NW-HD3 Advice

M

MP3 illiterator

Guest
Hi everyone,
I'd like to ask a question about the sony hd3. I've been looking on tons of web pages, reading bags of reviews about mp3 players and it seems like the hd3 is the best in terms of the unit, battery life, 20gb, etc..however I am reading things about a hiss, the unfriendliness of Sonic Stage, etc which is a little off putting but then the ipod and a bunch of other brands don't get rave reviews all the time anyway.

What I wanted to know is, if I already have a bunch of mp3's on my hard drive, how hard is it to convert to atrac? I keep reading about atrac but I don't really understand what it is about. I have Windows XP also, is this ok?

Also, if I were to buy the hd3 from amazon, do I get a warrantee? It is still easy to send it back to Sony if there are any problems?

I'm just worried about spending £200 on a mp3 player that might go wrong..not sure if I should just stick with the ipod because everyone else has it? i.e. Is it a more reliable brand?

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Cheers
 
iv got a hd3 and have had no trouble with it at all. the hiss problem is there but only on a very few units, i have never had an issue with it. the sonic stage thing is bloody annoying and you will hate it but its wirth persevering, the hd3 is a great player and as long as you avoid sonicstage as much as possible its pretty hassle free to use.

atrac is a digital format, like mp3,wma,ogg that sony back totaly, sonicstage lets you convert to atrac if you want but you can also have mp3s on the hd3. i havent converted my music and there isnt any problem with it on the hd3.

i would strongly recomend you buy it tbh, its far better than the ipod for build and sound quality, unfortunatly let down by a few easyily fixable problems.
 
watchinthewheel: "i would strongly recomend you buy it tbh."

sorry, bit of a dumb question probably but what does tbh mean exacty?? just worried it might be something vital!

thanks!
 
MP3 illiterator said:
watchinthewheel: "i would strongly recomend you buy it tbh."

sorry, bit of a dumb question probably but what does tbh mean exacty?? just worried it might be something vital!

thanks!

to be honest

yes amazon warantee it for 12 months, great buy. very compact much better than the ipod its the same size as the ipod mini but has 3 times the capacity. just buy it in black. mp3s no problem, sonic stage will transfer 1 song every 3 seconds to the player.
 
To balance some of the previous posts in favour of the HD3, I'm sure it's a brilliant DAP but no, the HD3 is quite a bit larger than the iPod mini, and quite a bit more expensive, although yes - 3 times the storage capacity. It is smaller than the iPod itself though, which is still a little cheaper. There are also coloured screen iPods with much larger capacities than the HD3 too.

I know it's not a massive deal, but according to accounts I've seen you won't be able to use the HD3 single-handed (it's not even the right portrait format let alone got the controls in a convenient place), and it's got a souped-up Walkman interface which is fine for 20 or 30 tracks but apparently is not easy to use if you have thousands of tracks, sorted by hundreds of artists with tens of albums. The iPod, on the other hand (pun intended) is single-handed use and intuitive, with a 24% bigger display (77% bigger - if you go the coloured iPod photo route).

Interestingly, I just calculated that to transfer my 10,000-track music collection onto the HD3 (at a track every three seconds) would take me 8 hours. I did that to my iPod in less than an hour and a half.

I'm expecting to get my hands on a review HD3 shortly, so I'll be able to put my iPod head-to-head with it, but on the face of the HD3 specs I doubt if there'll be much competition. Whatever, if anyone tells you the HD3 is better build and better sound quality, ask for proof. Anyone who says such a thing is merely expressing personal opinion, because there is no proof of either.

Finally and personally, knowing how lithium batteries start their dying process from the day of manufacture, I wouldn't buy from Amazon (I expect Amazon's stock is Christmas stock, so is already four or five months' old).
 
2000 songs onto my HD1 took about 20mins I'd say

It is better built than an ipod, arguably better looking. Defo smaller/lighter and canes it on battery life.

I can use it single handedly. The Ipod you can hold in the palm of your hand, the HD palm and fingers.

Sound quality. Well this is subjective and down to tastes. Apple lossless is very good. However I find Atrac3plus 256 to be awesome. The HD also has better bass AND it comes with 6 band EQ should you wish to enhance the sounds.

The Ipod has the interface.

