Review: Sony’s NWZ-A829 Bluetooth Walkman: Sweet April 17, 2008

Read more Digital Audio , Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Mobile Devices , Movies , Music , Portable Media , iPod

The first thing you notice about the new series of NWZ-A820 Walkmans from Sony, in this case the NWZ-A829, is the size. This player is thin in a way that makes supermodels look healthy. The shiny black and glass chassis measures just 51 x 93.9 x 9.3mm and is very cool indeed, with the curves of its predecessor, the NWZ-A800, being replaced with a squarer look and more minimalist controls.

The key differences with this model are the larger 2.4in QVGA display – up from 2in – and the addition of Bluetooth. There are three models on offer; the NWZ-A826 (4GB), NWZ-A828 (8GB) and NWZ-A829 (16GB) and, in effect, we are looking at Sony’s iPod nano/Touch rivals The question is, are they better?

When you start up the NWZ-A829 you get a 9-icon menu, clearly laid out and easy to follow – always a good start. Like everyone else, I want to hear what some music sounds like first and the NWZ-A829 doesn’t disappoint. Even at factory defaults, the sound is rich, involving and precise – something Sony has a well-deserved reputation for. The bundled EX in-ear headphones are a revelation compared to the bland rubbish you get with most iPods and make the most of the superior audio technologies that Sony has crammed into the player.

Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) restores high frequencies lost in audio compression to recreate a more natural sound, Clear Stereo maintains a wider stereo soundstage and Clear Bass – which really works – boosts the bass but keeps it clean. There’s no shortage of tweaking available via the 5-Band Equaliser, VPT Acoustic Engine and Dynamic Normaliser. Sound formats supported include Windows Media Audio (WMA), copyright-free AAC, MP3 and Linear PCM music formats. No in-built radio though is a let down.

On the video front, the NWZ-A820 is no slouch either with crisp and clear presentation of MPEG-4/H.264 video. A few more supported formats would be nice here though – DivX, etc. The controls are not the most intuitive though and can take a bit of getting used to. The most frustrating point is that the screen does not automatically adjust to what’s being presented. There is a landscape/widescreen mode but you have to go through some menus and then choose from the confusing Horizontal Right or Horizontal Left options. Pick the wrong one and it’s upside-down video time. It would be useful too if the player could tell which way up it’s being held and then adjust the picture to suit. Have we been spoilt by the iPod Touch?

The secret weapon in the NWZ-A820’s arsenal is Bluetooth as I, for one, have reached the end of my patience with wired earphones. Thankfully, it works like a breeze. Just get the player to start hunting for a compatible device and ‘Hey Presto’, those tunes come winging their way through the air without any distortion or dropping out. You can save numerous device profiles so that you don’t have to go through the hassle of setting them up every time. Streaming music worked fine in the office, paired with the excellent Philips SHB6102 Bluetooth headphones, from a distance of up to 8m without any hassle. I even took them out running, where the absence of flapping earphone wires is a real treat. Again, it performed without a hitch. Don’t expect the audio via Bluetooth to match the quality of audio through the EX earphones though since it is compressed further for streaming, after all. But, it’s still quite good.

Battery life is a very respectable, claimed, 36 hours for audio and 10 hours for video. With Bluetooth on though, these times are obviously affected, dropping to 15 hours for music and 7 hours for video.

So now to price. As with all things Sony, you pay that bit extra and sometimes – not always - it’s worth it. You can get the 4GB, 8GB and 16GB models for around £125, £170 and £210 online. The 4GB and 8GB models come bundled with Bluetooth headphones but, for some bizarre reason, the 16GB model reviewed here does not. That makes no sense to me.

Compared to the iPod nano, for instance, the 4GB NWZ-A826 is £26 more expensive but you do get a bigger screen, Bluetooth headphones and much better battery life. The 8GB and 16GB versions compare favourably in price to the equivalent iPod Touch devices, but the Touch has a much bigger screen, is prettier, slicker to use and, overall, more user-friendly. And, when you consider that you'll be forced spend £50 extra on getting a pair of Bluetooth headphones for the NWZ-A829 anyway, the price advantage disappears. C'mon Sony, that was just silly.

Verdict: As a music and video player the new NWZ-A829 Bluetooth Walkman is an accomplished performer and good-looking to boot. The addition of Bluetooth is not only clever but practical and easy to use. Apart from some finicky controls – mainly on the video side – there’s little to knock. There are few other anorexic players out there that can offer the same top-drawer audio and video performance. However, until Sony bundles the Bluetooth headphones with the 16GB NWZ-A829, I recommend going for the NWZ-A826 (4GB) or NWZ-A828 (8GB) for now.-Martin Lynch

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