The NW-S705F's noise-cancellation feature is broken into two parts--the player, which handles all the signal processing; and the earphones, which have small microphones built into the outside of each earpiece to monitor external noise. While the two-part design delivers great results (Sony has not published specific decibel reduction levels), the Achilles heel of the NW-S705F is the possibility of losing or damaging the proprietary earphones. Any standard set of headphones can be used with the NW-S705F, but the active noise-canceling feature will work only with the supplied earphones. When noise-cancellation is unimportant--or worse, dangerous--the feature can be switched off on the player's main menu. We also noticed that noise-cancellation is active while music is playing but shuts off while music is stopped. If you want to use the NW-S705F strictly for blocking out noise, you will still need to turn on some music, though you can set the volume all the way down.
The NW-S705F offers native playback of unprotected MP3, WMA, and AAC files. Of course, the only DRM-protected songs that the NW-S705F is capable of playing are ATRAC files purchased from Sony's own Connect Music store. DRM-protected songs such as those purchased from iTunes or rented from subscription music services won't play on this puppy. All audio files must be transferred to the NW-S705F using Sony's much-maligned, PC-only SonicStage software. Although the NW-S705F is recognized as a USB storage drive on both Mac and PC, Sony (not surprisingly) uses a proprietary method for storing and organizing music on the player, preventing any kind of drag-and-drop music transfers.
Sony left voice and audio recording off the NW-S705F, although you can purchase an optional cradle for $49 that will allow you to directly record audio through a minijack input. The player does include an FM radio tuner with a very simple-to-use interface for scanning and saving presets. The settings menu gives you access to all kinds of options for five-band EQ (including a custom setting), automatic volume control, 3D sound enhancement, noise-cancellation control, and display customization.
One of our favorite NW-S705F features is the Intelligent Shuffle control, which creates shuffled playlists tied to a common theme--such as the year the song was released, or a common genre. There's also a Sports Shuffle feature that creates a unique playlist that will stop playing after a predetermined duration--say, a 20-minute jog.
We also love the Jacket Search menu option, which displays a selection of full-color album art that you can scroll through horizontally (like a miniature version of the iTunes' Cover Flow view). When an album is highlighted, the NW-S705F plays a preview of the music. Then just press the play button to start the album in full.
Performance
Paired with its excellent earphones, the Sony NW-S705F cranked out stellar sound quality right out of the box. Activating the noise-reduction feature does introduce some white noise into the signal, but this is common with all active noise-canceling headphones and a welcome trade-off for the relative quiet it provides. Sony rates the NW-S705F battery life at 50 hours of playback time (40 hours with noise-canceling on). Our CNET Labs verified this and found the Sony NW-S705F was capable of around 53 hours of MP3 playback--42 hours with noise-canceling activated. The player also uses a quick-charge technique that draws more power over USB for a dramatically faster charge (minutes, not hours).
What You'll Pay
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