Sports players-headphones Sony Walkman WS series were presented at Berlin IFA-2014, and it is very strange that they still have no competitors.
Over the past two years, manufacturers have released hundreds of models of smart watches and smart bracelets onto the market, but for some reason no one has produced decent sports waterproof players. Only from Sony.
I think the Walkman's success lies in three parts:
Sound
I recently reviewed the similar Jabra Pace sports headphones, in which I admired the sound of their 12.4mm speakers. This is a really good size for sports monitors. Sony has even larger driver sizes - 13.5 mm . And the sound is better. And NWZ-WS613 is 2000 rubles cheaper. I don't understand what the catch is, considering that you can't go into the water with Jabra. Probably, the New Year's price tags have not yet been rearranged.
Sony can play music not only via Bluetooth, but also from internal memory. The 613 has 4 GB on board, the 615 has 16 GB.
Supported music formats and codecs: MP3, WMA, AAC, L-PCM / SBC, AAC, aptX.
Dive with Sony Walkman NWZ-WS613 sports headphones #nwzws613 #nwzws615
A video posted by iPhones.ru (@iphones_ru) on Dec 29, 2015 at 2:02am PST
NWZ-WS613 sound loud, balanced, slightly bassy, with clear highs and mids, going beyond sports headphones in terms of overall characteristics.
The SoundMix intelligent mode works with maps and navigators in such a way that when an audio notification arrives, the music is muted. The player also turns into a headset and you can take calls from it directly during training.
Before I go further, I’ll once again outline the three components of the success of the Sony NWZ-WS613 - form factor, degree of protection, sound. Let's assume that a certain competitor X managed to solve the issues of sound and degree of protection. Beautiful advertising leaflets with happy girls in the pool were released.
The buyer believes, orders and is disappointed.
I've been swimming in the pool twice a week for the past four years, so I've come across many models of waterproof players. Below are some examples of waterproof players that can be extended to any similar models.
SYRYN waterproof MP3 player
The separate design is inconvenient in itself. The earpads allow water to pass through, causing sound quality to deteriorate when water gets between the earbuds and your ear.
Diver DB-10 4GB Waterproof MP3 Player
Has the same problems. It is problematic to use such a player without a cap, otherwise the headphones will be washed out with water. And under the cap the pads are pressing.
Pyle PSWP6BK Flextreme Waterproof MP3 Player
The headphones get credit for being a complete solution. But there is no talk of isolation due to the lack of clamps.
Tayogo Waterproof Mp3 Player
These headphones are designed exclusively for hot tubs. They are uncomfortable to swim in because they sound disgusting and fall off your head.
Waterfi Waterproof Apple iPod Shuffle
My worst purchase ever. Waterfi coats the iPod Shuffle's electronic circuitry with a water-repellent lubricant, making water harmless to its internals. The included headphones flood with water within the first minute, and the music becomes inaudible. How many times have I looked for them at the bottom of the pool.
Only Sonya did not fall off his head, stood up perfectly without a cap and played better than anyone else in the pool.
The set includes two types of ear pads - for dry and wet activities, making Sony universal.
Review of Walkman NWZ-W273/NWZ-W274S headphones
Sports and music go hand in hand. Favorite compositions motivate and help you overcome yourself when, it would seem, you have no more strength to do another approach or run another lap. Therefore, the desire to combine them in the most convenient way is quite obvious and understandable. For a long time, the only option that eliminated the presence of a cord in the “player + headphones” combination, which would interfere with sports activities, was transmitting music via Bluetooth. But this method had a number of inconveniences, including high power consumption and low sound quality in devices without a special codec.
The Walkman line of headphones and players from Sony were able to correct this situation.
The developers combined two devices into one, solving two problems at once: removing both interfering wires and additional blocks. In this line, special attention is paid to the waterproof headphones NWZ-W273 and NWZ-W274S. They make it much easier to be with the music while playing sports. Now you can enjoy your favorite tracks in the pool, at the sea, while jogging in the pouring rain. When you get home, just rinse them under tap water and that's it.
Waterproof Walkman headphones - take your music always with you
The NWZ-W273 and NWZ-W274S player headphones provide complete freedom of movement during sports.
They are securely fixed on the ears and do not require additional attachments to clothing or swimming goggles. You can perform any activity, such as jogging, exercise in the gym, swimming, and be completely confident that the device will not fly off your head. The player is controlled using a minimum number of buttons. On the right half of the waterproof headphones there are power buttons, switching tracks and folders (paired, in the form of a swing), start/pause. In addition to them, there is also a reset button and a lock button. The left half is equipped with a volume control and a random playback button.
Sony NWZ-W273 and NWZ-W274S waterproof headphones are easy to use. The rocker button on the right side switches songs and flips through folders in the player's memory. To do this, you need to hold the button pressed for two to three seconds. When you change the active folder, you will hear "Next folder" or "Previous folder" depending on the direction you selected.
