Changing the Play Mode.. 28 Displaying the Now Playing Screen. 30 Displaying the Option Menu. 31 Searching for Tracks Based on the Currently Playing Track. 33 Adding/Editing Tracks to a Bookmark List. 34 Deleting a Track From the Player.. 41 Rating Tracks.. 44

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting.. 76 Error Messages.. 83 Uninstalling SonicStage or CONNECT Player.. 88
Using the Artist Link Feature
Searching for Artists Belonging to Similar Genres (Artist Link). 45

Additional Information

WARNING.. 90 Precautions.. 93 Notes on Disposing of the Player. 99 On Copyrights.. 102 Specications.. 103 Optional Accessories.. 107 Index.. 108

Settings

Customizing Sound Quality (6-Band Equalizer).. 48 Limiting the Volume from the Headphones.. 51
Player HOME Menu Reference
The HOME menu is the screen that appears either when you turn the player on or when you connect it to SonicStage or CONNECT Player. The HOME menu is the starting point to play audio, search for tracks, and change settings. To display the players HOME menu, press and hold BACK.

Music Library

Playlists..19 All Songs..11 Album..12 Artist...13 Genre...14 Rating..15 Release Date..16 Recent Transfers..17
Play History. 22 Play Mode
Normal..29 Repeat..29 Shuffle..29 Shuffle&Repeat.29 Repeat 1 Song..29
Play Mode..28 Sound..48 Default Bookmark..34 AVLS (Vol. Limit)..51 Beep..52 Audio Output..53 Display..54 Screensaver.56 Brightness..57 Unit Information..58 Language..59 Clock Setting..60 Reset all Settings..64 Initialize Disk..65

Initial Search

Artist...18 Album..18 Song..18

Intelligent Shufe

My Favorite Shuffle.23 Artist Link Shuffle..25 Time Machine Shuffle.26 Shuffle All..27

Playlists

B.mark List 1 5.20, 34 Playlists..20 Favorite 100.20, 21 Trash Bin.. 20, 41

Favorite 100. 21

Now Playing. 30

Supplied Accessories

The player includes the following items. The built-in rechargeable battery is pre-installed in the player.
Headphones (1) Headphone extension cord (1) AC power cord* (1) AC power adaptor* (1) CD-ROM** (1) USB cable (1)
CONNECT Player software or SonicStage software*** Operation Guide (PDF file)

Quick Start Guide (1)

Depending on your country/region, an AC power adaptor and AC cord may not be supplied with the player. ** Do not attempt to play this CD-ROM in an audio CD player. *** The supplied software may differ depending on the country/region in which you have purchase the player, or the model you have purchased.

For customers in the USA The AC power adaptor supplied with this unit is not intended to be serviced. Should the AC power adaptor cease to function in its intended manner during the warranty period, the adaptor should be returned to your nearest Sony Service Center or Sony Authorized Repair Center for replacement, or if a problem occurs after the warranty period has expired, the adaptor should be discarded.
Connect the AC power adaptor to an easily accessible AC outlet. Should you notice an abnormality in the AC power adaptor, disconnect it from the AC outlet immediately.
About the serial number The serial number provided for this player is required for the customer registration. The number is on a label on the back of the player. Do not remove the label.
Guide to Parts and Controls
HOLD button (Headphones) jack Headphone extension cord
VOL +/ switch Hole for hand strap (NW-A1000 series only) Multiple connector RESET button

LINK button

Headphones
OPTION button BACK button 5-way button
HOLD button When you press and hold the HOLD button, HOLD On appears, the player is disabled, and the controls are locked. When you press and hold the HOLD button while the HOLD feature is on, HOLD Off appears, and the controls are unlocked again. The HOLD feature cannot be set to ON when the player is turned off. (Headphones) jack Insert the headphone or the headphones extension cord until you feel a click. If the plug is not securely seated, sound may not be played properly through the headphones. The headphone jack is also used for LINE OUT connections ( page 53). LINK button Searches for tracks by artists that belong to the similar genre to the artist of the currently playing track ( page 45). 5-way button Starts playback and enables navigation of the players on-screen menus ( page 10).
BACK button Press to go up one list screen level ( page 9), or to return to the previous screen. Press and hold BACK to display the HOME menu. OPTION button Displays the Option menu ( page 31). To turn the player off, press and hold the OPTION button or select Shut Down from the Option menu, and then press. VOL +/ switch Adjusts the volume when slid up or down. Hole for hand strap (NW-A1000 series only) You can attach a thin hand strap of your choice. Use tweezers to attach it. Multiple connector Connects the supplied USB cable ( page 66). RESET button Resets the player ( page 76).
Using the Player Controls
Use the 5-way button and the BACK button to navigate through screens, play tracks, and change the players settings. The diagram below shows how the screen changes when you press the operation button. For example, a players screen changes as shown below by selecting Music Library Album from the HOME menu. The HOME menu appears when you press and hold BACK.

