Sony Network Walkman NW-A3000 (20 GB) MP3 Player

I already own the 6GB model (NW A1000) in this series but the battery life was only lasting a few hours as i'd had it a while, partly due to the high MP3 bitrates and my headphones need more to power them than standard headphones. Because I was so impressed with the sound quality I decided I had to get something similar but with more disk space and better battery life. while waiting for the nwa-3000 to arrive, I was thinking should I have just replaced the battery on my old one, something that would have only cost about £15, but now it's arrived I'm glad I didn't.

There are some slight differences apart from the obvious size between the two players. Although the screen is bigger on the 3000 it isn't as bright, making it more difficult to see outside. also the 1000 has a small hole you can loop something through so you can hang it round your neck, the 3000 doesn't have this which is understandable considering it's size but I still miss it slightly.

All this can be forgiven when I plug in my Sony mdr ex85's and press play. I have not heard better sound from an mp3 player, even my NW-A1000, which sounds very similar (still awesome), isn't quite as good. Setting them both to the same eq settings and volume I immediately notice the 1000 is ever so slightly distorted with the bass up full, not exactly unpleasant but noticable, especially when compared to its bigger brother. This means that the 3000 sounds that slightly clearer and meatier when higher levels of bass are present.

The Sonicstage software has always been a thorn in sony's side, its an improvement to the old Connect softfare they used to use but I still only ever use it to transfer the audio over, once that is done then you have imho pretty much the best portable MP3 experience, with the right headphones. There are other programs out there that mean you can just drag and drop, but i've not tested them so i can't really comment.

The Player of course is very stylish, you are given the illusion that the information on the screen appears on the actual cover of the machine, an effect that can be ruined with a sratch or scuff on the screen but still quite a nice touch. The second hand model I have did come with a slight scuff, caused by the inside of leather case rubbing against the screen but as i'm going to spend very little time looking at it it doesn't bother me too much. still might be better to opt for the soft case.

To me overall sound quality is the most important thing I look for in an audio device. It will never be quite as easy to use as an Ipod, but it does sound much better (after updating the sony firmware to 3.00), if you don't believe me, try putting the same track, same (high) bitrate on one of these and a Ipod and listen to it on the same headphones. saying that some Ipod models are better than others.

When I first got my NW-A1000 I thought it was a little quiet, until I found the hack online that would remove the EU limit, now I have my MDR EX85 headphones, I have switched it back on as it is already plenty loud enough. (I still get a slight ringing in my ears even with the limit on)

so to sum up:

Good Points:
Awesome Sound Quality
Style
Battery Life


Bad points:
Sonicstage isn't great
No online store
Interface can sometimes be a little slow.

I'm giving it a 5 because compared to all the other MP3 players i've tried, overall it gives me everything I need from it.