Sony NW-A306 Walkman - 1 month update - Hows it sound, Feelings after using for a month and testing BUY HERE ON AMAZON: amzn.to/3SuR71e Buy surfans IEM here on amazon amzn.to/3LEyCWW
Hello and thank you for the video, it is great! I havre two particular questions. 1. Does this player has "battery protect" function, like other Sony music players? It stops charging at 90% which triples total lifespan of battery. 2. Does automatic volume restriction gets on your nerves? I know that European version of this model is locked on certain level of volume and if you exceed it beeps and goes down on volume. Thank you so much for answering.
Great review, ive ordered the WM1AM2 model. I just wondered, can you use the USB-C or wifi/Bluetooth to connect to your PC (PC output to Walkman Input to earphones) so as to use the player as an amplifier for connected headphones for whatever you are listening or watching on your computer? Ie using sound out on your PC?
Yes you can plug into headphone amp but this is plenty loud to power the headphones im using. I dont believe you can use USB-c for headphone out but I have not tested this yet... but I dont think so at this point. Its for charging or file transfer.
For this player to be a usb dac connect with computer, how to connect with the amplifier if this is no line out I/O on the device ? I also want to know the sound out if it to be a dac with the filter in the player, thank you
Thanks for these reviews. Really find them useful. The one thing I’d like to know is can you delete the apps that come preinstalled with the phone? Hopefully you can otherwise I won’t be purchasing the player. Cheers!
So any apps you download from app store (example google play) can be deleted. Some of the core programs like Sony walkman app are tied into the OS and it may be a bad idea delating. I plan on making a video on memory issues soon.
@@TUXXREVIEWS Thanks for the reply. Yeah i wouldn't want to delete any of the core programmes. Just stuff that i would deem unnecessary. Look forward to your next video. Cheers!
In all my other players I swap a flash drive with a big flac collection. The other players (example Surfans F20, F-35, astell and kern etc) works cross player - So if I just have one folder in the flash drive called "music" that would work in the NW-A306?
@TUXX REVIEWS yeah sony likes to be different. Everything has to be in one "master" folder called Music on the card. Then after you put the card in you'll need to scan for music using the walkman app. If you're using another music app you shouldn't have the whole music folder problem.
@@bak-unin when your music files properly tagged you can store all of them in the root directory and any decent player will sort and display them correctly
Does it have a gain mode? Tried it at Sony store wanting to get it with the ier-m9 but during my audition I found the m9 to be running in vol. 97.. The salesman wasn't very familar with DAPs as well. He told me there isn't any eq or audio customization choices with this device (which is untrue 😮💨
There is EQ and so many ways to adjust the sound. I will make a video on this later. I keep my NW-A306 at volume 12o to Max and with the headphones I use Its nice and lould but on some high resistance (high Ohm) headphones It may seem low. Typically these (high Ohm) would be $1000+ Full size over ear headphones intended for a full size home amp or at very least a headphone amp.
Nice review but can you tell me if there are any lag or stutters cause it is running android 12 on quite a slow processor compared to fiio m11s which I am also considering
Its very speedy as its tued for this device. Now the one downside is with full access to the google play store withdownloadingtoo many apps I could see that slowing down the unit but I personally have experencedno slow down at all.
It has to scan all the audio files every time it boots up. Put fewer songs if you want it to boot up fast. I have 40,000 songs, so I'm used to waiting for it to boot. It has to scan all the tags so it can show your playlist.
Thanks for mentioning this. I was wondering if the new model had sped up booting at all. I bought the AW-55 a couple years ago and rarely use it because it takes 2-3 min to boot up each time with 168gb/41k songs. Really is a bummer it's so slow compared to my 5th gen iPod.
Dumb question? Are these DAPs used for Tidal, Qobuz and/or Amazon HD? I would like to have something other than phone to stream music and take with me.
One thing I really wonder. Sony A-306 can be connected to Avani dongle via USB-C and I can get very loud volume from Avani 3.5mm port. However, the DAP doesn't make any sound when I connect it to xduoo XD-05 Plus amp. So, do you know which DAC/amp can be used with Sony A-306?
The AVANI ALC5686 HD Type-C to 3.5mm DAC Dongle is not an amp but a converter for USB C to 3.5 but the NW-A306 has a 3.5 on top so I'm not sure why you would want to do that. ALSO some of the audio filters / features are diffrent from 3.5 to usb-c so Im not sure why you would want to do that. Any headphone amp with 3.5 in will work but I cecently used on a cross country flight and it felt plenty lould using my sony NC earbuds ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4uRPintGlHY.html
@@TUXXREVIEWS indeed my aim was to check if A306 is able to have digital output via USB C, for hi-fi system of course. The result is so so because it works with some but not with others. That's why I want to know.
