Sony - NW-A306 Walkman A Series - Black

I have lived with this device for about 3 months since the 2024 Christmas holiday season and I can truly say that this device is the evolution and yes arguably the best entry level introduction to those of you who are considering upgrading from you old MP3 player, an iPod or simply want to separate your music from your smartphone, tablet or computer tasks. I have read reviews of this device that complains that the Andriod system on this phone is subpar in it performance and not very good. I TOTALLY disagree with these comments. Here’s why 1) The device will more than likely come shipped with Android 1 2 and yes in this version of Android the device is a bit pokey in its interface response. There are several software update for this device including an update to Android 14 that makes the Android experience far more usable and responsive. 2) About downloading apps from the Google Play Store and the formatting of text and images not being usuable on the smalle screen of the device. These comments from others is a bunch of nonsense. Change the display size and text and that resolves the issue. 3) People expressing concerns about other Google apps like Mail, Notifications, Drive etc. having no purpose on a music player. These comments, also from others, is also a bunch of nonsense. I set-up a separate Google account for this player and all of the music management tasks including downloading music and audio content apps are linked to the Sony Walkman. I save links to music resources in Google Keeps, I take screen shot of song while in Discovery Mode in Pandora and I even will use Shazam when I am out-and-about and I hear a song I want to know the name of (yes the device has a microphone function). 3) Some have said the screen size is too small to do anything useful on it. Again this is a bunch of nonsense. I use the swipe function on the Google Keyboard with practically 99.9% accuracy. 4) I chose to download both my VPN app and a Malware tool for the player. Why? I am not always using my own WiFi network to stream music and I occasionally will link and share audio resources over the internet with others. These tools provide a layer of protection for the device files, file sharing and downloads. I watch to make sure that the VPN has loaded before i start toggling through my audio app and file resources. 5) About the sound quality. The sound is beyond exceptional. It is balanced and not boomy. The digital amplifier is quite good. However there is one caveat: Do not expect this player’s amplifier to be able to push out heavy volume through the headphone jack. This player shine with bluetooth sound output and this is where you will be enveloped in beautiful sound. I use the headphone jack with a 3.5 audio output cable to my Bose Acoustic Wave Music System II and I also use it with my Bose Sound Link Mini II Bluetooth speaker. Both imputs sound great. I live in an apartment and I don’t need to shake and crack the walls with thundering sound. For reference i also have an HK stereo system in my car that I connect to via Bluetooth and again this player is a joy to use. 5) About Battery Life. I generally get through more than entire workday day of audio content usability with a full charge. Keep in mind my VPN, Malware app, as wells as other apps are always running in the background which is my preferred workflow so the more apps you are running the more your battery life will deplete. Also set the display to time-out and turn off with fewer minutes or use the power button to toggle the screen off when you are not using the screen to move through audio content. When the screen is off you can use the function buttons on the side of the device to move back, forward, and pause through content. You don’t need to use the screen to navigate through audio content playlists. 6) This is a well thought out audio play because included on the right side of the player is a full suite of function button ( 7 in total ). How Sony managed to put 7 function buttons on the side of this device this small is an epic engineering feet in and of itself. 7) There is also a lanyard loop connector next to the audio output jack. 8) Have a bit of patience with the Sony Music Center software. It takes some getting use but once you have your music transferred to you device you should be in good shape. Sony has two other flagship models in this DAP lineup but this one I think is the most portable, affordable and most value driven for consumers looking for an introduction to DAP. I purchased a case, a screen protector, a lanyard loop, and a 1 TB sd card. I listen mostly to YouTube and Apple Music content. When I want to listen to my Jazz music library which is quite good and extensive, I run the Walkman App on the player. I have a lot of devices, gadgets and digital experience technology. A mix bag of brands and functions. Honestly, this little player has exceeded what I expected from it. I use it EVERDAY. If you are an audio content enthusiast i highly recommend this player and you don’t necessarily have to use HI-RES audio content to enjoy this player. If you are fortunate to find HiRES content to play on this device using DSD, you will be in a for huge audio treat. Depending upon your expectations, this little audio player is an epic feat of engineering and replaces listening to audio content on other devices.

