Sony's NEW WALKMAN hits me right in the feels 🥰 (NW-A306 review)
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- Опубликовано: 7 апр 2023
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🎥 Camera #1: Olaf von Voss
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Sony NW-A306
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I only came to see if the cassette actually moves during playback. I can leave happy now
As a former Sony salesman, I have to correct you. NW stands for Network Walkman, not new walkman.
Former is fitting with that attitude.
Some say, "Why?"
...To replace my beloved (and dying) iPod Touch 4!
I don't need or want streaming, or anything that uses data. I don't want or need constant internet/cellular connectivity. I want a stand alone music player with shitloads of capacity. I don't want to use an "old smart phone" with low capacity as a music player. I spend 8-12 hours a day on the road. I don't want to hear music I don't like, or the same song twice during my work day. I want a touch screen. I want decent audio quality. I want USB, stereo mini-jack, and Bluetooth connectivity. I want to load the massive library I have (what I like), hit shuffle, and cruise on down the road. I don't listen to music while on foot, jogging, bicycling, etc. I don't wear headphones unless I'm at my PC ripping, editing, engineering audio clips. These are the reasons this device suits me.
I just want a real Walkman with cassettes. :(
I hope sony has a limited release of abs plastic walkman cassette players. Original gauge and plastic thickness. Maybe add bluetooth, maybe not.
Me too. I literally thought that’s what this was going to be. 😤
I grew up with a yellow sports Walkman in the 80s and early 90s stayed with tapes for a while as Discman’s were not pocketable and constantly skipped. But once the Rio Diamond came out and I could put a tape worth of mp3s on it and just replace the songs when I got home, tapes were over for me. I don’t get the nostalgia for it. Can’t skip songs, it wears off quick and sound loses quality. Doesn’t even hold much music. If you get a tape that has more than 90 minutes than the quality is worse again.
It was the best we had at the time, but I don’t know why one would want to go back to it.
I have a great unit made by JC Penney, but it’s in need of a recap. And I cannot find anyone to do this sort of service.
I saying how I was going to find a real Sony walkman like a month ago
You're one of the only RUclipsrs that I initially start complaining about the lengthy video, and end up watching it all 😂
Can we just get an exquisite cassette walkman?
If you want this player, purchase it from Japan, the EU and UK version have a sound limiter.
Great video, and loved the ending! That screensaver when playing local files is fantastic. I want one just for that!
The Cassette Tape graphic on the screen is ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!! It screams nostalgic and futuristic all at once! I would get this JUST for that feature. That’s an AMAZING feature! It’s a different tape every time with YOUR PERSONAL COLLECTION only! Just like the old days. A big salute to the people on that team that came up with that. Also loved how you went to commercial on this video John.
Hi John. The output power in this Walkman 306 is 35mW+35mW at 16ohms. And is not capped. The only capped walkmans in Europe are The balanced output of ZX507, ZX707, WM1AM2 and WM1ZM2.
Greetings from Barcelona.
Been using a Sony A45 for a few years now and love it. Sure i use spotify every day but to have a backup of all my favourite music with no need for internet and great quality and no fluff. Im suprised more people haven't jumped on them already.
absolutely loving the attitude of exploring the possibilities and unknown
Loved the visuals, pace and overall quality of this video. Coming back to portable audio insights would be great. Would love the review of the Sony NW-ZX707 (uncapped version)
No more digital crap, I want analog back
They still sell a bunch of cassette portable players just not Sony brand
You're right. I bought the Sony NW-A100TPS in 2022, entirely because of both that screensaver and the Walkman case that makes it look like the most adorable little Walkman ever. It's battery life is abysmal, but I can't be mad at it. If you delete almost everything and run it without the wifi on, the battery can cope with a few hours a day of Hi-Res audio. The Sony ClearAudio+ ability is a bonus though. The Sony app itself with ClearAudio+ switched on is fantastic for upscaling my old collection of MP3s from when I ripped my collection 20+ years ago. I don't know what that does exactly, but it gets sparkle where there had previously been none. Sony deserves credit for that. I use it a lot.
if it doesn't amplify headphones properly, then it is a failure of a product. a device specifically for music should have a proper headphone amp. not worth the money otherwise. also seems silly to buy a device for streaming music that is wifi only. there is a market for this type of device , but the customers are going to want to be able to push a high end set of cans.
It's weaker in the EU due to their laws. It still gives it full power and volume in the Japanese (and Hong Kong? - not sure) versions.
Indeed, the only real selling point it has is the ability to power demanding headphones portably and it can't do it
As an old school Walkman owner back in the day, I so wanted this player to be great and blow the competition out of the water :) However, I’d be more interested in how it competes with an iPhone 13/14 with a lightning adaptor straight out into IEMs/ earphones. What I loved about the Walkman (then the iPods) was being in uninterrupted music world, plus the long battery life of the classic iPod. I hope there might be a further firmware update to the NW that restores that feature? Thanks for the review, and yes, the 80s rock IMHO 😂
I know what I’m asking for Christmas.
It’s ok to want a portable player and not have a phone that a brick in size, interrupting you with call, texts, emails, and other notifications. Just a music player sounds good to me.
Brilliant review, thankful for it. Ordering one now.
Love my A306 paired with my WF-1000 XM5 earbuds..very very, very crisp...especially when listening to live music. You hear every detail
The sound output is very clean!
