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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Review | Sony NWZ-WH303
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Review | Sony NWZ-WH303

Sony's latest headphones come with unexpected new features

Sony NWZ-WH303Premium
Sony NWZ-WH303

The personal boom box

Most people don’t really care about headphones; they end up using the cheap earphones that came free with the phone, or buy earphones which cost a few hundred rupees. At the other end of the spectrum are the audiophiles, who see nothing wrong with spending over 1 lakh to buy a headset. In between these extremes though are a number of headsets that deliver great sound instead of the small, tiny output cheap headphones manage.

Considering how much time we spend on phones with tiny speakers these days, it makes sense to invest in a pair of decent headphones, but Sony’s latest offering isn’t actually the best value-for-money, in pure audio terms.

We tried out the NWZ-WH303 headphones, and liked the clarity and volume, but the MRP of 8,990 is on the high side. You can get a nice headset from JBL or Sennheiser for half the price.

What makes the Sony headphones stand out though is that they can actually be used in three different ways. First off, it’s a basic headset. Let’s look at that in detail before going into the extra features.

Despite the large size, the headphones are comfortable to wear, and the square-shaped cups fit comfortably on your ear. The pads on the inside are round and snug, and the three-piece strap is easy to adjust when you’re wearing the headphones.

The headset has an “extra bass driver unit", according to Sony, but the bass isn’t noticeably loud. The sound is clear overall, even at fairly high volume. It’s a far cry from a really high-end headset, but the price also makes this a lot more accessible. In pure audio terms though, you can get headsets that are every bit as clear, loud and comfortable, for around 5,000.

Sony’s added extra value with two interesting features though. Aside from being a headset, the NWZ-WH303 is also an MP3 player. You can detach the audio cable from the headset, and with 4 GB of storage, it’s got space for around 1,000 songs (assuming you’re listening to tracks that average out to 3-4 minutes each) and there’s a micro-USB port which you use to connect the headset to your computer, and also to charge the audio player.

Even when the battery is empty, the NWZ-WH303 can be used as a headset, but the player will run for 20 hours on a full charge. The quick charge feature is great—connect the headset for just 3 minutes, and you get an hour’s music playback.

Transferring the files happens over USB as well; just plug it in and drag the files across, the way you would use a pen drive. The on-switch for the music player and controls to skip tracks and go to previous/next tracks are both on the earpieces, which can be a little confusing at first, but once you’re used to the placement of the buttons, it’s easy to use.

You can also use the headset as a personal speaker. Just take the headset off your ears, dangle it around your neck, and listen to music from two speakers placed just under your chin, on the strap of the headset.

According to Sony, the idea is to let you listen to your music without being cut-off from the outside world—for added safety while crossing roads, for example. It sounded like a terrible idea—imagine having a room full of people walking around blaring their music at everyone. In use though, the sound is highly directional, and while you can hear your music clearly, you won’t really disturb others. It’s definitely not something that you want to use in office, but if you’re crossing the road, for example, then it sounds like a smart idea. Bose did something similar with their QC20 earphones; after you switch on noise cancellation, you can switch to Aware mode, which features reduced noise cancellation. Sony’s solution doesn’t sound as good, but is probably safer. It’s also around 10,000 cheaper.

Overall, Sony deserves credit for the NWZ-WH303 headphones. They sound nice, are comfortable to wear, and despite a number of interesting new features, don’t cost the earth. If you’re looking for pure audio, then there are definitely better options out there, but if you’re looking for something a little different, then this set is worth checking out.

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Published: 12 Nov 2013, 06:40 PM IST
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