Menu Index

you change a Bookmark Lists name or a Playlists name in CONNECT Player, the list appears with the edited name.
Playing Your Top 100 Tracks
The player can select and play the 100 tracks that have been played the most times.

Favorite 100

(Favorite 100), and then press. The list of the top 100 tracks appears. Playback starts from the selected track and continues through all tracks on the list.
The track play counts used to select the top 100 are updated each time you connect the player to SonicStage or CONNECT Player. If the total number of tracks stored on the player is less than 100, all tracks on the player are played. If fewer than 100 tracks on the player have ever been played, all tracks on the player that have been played at least once are played.
Searching for Tracks by Dates Played
You can search for tracks according to the dates on which the player has played them.

Play History

(Play History), and then press. A list of dates on which tracks were played appears, starting with the most recent.
Press / to select a year and month, press / to select a
date, and then press. A list of tracks played on the selected date appears.
The history of when tracks were played for more than 15 seconds is updated and that record is applied to the play history only when you connect the player to SonicStage or CONNECT Player. When a track is played for less than 15 seconds, that playback is not applied to the play history. You can play all tracks of a list item by selecting the item from the list and pressing and holding in step.
Playing Tracks in Random Order

(Intelligent Shufe Play)

The player offers four random play (also known as shuffle play) modes: My Favorite Shuffle, Artist Link Shuffle, Time Machine Shuffle, and Shuffle All. Each shuffle play mode plays a different selection of tracks in random order.
Playing your 100 favorite tracks in random order
The player selects the 100 tracks that have been played the most and plays them in random order.
(Intelligent Shufe), and then press. The screen to select a shuffle type appears. Shuffle play 100 favorite songs. appears, and playback starts. If you select a shuffle type while a track is playing, the track stops after the message appears, and a randomly selected track starts playing (Intelligent Shuffle play).
Press / to select My Favorite Shufe, and then press.
Playing Tracks.Playing Tracks in Random Order
Intelligent Shuffle play is automatically cancelled by any of the following operations: Starting playback of a track by selecting it from the Music Library. Using the Artist Link feature. Changing the play mode. When you start Intelligent Shuffle play, the play mode changes to Shuffle or Shuffle&Repeat. The track play count information for My Favorite Shuffle is updated every time you connect the player to SonicStage or CONNECT Player. If fewer than 100 tracks on the player have ever been played, all tracks on the player that have been played at least once are played in random order. If the total number of tracks stored on the player is less than 100, all tracks on the player are played in random order.

Playing all tracks in random order
All the tracks stored on the player are played in random order.
. The screen to select a shuffle type appears.
Press / to select Shufe All, and then press.
Shuffle play all. appears, and playback starts. If you select a shuffle type while a track is playing, the track stops after the message appears, and a randomly selected track starts playing (Intelligent Shuffle play).

Changing the Play Mode

The player offers a variety of play modes, including normal play and several shuffle play (random play) and repeat play options.
Play Mode 5-way button OPTION button
(Play Mode), and then press.
The list of play modes appears. You can also display the list of play modes when playing a track by pressing OPTION and selecting Play Mode from the Option menu that appears.
Press / to select a play mode (see page 29), and then
press. If you selected Play Mode from the HOME menu, the HOME menu reappears. If you selected Play Mode by pressing OPTION while playing a track, the Now Playing screen reappears.
Playing Tracks.Changing the Play Mode

The list of play modes

Play mode type/Icon Description

Normal/No icon Repeat/

All the tracks after the selected track are played once in the track list order, and then playback pauses. After the currently playing track (or the track selected from a track list) finishes, tracks on the currently playing list item (such as an album or artist list) are played repeatedly in track list order. After the currently playing track (or the track selected from a track list) finishes, tracks on the currently playing list item (such as an album or artist list) are played in random order. After the currently playing track (or the track selected from a track list) finishes, tracks on the currently playing list item (such as an album or artist list) are played repeatedly in random order. The currently playing track (or the track selected from a track list) is played repeatedly.

