[Beethovenian]

I'm starting to like the looks of this player. Certainly not as stylish as the HD1, but I like it better than the HD3 (and the iPod, which is getting dated). But I'd prefer it to have at least 40GB, and maybe the navigation of the Vaio Pocket -- I like how it lets you alter the order of the songs and how it offers advanced features with that gsense gridpad.

The big problem of Sony is the strong willingness a lot of people have against it. Nowadays it seems Apple can't go wrong (the iPod Shuffle would be ridicularized if it was by Sony) and Sony can't go right. But I want Sony to do well because it's the only offering gapless playback (besides Rio, which is disappointingly quiet), and Apple needs some pressure.

 

[Cyclone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beethovenian But I want Sony to do well because it's the only offering gapless playback (besides Rio, which is disappointingly quiet), and Apple needs some pressure.

This thing is gapless? If so, that will please many people around here.

 

[DigDub]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone This thing is gapless? If so, that will please many people around here.

atrac is gapless. on the hd3, mp3 is almost gapless. on some songs that are continuous, i don't even notice the gap.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taphil iTunes Music Store = lock-in for those who use it or have too much invested in it; lock-out for those who want to; Apple's ability to stay at the top

Apple may 'own' the overwhelming popular protected codec, but Sony owns the source - many of the artists. Sony of course would make more money keeping their music flowing to Napster, iTMS, etc. than keeping them for their own players... but that doesn't mean they won't have exclusives. I suspect that may come into play for them against Apples public awareness and Napster supported players subscription option. Just be aware if you think it's ugly with Apple selling the vast majority of players, wait and see if Sony ever hits the same position and controls the artists, the protected codec (if exclusives started to appear only on ATRAC), and the only players capable of playing them. That [hopefully] will never happen though. Competition is good.

Count my vote for Red BTW. Also wish they also had a R70 Blue.

 

[Hasselhoffia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by doclloyd On other notes, the inclusion of a DC port directly on the device, along with a standard USB connector is very nice. Sony gets a little smarter each time..

A little less rushed more like. As soon as they decided that they wouldn't bundle a cradle with the HD3, they should have ditched that crazy connector and added a mini-usb and DC port. I can only guess they didn't have time to reengineer it, and instead opted for the fudge of a seperate adapter. Messy.

 

[nickd75]

Jeez - you come back to head-fi after a short break and it's all gone crazy.... And I just (like last week) got my HD3

Anyway, with that in mind, what is everyone raving about? What does it have, tangibly, that you're going to use, over an HD3?
Removable battery - nice to have, but I'm not THAT bothered. By the time I need a new battery I'll have bought a new player instead
Manky buttons - I'll pass, thanks
Rotating screen - saves on rotating my head, I guess
30GB disk space - now we're talking, but that's just a special edition
Slightly smaller - I'm kinda happy with my NWHD3
'Most innovative UI ever' - to be honest, UI's don't need to be innovative, just easy to understand. The HD3 UI is fine.

And it still uses SS....

I'm as much of a gadget freak as the next guy (well, possibly not if the next guy is Mr Spock), but leaving aside the 'it's new!' factor, I can't really see too much to tempt me to buy it. I'm guessing HD3 prices will now drop - now that really hacks me off...

Nick

 

[mushu]

It's definatly an improvement on the HD3, but still, the navigation doesn't look great. Why can't sony use their minidisc controls with the mechanical wheels?!?They are much better! Sony should really give you plugins for other media players like WMP, itunes etc. That would help their sales to the enthusiasts.

 

[johsu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickd75 Jeez - you come back to head-fi after a short break and it's all gone crazy.... And I just (like last week) got my HD3 Anyway, with that in mind, what is everyone raving about? What does it have, tangibly, that you're going to use, over an HD3? Removable battery - nice to have, but I'm not THAT bothered. By the time I need a new battery I'll have bought a new player instead

I too, just got my HD3 a month ago, but I think the removable battery would be a major selling point to me if I decide to upgrade to HD5. Based on Sony's "official" estimate and my own experience of HD1 and HD3, we should get close to 25 Hrs of battery life playing 320kbps MP3s continously on HD5. (you would definately get more if you play lower bitrate mp3 or Atrac3/+)

So, when I go on backpack travel next time, I won't even need to bring a charger anymore since I could get 2 battery and enjoy more than 50 Hrs of music. That's almost one month of listening (2 Hrs per day) without ever recharging!!!

I see Sony is getting better and better of pushing HD player battery life into the MD range. (One reason I love MD player is the insane ~200 Hrs battery life!

almost forgot the concept of "recharging", what's that?

)

 

[manixc]

I wonder if HD3 will have a price drop when HD5 comes out. Can't wait.

 

[Beatl?Maniac]

Apparently the hd5 is coming in may in the uk and will cost £172 on Amazon. Its gonna make nw-hd1 and nw-hd3 so cheap lol. Im glad i sent my nw-hd1 back after it broke. I'll probably get another for £100 now. p.s is the hd5 case metal or plastic?

 

[Pluman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mushu It's definatly an improvement on the HD3, but still, the navigation doesn't look great. Why can't sony use their minidisc controls with the mechanical wheels?!?They are much better! Sony should really give you plugins for other media players like WMP, itunes etc. That would help their sales to the enthusiasts.

Agreed. square buttons of the hd5 are ugly. I wanted Sony to adopt the jog dial into the hd5 too, though they have adopted it into Hi-md.

 

[SDLeMire]

Wouldn't the jog dial get worn pretty fast on a jukebox, though? btw, hd3 already had its price drop like a week ago, not sure if it's related to the hd5 or not. Sony's battery life is crossing over in its lines. Their newest HDD players get more life than its newest MD players, even WITH the AA case attached.

 

[mushu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SDLeMire Wouldn't the jog dial get worn pretty fast on a jukebox, though? btw, hd3 already had its price drop like a week ago, not sure if it's related to the hd5 or not. Sony's battery life is crossing over in its lines. Their newest HDD players get more life than its newest MD players, even WITH the AA case attached.

Worn?Depends how you use it really. Look at the karma, that has a jog dial, and although you get stories of them braking, that's only because people are clumsy enough to drop theirs. I don't think they would really wear out though.

 

[TenaciousO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mushu Worn?Depends how you use it really. Look at the karma, that has a jog dial, and although you get stories of them braking, that's only because people are clumsy enough to drop theirs. I don't think they would really wear out though.

The Karma's wheel doesn't break just because of the user's clumsiness. It's also because of a stupid design decision on the part of manufacturer to attach the wheel to the base by two really small contacts.

But a wheel should be okay if implemented correctly. I remember liking the wheel that the Dell DJ uses.

 

[giocas]

I prefer the hd1/hd3 design, but..anyway, in my opinion the most important features in a mp3 playe are size,weight and battery life....so HD5...I'm waiting for you!

PS= also Italian Sony website announces the new player:

Click here