We asked our readers if they would like to review the latest gadgets that keep flooding the market.
In response, GA reader Bhautik Joshi, who owns a Sony NW-703F MP3 player, rated its performance for us. Here's what he had to say:
Today the portable music player market is flooded with many different models, available in different sizes and with varying memory capacity. I wanted to buy an MP3 player with good sound quality, bass output and other additional features.
With a budget of around Rs 12,000 to 14,000, I visited the Sony World showroom at Nucleus Mall in Pune. On sale was the MP3 player Sony Golden NW-703F Noise Canceling Walkman from the Network Walkman series -- an amazing gizmo complete with flash memory and 1 GB capacity.
Not only does this portable music player play MP3-formatted songs, it also supports popular song formats like AAC, WMA, and ATRAC.
Main features
The NW-703F has an amazing bass output without distorting the sound quality of the music being played. It has a clear stereo function, which offers an additional feature of left-right channel distribution for the songs on the player.
The songs can be played in two modes -- 'Folder' and 'Normal'. This is possible through a jog dial, which can be shifted up and down to enable different playing modes. You can also fast-forward or skip songs.
The NW-703F has different display modes on the three line colour LED display. It has an album art display facility termed as 'Jacket Mode', along with other display modes of only song and artist information, blinking lights and clock display mode.
It allows songs to shuffle or repeat, and is equipped with a search function that allows you to search for a song you want to hear by artist name, song name, album name, the year of the song's release, and the album art.
It also has a five band equaliser (Heavy mode, Pop mode, Jazz mode, and Unique mode, which consists of two custom equaliser modes). The VPT feature produces sounds as per ambiance, such as 'Live', 'Arena', 'Club', and 'Studio'.
This player allows you to fix loudness or low sound with the help of the AVLS (Automatic Volume Limiter System) and Dynamic Normalize function. AVLS helps limit the volume, while the Dynamic Normalize function helps maintain the desired sound levels.
The MDR-NC022 earphones provided with the player are in-ear style earphones, and have a noise-cancelling feature which is also present in the player.
I tried it once while traveling in a rickshaw and found it effective. Sony has provided three ear-fit rings along with the earphones. However, you will not be able to use these earphones with other MP3 players, since the jack is different.
Looks
The player looks solid and sturdy, with a stylish metal back and gold finish on the top.
Charging
You can charge the NW-703F via a USB charger. Battery life is outstanding -- a five to 10 minutes charge is good enough for four to five hours of playing time. On a full charge, the player can function non-stop for upto 50 hours.
FM function
The FM function also works well with the player, providing manual and auto preset scanning to set radio channels. You can load songs you like onto your player via Sonic Stage software (a CD is provided in the package). The package also contains a headphone extension cord.
Priced at Rs 11,990, this 1 GB player may burn a hole in your pocket ,but the immense sound quality and features make it worth the expense.
Highlights of the player
- Clear stereo
- Excellent bass and treble output
- Noise cancelling function
- Long battery life
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