Shuffle/

Shuffle&Repeat/

Repeat 1 Song/

When you start Intelligent Shuffle play, the play mode changes to Shuffle or Shuffle&Repeat. To move back through as many as the last 20 tracks played during shuffle play, press repeatedly. Moving back more than one track to continue playing tracks, or going forward quickly or pressing resets the shuffle to create a new random track order.
Displaying the Now Playing Screen
The Now Playing screen displays information about the currently playing track, such as the artist name and album title.

Press / to select Sound, and then press. Press / to select your desired setting, and then press.
The selected sound setting is applied, and the Settings screen reappears. For details of each sound setting, see page 49.
Settings.Customizing Sound Quality
List of sound quality settings The sound settings appear on the screen as the letters in parentheses.

Setting Description

None Heavy ( Pop ( Jazz ( Unique ( Custom 1 ( Custom 2 ( ) ) ) ) ) )
Plays tracks with normal sound quality. (Default setting) Plays tracks in powerful sounds, further emphasizing high and low ranges. Plays tracks in sound for vocal, stressing middle range audio. Plays tracks in lively sounds, emphasizing high and low range audio. Plays tracks in special sounds, emphasizing high and low range audio more than middle range. User-customizable sound settings for which you can adjust each frequency range individually. See page 50 for details.
If your chosen sound setting causes the sound to be distorted when you turn up the volume, try turning the volume down. If your personal settings saved as Custom 1 and Custom 2 seem to produce a different volume level than the other settings, you may have to adjust the volume manually to compensate. When the Audio Output setting is set to Line Out for use with external audio devices, the sound setting cannot be changed.
Customizing sound quality (Custom)
You can create your own customized sound quality settings and save them as Custom 1 or Custom 2 while looking at the players screen. For each custom setting, you can individually adjust the sound of six frequency ranges to any of seven sound levels.
Press / to select Sound, and then press. Press / to select Custom 1 or Custom 2, and then press
The setting screen appears.
Press / to select a frequency range, and press / to select
sound level for the frequency range. Each of the six frequency ranges can be set to any of seven sound levels. The Settings screen reappears.

Press.

To cancel setup of a custom sound setting
Press BACK. Setup is cancelled, and the previous screen reappears.
Limiting the Volume from the Headphones
You can limit the headphones volume level to protect your hearing and to reduce sound leaking into the environment around you.
(Settings), and then press. The list of setup options appears.
Press / to select AVLS (Vol. Limit), and then press. Press / to select On, and then press.
AVLS* is now on, limiting the headphones volume.
* AVLS is an abbreviation of the Automatic Volume Limiter System.
To cancel AVLS (Vol. Limit)
Select Off in step. The headphone volume level is no longer limited, returning control to the players volume settings.
Turning Off the Player Operation Beep

You can set the beep sound on and off.
The list of setup option appears.
(Settings), and then press.
Press / to select Beep, and then press. Press / to select Off, and then press.

The beep is turned off.

To beep the sound
Select On in step. The beep sounds when you operate the player.
Connecting to Other Devices
You can listen to the tracks on your player through a stereo system or record them onto a MiniDisc or a cassette tape by connecting your player to external devices. See the instruction manual that came with the device you want to connect to for information about connecting devices like the player.
Turn off all the devices that are to be connected, and then
connect the devices as shown below.
MiniDisc recorder, AV amplier, active speaker, cassette recorder, etc. Left (white)

to (headphones) jack

Right (red) Connecting cord (minijack, not supplied)
Press / to select Audio Output, and then press. Press / to select Line Out, and then press.
Sound is output from the device connected to the player.
Before beginning playback, turn down the volume of the connected device. Failure to turn down the connected device may cause the sound volume from the devices speakers to be too loud, distorting the sound and possibly damaging the speakers. When the supplied headphone is connected to the player, do not set Audio Output to Line Out. If it is set to Line Out, the volume cannot be adjusted and the sound will be distorted and noisy. When Audio Output is set to Line Out, the players volume control is disabled, and the settings in Sound ( page 48) are not applied to the players audio output.
Setting the Screen Display Option
You can choose when the display is shown and how long it stays on.

