Sony NW-S703F

Sony's latest music player cancels out unwanted hubbub.

Sound-leaking earphones are the bane of public transport. If you're wearing them, the music gets crowded out by train noise and incessant ranting from bearded madmen. If you're sat next to someone wearing them, you want to put an icepick through their head.

Noise-cancelling headphones combat this, but they're pricey and often a touch cumbersome. BUT! Sony's latest player combats that with noise-cancelling tech embedded in both player and earphones.

The in-ear 'phones shut out a certain amount of external babble even before you turn on the noise-reduction. Hit the switch, though, and it's like being underwater (with a Walkman on). Once you've heard the sound of silence, you'll wonder how you ever travelled without it.

This capsule-shaped player is heavier than you'd expect but looks the business, with its super-bright OLED screen. The controls are neatly stripped down, with Sony's usual jog wheel handling volume or rewind/fast-forward depending on whether you pull it out a notch or not. The cable is a touch short, though.

There's no doubt that it's a great sonic performer. It copes admirably with hair metal (Guns'N'Roses), acoustic bed-wetting (Jeff Buckley) and shambolic English jangle-pop (Menswear. Sorry).

The only drawback is that Sony inflicts its ropey SonicStage ripping/management software on you. It's not as bad as it used to be, but it still is to iTunes what Richard Blackwood is to Chris Rock.

If you can live with that, the 50-hour battery life is superb, and the price is competitive for such a cracking player. In fact, you could say this is worth making a noise about...

Related links:

• Sony

Posted by T3 Online on 2007-01-22