The $ 200-S718F NWZ Sony, one of the latest additions to the range of Walkman portable media players, similar to the previous round of Walkmans. Ostensibly, this compact player 8GB major selling point is the integrated noise reduction. Sony took a commendable stab at reducing the noise here, but it is far too high with, say, the Bose Quiet Comfort 3 earphones. In addition, the circuit works only with earphones included.

The real selling point of this player is its excellent sound quality, which, paradoxically, can be fully realized only by a pair of earphones upgraded. This device produces some of the most low round that I heard on a player, which helps to conceal the deficiencies, such as poor video file support and a user interface that can support a few household. This is not a masterpiece musical, but nothing dislike about the NWZ-S718F, it is an excellent performance with the unique ability to reduce the noise.

Let’s talk about the nomenclature for a second. Sony likes to give long, boring names to each of its peripheral-if it is black instead of red, it receives a number of different model. This player is the NWZ-S718F, but it is up to the series NWZ-S710F. The 3.2-to-1 .6-by-0 .5-inch player is small enough to be considered a viable competitor to the iPod nano. Its 1.8-inch, 320 by 240 pixels is clear, sharp and customizable, in the sense that the video and the photos can be transferred default position of the vertical to horizontal from left to right and horizontal.

The front panel display is a bit too crowded for my taste-four arrow buttons, a Play / Pause button, and two other buttons above them (Home / Back and Power Option). There is a proprietary connector, so you must use the supplied cable to connect the drive to your PC. And although the headphone jack is designed to include noise-cancellation headphones. It accepts a helmet standard 3.5 mm. Headphones quality are much higher than the standard rate earbud that comes with most players. Unlike headphones, which sit outside the ear canal and not to create a seal, it is to go in the ear, and they sound good.

Support files is not large. Having AAC, MP3, WMA and WAV for audio is acceptable, but providing only MPEG-4 SP (simple profile) for video and JPEG for photos can be limiting: You will probably have to convert most of your files in order to make them searchable On the drive. And the Sony Media Manager software included needs to be upgraded to the “Pro” (for $ 12.95) to convert videos. SanDisk does not charge for video conversion software with its low-priced Sansa Fuze is therefore disappointing.

The menus look very similar to those of past players. Once you explore beyond the main menu decent side, the graphics are pretty vanilla. Navigation, though, is flowing through Sony inclusion of a practice Home / Back button so that you will not have to navigate back and went to the home screen. The button on the upper right-hand side of the control panel, offering additional options, such as access to EQ settings, for example-who rely on the menu, you are in. The FM radio is easy to operate and comes with 30 preset stations, but there is no record-FM, line-in, or voice, to speak of.

One of the best features is the EQ. No, it’s not a stumbling block as 10 bands on the Cowon A3, and he looked a little simplistic. The option Clear Bass, however, is surprisingly powerful. Thanks to an excellent pair of Shure earphones or Ultimate Ears, the low-end is suddenly intense presence unsurprisingly the mid - and high-frequency ranges. It was as if a subwoofer were present. For fans of rap, rock and electronic heavier, it is a huge asset. The drawback? The bass is respectable using the headphones included, but not as deep as a better set. However, if you replace the earphones, you lose noise reduction. Without EQ adjustments, however, and even with just the included headphones, the sound quality is a strong point with the NWZ-S718F.

So what is the noise reduction? Those who seek Bose Quiet Comfort noise elimination will be disappointed. While the reader is unable to block certain low frequency ambient noise, it also creates a higher frequency than the hiss that’s not really unpleasant, but not necessarily quiet, either. The level of noise reduction is adjustable, but I found that the level proposed by default the most effective disposal. However, the NWZ-S718F is ideal for airplanes and subways, where most of the noises are in the lower ranges, and where the player of noise reduction is most effective.

Sony rates the battery life of 33 hours for audio playback, which is very high, and 8 hours for video. Our battery of tests was 27 hours 29 minutes of audio.

If noise abatement is not an obligation, you could save a few dollars on options such as Fuze Sansa or Zen and get better support video files in the negotiations. But for $ 200, the Sony Walkman NWZ-S718F works well, comes with earphones high quality and integrated range of noise reduction. It is certainly helpful to consider if you are in the market for a new player.

Sony offers a workforce of 90 days, 1 year warranty on parts NWZ-S718F. For customer support, visit .