I've been wanting something I could use as a dedicated music player to avoid being on my smartphone so much. Did some research for a month or two and decided to give this Walkman a try, especially after I got the notification that it was fifty dollars off. I wanted to go with a brand I knew was reputable, although i've seen some good reviews for smaller Eastern brands, and I did consider them here and there. I like the expandable storage, that its physical size is no bigger than an iPod classic, having a 3.5mm jack, and all of the HiRes compatibility I need, as well as bluetooth codecs. The awesome surprise, but in no way a deal breaker, was the cassette tape screen that shows up when using the Sony Music player app. An awesome nostalgia kick, seeing a moving cassette tape with the artist and song names just like the old Walkman cassette players. Very cool touch. The most convenient feature for me is having the physical control buttons to rewind, skip, play/pause, and volume control. It is so convenient, being able to press a button and skip to the next song without having to turn on the screen and unlock the device each time. As long as you have a decent set of headphones or in ear monitors, the sound quality is great when playing high-resolution music files. I'm not an audiophile by any means. I just enjoy and can tell the difference between HiRes/lossless audio and lossy formats such as mp3 or the like. I definitely recommend getting a good-sized micro SD card. 32GB goes quick when dealing with HiRes audio files. It can handle up to 2TB. Also, make sure you get a card that has a higher write speed. Something with at least a 90mbps write speed. It helps when moving files to the card while it's in the Walkman. Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. Though I have no disappointments, I'm hesitant to leave a five-star review because I have nothing to compare it to other than my smartphone. So far, so good!

The device is very nice, and sound is great, very clean, much better than my iphone. The device is very light and compact east to carry. The only negative thing about it is that it maybe slow at times, android becomes problematic at times. Maybe it should have a faster processor. If sound quality is what you are looking for, this device is for you. Just keep the android functions to a minimum.

I purchased my Sony NW-A306 at my local BestBuy about six months ago. I upgraded from the NW-A105, which was a good player but had disappointing battery life. The player has 32 GB of internal memory, half of which is used for the Android 12 operating system (which can be upgraded to Android 13 when firmware upgrades are performed). Micro SD cards can expand the memory up to 2 TB. At the moment, I'm using a Samsung 512 GB Micro SD card, which has over 250 GB of music on it. Sound quality is incredible with the right IEM or earbuds. Of course, you can playback HD music files or CD-quality FLAC files. You can also pair Bluetooth earbuds. For the best sound quality on Bluetooth, I recommend earbuds that use the LDAC codec. Remember that this is an Android device, so you can download apps using the Google Store app. I downloaded Spotify to listen to music streaming via Wi-Fi. One thing that I didn't like was that the Android interphase included a Google search bar on the top portion of the screen. Since the bar couldn't be removed or moved, selecting wallpaper images was difficult. I'm an Apple user, and I wasn't familiar with the Android infrastructure. I learned that you can download a launcher app (like Nova Launcher), which changes the UI and lets you customize the look of the Walkman. This is fantastic! Now I have the Walkman set the way I want to use the DAP, and it looks amazing! So, if you want high-quality sound in a very customizable little device, then this is the device for you!

Sony used to attach a sticker to their electronics simply saying "IT'S A SONY" and people automatically understood that the phrase stood for exceptional quality. Sony's new NW-A306 is no exception. The design is attractive, with a "water wave" designed back, making it "scratch resistant" and easier to hold. It's an Android device, so you will go through some steps not unlike setting up a new tablet or phone. Sony also has a program for your computer called "Music Center for PC" which assists with adding music to your portable player. Internal storage is modest with a 32gb internal storage, some of which is taken up by the Android operating system. However, the player has a slot for a micro SD card (I installed a 256gb card but you can go much higher) which allows for a rather sizable music library to be stored on the device. Since it's Android, music can easily be streamed from a number of music services using apps downloaded to the player from the Google Play Store, as long as the device is connected to wi-fi. On the home screen, there is an EQ adjustment and other sound adjustments you can use for tailoring the sound to your individual taste, however I used an option called ClearAudio+ which applies advanced digital signal processing in a single step operation (flipping the switch to "ON") in which case you don't need to mess with the EQ to get a stellar sound. Speaking of sounds, your ears are in for a real treat when you play music with this hi-resolution music player. I was amazed listening to music on this Sony player, because I heard subtle details of songs that previously, I could never decipher listening to these same songs on my phone or tablet, and that's only using mid-level headphones, not exactly top-of-the-line ones. I can only imagine how this music will sound listening on top-quality headphones that can truly do this amazing player justice. Even so, the sound quality was crisp and you can really notice the separation of different elements of a song. I prefer listening to electronic dance music, and minor things like background sounds a musician would include in a track become very noticeable. It's almost like experiencing these songs for the first time again! You don't have to be an "audiophile" to appreciate the sound quality produced by this player. Yes it really makes a difference to how your music sounds. Of course it does, because after all, IT'S A SONY!