CNET Editor's rating: 7.7 out of 10
Reviewed by
Jasmine France
Review date: 08/30/07
Release date: 08/31/07
The good: The Sony NWZ-S610 series features a compact design with a high-quality feel and an ample screen. The user interface is intuitive, and there are plenty of features to choose from, such as an FM radio and photo and video playback. No more awful SonicStage software: this Walkman is a PlaysForSure device supporting subscription tracks as well as unprotected WMA, MP3, and even AAC files. The player offers good sound quality and an excellent rated battery life.
The bad: The Sony NWZ-S610 series doesn't offer any exceptional new technology, and there are cheaper competitors that offer the same features.
The bottom line: The Sony NWZ-S610 series Walkman doesn't bring anything striking or new to the table, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a quality MP3 player with nice extras and a killer battery life. Plus, Sony got rid of SonicStage--the best news ever.
Hallelujah! Sony has done away with its horrible SonicStage software and is opting to go the PlaysForSure route with all of its new Walkman players. Yes, that's not the most traditional way to start a review, but we couldn't bear to place this most exciting tidbit anywhere but at the top, so there you have it. The death of SonicStage comes wrapped up in two nice new MP3 players, the NWZ-A810 and the NWZ-S610, a series of compact flash players that is the subject of this review. Of course, an improved software relationship isn't the only thing this device has going for it. While it doesn't bring anything new to the table in the scheme of MP3 players, the NWZ-S610 is a quality device with desirable extras and an excellent rated battery life.
Simple, sleek, and understated
The newest series of Walkmans comes in a variety of capacity/color combos. You can go with a 2GB ($120) S-615 version in black, pink, red, or silver; a 4GB ($160) S-616 model in the same choice of colors; or the more capacious 8GB S-618, which comes only in black and will set you back $210. It's not the cheapest player on the block--the Creative Zen V Plus, which offers roughly the same features, runs 30 to 40 bucks cheaper. However, the NWZ-S610 offers a more sophisticated design with a larger (1.8-inch) screen and a higher-quality feel. It's also a little larger overall, measuring 3.1 inches by 1.6 inches by 0.4 inch, though whether this is a good or bad thing depends on the user. It's certainly pocket-friendly.
Below the ample screen, the NWZ-S610 offers a similarly well-proportioned control pad. A central play/pause key is surrounded by four tactile directional arrows, which are used for skipping tracks and navigating menus. Happily, volume is handled via a dedicated rocker on the right spine of the device. The front of the player also houses the ever-handy back/home and power/option (contextual menu) buttons. A hold switch can be found on the left edge of the device, while the top and bottom contain the standard 3.5-millimeter headphone jack and proprietary USB port, respectively.
Easy navigation and easier syncing
In general, the Walkman is a snap to use. This is in large part due to a lovely, icon-driven main menu on the device itself, but we can't forget the absence of the requirement to load music via SonicStage--that's a huge help on the software/transfer side of things. Transferring songs, including subscription playlists from Rhapsody, is a breeze, and the NWZ-S610 plays oh-so-nicely with Windows Media Player for syncing any content. Supported formats include MP3, WMA, and AAC for audio; AVC (H.264/AVC) Baseline Profile and MPEG-4 for videos; and JPEG for photos. If you get tired of your own content, you can tune into the onboard FM radio, which offers an autoscan feature and 30 preset slots.
Delving into the various content menus proffers different results, all of them straightforward and easy to navigate through. Oddly, playlists cannot be accessed through the music menu, but have their own icon on the main menu screen. Within music, you can sort by album, artist, and so on--navigating by album is particularly nice as there's an option to do so by cover art. Once you dig down into the tracks, there's a useful twist-like interface feature. You can navigate down lists using the up and down keys, but press the right or left ones and you're taken through sections, such as 0 through 9 and A through D. This is quite handy for getting quickly through long lists. The photo menu offers a lovely 3x4 thumbnail grid, and videos are listed with their titles and a handy thumbnail still shot. It's a polished interface overall, and it makes browsing pleasant.
Sound and settings
In addition to the various features mentioned previously, the Sony NWZ-S610 series offers various audio and display settings. For example, you can flip the screen orientation in order to view photos and videos in landscape mode ("wide-screen")--a convenient feature. You can also choose to view full-screen album art while listening to music, rather than a thumbnail with song info on the playback screen. The player also has the standard playback modes (shuffle, repeat, and so on), and there's a snazzy EQ section that offers a graphic representation of the presets (five in all, plus two user-defined modes). Then, of course, there are the various sound-enhancement tools--Digital Sound Enhancement (DSE), Clear Bass, and Clear Stereo--which honestly don't do much, but they do offer a little improvement. Finally, there are the surround sound effects, for those who want to feel like their listening in an arena or at a rave.
