Sony - NW-A806
Where other companies have attempted to usurp Apple's dominance of the MP3 player market by offering alternative features such as video playback, higher capacities and cheaper prices, Sony is the closest yet to taking it on at its own game.
Traditionally Sony's players are solidly built, stylish and make no compromises over audio, both in terms of quality and control. The new A800 range is Nano-esque in shape and design, and retains the same control system as the popular A1000 series. A directional pad, menu buttons and side-mounted volume control make it as easy to operate as they come, which is a good thing considering the wealth of options available to control your media.
The A800 series is a full-blown multimedia player, with support for video and photo content as well as your music. We already know Sony is at the top of the pile when it comes to audio quality so it'll be interesting to see how it handles the rest.
Just to reassure those new to Sony's game, sound quality in its players is typically top-notch, and it's nice to see that the A806 we have on test doesn't shirk its responsibilities. Audio is superbly crisp and clean at default settings, but the combination of some excellent in-ear bud 'phones and wide range of adjustments available takes things to another level.
In addition to a customisable equalizer and environment presets there's a number of extra modes and sound enhancers that together offer an unrivalled potential for near-perfect listening. You can set up bookmarks and playlists,...
