The system also has a Quiet Mode which runs the sound suppression feature without any accompanying audio output, so you can take a nap. Even though the noise cancellation tech is in the player itself you still have to use Sony's earphones to get the benefit because the ambient microphone is part of the headset.
Currently 16GB-only, with other capacities due soon
As for battery life Sony reckons 29 hours of audio or nine hours of video on a full charge. I managed just shy of 28 hours of continuous audio playback and seven hours of video. That's less than the S-Series, but still not too shabby.
Buy the A845 from Sony and it will set you back 149 notes though I have found it for a tenner less with little effort. That's 8GB iPod Touch money, but keep in mind a stand alone set of good noise cancelling earphones will set you back round £60 and the Walkman is far easier on the ear than the Touch. If music quality is what you are worried about, the A845 can be highly recommended.
Verdict
Another quality PMP from the Walkman stable the A845 excels at the job in hand. Yet, as always, support for FLAC audio and AVI video would have been welcome. Factor in the cost of a pair of noise cancelling earphones as a stand alone item and its quite good value too. ®
More PMP Reviews |
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 Cowon
iAudio J3 |
 Speedo
Aquabeat |
 Samsung
YP-R1 |
 Sony Walkman
NWZ-S544 |
Sony Walkman NWZ-A845 media player
COMMENTS
@PugRallye
FLAC is a minority format, ask consumers and I bet almost every single one won't even know what it is.
They care about MP3, AAC and WMA, and that's really about it.
You OpenSource Nutters and Sony Haters really need to get a grip on reality.
The downside to the ultra thin Walkman
Is feeding the tape into it after cracking the cassette open.
Volume Cap
Anyone thinking of getting this Walkman should have a look at the below thread on AVForums:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/portable-music-mp3-ipod-etc/1196882-sony-nwz-a845-low-volume.html
Waiting for the 32GB model..
I REALLY want one of these. I have never liked the sound of the iPod, it's frankly abysmal, and always preferred build and audio quality over gimmicks and street cred that the iPods offer.
What is missing is the 32GB and 64GB models from the Euro range. They are out soon however, and I will be snapping one up (the 64GB if my wallet will stretch...)
I'm surprised it only got a 85%, as there was very little negative in the article, it was almost totally positive. Reading the review it sounded much more like a 95%
I too wish Sony would use FLAC in it's Walkman and PS3 products, but the Open Source licensing may be a problem...
Err you're wrong I'm afriad
You do not need to buy tracks from Apple to get Gapless playback on a IPlod. I've been ripping my own substantial CD collection using ITunes for years and get gapless playback on the cd's which are continued mixes like DJ mixes, Pink Floyd albums and the like.
Rob