The sound of the NWZ-W273 and NWZ-W274S, like previous Sony W models, is excellent. The only thing that is not available in them compared to other lines of similar devices is an equalizer and other software improvements to sound quality. In principle, this feature is inherent in all Walkman players. The sound is concentrated mainly in the mid-frequency range, which may affect the usual perception of rock songs or dance tracks with deep bass. But these waterproof headphones cope flawlessly with conveying the beauty of vocals and the details of music.
I would also like to note the sound insulation of these waterproof headphones. Thanks to the complete sealing of the device, extraneous noise does not penetrate, even if the volume level is at a low level. Special earbuds, although they look like regular ones, provide the most complete fit to the ear canal. The Sony NWZ-W273 and NWZ-W274S player headphones can be used in any noisy environment, from long-distance flights to subway trips. And there is no need to overload your eardrums with high volume levels.
Among Sony products, the player model NWZ-W273 was the first completely waterproof with an official guarantee for immersion in freshwater bodies to a depth of 2 meters. But it’s not worth swimming in the seas with it, even if only for a short time. Firstly, in this case, waterproof headphones will lose the manufacturer's warranty, and secondly, salt water will cause the rubber seals to lose their properties. As a result, you can forget about water resistance.
Features of the Sony NWZ-W273 and NWZ-W274S headphone player
- Completely sealed and immersible up to two meters in fresh water.
- Nothing superfluous or interfering with movements. Everything is in one compact case.
- The player's light weight (29 grams) does not affect the quality of sports exercises.
- Full charging time is 3 minutes.
- Continuous operation time – up to 80 minutes.
- The NWZ-W273 and NWZ-W274S player headphones fit securely and do not interfere with your activities.
- The frequency range of the speakers is from 20 to 20,000 Hertz.
- Large memory capacity for your favorite music - 4 GB for NWZ-W273 and 8 GB for NWZ-W274S.
- Fast and convenient control.
- Charging of waterproof headphones-player is carried out through the docking station.
Music control
All main control keys, such as volume, track switching, Bluetooth pairing, on/off, are located on the player body. But besides this, it comes with a remote control in the shape of a ring .
This remote control is a useful thing for controlling music during sports activities. The ring can be adjusted to fit any finger size. Its weight is only 11 g, and the player weighs 37.
Swimming (= diving into deep water) with it is not recommended, but you can use the ring in the shower or in the rain. The remote control body is considered moisture resistant (international standard IPX-5, unlike the player - IPX5/8). In addition, the Bluetooth connection is unstable in water.
Player-headphones Sony NW-WS413
- digital player, 4 GB
- for sports
- IP68 waterproof housing
- without screen
- operating time 12 hours
- weight 32 g
- price from 7,290 rub.
Sony is known to music lovers for its high-quality headphones and players. In this model, two devices are connected into one. At the same time, the gadget remains almost weightless, and the sound is excellent; the battery charge lasts for 4 hours. Important detail: protection against moisture is provided according to the IP68 standard, but it is necessary to replace the standard earbuds with the waterproof ones included in the kit (gray). And yet, the built-in memory is only 4 GB, which may not be enough for some.
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Working hours
The stated operating time of the Sony Walkman NWZ-WS613 is 8 hours . In 90 minutes the player is charged to 100%, and the first three minutes of charging guarantee 60 minutes of music playback.
The gadget is powered from the docking station. Music tracks are also uploaded through it.
The main thing is not to forget to take it with you on your trip, because there is no other way to charge a musical accessory.
Buyer's Guide. Choosing a sports player Sony Walkman (2016)
Sony has long been famous for its Walkman music players.
The company was not afraid to experiment with the form factor of devices and this always bore fruit. For example, now that the era of mass-produced players has come to an end (smartphones have supplanted them), models designed for outdoor activities and sports have gained particular popularity. And this is understandable, because it is difficult to run with a large device dangling in your pocket. But when it is attached to the head, has no wires and is waterproof, then it is a completely different matter.
This material is a continuation of the recently published guide, which examined all Walkman players on the market, with the exception of sports models. Now this gap will be filled.
The guide will take a detailed look at all current Walkman sports players and examine their strengths and weaknesses.
Hybrid smartwatch Garmin Vivomove HR Sport
- OLED touch screen, 0.38", 64×128
- incoming call notification
- Compatible with Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Windows, OS X
- monitoring sleep, calories, exercise. activity
- water resistant up to 50m
- weight: 40.8 g
- operating time in active mode 120 hours
- price from 13,990 rubles
They cost three times less than the Apple model, but are not inferior to it either in functionality or style. In fact, the functionality is even richer. For example, there is a stress tracking function, during the day the watch will measure your stress level, and a special timer will help you perform breathing exercises to relieve stress.
Another cool feature is the Garmin Connect application. Your data on physical activity and sports achievements is sent to it, you can not only track your progress, but also compete with other community members. A significant drawback is that the watch has regular glass instead of sapphire glass, which sometimes gets scratched even with careful use.
Of course, if you are not going to go swimming, you can take a simpler model. Read our article in which we have collected the best models for sports.