Setting the display time

You can set the length of time the Now Playing screen is displayed during playback.
Press / to select Display, and then press. Press / to select Display Time, and then press. Press / to select a display time, and then press.
If you perform no operations while a track is playing, the screensaver appears or the screen disappears. The screensaver appears when Screensaver is set to Available. If it is set to None, the screen disappears. For details about screensavers, see page 56.

Available player information

Option Description

Model Serial number Version Total Songs
Displays the model name of the player. (Default setting) Displays the players serial number, which is needed to register your player. Displays version information for the players firmware. Displays the total number of tracks stored on the player.
Selecting the Display Language
You can select from a variety of languages for the display of menus and messages on the player.
Press / to select Language, and then press. Press / to select a language, and then press.
For details on each language setting, see the table below.
Display language settings
Messages and menus are displayed in Japanese. English Franais Deutsch Italiano Espaol Messages and menus are displayed in English. (Default setting) Messages and menus are displayed in French. Messages and menus are displayed in German. Messages and menus are displayed in Italian. Messages and menus are displayed in Spanish. Messages and menus are displayed in Simplified Chinese. Messages and menus are displayed in Traditional Chinese. Messages and menus are displayed in Korean.

Setting a Clock

You can set and display a clock. You can set the clock by synchronizing the clocks of the player and your computer when the player is connected to SonicStage or CONNECT Player or by setting the clock manually.
Synchronizing clocks with your computer
(Settings), and then press. The list of setup options appears. The clock-setting screen appears.
Press / to select Clock Setting, and then press. Press / to select Time Sync Set, and then press.
The clock-synchronizing screen appears.
Press / to select Synchronizing, and then press.
The clock is set to match the clock of your computer when you connect the player to SonicStage or CONNECT Player.

Settings.Setting a Clock

Setting the clock manually
The time-synchronizing screen appears.
Press / to select Do not Synch, and then press.
The clock-setting screen reappears.
Press / to select Date-Time Set, and then press.
The screen to set the date and time appears.

Press / to select the value to be changed, and press / to
increment/decrement the value, and then press. The date and time is set and the clock-setting screen reappears.
When Time Sync Set is set to Synchronizing, the clock cannot be set manually. It is recommended that you set Time Sync Set to Synchronizing, because the clock may have accumulated errors of as much as 120 seconds per month if Time Sync Set is set to Do not Synch. If the clock shows an incorrect time when Time Sync Set is set to Do not Synch, correct the clock manually.

Setting the Date Display

You can set the method to be used for displaying the date from year/month/ day, month/day/year, or day/month/year.
Press / to select Clock Setting and then press. Press / to select Date Disp Type, and then press.
The date-display setting screen appears.
Press / to select a date display method, and then press.
You can select the setting from the following: YYYY/MM/DD: Display the date in order of year/month/day. MM/DD/YYYY: Display the date in order of month/day/year. DD/MM/YYYY: Display the date in order of day/month/year.
The date of screensaver (clock) or date-time-setting screen is displayed according to the setting made here.

Setting the Time Display

You can select the method to be used for displaying the date time from a 12hour display or a 24-hour display.
Press / to select Clock Setting and then press. Press / to select Time Disp Type, and then press.
The time-display screen appears.
Press / to select the time display method, and then press
The time-display method is set, and then the clock-setting screen reappears.
The time of screensaver (clock, calendar) or date-time-setting screen is displayed according to the setting made here.
Resetting to Factory Settings
You can restore the player to its original factory settings. Resetting the player does not delete the music tracks you have transferred to the player.
(Settings), and then press. The list of setup options appears. The setting screen appears.
Press / to select Reset all Settings, and then press. Press / to select Yes, and then press.
Restored factory settings. appears, and the list of setup options reappears.
To cancel restoration of factory settings
Select No in step , and then press. The players settings are left unchanged, and the list of setup options reappears.

Audio data cannot be transferred to the player from your computer.
The USB cable is not connected properly. Disconnect the USB cable, and then reconnect it. There is not enough free space on the players hard disk. Transfer any unnecessary tracks back to your computer to increase the free space ( page 41). You have already transferred over 65,535 tracks or over 8,192 playlists to the hard disk of the player, or you are trying to transfer a playlist that contains over 999 tracks. Tracks with a limited playing period or playing count may not be transferred due to restrictions set by copyright holders. For details on the settings of each audio file, contact the distributor.
Only a small number of There is not enough free space on the players hard tracks can be transferred disk. Transfer any unnecessary tracks back to your to the player. computer to increase the free space ( page 41). (Available recording time Data other than audio data is stored in the players is short.) hard disk. Move non-audio data to the computer to increase the free space. Audio data cannot be transferred back to your computer from the player. The computer you are trying to transfer tracks to is not the same computer from which the tracks were originally transferred. Tracks can be transferred only to the computer that they originally came from. The audio data has been deleted from computer you used to transfer to the player. The audio data cannot be transferred back to your computer if the track is deleted from the computer used to transfer to the player. The player becomes unstable while it is connected to the computer. A USB hub or USB extension cable is used Connecting the player via a USB hub or extension cable may not work and is not supported. Connect the supplied USB cable directly to the computer.

