Sony NW-HD5 Manual

You can carry a number of music tracks with you by importing them to the player using 
SonicStage.

➔

WARNING

To prevent fire or shock hazard, 

do not expose the unit to rain or 

moisture.

Do not install the appliance in a confined space, 
such as a bookcase or built-in cabinet.

To prevent fire, do not cover the ventilation of 
the apparatus with newspapers, table cloths, 
curtains, etc. And don’t place lighted candles on 
the apparatus.
To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not place 
objects filled with liquids, such as vases, on the 
apparatus.

For the customers in the USA and Canada
RECYCLING LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES
Lithium-ion batteries are recyclable. 
You can help preserve our 
environment by returning your 
used rechargeable batteries to the 
collection and recycling location 
nearest you.
For more information regarding recycling of 
rechargeable batteries, call toll free 1-800-822-
8837, or visit 

http://www.rbrc.org/.

Caution: Do not handle damaged or leaking 
Lithium-ion batteries.

For the customers in the USA
INFORMATION:
This equipment has been tested and found to 
comply with the limits for a Class B digital 
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. 
These limits are designed to provide reasonable 
protection against harmful interference in a 
residential installation. This equipment generates, 
uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy 
and, if not installed and used in accordance with 
the instructions, may cause harmful interference 
to radio communications. However, there is no 
guarantee that interference will not occur in a 
particular installation.  If this equipment does 
cause harmful interference to radio or television 
reception, which can be determined by turning the 
equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to 
try to correct the interference by one or more of 
the following measures:

electrical and electronic equipment. By ensuring 
this product is disposed of correctly, you will 
help prevent potential negative consequences 
for the environment and human health, which 
could otherwise be caused by inappropriate 
waste handling of this product. The recycling of 
materials will help to conserve natural resources. 
For more detailed information about recycling of 
this product, please contact your local city office, 
your household waste disposal service or the shop 
where you purchased the product.
Applicable accessories: Headphones

For the Customers In Netherlands
Voor de Klanten in Nederland

Gooi de batterij niet weg maar 
lever deze in als klein chemisch 
afval (KCA). 
In sommige landen gelden 

wettelijke voorschriften met betrekking tot de 
afvoer van de batterij waarmee dit toestel wordt 
gevoed. Raadpleeg hiervoor de lokale instanties.

For the Customers in Russia

Notice for users

On the supplied software
•  The ability to display the languages on the software 

will depend on the installed OS on your PC. For 
better results, please ensure that the installed OS is 
compatible with the desired language you want to 
display.
– We do not guarantee all the languages will be 

able to be displayed properly on the software.

– User-created characters and some special 

characters may not be displayed.

•  Depending on the type of the text and characters, 

the text shown on the software may not be 
displayed properly on the device. 
This is due to:
– The capability of the connected device.
– The device is not functioning normally.

Connect the AC power adaptor to the DC IN jack.
Connect the AC power adaptor first, 
then connect it to an AC outlet.
The battery indicator changes in the 
display and charging of the battery 
starts.
Charging is completed in approximately 
3 hours, and then “Charged” and 

 

light up.

Make sure to use the supplied CD-ROM for installing SonicStage. If SonicStage or OpenMG 
Jukebox has been installed, the existing software will be overwritten by the new version 
without erasing the existing functions or audio data registered by the existing software.



Check the following to see whether or not there are any applicable items before 
installing the SonicStage software as they may cause the software installation to fail.
• You are not logged on as an “Administrator” (when using Windows 2000/Windows XP).
• Virus-check software is running. (Such software usually demands a large amount of 

system resources.)



The setup program starts up automatically and the installation window appears.



use SonicStage software.
If no windows appear, proceed to step 

.



Read the instructions carefully. 
Depending on your region, the buttons other 
than “Install SonicStage” may differ from 
those in the illustration above.
The installation may take 20 to 30 minutes, 
depending on your system environment. 
Make sure to restart your computer after 
installing SonicStage software.

If any problem occurs during the installation, 
see steps 

 to  in “When installing is not 

successful” below. 

When installing is not successful

– Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
– Increase the separation between the equipment and 

receiver.

– Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit 

different from that to which the receiver is 
connected.

– Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV 

technician for help.

You are cautioned that any changes or 
modifications not expressly approved in this 
manual could void your authority to operate this 
equipment.
If you have any questions about this 

Declaration of Conformity
Trade Name: 

SONY

Model No.: 

NW-HD5

Responsible Party: 

Sony Electronics Inc.

Address:  16450 W. Bernardo Dr, 
 

San Diego, CA 92127 

 

USA

Telephone Number:  858-942-2230
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC 
Rules. Operation is subject to the following 
two conditions: (1) This device may not cause 
harmful interference, and (2) this device must 
accept any interference received, including 
interference that may cause undesired 
operation.

Disposal of Old Electrical & Electronic 

Equipment (Applicable in the European Union 

and other European countries with separate 

collection systems)

This symbol on the product or on 
its packaging indicates that this 
product shall not be treated as 
household waste. Instead it shall 
be handed over to the applicable 
collection point for the recycling of 

•  SonicStage and SonicStage logo are trademarks or 

registered trademarks of Sony Corporation.

