "tempo" feature is a great idea to help mix things up. I probably won't ever use the video features on this (with its 2" screen), but it's perfect for displaying functions and the currently playing album. The button position and overall user experience is great--you just pick it up and know what things are for. There's an on/off button, a back button, and a "wheel" in the middle that's a combination of pause, play, forward, reverse, and a way to navigate functions. Not the cutting edge in a user interface, but I'll take excellent sound, long battery life, and easy integration with Windows Media and other programs any day.
Great product for the money.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony Walkman NWZ-E354BLK Series 8GB Video Mp3 Player (Black)
Up to 50 hours of music--videos, photos and FM radio just sweeten the deal. With drag and drop functionality, and Sony Clear Audio Technologies to restore digitally compressed audio files, the Sony E Series Walkman player is the perfect blend of form and function.
The Sound Will Move You
Drag, Drop and GoEasily load your music by dragging and dropping music files from iTunes, Windows Media Player, or Windows Explorer. No need to be tied to a single application.
Supported FormatsThe NWZ-E354 will play back your MP3, WMA (DRM), AAC, and Linear PCM (WAV) audio files; along with WMV (DRM) video files.
Power for the Long HaulThe best-in-class battery lets you listen to up to 50 hours of music and watch up to 10 hours of video on a single charge. The battery is charged via an available USB port on your computer (or a USB wall charger, etc.) and takes about 3 hours to get fully recharged.
Lightning-Fast LCD DisplayA two-inch QVGA (320x240 pixel resolution) high-brightness screen, color LCD provides fast, rich viewing of photos, videos, and album artwork.
Easy NavigationNavigation is a breeze using Sony's five-way button. Access everything from the Home menu, the starting point to accessing audio, video, or settings. It appears when you press and hold the BACK/HOME button.
Solid SoundExclusive Sony Clear Audio Technologies--Clear Stereo, Clear Bass Audio Technologies and Digital Sound Enhancement Engine--restore the clarity and depth of digitally compressed music. A five-band EQ is also included, with four preset curves and two custom, so you can get just the sound you need.
Big Storage, Small ProfileStreamlined for portability, the E Series can stash hours of music, video and photos in the built-in 8GB memory.
Enjoy FM Radio ProgrammingA built-in digital FM tuner lets you choose from a wide variety of radio, talk and music programming.
Create Channels With SensMe FeatureSensMe tone analysis keeps your music in tune with your mood. SensMe feature automatically groups your music into channels based on beats-per-minute, making listening and managing your content even simpler.
What's in the Box Sony NWZE354 8GB Digital Music Player (Black), Headphones, USB Cable, User's Manual
Click here for more information about Sony Walkman NWZ-E354BLK Series 8GB Video Mp3 Player (Black)
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