Sony has never had trouble with MP3 player performance (except if you include the performance with its software)--the NWZ-S610 is no exception. As we've come to expect from Walkman players, the rated battery life is fantastic: 33 hours for audio and 8 hours for video. CNET Labs was able to eke out a slightly less impressive 25.2 hours for audio, and a pretty appalling 1.9 hours for video. Photos look very good on the bright color screen, with nice detail and excellent color saturation. Video is similarly impressive, though we wouldn't want to watch more than 20 to 30 minutes on this size of screen. Sound quality for music was fine through the included headphones, but much better through a pair of Shure SE530s (any high-quality earphones should do the trick). The NWZ-S610 series offers nice, tight bass; rich, enveloping mids; and clear, sparkly highs--what more can you ask for, really?
7 out of 10 - Very good Sony NWZ-S616F and Audiobooks
I listen to allot of books that I download from my library system using Overdrive, which uses protected wrm files. ...
I listen to allot of books that I download from my library system using Overdrive, which uses protected wrm files. I was excited to see this player as a compatible one on the overdrive library website so purchased it.
Everything the reviewers say about this player, the battery life, easy user interface, great sound, etc. are true, so I like the player from these aspects.
The problems in using this player for audiobooks is twofold. First there are no bookmarks. My listening tracks are about 70 minutes long. If I want to listen to FM, I can easily switch over to it. However, when I go back to music, the player acts like I am starting over. I have to find the the file I was listening to and then fast forward through it until I find my place in the book.
Second, the fast forward/backward option. My old Creative Muvo would accelerate the fast forward the longer I held down on the button. So moving forward from the 10 to the 20 minute mark is much faster than going from the 0 to 10 minute mark. The sony only fast forwards at the same, slow, rate regardless of how long you hold down the button. So while it took seconds to move forward 40 minutes with the Creative, this player seems to take forever, although I haven't actually timed it.
I still plan to use this player as my primary, as I have already sunk my money for it, but had I to do it over, I would have picked a different player for my specific needs.
Hopefully Sony can come out with a firmware update to address these requirements. (hint,hint)
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by colcat123 (see profile) -
March 1, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Audiophiles, you've arrived!
I've owned this unit for 2 days so far, and for me, it is the perfect MP3 player! I ...
I've owned this unit for 2 days so far, and for me, it is the perfect MP3 player! I was able to set up the entire device to my settings and preferences without so much as a glance at the manual in about 10 minutes. This is how easy it is to use! With 4 Gigs of storage it will hold plenty of music for me to work out to without worries of getting tired of hearing the same song too often. If you like LOUD music, this is definitely the MP3 player for you! The volume goes up to 30, but I haven't needed to go past 12. It rises in small enough increments so you can attain a comfortable sound level in any situation. Naturally the human ear perceives louder music as clearer music and that is one aspect where this player shines! Sony has been in the A/V business for a long time and this unit clearly demonstrates that fact! Even with the supplied ear-buds (which I will soon upgrade)this unit really delivers beautiful music. One feature I was adamant about was a customizable graphic EQ which this unit sports. There are 2 customizable slots in which to store your personal settings or you an use the built in ones, which I've never really been a fan of in any product. The screen is bright and beautiful, although I haven't yet used it in direct sunlight, I don't believe it will wash out, as it is not an OLED, but a TFT screen. I don't plan on using this unit for video or pictures (I have a PSP for that), but the included "Surf's Up" Trailer looked smooth and clean. The screen is more than adequate for navigating the menus and displaying track info (Album cover and song details). The FM radio functions quite nicely and changes channels quickly with little to no dead space between selections. For that matter the unit responds instantly to commands overall. A definite plus for impatient people like me! There is no "throttle lag", if you will, LOL. All in all, if you are looking for a serious music machine worthy of audiophile status without the frills you'll probably never need or use, look no further - you've found it!
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by SavageUrge (see profile) -
February 16, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular A perfect small MP3 player.
This is my first MP3 player (about time, huh). I just wanted something basic to store music so I can ...
This is my first MP3 player (about time, huh). I just wanted something basic to store music so I can take it on trips,listen to at the gym, etc. I wanted something small (capacity wise) because I didn't want to pay through the nose and had no intention of transferring my entire music collection to a player.
Anyway, I did a LOT of research. I considered iPod and Zune variants, looked at Sansa players and Creative Zen, just to name a few. The process was rather confusing. The reviews for this player were overwhelmingly positive and the sound quality kept on coming up as a positive attribute.
All I can say is "wow." The unit itself is attractive and the quality is impressive. The screen is bright and crystal clear. Transfering files is very, very easy, just drag and drop once you rip into Windows Media player (no subscription service to Rhapsody or other download site necessary).
The controls are intuitive and really easy to navigate. Dedicated volume control button is great, as is dedicated hold button(don't need to go through a menu).
Sound is simply fantastic for an MP3 player. Also have the option to make adjustments for bass, etc. Sound beats iPod by a mile.
I really have absolutely no complaints, except two minor ones.
1. There's no real market for acessories - they are not sold at many mainstream retailers. I just wanted a simple protective case, but had to order it online. Simple enough, but annoying.
