SONY Walkman NW-A25 16G High-resolution sound, Viridian Blue, International English Version, Replaces A15

I put a 128mb memory card in it and loaded up all my collection. The ease of use is fantastic. It shows up as a jump drive and all I had to do is drag and drop the folders. It worked flawlessly. The only thing that didn't work was playlists. You have to use their proprietary software or you can just use the onboard list of music genre, which is fine for my needs. Very happy with this product

MP3 players are nearly an ancient technology these days, as smartphones and services like Pandora and Spotify are pretty much the norm now. Still, there are audiophiles like me who want a separate device to listen to MP3, FLAC and Ogg files, in a compact, durable package.This player is the ticket. While it's not as technogically advanced as players from the past (no microphone, no touch screen), it still does its job well. I've had no issues with getting it to play FLAC files or any files for that matter. Integrates easily with Micro SD cards, file structure is easy to manage. The Viridian Blue finish is very attractive, although I can't imagine it being very durable. I made sure to get a screen protector and a TPU case to protect this bad boy.Battery life is great. I've yet to really put it through its paces, but eight straight hours of play barely depletes one bar of power.It's also very easy to use. The buttons are easy to manipulate -- coming from a touch screen unit, this was a concern of mine, but I've been able to navigate the menus with ease.My only complaints, if any, are that there is no integrated microphone, which has been a standard feature on many media players since the early 2000s. Also, the Hold switch feels a bit cheap. I'm worried that one day I may break it off. Time will tell.If you're looking for an outstanding player for a great price -- and that is a tall order these days, since there are increasingly fewer options as time goes on -- you really can't go wrong with the Sony.

very nice and works just fine for exercise.

Short Cliff's notes version:When the battery in an out-of-warranty Walkman dies, no store on earth will sell you a replacement battery. That means your Walkman will never play another song ever again. You will have to toss your Walkman into a garbage can. If you're skeptical (and you should be) read the long version of this review and be sure to dial the two phone numbers I provided in order to verify my consumer warning. You will then become a believer. The phone numbers are to Sony's Walkman Department and Encompass. When the battery in your out-of-warranty Walkman dies, you will become very familiar with the people at Encompass.Long version:When my Walkman ran it was a good unit, worth 4 or 5 stars. And then the battery died only a year and a half after the date of purchase. So you buy a new battery, right? A new battery just like you would buy for a digital voice recorder or an automobile.Wrong. Sony and Encompass both refuse to sell batteries for units that are out-of-warranty. The warranty is good for only one year.Maybe I shoulda extended the manufacturer's warranty, right? Wrong, no can do.Sony will not allow you to extend the warranty on a Walkman (and besides, you should never have to pay extra $$$ to extend the warranty for something as simple as changing the battery, that would be ridiculous).Fact: Sony builds the 383, 385, A15, A17, A25 Walkman in a way that requires a technician with special tools and special training to get to the Walkman's battery compartment. The average consumer can not change the 383, 385, A15 or A17 Walkman battery.Even if you could change the battery, neither Sony nor Encompass will sell you a battery for this model. Buy a battery at Radio Shack, Fry's, Office Depot or Staples? Nope, not gonna happen. They don't sell batteries for an out-of-warranty 383, 385, A15, A17 Walkman.So what then? Since Sony or Encompass won't sell you a battery for it, you have only one choice: You throw it in the trash and you buy a new one - which is fine if you're Donald Trump or Carlos Slim. The fact is the 383, 385, A15, A17 Walkman's are disposable, throw-away units when the battery dies.How long did the battery in my 16 GB / 385 Walkman last? About 1.5 years, a short eighteen months. My 385 received 'limited use.' I didn't use the 385 every day. I used it only on an occasional weekend. When it comes to battery life, your mileage may vary.You're wondering: What kind of battery does the 385 and A17 use? My answer would be: It sure as heck does not use triple-A or double-A batteries. I never bothered to check and see what kind of battery they use, because I knew from the get-go that only a technician could change the battery.I figured when the battery on the 385 and A17 wore out, I would need to send the out-of-warranty unit to Sony to have the battery replaced. I expected Sony to charge me a fee for replacing the battery. I of course found out that I was wrong, Sony and Encompass should offer that service, but they don't.This discovery, or revelation, may seem unbelievable. I would agree, it is unbelievable, totally unbelievable. And unethical. I'm sure someone out there is thinking "Time for a class action lawsuit."Trust... and then verify: You can verify my unbelievable claim by simply calling Sony and Encompass. In fact, my one hope is that all Walkman owners band together by calling Encompass and besieging them with calls.When you call Sony and Encompass, ask them how much they will charge you to replace the battery for an out-of-warranty 383, 385 or A17 Walkman.Encompass, the company Sony contracted to sell parts for the Walkman, will tell you that they don't sell batteries for an out-of-warranty 383, 385, A15, A17 Walkman.And then lay it on Encompass. Voice a 'controlled, polite' outrage that expresses extreme disappointment in not being able to buy a battery for an out-of-warrantyNWZ-E383NWZ-E385NWZ-A15NWZ-A17NW-A25Sony (Walkman department): 239.768.7602Encompass (Walkman parts division): 866.779.5153For those not up on Walkman's: The 383 and 385 units were not mass produced in 1969. The 383 and 385 Walkman that I purchased came off Sony's assembly line in approximately 2013 / 2014. Meaning, Sony should sell you a battery (and charge you $$ to have a Sony or Encompass technician replace it) for an out-of-warranty unit that is only one or two years old. But they don't. And that is freaking unbelievable.Utterly Ridiculous Department: There is one team of technicians who might be able to access the Walkman's battery compartment with special tools and change the battery for you, and that would be some of the employees who work in the forensics department at the NSA. Or you can try contacting Eric Snowden, god bless his soul :) Plan B: If those suggestions fail, you might try contacting some of the rocket scientists who work at Area 51. Their team should be able to replicate (manufacture) a replacement battery out of thin air and then replace it using special tools. Tom Cruise would be plan C.Unequivocal, incontrovertible proof:I have copies of emails from Encompass and Sony. The words in those emails amount to nonsense. In two emails that Encompass sent me, they stated that batteries for the aforementioned units are not available to consumers who have an out-of-warranty Walkman.Challenge / accountability:I contacted both companies via email and phone numerous times. I challenge a corporate mouthpiece from Sony or Encompass to step up and post a response to this review. I am ready to read their lies.I want to thank Amazon for letting me post this consumer warning. Thank you Amazon. Now if you would just allow me to change the picture in my profile, things would be really swell.Caveat emptor and Happy Holiday, 2015 :)

