andrew12's Full Review: Sony Network Walkman NW-S23 (256 MB) MP3 Player
I bought my new Sony NW-S23 on Sonystyle.ca for a great price of $139.99 Canadian plus tax. They were having some sort of big sale on all their portable audio players, hence I jumped right on that.
First off, I have to say, I am very happy with my new Sony mp3 player. The battery life is stellar, as I get about 50 hours of battery life on one single AAA battery (I think Sony advertises 70 hours), but whatever- it's still very good. The battery is stored deep in the player, and is sealed with a rubbery cover to help protect against water damage.
The sound is obviously the most important aspect of a music player, and the sound on the NW-S23 is a resounding, "Wow, surprisingly very good."
I had an Apple Ipod 20gb, but I gave it to my mom, because I wanted something a lot smaller and better for sports. I can easily say that I cannot tell the difference in sound quality between both players. Obviously, the Sony which has only 256mb cannot compete with a 20gb in the amount of sounds, but I love the size, feel, and sport attitude a lot more. The ATRAC-3 allows the player to hold about 150 songs. And I must say, even the songs coverted into the ATRAC format don't sound bad at all- as the treble is clear and the bass is deep and fairly crisp.
Speaking of which, I just love how sporty the player is. It is very handy when it comes to doing just about anything- great in the weight room or jogging, as it has the best and most functional arm strap I've ever seen in a player. Likewise, the NW-S23 is jazzy how it features a very durable high-grade plastic shell, and water resistant body. I'm the only person who has their mp3 player in their hands changing the song when its snowing or raining out. Also, I've tried the player a couple of times skiing and snowboarding, which it is absolutely perfect for. (I don't have to worry about falling off a jump while listening to pump-up music!)
I also want to mention how the headphones that come with the player are GOOD FOR ONCE! They acctually produce good, clean sounding bass. The model is the "h.ear S2 Sports version." It is the same as the other h.ear's...but it too is uniquely water-resistant and durable.
However, there were some things that I didn't like. First off, like all Sony products, the software sucked big time (See my review on my DSC-P73 http://www.epinions.com/content_153320525444). The software was slow to load up and the interface was horrible. Its like they were trying to make something really easy to use, but it turned into a difficult, slow experience.
Another con was that in order to give the NW-S23 sporty, shock and water resistant case...the overall size of the unit was affected. Now don't get me wrong, because it's much smaller then an iPod or even iPod Mini, but compared to Sony's other mp3 players (NW-E105PSBLU, NW-E107, NW-E75, NW-E95, NW-E99, NW-E103PS) the NW-S23 looks chunky. However, I failed to mention that it a very light unit, even compared to the smaller units I mentioned above.
My last real grief was that it is quite difficult to change the song (and/or search through a song). This is because the buttons require a good amount of force to push the buttons in. Though what I do like about this is that songs won't change accidentlay while in my pocket.
Unfortunately, Sony didn't include an FM radio or voice recorder, like the iRiver H320, Creative Zen Micro, Muvo n200 tx fm, JetAudio U2, and Dell DJ's do. But all in all, the ultra-sporty Sony NW-S23 is one great player you can use everywhere and during everything, for a very long time on one single AAA battery.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 119.99 Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym
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