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A poor choice for the active runner or jogger
Pros
Durable, batteries last a respectable time, no wires
Cons
Questionable reception, uncomfortable fit
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
The set feels obnoxious and does not provide clear reception- skip this one.
I have recently begun adding miles to my mid-distance runs. Hoping to fend off the boredom that usually arrives around mile 3-4, I decided to invest in some entertainment. What better than the tunes transmitted by pop and rock radio stations? Not wanting to deal with wires and a heavy box hanging on my shorts, I have tried out the Sony Walkman SRF-HM 33. A one-piece wireless radio that rests on your head, this seemed like a convenient supplier of grooves to exercise to.
Quite frankly, I didn't enjoy the experience. Admittedly, I may just not like to listen to music while running. I found that music affected the pace of running: I usually slowed down to match the beat, and my pace was changing every 4 minutes as each song came to an end. And what to do with commercials and radio gab? But for the benefit of the epinions readers, I continued to try the Walkman during several runs.
I still don't like this device.
Physically, the Sony Walkman is awkward if not annoying. It seems designed to be lightweight, yet the arch nags at your head regardless of its positioning. The earpieces, made of plastic and a soft foam place an uncomfortable amount of pressure medially and inferiorly on your ears and lobes-this pressure increases when bobbling around during running. Though the two-piece adjustable head strap allows the headset to fit many sizes of heads, it does little to secure the set on your head during quick movement. Most likely, the only kind of activity that would be appropriate for this headset is cycling.
The headset is quite durable. Made of a sturdy plastic, the set can withstand being dropped without breaking. That is true also of the clock/station display which is made of a tough plastic. The antenna is thick, covered with plastic on the tip, and bends without breaking. However, when dropped, the triple A batteries easily pop out of the holder. The batteries, by the way, permit about 30 hours of listening time according to SONY.
The right side of the headset contains the buttons and display. One display alternately shows the radio station and the time of day. One button controls the general power-don't forget to turn this off when done listening-and another changes the station from AM to FM. A rotary dial changes the volume. Auto-set buttons allow you to preselect radio stations-this is a valuable function because one would almost need to remove the headset if one wanted to manually change the stations while exercising. "Plus" and "minus" style buttons change the station manually, but these are small and awkwardly placed-I have accidentally knocked the set off my head several times when changing stations.
A wide range of frequencies are received by this headset, ranging from 87.5 to 108 FM and 530 to 1710 AM. However, the clarity of reception is unreliable. In the Los Angeles and Orange County Areas, for example, popular stations clearly received on home and car radios can be "fuzzy" on this walkman. Worse yet, the interference changes with each step of running; the clarity is highly sensitive to the movement of the antenna while running. This white noise can be annoying when trying to exercise.
I think that I will ditch the headset and return to the sounds of nature or the folks panting beside me...until I have the cast to invest in a wireless MP3 player. I really would save myself the $50, folks. You most likely won't become accustomed to the headaches the poor fit and fuzzy reception will give you.
Quite frankly, I didn't enjoy the experience. Admittedly, I may just not like to listen to music while running. I found that music affected the pace of running: I usually slowed down to match the beat, and my pace was changing every 4 minutes as each song came to an end. And what to do with commercials and radio gab? But for the benefit of the epinions readers, I continued to try the Walkman during several runs.
I still don't like this device.
Physically, the Sony Walkman is awkward if not annoying. It seems designed to be lightweight, yet the arch nags at your head regardless of its positioning. The earpieces, made of plastic and a soft foam place an uncomfortable amount of pressure medially and inferiorly on your ears and lobes-this pressure increases when bobbling around during running. Though the two-piece adjustable head strap allows the headset to fit many sizes of heads, it does little to secure the set on your head during quick movement. Most likely, the only kind of activity that would be appropriate for this headset is cycling.
The headset is quite durable. Made of a sturdy plastic, the set can withstand being dropped without breaking. That is true also of the clock/station display which is made of a tough plastic. The antenna is thick, covered with plastic on the tip, and bends without breaking. However, when dropped, the triple A batteries easily pop out of the holder. The batteries, by the way, permit about 30 hours of listening time according to SONY.
The right side of the headset contains the buttons and display. One display alternately shows the radio station and the time of day. One button controls the general power-don't forget to turn this off when done listening-and another changes the station from AM to FM. A rotary dial changes the volume. Auto-set buttons allow you to preselect radio stations-this is a valuable function because one would almost need to remove the headset if one wanted to manually change the stations while exercising. "Plus" and "minus" style buttons change the station manually, but these are small and awkwardly placed-I have accidentally knocked the set off my head several times when changing stations.
A wide range of frequencies are received by this headset, ranging from 87.5 to 108 FM and 530 to 1710 AM. However, the clarity of reception is unreliable. In the Los Angeles and Orange County Areas, for example, popular stations clearly received on home and car radios can be "fuzzy" on this walkman. Worse yet, the interference changes with each step of running; the clarity is highly sensitive to the movement of the antenna while running. This white noise can be annoying when trying to exercise.
I think that I will ditch the headset and return to the sounds of nature or the folks panting beside me...until I have the cast to invest in a wireless MP3 player. I really would save myself the $50, folks. You most likely won't become accustomed to the headaches the poor fit and fuzzy reception will give you.