Troubleshooting Others

There is no beep sound when the player is operated. The player gets warm.
Beep is set to Off. Set it to On ( page 52). The player may be warm when the battery is being charged and just after charging. The player also may get warm when a large number of tracks are transferred. This behavior is normal and not cause for concern. Set the player aside for a while to allow it to cool down. As the built-in hard disk of the player starts, stops, is read from, and is written to, sound and vibration from these operations may be perceptible. This behavior is normal and not cause for concern. New Song Pop Up is set to On. Set it to Off.

Additional Information.Precautions

On installation

Do not put any heavy object on top of the player or apply a strong shock to the player. It may cause a player to malfunction or damage. Never use the player where it will be subjected to extremes of light, temperature, moisture or vibration. Never leave the player exposed to high temperature, such as in a car parked in the sun or under direct sunlight. Never wrap the player in anything when it is being used with the AC power adaptor. Heat build-up in the player may cause malfunction or damage. Do not leave the player in a place subject to excessive dust. Do not leave the player on an unstable surface or in an inclined position. If the player causes interference to radio or television reception, turn the player off and move it away from the radio or television. The player has an internal hard disk drive. Keep the hard disk drive away from magnets, large loud speakers, or televisions. They may damage the hard disk drive, and the data on it may be lost. When using the player, remember to follow the precautions below in order to avoid warping the cabinet or causing the player to malfunction.
Make sure not to sit down with the player in your back pocket.
Make sure not to put the player into a bag with the headphones/earphones cord wrapped around it and then subject the bag to strong impact.

On heat build-up

Heat may build up in the player while charging if it is used for an extended period of time.

On the headphones

Road safety Do not use headphones while driving, cycling, or operating any motorized vehicle. Doing so may create a traffic hazard and is illegal in many areas. It can also be potentially dangerous to play the player at a high volume while walking, especially at pedestrian crossings. You should exercise extreme caution or discontinue use in potentially hazardous situations. Also, when using the player while you are walking, watch out for traffic and road surface conditions.
Preventing hearing damage Avoid using the headphones at a high volume. Hearing experts advise against continuous, loud and extended play. If you experience a ringing in your ears, reduce the volume or discontinue use. Do not turn the volume up high all at once, especially when using headphones. Turn up the volume gradually so that loud sound will not hurt your ears. Caring for others Keep the volume at a moderate level. This will allow you to hear outside sounds and to be considerate to the people around you. Warning If there is lightning when you are using the player, take off the headphones immediately. If you experience an allergic reaction to the supplied headphones, stop using them at once and contact a doctor.

Pull the cord connecting the battery to the player to separate the battery plug from the connector.
Remove the two screws at the edges of the player chassis.
Leave all metallic parts attached to the battery, and dispose of them along with the battery.
To remove the built-in rechargeable battery of the NW-A3000 series
Remove the screw cover on the back of the player. Remove it from the side of the screw cover using a small pair of tweezers.
Remove the four screws at the edges of the players chassis.
Remove the two screws behind the cover.
Remove the battery from the player.

On Copyrights

SonicStage and the SonicStage logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. CONNECT Player and the CONNECT Player logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. OpenMG, ATRAC, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus and their logos are trademarks of Sony Corporation. WALKMAN and WALKMAN logo are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT and Windows Media are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Adobe and Adobe Reader are trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. MPEG Layer-3 audio coding technology and patents licensed from Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson. IBM and PC/AT are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Pentium is a trademark or a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. CD and music-related data from Gracenote, Inc., copyright 2000-2004 Gracenote. Gracenote CDDB Client Software, copyright 2000-2004 Gracenote. This product and service may practice one or more of the following U.S. Patents: #5,987,525; #6,061,680; #6,154,773, #6,161,132, #6,230,192, #6,230,207, #6,240,459, #6,330,593, and other patents issued or pending. Services supplied and/or device manufactured under license for following Open Globe,Inc. United States Patent 6,304,523. Gracenote and CDDB are registered trademarks of Gracenote. The Gracenote logo and logotype, and the Powered by Gracenote logo are trademarks of Gracenote. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. In this manual, TM and marks are not specified. Program 2005 Sony Corporation Documentation 2005 Sony Corporation