Love this unit! I have several mp3 players, including a Cowon M2, the Sanza Clip Sport and now 2 from Sony (the e385 and now the A25). They all serve a purpose and, I'll have to say, my Cowon sounds amazing! What I don't like about Cowon is the form factor and user interface. I didn't really need another player, but really wanted a top of the line product without paying an arm and a leg, AND was easy to use. (OK, I admit it ... I'm getting old and I want easy!) After watching/reading numerous reviews, I took the plunge into this A25. And I was not disappointed. I'm particular about the sound I get from a unit. I had tweaked my Cowon so many times that I finally got it perfect for me. After lots of tweaking with the Sony, I found the best sound was just straight up! No tweaking! Every sound, instrument and vocal was so balanced, that it needed no enhancement from the equalizer. There are plenty of other technical switches that simply produced a beautiful sound. And with the right hesdset, the bass booms, but doesn't overwhelm. Great balanced sound with good bottom. And I haven't even begun to get into the high def side of things. I'll be hanging with this unit for many years to come. My summary: Love it!!

A good product. Just wish I could play music out loud and that it was touch screen

What can I say! This is an excellent MP3. Easy to load from Windows Media Player, great sound quality extremely user friendly and will play continuously if you want it to do so. I have two other Sony MP3s (4G and 8G ) that are still going great after about 2 years. I am an avid Classical music fan and this fits my needs for all the long playing music I have loaded.

Great music player! I like it that it is NOT touchscreen. Makes it easy to put it places and not have false presses. Great sound with my MDR-1ABT headphones. The HIFI bluetooth when paired with those is amazing!

Sony has always been very good in Audio products and this is another example of a great one. I bought this item primarily to solve my requirement to hear pure sound with great quality and thats why searched for a FLAC player and ended up buying this after a LOT of research.Pros :1. Very small2. Good looking and shiny3. Has a good and handy user interface4. Sound quality is REALLY nice. But keep in mind that it will also depend on the quality of file you are playing. If you use a regular mp3 file with compressed sound then this is not the player for you. Use your mobile instead. But if you use a FLAC file or even a mp3 file with high bit rate then you are hear the difference.5. Memory is extendable. I have put a 128GB card and it works fine.CONS :1. Price is no doubt high2. You cannot delete a file using the player interface. You will need to either connect it to a laptop or take the micro sd card out and then put it in a laptop to make changes3. Creating a playlist is next to impossible. I am surprised that Sony did not put too much thought into this part.4. Using the software for managing songs is pathetic. I gave up on it and now just take the micro sd card out and put it in a Card reader to manage files.

It was unavailable at Amazon, Went to Local Sony Center there also it was out of stock ... after so much waiting got it on Sn@p deal ... this player has aluminum finished upper part and back side is made of plastic. It has Bluetooth v3.0 and NFC for connectivity.Ok now lets talk about its sound quality , It is a high resolution music player, sound coming out of it is extraordinary provided you plugged it with a good head phone/ earphone . you need to adjust the equalizer to get best sound out of it . there are three options Clear audio ,VTP (surround)and DSEE HX. I found DSEE HX helpful that adds extra edge to the vocals but Clear audio is totally worthless, set VTP(surround) to studio option. Fm radio is there ... but one disappointment that is it lacks with voice recording. HD video is not supported but it can play non HD videos. You can see your photos in this device. It has supported my 20.4 MP photos. Battery back up is great after two days of continuous use single bar of the battery icon is not decreased. Noise cancellation feature is just awesome, You can hardly hear any outside noise. I pared it with Sennheiser HD203. Belive me guys sound is just awesome. You need not to buy expensive Sony high resolution head phones. After listening my Sennheiser hd203 on the demo model of sony a25, even the sales person at sony center has agreed that my sennheiser hd203 sounds better than sony MDR -NW1000 NE which costs around Rs 12990. There is a little difference in the sound quality between the ordinary 320kbps mp3 and high resolution FLAC file, hardly you can notice any difference if you pair it with a good headphone. One more thing I can say that it interface is very simple and user friendly and it sounds equivalent sometimes probably better then ipod nano and ipod touch. Bass is just too heavy and deep and audio clarity is crystal clear. Minute instruments can be heard clearly, sound is not flat at all, you can hear the floating effects of some instruments. Definitely the player has the ability to extract near CD quality audio from ordinary MP3 files. Overall, if you are very serious about music then it is a must have gadget for you...

Nice product, but sealed was open

I searched high and low for this color but it was unavailable everywhere. With little hope I clicked on the 'email me when in stock' option on amazon. To my surprise, amazon made it available and I bought it immediately! Its am amazing product with classy killer looks! I wish sony made phones like this, I'd buy them in a heartbeat!

Very nyc product from Sony. Really liked the colour. Bluetooth feature is a addon advantage.