@@HaoNguyen-ut9pj The NW-A306 is one of the lower priced Sony options. Its a great player and amazing for the price. You could start there and then go up the product line as it just doesnt say in the tech details. Amazon has a pretty easy return process.
I've had ipods too and this sound unit sounds better and can play more tpes of music files. Ipods can play MP3, AAC/M4A, Protected AAC, AIFF, WAV, Audible audiobook, and Apple Lossless. The Sony NW-A306 can play MP3: 32-320 kbps (supports VBR)/32, 44.1, 48 kHz, WMA: 32-320 kbps (supports variable bitrate (VBR)/44.1 kHz (STEREO), 32-48 kbps/44.1 kHz (MONO), FLAC: 16, 24 bit/8-384 kHz, WAV: 16, 24, 32 bit (Float/Integer)/8-384 kHz, AAC: 16-320 kbps/8-48 kHz, HE-AAC: 32-144 kbps/8-48 kHz, Apple Lossless: 16, 24 bit/8-384 kHz, AIFF: 16, 24, 32 bit/8-384 kHz, DSD: 1 bit/2.8224, 5.6448, 11.2896 MHz, APE: 8, 16, 24 bit/8-192 kHz (Fast, Normal, High), MQA: Supported... And thats just for starters.
@@TUXXREVIEWS good point, and I am sure that the Sony makes sense for some, maybe a lot, of people. But I use my iPods when I am out and about, either through ear buds or through my car stereo. The Apple Lossless music is more than overkill for such environments. The cost of equipment (head phones and a good amp) for listening to anything with higher fidelity is more than I want to invest. My Sennheiser HD400s are adequate for my uneducated ears, and the 5000 files (plus hundreds of audio books and dozens of movies) are sufficient for my mobile needs. Plus I am used to the iTunes interface, and I still buy music, podcasts, and movies off the iTunes Store on a regular basis. Is my old iPod better than your Sony? Almost certainly not! The Sony just isn’t superior enough to get me to change.
@@TUXXREVIEWS A306/307. Head-fi forum is following on it with reports of the units affected. Mine unfortunately was affected and did return it to Amazon
While the ZX707 is double the price I dont fully believe the slow boot up on the NW-A306 is hardware related. I'm very tempted to delete all apps on the 306 and see if that makes a faster boot. Anyone have a ZX707? I would love to see a quick video of its boot up, email me at tuxxtoys@gmail.com and I will give you a cell phone to text a short video to if too large to send to the email. I may purchase a ZX707 to test and compare later.
My ZX707 takes about 30 second to fully boot up from being totally shut off. I highly recommend buying the uncapped versions of these Walkman DAPs. Importing it from Japan saved me money and got me the uncapped ZX707. I've been using it for over a month and a half and am very happy with it.
I wanted to double check the official link to see if they changed there tune (lol) but it doesnt really advertise the higest you can do. Keep in mind the bigger memory you put in it the harder it will need to work to find a song in search. I would suggest 256 -512 gig. can be higher imo.
This depends on the microSd capacity with number of files it wanted to load. Even a 256gb with some Flac files takes like 15 seconds on A55. The player need to build database everytimes when loading up the microSD. This included when switch from USB mode to Walkman player.
@Dinodog Jr it was quite circumstantial with that line up. Back on my wm1a the build up time took at least 4-5 minutes for my 500gb 15,000 songs. At one point with an older firmware version the longest i was able to clock was aroung 15 minutes. The line up i was referring to is with a105 and zx507.
@Cobaltico such a major drawback. Thought a modern processor would make snappy performance. Any Ipod players is instantly loading indeed. Another thing which bother me in Sony Walkman is not allow to play imported playlist. I wish I could create my playlist on computer first and drag into the player just play it right on.
@@hcastro35 So when your using the NW-A306 UI you can search by artist, song, quality and more. So your saying if you look up by artist (example ABBA) it would be in the wrong order (Example Killers "K" before Abba "A")?
@@TUXXREVIEWS No No, let’s say the following as an example. Let’s say I have 20 albums under Johnny Cash. I expect to click Johnny Cash under Artist & look at all his albums. It’s not doing that at all it’s putting certain songs under different artist.
Tuxx or anybody else have any issue with the battery on this walk man. 100% Full charge I only have battery of 5 to 5 and half hours playback? Faulty battery?
I really want to make a video on this - with stop watch to track time. But there is variables like wired or unwired headphones, wifi on or off, music steamed or file on device, screen saver on or off, music volume , amount of button pressing, other apps on device using juice etc
dude wtf is that noise going on regularly in the video, is this some kind of gimmick or something? horribly annoying and distracting. i have no clue what you said for most of the vid cause i just kept listening for that sound trying to figure out if i was losing my mind.