Specications

Audio compression technology
MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) WMA (Window Media Audio)* ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)**
WMA format tracks can be supported after updating the players firmware to version 2.00 or later. AAC format tracks can be supported after updating the players firmware to version 3.00 or later. Transfer tracks using SonicStage CP (SonicStage Ver.4.0) or later.

Using the player with CONNECT Player
Computer: IBM PC/AT or compatible computer preinstalled with Windows. CONNECT Player is compatible with the following Windows operating systems: - Windows 2000 Professional (Service Pack 4 or later), - Windows XP Home Edition, - Windows XP Professional, - Windows XP Media Center Edition, - Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, - Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 CPU: Pentium III 450 MHz or higher RAM: 256 MB or more (512 MB is recommended) Hard Disk: 200 MB or more of available space (1.5 GB or more is recommended) More space may be required depending on the version of the operating system. Additional space is required for storing music data. Display: - Screen Resolution: pixels (or higher) (is recommended) - Colours: High Colour (16 bit) (or higher) (CONNECT Player may not operate properly at colour settings at or below 256 colours.) CD-ROM drive (supporting Digital MusicCD playback capabilities using WDM) To create original CDs or to back up audio CDs a CD-R/RW drive is required. Sound board USB port Internet connection is required to use the CD Data Base (CDDB). To use Electronic Music Distribution (EMD), you need Internet connection, and Internet Explorer 5.5 or later needs to be installed. This software is not supported by the following environments: - OSs other than the indicated above - Personally constructed PCs or operating systems - An environment that is an upgrade of the original manufacturer-installed operating system - Multi-boot environment - Multi-monitor environment - Macintosh Design and specifications are subject to change without notice. US and foreign patents licensed from Dolby Laboratories.

Optional Accessories

The following optional accessories are available for the player: Remote control for NW-A1000 series/A3000 series RM-NWS1 Remote control RM-MC35ELK*
* The remote control may not be available in all countries/regions.
Charging cradle BCR-NWU1 Leather carrying case CKM-NWA1000 (for the NW-A1000 series) CKM-NWA3000 (for the NW-A3000 series) Soft carrying case CKS-NWA1000 (for the NW-A1000 series) CKS-NWA3000 (for the NW-A3000 series) Clear Case CKH-NWA1000 (for the NW-A1000 series) CKH-NWA3000 (for the NW-A3000 series) Speaker Docking Station SRS-NWM10 Your dealer may not carry some of the accessories listed above. Please ask the dealer for detailed information about the accessories available in your country/ region.

Thank you for your purchase, Please find the information you requested below:
Sony NW-A1000 NW-A3000 NW-HD5 NW-HD3 Volume Unlock
NW-A1000 and NW-A3000 instructions are in the attached image file. NW-HD1 NW-HD3 and NW-HD5 instructions are below. So far only two (of over 400) people have failed to unlock their player with this info. It turned out that their players were already unlocked as they were Austrailian spec models. IF you have any problems then PLEASE let me know as I am POSITIVE this fix will work for you too.
Start the player. Start playing a song. Turn the HOLD function on by sliding the swich at the top. Then, Hold the SEARCH/MENU/MODE button and enter the button sequence: Right, Right, Left, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Up, Down. Let go of the buttons, and put the HOLD switch back to its original position. The backlight will cut out and you'll be in the service menu with "POWER" displayed. Press DOWN a few times to select OTHERS and press Right to get into the menu. Keep pressing down until you get to SP SET (Sound Pressure Setting). Press Play/Pause to get into change the option. Then press SEARCH/MENU to toggle the option on or Off (obviously, Off is for louder sounds). Then either hold STOP or remove the battery to get the player out of the service mode. For some reason, you'll have to go back into the player's options to manually turn the backlight on again after doing this. Note for NW-HD3 owners. A couple of you have had trouble backing out from the menu after applying the fix. Please hold in either the MODE or MENU buttons to exit the menus. Again thank you for your custom, Feedback is left automatically upon receipt of your feedback. Kind regards