•  OpenMG, ATRAC, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus and 

their logos are 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.

•  IBM and PC/AT are registered trademarks of 

International Business Machines Corporation.

•  Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. 

in the United States and/or other countries.

•  Pentium is a trademark or a registered trademark of 

Intel Corporation.

•  US and foreign patents licensed from Dolby 

Laboratories.

•  All other trademarks and registered trademarks 

are trademarks or registered trademarks of their 
respective holders. In this manual, 

TM

 and ® marks 

are not specified.

•  Adobe Reader is a trademark of Adobe Systems 

Incorporated.

•  MPEG Layer-3 audio coding technology and 

patents licensed from Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson.

•  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. 
Untied States Patent 6,304,523. Gracenote 
is a registered trademarks of Gracenote. The 
Gracenote logo and logotype, and the “Powered by 
Gracenote” logo are trademarks of Gracenote.

Program ©2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Sony 
Corporation
Documentation ©2005 Sony Corporation
“WALKMAN” is a registered trademark of Sony 
Corporation to represent Headphone Stereo 
products. 

 is a trademark of Sony 

Corporation.

2-629-003-

12(1)

• Carrying case (1)
• CD-ROM (1) *

Includes:
− SonicStage software
− Operating Instructions for the player 

(PDF)

• Quick Start Guide (this book) (1)
(The rechargeable battery has been installed 

in the player beforehand).

* Do not play this CD-ROM on an audio CD 

player.



• IBM PC/AT or Compatible
• CPU: Pentium 

III 450 MHz or higher

• Hard disk drive space: 200 MB or more (1.5 GB or more is recommended) (The amount of 

space will vary according to the Windows version and the number of music files stored on 
the hard disk.)

• RAM: 128 MB or more
• Others

– CD drive (capable of digital playback by WDM) (CD-R/RW drive is necessary for CD 

writing.)

– Sound Board
– USB port

Factory installed: Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005/Windows XP Media Center 
Edition 2004/Windows XP Media Center Edition/Windows XP Professional/Windows XP 
Home Edition/Windows 2000 Professional (Service Pack 3 or later)/Windows Millennium 
Edition/Windows 98 Second Edition

High Color (16 bit) or higher, 800 × 600 dots or better (1024 × 768 dots or better is 
recommended.)

• Internet access: for Web registration, EMD services, and CDDB
• Windows Media Player (version 7.0 or higher) installed for playing WMA files 

SonicStage 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



 Close all Windows applications before installation.
 Check that there is at least 200 MB free space on the hard disk of your computer. If not, 

delete the unnecessary files on your computer.

 When the installation appears to have stopped before it has finished, check for the 

appearance of an error message beneath the installation window. Press the “Tab” key while 
holding down the “Alt” key. If an error message has appeared, follow the instructions on the 
screen. If there is no message, the installation is still in progress. Wait for a little while 
longer.

 When the progress bar on the display of your computer is not moving or the access lamp of 

your computer has not lit for a few minutes, the installation is progressing normally. Please 
wait. The installation may take 30 minutes or more, depending on your CD drive or system 
environment.



•  We do not guarantee trouble-free operation on all computers that satisfy the system requirement.
•  The NTFS format of Windows XP/Windows 2000 Professional can be used only with the standard 

(factory) settings.

•  We do not guarantee trouble-free operation of the system suspend, sleep, or hibernation function on the 

computers.

SonicStage

Firstly, import audio data from audio 
CDs or the Internet.
You can manage or edit the imported 
audio data using SonicStage.

You can play back music tracks of 
selected artists or albums. You can also 
select the playback mode, from Shuffle 
play or Repeat play, etc.

• Headphones (1)

• Dedicated USB cable (1)

• AC power adaptor (1) 

Continued 

to DC IN jack

to AC outlet

r

AC power adaptor

Owner’s Record

The model and serial numbers are located on the bottom of the player. Record the serial number 
in the space provided below. Refer to these numbers whenever you call upon your Sony dealer 
regarding this product.
Model No.     NW-HD5
Serial No.  ___________________________

Refer also to the PDF of the Operating Instructions

This Quick Start Guide briefly explains the preparation, how to transfer audio data, and 
basic playback procedures of the player.
You can enjoy various play modes and setup items on the player. See the PDF of the 
Operating Instructions for details on functions and troubleshooting.

To see the PDF file
The PDF of the Operating Instructions is installed on your PC 
together with SonicStage from the supplied CD-ROM. To use 
the PDF, double-click 

 “NW-HD5 series manuals” on the 

desktop or click “Start” – “All Programs”– “SonicStage” – 
“Operating Instructions.”
Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or more or Adobe Reader is 
necessary. If you cannot view the PDF, click “Get Adobe 
Reader” on the SonicStage install window and follow the 
instructions on the screen.

SonicStage Install window

“Install SonicStage”

NW-HD5/NW-HD5H.GB.2-629-003-12(1)

© 2005 Sony Corporation    Printed in Malaysia