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Sony NWZ-A729 Review

Posted to Portable Audio/Video 2009-01-30

The Sony NWZ-A729BLK is an update to last year's model NWZ-A810 Walkman. It features a larger screen, a new square four-way controller instead of the round one used on last year's model, and is a little larger in overall size. It is still easily portable and pocketable, though. And the Sony EX series earbuds included with the unit put Ipod's standard earbuds to shame.

The A729 features a 2.4 inch QVGA (320x240) LCD screen that displays sharp full-motion video. It features music, photo and video playback, and the screen can be rotated 90 degrees. The unit supports MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV and DRM-protected subscription music files. Video is limited to a strict 320x240 (MPEG-4 or H.264) format, however. The unit measures a mere 2.0 x .4 x 3.7 in. It is available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB versions. It does not include multimedia card capability.

Rating:

out of 5

Features

The A729 doesn't do well in the features category due to the numerous features offered by the competition that it lacks. At this price, you would expect an FM radio and a standard USB interface (the device supports USB 2.0 only). The unit also lacks voice recording and memory expansion. The lack of support for more video formats is also disappointing. Built-in Bluetooth capability would have been nice, too. The saving grace it that in the features that it does offer, the A729 excels.

Performance

The reason there's not 4 stars is primarily the lack of features offered by the competition. But all of that considered, Sony's legendary sound-processing ability coupled with the excellent standard earbuds provide you with some of the best sound output available in a portable multimedia device. The video quality is also excellent, producing flicker-free full motion video that is crisp and clear. In addition, the unit features Sony's music enhancement technologies - 5-band EQ, Clear Bass, Clear Stereo, DSEE high-frequency restoration and dynamic normalization.

Summary

If you're willing to pay a little more for the sound quality offered by the A729, then this could be the multimedia player for you. That's if you can get past the features that it's missing. However, you should consider Sony's reputation for quality when comparing prices. And keep in mind that the Sony offers more sound processing technologies than any device on the market. If you're in the market for a multimedia player, you should at least give the A729 a test-listen - the sound quality may make up your mind for you.

Pros

320 x 240 QVGA LCD screen
Numerous Sony sound processing technologies
Excellent Sony EX series earbuds included
Supports wide range of audio formats

Cons

Lacks FM receiver, multimedia storage, voice-recording, Bluetooth