The volume limitation is pretty infuriating for such an otherwise great device. Not that i like very loud music-i do not. But in some cases i do want just a bit more volume than i can get here so i think the limit is set too low. I would recommend getting a different version instead of this one, or a completely different device instead. However, after listening for a week or so, i find i really do like the sound, smooth user experience, and options that come in the music player app, and i have decided to keep it even though its completely unusable with some of my headphones-especially my open back hd560s's. i would say its probably made only for use with in-ear monitors (it really does sound great with my Shure SE535's) and only if you use in reasonably quiet environments. Stupid limitations from Sony for such an expensive device, especially when other players don't have these limitations, but hopefully they will send out a software update sometime to address it. side note, read the manual as sony didnt help when i contacted them to ask if there were any settings that could help increase volume. i found 2 that did help a little. 1 setting in the menu lets you change the db level from -3 to 0, and another allows you to adjust the device so that music played through sources other than the sony music player will not be lowered-that will at elast bring your tidal or apple music up to the same level. i can't imagine why anyone would ever use that setting on this player with the volume issues, but its set lower from factory and needs to be adjusted.

I was pleasantly surprised just how good this HiRes portable digital player is. The quality build is outstanding. The ability to deliver HiRes audio through both a balanced and 3.5 mm wired connection is exceptional. Yes, the US version has volume limiter and struggles to power large headphone sets. That doesn’t bother me because I use the Bluetooth function to transmit my music to a high end BT speaker and Apple AirPro headphones. That way I circumvent the volume limiter. I purchased a 512GB micro sd card and loaded my library of 6000 FLAC music files onto it. The onboard Sony Walkman music management app is a bit wonky. I downloaded from the google play store musicolet which is afar better way to manage your music on the Walkman. I use both Mac and PC to manage my music files. The PC has a bit of a smoother way to transfer music using the Sony app. I did find a few decent Android transfer apps for Macs that work reasonably well minus the fancy UI. Battery life is actually better than I expected. I received 19 hours of continuous music delivery via Bluetooth. Overall I really like this player. The Sony quality build is amazing. Very durable. Definitely buy a protective case to protect you investment. If you are lucky to find one in stock at Best Buy, pick it up. These are going to be harder to find in the coming months.

I sound quality was good but the device had to be close to volume 100 to power my IEM headphones. It left me no room for upgrading my headphones in the future. Simply put Sony hamstrung the device by limiting the volume output so much. I ended up purchasing the older Sony NW-ZX507 which predated the volume limit and is a great device!

Very happy with this purchase. The hardware quality is excellent. The sound quality, battery life and screen are all very good. The Android OS could use some improvements as it isn’t quite as responsive as on my phone. I have used it so far with 4 different headphones all with great results. Added a 512GB microSD card for extra storage.

So far it’s average. I really enjoy the DAP. The sound profile is wide, clear, and bass accurate. This would be perfect if I were to just be able to adjust the volume just a bit higher. I have disabled avls, but still would benefit from extra juice. Maybe I’ll have to move towards the nw1am2. Sony please just give this some juice on an update. I’m sure it will sell like hotcakes.