2. Cant' delete files synced to the player using only the player itself. I imagine that this can be done on some players. I haven't done it yet, but I believe that you can take files off, but you have to conect to your computer and basically unsync the files. No biggie, since the reason for deleting files would be to make room for others and you'd be connected to your computer anyway.
Overall, a great player. Highly recommended. Right now (1/2/08) on sale for $109 at Circuit City, where I bought mine.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Beats the Ipod in every area
Getting straight to the point, this is one great ipod alternative that proves to beat the mainstream and overrated ipod ...
Getting straight to the point, this is one great ipod alternative that proves to beat the mainstream and overrated ipod itself. Battery life is stellar at over 20 hours, drag and drop interface is easy, not to mention the really cool sound enhancing tools like the clear bass and VPT surround that makes the already great sound quality even better but i have to admit that certain tools like the clear stereo proves to be useless.
The only complain i have on this player is that it cant handle Apple Lossless formats. Most of my songs are usually in AAC Lostless, and i have to convert them to MP3, AAC or WMA to be able to listen..
So if any of you reading this can tell me how to get my player to digest AAC Lossless.. please dont hesitate to drop me a comment
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by SkyNova90 (see profile) -
December 21, 2007
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great deal, blows the iPod away in my opinion
I have had an iPod nano for about a year now and recently decided to try something else because I ...
I have had an iPod nano for about a year now and recently decided to try something else because I was tired of paying .99 cents a song. With Napster or Rhapsody (both good services) you can pay just about 15 bucks a month and transfer unlimited songs to your player.
I read other reviews here before buying and this by far had the highest user reviews. Im so glad I did that, because I completey agree with everyone else. Have had zero problems thus far and Im surpised by the sound quality in such an affordable player. I really like the size and look of the player too. If you are going to use it at the gym I would suggest getting the belt clip accessory from a Sony store.
Overall I really cant say anything bad about this MP3 player so far. Very very very good deal if you ask me.
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by mrm1980 (see profile) -
December 6, 2007
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect Best MP3 Played I ever used
After having my iPod nano (2nd generation) for a year, I decided I wanted something new. The nano is a ...
After having my iPod nano (2nd generation) for a year, I decided I wanted something new. The nano is a good player, but it lacks in sound quality mainly due to that there is no custom EQ. First I tried a SanDisk Sansa e280. The Sansa was a good sounding player, but the firmware was bugged with problems. A bunch of my songs would not play on the device. After a week I returned it and purchased the Sony NWZ-S616f at my local Target. I was stunned when I turned it on. The screen beats any player I have ever seen. It was smaller that I expected it to be. Then I plugged in the headphones and listen to the demo music that was on the device and it just sounded amazing. Hooking it up was not problem and it works just fine with Rhapsody. If you are looking for an MP3 player for a holiday gift, your search ends here. At $30-40 less than the 4gb iPod nano, this one is just a no brainer.
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by Stargate199 (see profile) -
November 6, 2007
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great Product, quality, and nice Price
This is a great product for my needs. I run on a treadmill, bike outdoors, and lift weights. This player ...
This is a great product for my needs. I run on a treadmill, bike outdoors, and lift weights. This player will take a beating, get a little wet, and have good enough battery life where I don't have to charge it everyday. I can skip songs through my bike shirt which I am no sure if I can do that with the IPOD or if anyone else really has this issue. The screen is amazing but it is so small that it is really of no use, doesn't bother me because I only listen to my music or the radio. I loaded photos on there for fun. Syncs with MS Media Player with no issues. Device is really a pleascure to hold.
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by NYCtri (see profile) -
March 10, 2008
9 out of 10 - Spectacular seriously GENIUS
I just got this two days ago and never charged it. It's still on full. Isn't that AMAZING? ...
I just got this two days ago and never charged it. It's still on full. Isn't that AMAZING? Honestly, I didn't think it'd be anything special, but when I took it out of the box I was like O.o WOAH.....I likey. XD The battery life isn't a lie AT ALL. Sounds quality - SUPERB. Design is also genius. And the best thing of all for someone like me - the RESET BUTTON. XD Why? All of the mp3s I own have a tendency to freeze on me for no reason. SO the reset button always comes in handy. I just never have a pin. XD
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by iruka* (see profile) -
October 30, 2007
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Simplicity at its best!
Finally, a PMP that doesn't require you to sync up with a subscription music service. This is a true ...
Finally, a PMP that doesn't require you to sync up with a subscription music service. This is a true MTP device that will work with many types of media organizers/jukeboxes. Songs can be dragged and dropped with ease. The screen can show album art and other usable info about the songs. The screen is also very bright and can be seen in full sunlight. I didn't buy this for the video capabilities, but just looking at the sample file Sony put on it, the picture was very sharp and smooth running. Sony did a fantastic job with this new line of PMPs. Get it through Sonystyle. I believe its the cheapest there.
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by speedknot66 (see profile) -
October 8, 2007
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