I have both so that's my opinions, but since my HD1 purchase I no longer use the ipod. :)
 
thanks for your help and comments.

i must admit it's all a bit confusing because it comes down to people's personal preferences. i hear a lot that it's great and then some that it's not so great..but then maybe it's a case of just going for it, stop stalling and just buy the mp3 player!

i think the ipod is good but it comes down to the brand name, from reading a lot of reviews i don't think it's the best out there. also heard technical support is a nightmare (but then i've heard that about sony).

so all in all i have no idea what i am going to get!!
 
Maybe SonicStage is suck but it's much better than the previous versions. I have XP with SP2 and I have no problem to rip CD's to Atrac3 and transfer them to HD3.

If u want a player with GOOD sound quality and LONG battery life, it must be HD3. I have it for almost 1 month and I'm very HAPPY with it!
 
Personally I think that whilst SonicStage is a pig to use, you only really need to use it the first weekend you've got your HD3. After that, you've got your player loaded up with your collection and you only use SonicStage on the odd occasion to add a new CD. And for that its fine.

And I usually find myself cueing up an album on the player before I leave the house, bury the HD3 deep in my jeans pocket, and use the remote control to flick back and forth amongst tracks or adjust the volume. Hardly need to get the HD3 out of my pocket once it's in there. Thus the single handed operation quibble becomes a bit of a non-event really.
 
Hasselhoffia said:
And I usually find myself cueing up an album on the player before I leave the house, bury the HD3 deep in my jeans pocket, and use the remote control to flick back and forth amongst tracks or adjust the volume. Hardly need to get the HD3 out of my pocket once it's in there. Thus the single handed operation quibble becomes a bit of a non-event really.
You are of course, correct. I was forgetting that the HD3 doesn't have the same features the iPod does, so you wouldn't be doing anything other than playing music... ;)

And, by the way, lithium battery lifespans deteriorate markedly with heat, so best not to store your HD3 in your jeans pocket.
 
mick's cat said:
I was forgetting that the HD3 doesn't have the same features the iPod does, so you wouldn't be doing anything other than playing music... ;)

Yes there is no need for you to flash it around and pose with statements like I'm an icon attention seeker :devil:
 
Ekko Star said:
Yes there is no need for you to flash it around and pose with statements like I'm an icon attention seeker :devil:
So what are you saying? The HD3 *isn't* an icon then?? Or are you just agreeing that it simply doesn't merit attention??? :confused:

And there you go again, bringing fashion into a technical thread. :rolleyes:
 
Unfortunately whether people like it or not if you ask anybody which is the one company that sells itself as a fashion guru of the DAP world. It is Apple and it is one of the cornerstones of the brand.

The Ipod IS a fashion icon. To try to ignore that fact is being naive I believe. Apart from the interface & itunes it is all about Fashion....and they have got away with it for so long.

In it's early form it was Style & Substance...sadly, now it is all about Style over Substance.

The ONLY people you will see waving their DAP's around will be Ipod owners. Others are quite happy to have theirs out of sight. ;)

The Sony HD series don't merit icon status, far too early in their life cycle. In fact they are selling on their technical merits. They have though the potential to hurt the Ipod in a major way. Whilst not an icon yet, it is as good if not better looking than an ipod.

If it remains on the technical then I would say technically & coupled with the battery life, size/weight, the HD series have the better *real world* DAP benefits over an ipod. Having a good interface is nice but it does nothing to prolong on the road use if you see what I mean. :)
 
hey, calm down guys...

buying a mp3-player is always a choice by taste, and we shouldn't discuss taste!
but for the point that the i pod has more features - what else then playing music with good sound quality do you expect from your player? i don't need games or an organizer on my mp3-player, because every cellphone features those things and you can't tell me you're not using one.

so btw I'm pretty glad with my hd1 and there's nothing against atrac3plus...

and, yeah the hd1/hd3 are "icons", but it still feels like contra-revolution against the i pod mania spreading all over the world :cool:
 
Oh yes, Ekko Star, please don't get me wrong - I'm aware of areas where the HD3 is superior (it's my job) - the HD3 definitely has the advantage in terms of battery life. G-sensor technology is maybe another. It's smaller and lighter than the iPod 20Gb too.

On the other hand, the iPod is £41 cheaper RRP. It has smaller (size and storage) and larger options. Screen size is 24% larger (77% - and colour - if you opt for an iPod photo). There are many inbuilt features too that the HD3 simply doesn't have. In short, the whole product is the key - not just the interface, not just the software, not just the battery life - it's a complete system. If the HD3 is Sony's answer to that, I am forced to think that Sony does not yet understand that. It will, I am sure, but obviously not yet.

