Product Review: Sony Walkman NWZ-E385 16GB MP3 Player

Sony's Walkman line was iconic during the cassette tape era.  In fact, the product name became synonymous with portable cassette players, regardless of manufacturer.   Cassettes are pretty much a thing of the past, today; and the Sony Walkman product line has been present in the portable media market still (though a different manufacturer's media player has become a generic term).

My first experience with the Sony Walkman player was in 2007, as a gift.   I found the tactile interface preferable, for my needs, and the 4GB was adequate at the time.   With time, I would upgrade my device, a couple times.   I stayed within the Sony family.  This had more to do with re-evaluation at each purchase time for features and cost. My most recent model was the NWZ-E465 (16 GB).

The NWZ-E385 was purchased through Best Buy on 5/29/2015, with a sale price of $78.99.   My reason for upgrading was the beginning of a short in the headphones, though no issue when playing through USB.  

My first observation on the recent version of this mp3 player were some subtle changes.   This player now uses a standard miniUSB cable, vs the proprietary Sony cable used by previous models.   This makes replacement a less challenging project, when needed.   I also noticed that the volume and hold switches were now in the face of the device, vs on the side.   These may take some getting used to, though the hold seems to be a bit more awkward than on previous versions.

The "pro" side of the NWZ-E385:

• Compact & lightweight (similar or lighter than previous)
• Tactile interface (very useful for non-visual operation)
• Clear screen for videos or easy reading of screens
• Several options on the "home" screen (FM radio, music, videos, photos)
• Good sound quality on playback
• MiniUSB port 
• Drag 'n' Drop convenience from Windows and Linux

Unfortunately, Sony, I found quite the list of "cons" on this model.   Specifically, in comparison to the NWZ-465 (several years old), I have observed the following:

• Device enters "hold" mode automatically, even when not selected by user
• Device no longer has microphone or voice recording
• Hold button on face is somewhat awkward when not looking at device
• "Bookmarks" feature no longer available
• "Play-through" feature no longer available
• Alphabetic selection now goes through groups vs individual letters (ie N-P vs N, O, P)
• Does not recognize all tag information. Some genuine albums show as "unknown" artist/song/album.

The features I find most disappointing in this model are the removal of the bookmarks and play-through.   Play-through was nice in that it allowed continuous play from one album/artist to the next (if the mode was properly set).  The bookmarks feature had been extremely useful.   On the 465, this allowed for five separate bookmark lists of up to 100 tracks each, permitting on-the-fly playlist creation and editing.   While the E385 allows playlists, these files are not as convenient for on-the-fly use.    Given my normal usage, this makes the device rather inconvenient.


Conclusion:
While Sony has had excellent products in this product line before, it appears that they have taken a drastic step backwards.   Gone are the features that I previously found useful, and at present, the device seems to have been a half-hearted attempt to put something on the market.   I have been in touch with Sony's product support, inquiring if there was a firmware or operating system update which would fix some of the device shortcomings.   Unfortunately, the responses I received were "I don't know", and "there is a Sony file transfer software download".   The latter is merely an alternative to Drag 'n' Drop, which does nothing for the device functionality.  

Is Sony getting out of the portable media player industry?   After seeing the NWZ-E385, my guess would be "yes".   This device is a neutered version of previous models - of which I've owned and given glowing past reviews.  Sony lists a 128GB and 64GB device, but with a $1,200 and $300 price tag, respectively, they are not comparable products.

There is a strong likelihood that this player will be returned within the return period.  While I dislike doing this, I may find a better alternative in either an older Sony player or a different manufacturer's product.