SonyNW-WS413 Waterproof All-in-One MP3 Player, 4 GB - Veridian Blue

I think these are the fourth generation and I've had each in turn. All variations have had good and bad points and these are no different. My effusive five star rating is given because quite simply this integrated MP3/headphone combo is the best all round sports music system I've come across.Generation one was much larger but in terms of buttons and use the easiest of the first three generations. This latest version has regained that ease of functionality lost on the 2nd and 3rd gen and for that I've very pleased. In particular the last version I had was pretty nasty when it came to the on/off button. This has a nice tactile feel and is easy to use.This version has also made the fitting more secure over the previous versions. The over ear fitting as well as the behind the neck wire is far more solid than all previous efforts. In fact if you want there is a small elasticated band - supplied - that can be fitted to make the player more snug fitting. For me, I don't need it as my slightly large hat fitting suits this well and it's a solid job even when sweaty.It has a nice tactile organic style and feel which is comfortable in use as well. Given that this is also a player as well as headphones it has to be said that its fairly compact too. Not quite as small as Gen 3 but that is down to the over ear run of the headband.To put music on is simplicity itself. You can drag and drop MP3 files or as I do, use Windows Media Player. I do so because syncing with Media means my music files are automatically adjusted to suit the best supported file type.Now there are a couple of negatives. All the previous versions had a much better holder/charging/transfer unit. This version has a dock that fits on one side only, meaning that it is easy to end up with it being pulled or damaged in a bag. The other negatives relate to sound. Sound quality is good - it is after all a Sony - but a bit bright for my ears. By no means bad but I prefer a bit more bass. And the other sound niggle is volume, or rather lack of it. Because Sony is a sensible mainstream company it adheres to the European dB standards - which of course is a 'Good Thing,' especially for your kids. But for me, in a gym I like my music loud to drown out the inane dance stuff inevitably pumped through the over load speakers.There is another add on which is of no real interest to me which is an ambient outside sound function which is there to allow you to hear what is going on around you. I have no use for this in the gym, but if you are a runner on the roads and paths then this may well be a properly good idea as you might just hear that bus with your name on it coming towards you.Bottom line is that this MP3/headphone unit is for sports not audiophile listening in your best armchair and for that - and I've been using these for five or six years now - I think this is unbeatable.

Previously I had given this a low star rating stating that it is too quiet for swimming, I was using the supplied swimming ear buds and since they have a thin covering the sound is reduced by quite a bit. After thinking about it hard I thought no way would Sony sell such a bad set of headphones for swimming, so I did some more research on the Sony website and found out that the standard earbuds without the film are also usable in the swimming pool, I tried the normal earbuds without the film and it was a world of difference. With these earbuds you can hear the sound properly and it goes up to a decent sound level. It is not too loud which is good but it is definitely loud enough for me to enjoy the music now. After realising I could use the standard earbuds for swimming the headset has got 5 stars from me, it sounds great now in the pool, it lasts a long time, charges fast and is easy to use. Please try these in the pool with the earbuds with no film, it makes all the difference and is fine!

This is my first waterproof MP3 player and overall I am pleased with it. I read lots of reviews of different products including the niggles associated with the older version and bought this on trust because of the really positive early reviews here. I have worn it for swimming and have been surprised how secure it has been. I love the noise cancelling feature allowing you to block out the ambient noises - I wore it on a busy day in the school holidays and it blocked out all the screams from the children so I was able to focus. I'm not a music acoustic expert but the sound quality seems pretty good to me with no complaints. The buttons are a bit fiddly at first but you get used to them although if you have large fingers it may be more tricky. It was easy to download and use the software with no problems and the instructions are clear and easy to understand. It looses a star because it is a bit loose on my head even with the tightening strap (I have a small head) - if you need to fit this the headphones then sit against your neck rather than your head which is a bit annoying. My partner has a normal/large head and they fit him perfectly! My only other niggle is that there is no pouch to store all the different earbuds or your pair to take swimming.

This was fine whilst it worked, and I bought it end of Dec 2019 for use whilst swimming in an indoor swimming pool. In April 2020 gyms closed of course and I didn't resume swimming until November 2021. So I had about 6 months use out of it probably using it about 15 times a month for a swim of maybe 45 minutes. That's about 80 hours total use, and it cost £59. Warranty is 12 months, I contacted Sony on the bass that the item is not fit for purpose, and they have refused to either refund or replace or even tell me how to dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way - they wont take it back and referred me to "The Retailer" which is Amazon and I don't see a way of returning it to them either. So all in all not a great experience, and Sony should be ashamed of themselves for making a product which has such a short lifespan. Incidentally this was a replacement for an identical item that failed after less than a month. I have bought another one because there is not much choice on the market, but I am almost certain the replacement will fail within 12 months.