Stahlhart!'s definitely part right regarding all the bells and whistles the iPod has - they *are* for the kids - but wrong in that they not important. Looking to the mobile analogy Stahlhart! brought on-board, my only answer is that no mobile would dare come to market without them. DAPs are just another gadget. DAP makers simply have to integrate what will allow their products to sell, if they don't the product simply won't sell...

But I am in total agreement with Stahlhart! with respect to not discussing taste. Trying to put down iPod users as merely fashion followers is rather missing the point. It might be misconstrued as burying your head in the sand, and I'm sure you don't intend that.
 
Far from burying my head in the sand, as impartial as ever, I bought the ipod before I bought the HD1and actually own both.

What surprises some people (especially from the ipod camp) is that the HD series does win over ipod owners.

Especially surprising more so as it appears the unfashionable thing to do.......

Whilst on the note of the whole product. Sonic stage is not the best, but the HD series as a complete offering, does indeed stand up to be counted. It has nothing to fear from the Ipod camp that's for sure.
 
from reading up on the ipod vs the hd3, i would definately say that sony is selling it from a technical aspect..and being a non-technical person myself, I think this has been a good selling point because it has actually made me stop to think about battery size, software, etc. I originally decided to buy the micro zen creative but i stumbled across the sony hd3 and the more I read the more convinced I was it is the best out there, it just needs a bit more tweaking and possibly a better marketing strategy before it can compete with the ipod..but it's not far off..

this is just the impression I get. Is it right that you can't form a playlist on the sony hd3? do you have to switch from song to song manually or does it just let you play albums?

I agree that the ipod has great functionality which is important but I still see its sold based on its brand name, half my friends who have bought it couldn't tell you any of its spec details, just that its an ipod and it holds a certain amount of songs!

am still thinking about what to get! :rolleyes:
 
MP3 illiterator said:
this is just the impression I get. Is it right that you can't form a playlist on the sony hd3? do you have to switch from song to song manually or does it just let you play albums?

This is why some things are so misleading. Yes of course it lets you play albums straight through. Also with a very minimal gap between songs.

You can form playlists on the fly by bookmarking your songs whilst playing. It adds them to a 100 favourite songs if you like.

If you think about your *real world* use of your DAP. It will likely be get to your favourite artist or album and play. Not very difficult to do on the HD series at all. OR you will have a compilation of your favourite 100 tunes that you will play add to or delete from regularly. That is not a difficult thing to do either.

The user interface on the Ipod is allabout the click wheel. Whilst it is very good, it does not implictly imply everything else is bad. Which die-hard ipod owners will of course try to make out. If you ask me it is the only valid technical point for the ipod.
 
final question then - what is a DAP that keeps being mentioned?

i think i am going to order the sony bad boy tonight..enough is enough..the time has come to make a decision!!
 
One question: can you form a playlist from sonicstage based on available tracks on the player, without repeating them?
 
do you mean shuffle everything but dont repeat? you can do that without sonic stage. just turn shuffle on and repeat off.
 
Ekko Star said:
Far from burying my head in the sand, as impartial as ever, I bought the ipod before I bought the HD1and actually own both.

What surprises some people (especially from the ipod camp) is that the HD series does win over ipod owners.
You keep saying that, and you keep saying that the HD3 is technically superior, and you keep stating your preference. You also complain bitterly about the iPod being a fashion statement. But you have simply not cited any factual evidence yet.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not anti-HD3. I am, in fact, looking for a DAP to replace an aging iPod. Please give me some facts to convince me what the HD3 does better than the latest iPods.
 
no, no, I mean creating a predeterminated playlist with files from my player but without repeating the file.
 
mick's cat said:
I'm aware of areas where the HD3 is superior (it's my job) - the HD3 definitely has the advantage in terms of battery life. G-sensor technology is maybe another. It's smaller and lighter than the iPod 20Gb too

I'm sorry Mick but you're either going round in circles or your going round in circles.

I've already stated the HD3 is smaller, lighter, far better battery life, with Atrac plus the benefit of EQ and IMO better built than the ipod.

Seeing as it's your job from your comments above I can't see why your complaining or applying bitterness against the ipod.

I actually own the ipod and have come to these conclusions. If you disagree that the Ipod is NOT a fashion icon, then so be it. It's quite ok by me :)
 
i have a quick question - where is the best place to buy the hd3? i was going to buy it from amazon as it was the cheapest but someone said not to because it's likely to be xmas stock..

so where is it best to get one?!

thanks in advance
 

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