I've been looking for a music player for a while after experimenting with Bluetooth audio and a phone lacking a headphone jack. An experiment that ultimately failed, I found the audio either lacking or having difficulty with unstable connections. I came across the NW-A45 and saw it had all the features I was looking for, MQA support, Hi-Res compatibility, and a DAC function. And while the player does its job well, upscaling compressed tracks beautifully and playing Hi-Res files without breaking a sweat, I've noticed a couple of defects I wouldn't expect from Sony. The display and the back panel don't seem to be flush with the rest of the unit. While this is primarily a cosmetic issue, it's still something I wouldn't expect from a major player like Sony. Aside from that issue though, it's a great entry level music player, that I feel, offers great value.

First impression: Product quality is very poor. Feels really cheap and honestly even like a fake product. Engraving on the back of unit is really terrible as if it was made by some third party company after unit was manufactured. Also they put a huge ugly connector instead of regular micro usb (see pictures) Sound quality: NOT a Hi-End product! and not supposed to be. Checked on sound system because I don't use headphones. Inexpensive player with dissent sound quality. Sound is strange and not clear. Feels like it's a toy sound, not realistic in mid and a bit overloaded in lower frequencies. Usability: Only good part of this unit is simple of use. Music search through folders, nice UI and file format support is really good and intuitive simple to understand. Also has player control hard buttons on side. Overall expect too much from this device and got disappointed with it. This thing is ok as casual player but not any good for audiophile.

Bought it back in May and this music player is amazing! It automatically adjusts the song to higher quality and the ClearAudio setting makes any song so much cleaner sounding. The moonlit blue color is exactly like the picture. I also love how easy it is to transfer music, I just drag and drop my songs onto the Walkman, rather than having to sync it to computer program. Another thing that's such a plus for the Walkman NW A45 is that it has expandable memory, so I didn't worry about the 16gbs of onboard storage, because I just put in a MicroSD card for memory. Long battery life also, I can typically go several days without having to recharge it, depending on how often I'm using it. The white font on black screen is also very easy on the eyes, I suffer from light sensitivity and migraines, but the screen causes me no problems. The side buttons make for such easy use as well because I can just pause or skip songs with a push of a button. Also, the NFC and Bluetooth connections are both really strong and clear (I haven't had any problems yet). I have no critiques, this is the best tech purchase that I've ever made and I never go anywhere without it. I love this Walkman!

This is a great purchase if you like to have your own music files outside of streaming. I leave it and come back time to time but it is always solid. You can add your own SD card for ample storage and can really customize your music organizing! The screen is amazing and verse responsive. The sound quality is the best I have experienced in my short time in introductory audiophile-ism. I added a silicone case and screen protector to mine and it makes it even better! My two minor complaints are 1. Proprietary cable! 2. Headphone jack could have less play. If you want a high quality music player this should be at the top of your list. It plays a wide array of files as well!

I was interested in replacing my aging iPod because it was becoming more and more difficult for it to hold a charge and it wouldn't store other than MP3 files. The Sony NW-A45 Walkman was seen as a reasonable alternative, and it has turned out to be just that. It allows storage of multiple file formats (I use WAV files for most audio), I have yet to put pressure on its battery (I have not run it more than 4 hrs, but it has handled that with ease), the Bluetooth function has synced with every device I have asked it to connect with, and the sound is quite good - and that is without using any of the adjustment features the Walkman comes with. I can't advise as to the Sony software to transfer files to the Walkman. I added a 256 microSD chip for storage and have simply done drag-drop to move files to it. I've moved files from both my computer's hard drive and a thumb drive directly to the SD chip in the Walkman without any problems. I had tried the Pioneer version of this type a device first because it included Wifi but returned it because it wouldn't hold a charge. The Pioneer was a good bit more expensive than the Sony, but I believe that the Sony has as good a sound - if not better - and the Sony's operating system seems more intuitive and easier to use. That's not unimportant because I'm an older guy that still hangs on to analogue tapes and vinyl LPs! Anyway, I've always had good luck with Sony Walkmen from my very first cassette-based one to the A45. This one has not change my opinion. I think you will like it.