Backwards masking? Mind control? JOKE! Its my pet dove. I'm very sorry about the choo choo for you! In all seriousness I will try to make my video choo free. Thank you for the feedback
@@TUXXREVIEWS lol mostly glad i’m not having hallucinations…super cool you’ve got a little pet dove! i was enjoying your notes on the Walkman from what i did hear tho, keep it up :)
MQA is a useless format that makes hardware more expensive for no actual audio benefit. Its a leftover from a time when network bandwidth was a concern. It should be abandoned by thinking audiophiles.
MQA is an easy way to quickly build a better quaility music file collection. Tidal better than many if not all other music subscription services. If starting your music file collection over from mp3s I would suggest it as a starting point for busy adult. What music format do you like, where do you get your files... be honest.
I personally think Spotify at max quality is more than enough for portable use especially for this player since it can't drive high power headphones that potentially could convey those subtle differences
There is a nerve wrecking noise every 30 seconds or so. It is really embarrassing. Why do you put this kind of sound that is so annoying in the background? Example at 8:11
I have a Walkman NWZ-A17 I bought in 2015 to replace one (forget the model) that got destroyed in a violent rainstorm in Denver (producing a tornado!) when I was riding my new motorcycle home from the dealer, and the battery on that has been going South for a couple years now. I power it with a brick battery in my tankbag, but noticed that lately, my Bluetooth connectivity to my Cardo motorcycle headsets completely sucks, it keeps dropping the connection. It still functions and sounds great aside from that, I just can't have it keep dropping the connection. So, I'll use it in my cars hardwired to power and (via the headphone output) audio, and I'll use this new one for riding. Hopefully the Bluetooth connection will work better. Bummer it's backordered. I'm a HUGE fan of Sony products, especially Walkman's. I have one of the first cassette Walkmans, still in good shape. I don't use it, so I'll be selling it. I'm sure someone will want it.
@@sandydennylives1392 In regards to user interface, I like the A17 better. I do NOT like touch screens, especially when trying to wear motorcycle gloves. I think Sony should have a "Sports" model with waterproof case and nothing but rugged physical buttons. I use the A17 exclusively in my car now, connected to USB power and connected via the headphone out into my car's audio.
@@kx8960 It sounds great with the Dac/amp on 320 kbps, but it can't really do Opera or most classical. Or flac. I need to know if the 306 can do Opera etc on flac and no one will tell me.
Ok, so, as a motorcycle rider, I like my A17 WAY better because for all the functions, it has actual buttons, which I can manipulate with motorcycle gloves on. In regards to user interface, I like the A17 better. I do NOT like touch screens, especially when trying to wear motorcycle gloves. I think Sony should have a "Sports" model with waterproof case and nothing but rugged physical buttons. I find it a PITA trying to get the menus I want and the A17 had an auto-connect (last device or specific device) setting for bluetooth that I liked. For the A306, while I think the audio is a little better and the bluetooth is definitely better than my aging A17 (I think it's the aging that was causing bluetooth issues) I find that just trying to get the A306 into my tankbag (in a protective ziplock for rainproofing) to be problematic since I can't do it without touching the screen. Touching the screen even with it in a ziplock bag still changes things, so my solution has been to buy small kids socks for it. I get the system paired with my Cardo helmet system and get the music running, CAREFULLY slip the A306 into the sock, then if I accidently touch the screen it's not an issue. Slip that into the ziplock and I'm good to go. As it's broadcasting bluetooth all day, I can't say how long the internal battery would last (from the readout only a few hours) so on my BMW where I haven't been able to run power to it yet, I run a small Anker "brick" battery that I tested and it will last like 14+ hours, so, I'm good to go. The sock thing has worked out so far, so, I think I've got my solution. In summary: It seems like a nice, sturdy unit, great sound, typical Sony performance and quality. I'm sure it's not meant for the use I'm using it for, but I'm making it work, and so far the bluetooth has been 100% trouble free, so, I'm very happy with it aside from my personal dislike of touch screens. I'm sure I'll use it for the next 8+ years like my A17 has lasted. If Sony would make the "Sports" one I mentioned, I'd buy that for riding and find a use for the A306. I might bring the A307 with me the next time I fly, so I have tunes.
@TUXX REVIEWS Because people are buying based on brand name not actually what the player off 1. This player does not have anywhere the power rating is state or the noise floor or if its balanced or not People are buying off of nostalgia of Sony Walkman
And people dont just buy apple because its apple? If your going to make vague points on "power raiting" or "noise floor" show me the real numbers. The Sony is plenty loud and clear. Explain more and Im open minded on this but need more than vague flexing.
@TUXX REVIEWS Apple dongle is clear but can it power a planar iem to listening level and potential? NO! That's why Daps show show specifications bout the output power, noise level, dynamic range what dac and amplifier they're using. They hide these cos it's sucks and they wanna sell these overpriced shit for the same price as a much powerful budget ones
