Sony NW-S706F review

It's refreshing to see an MP3 player that isn't modelled on the iPod. Sony's NW-S706F, available in violet, black or pink, looks more like a cuttlefish. It has 4GB of storage, but other models are available with 2GB (the S705F) or 1GB (the S703F).

The earphones create a tight seal in the ear to cut out noise, and have noise-cancelling technology that reduces it further. A microphone built into the outside of each driver picks up environmental sounds, which are amplified, reversed and played through the earphones along with the music you're listening to. Noise is reduced rather than eliminated, and, ironically, the electronics create a bit of hiss, but it still makes a huge difference when listening on a train or busy street. Because the electronics are built into the player, there's no need for a separate battery pack, which on noise-cancelling headphones such as Sennheiser's PXC250 (Best Buy, Labs, Shopper March 2007) can be as big as this diminutive MP3 player.

The NW-S706F's rotating dial skips through tracks or albums. It works well, but the other buttons are scattered haphazardly around the player. The colour screen can display album artwork, but the images are a little slow to update, so text and images run out of sync when scrolling through albums. Still, the interface is acceptable, and after a few minutes' use we found it easy to navigate to the desired songs. We had less luck in direct sunlight, though, as the reflective case made the screen impossible to read.

Lasting over 30 hours in our playback test, and recharging in little over an hour, this player's battery is among the best we've tested. It charges via USB only but, unlike with Apple's players, you can't buy a mains charger separately. You must use the supplied SonicStage software for USB transfers, which are slow at just under 1MB per second. Filling the player's 3.79GB formatted capacity took over an hour. You'll also need SonicStage to download copy-protected ATRAC3 files from the SonyConnect store. The S706F can't play protected WMA files.

The earphones' highly effective noise isolation is complemented by superb sound quality. Bass was as deep and full as we've heard from bud-style earphones, and overall sound was smooth and focused. The player pulled its weight, too, with no hint of distortion even at maximum volume with heavy EQ applied.

If sound quality is your top priority, then Sony's NW-S706F is the player to buy. There are lots of cheaper 4GB players, but £130 is still competitive, especially considering that the earphones sound as good as sets costing £50.

Author: Ben Pitt