Sony Walkman NWZ-B173F In Hands

Sony Walkman NWZ-B173F has the cover made of plastic, so it is light, and fits out palms. In the back, there is a detachable clip to hang itself on to the shirt’s or pants’ pocket. The product is aimed for youngster so it has colorful cover. Generally, this Walkman looks nice but the control wheel is a little bit ugly and the sound quality is not excellent indeed.

Sony Walkman NWZ-B173F

With the price of $71, Sony Walkman NWZ-B173F belongs to the entry-level of Sony. The front side is well-designed with a glistening plastic cover spreading all the body. On the left hand side, there are a small screen and a control wheel. The screen is fairly small so it cannot show song details much. The wheel quality is not really good and the way it is painted makes it look like cheap goods.  Next to the wheel is a big Pause/Play button, and it is also the Power button. Press this button to start it up and hold for some seconds to shut down.

There is a detachable clip

The bigger circle which covers the wheel can be whirled. You whirl it to switch songs or move the selection in menu. However, it is a bit difficult to control it, you have to whirl it hard and when there is a “click” sound, the signals are received. When you charge it, this circle will be bright.

The other buttons including volume, Hold, Rec, Back are located equally along the top and bottom path. Rec button can be used to record yourself or radio FM. The hold button will disable all other buttons to avoid unwanted pressing when you put it in the pockets.

There is a lid covering the “head” of the Walkman. When lifting it off, you will see an USB to connect to the computer. When connecting, it will charge at once, and Sony revealed that the player would play more 90 minutes with 3 minutes of charging. You need to charge it within 70 minutes to fulfill the battery. When connecting, the computer will recognize it as a normal USB, and you can copy songs directly to it without installing anything.

In terms of sounds, the quality stops at fair level. There is bass sound but it is unsatisfactory. The sound is not very pure.