You nailed it. I am a first time buyer of a Walkman like this (or any DAC/Hi-Res player so don’t identify as an Audiophile, just an enthusiast. I was so disappointed by the LAG and slow responsiveness when using the 306, I even created a Reddit thread but most of the responders said their ones were perfect and I was likely doing something wrong like bad mem card format. It’s so bad I almost sent it back! Plus the buttons (real ones and touch screen ones) are too small - especially the little round ones on the Home Screen Walkman player widget. BUT, did I send it back to Amazon? NOPE. I really like having this dedicated device that has MY music library on it and that design just reminds me of those great MiniDisc or cassette Walkmans I used to have growing up. Great Video, new subscriber.
I still have my Sony CD/mp3 player and Mini Disc player. Both work after 20 years. Their quality back then was top notch. I don't think their quality now is as good as in the past.
I use Sony NWZ-X1050 .. OLED screen .. Not have a problem with it .. I plug it into my amp .. Original battery .. Great sound .. from 2009 :)
@@nightlore000 I have the NWZ-X1060 (the 32GB version), use it since 2009 and battery still holds up strong. I think the NWZ-X series was Sony's best digital Walkman yet.
The 0.4 to 1.1 mW is right and that is EU/ North American capped version most people are getting uncapped Sony dap's from Japan or Hong Kong and these have a higher gain at 35mW+35mW
Another stupid regulation with “good” intentions that has unintended consequences
"crapped" might be more apt. Absolutely infuriating.
This cap is just so stupid.. Some ppl like me might have less efficient iems and you need the extra power to drive them.. I have a older Sony dap from the past and bought the Japanese version to avoid the cap..
And to make things worse, DAPs sold in Europe has a volume cap, they are limited to 85dB.
That's the reason why I have imported the Japanese version of the Sony MW-A55 instead of buying an EU one (Japanese models are only available in Japanese however, thought I've managed to add a language option via a simple mod).
tbh, even the uncapped version’s power rating is kind of unimpressive. It’s still weaker than the so-called “entry level” (non-android) DAPs currently available.
I have a Sony Experia 1 iii telephone which I selected because it still takes microSD cards, still has a headphone jack, and isn't made by Samsung (I used to be a Samsung fan, until they changed direction in several ways). It has very good sound quality for both headphones and earbuds.
I don't actually purchase digital music any more. I stream digital music. If I hear an artist I especially like, I purchase their album on vinyl.
I actually stuck with mainly cassette format until about 2000, when I was forced to switch to CDs because music shops stopped selling cassettes. It wasn't long after that that I got an mp3 player (iomega hipzip, later a 1st gen shuffle, later a 4th gen nano) and started torrenting music, and now I do what I described above - streaming music and purchasing vinyl. The only place that I use digital music is stored on my watch for running music (so I can leave my phone at home).
Mini review: Ordered mine from Sony US direct. Gets stupidly loud and has plenty of bass. Love the form factor, and the vibe. Unit is noise free with IE600 IEMs at medium volume.
When you started to speak of the units lack of low end, I couldn’t help but think of my disappointment in low end response with my Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless headphones. At first I was a little excited to possibly get this for a companion to those headphones, then I envisioned the two pieces together both lacking in lower end response, but now I’m kind of back on board. I just wish there was a way to firmware some larger drivers for my now older headphones. You’ve earned a sub for your thorough and concise overview.
Sony should make a phone like this.
Great review...!!! In the year 1980, a close friend turned me on to his newly purchased Sony Walkman cassette player... It was really a true music epiphany at the time...!!! Sound quality, portability and convenience never seen before...!!! Hot Diggity...!!! Fast forward some 40 years and the landscape has changed a lot... Gone are the days when big brands, such as Sony and Bose, ruled the roost concerning hi-fi audio gear... Nowadays, smaller companies, solely dedicated to manufacturing audio equipment, are doing a much better job at much lower prices... A $350US Sony Walkman NW-A306 with only a 3.5 single-ended output, along with poor battery life compared to a $210US HiBy R3 Pro Saber with 2.5 balanced & 3.5 single-ended outputs provided, along with two DACs, etc., makes for an easy choice... Don't get me wrong... I have a warm spot in my heart for the Sony Walkman, but using balanced cables, good DACs, and having a longer battery life are my priorities these days... Still, it was nice seeing the Walkman is still around and kickin'...!!!
The Sony walkman's soundstage is it's biggest strength. It sounds absolutely phenomenal. Despite iPhone's dac/amp posing higher dynamic range, the noise of other components ruin everything. So this Walkman is way better sound quality wise.
11:27 Hey John, Great album recommendation! Thanks a lot for this, besides your inspiring content about high-end audio. Although I have been - and still are - in 80s New Wave and Post-Punk, this compilation is really great, with a lot of „new“ or rediscovered songs and artists. I believe it is not the first time I bought music because of you recommending it 😂
Nice review, and I'm intrigued. I'm old, so I had the original Walkman and the original iPad, so this looks cool to me.
The reason I'm making a note is because Sony has a history of upgrades. Indeed, you've only gotten this, and it's already been updated. The beauty of a digital operating system is just how easily it can be upgraded, and in the end, that could be the difference between the WM-A306 and the Shanling
In the old daze. The only way to get an upgrade was to buy a whole new player.
Question: With the tape screen display, does it also give you tape hiss? 😂
The European volume cap is what ruins this dap. The AVLS do nothing for the imposed volume cap. I bought one from
Korea and it’s a fantastic player and much louder (70 instead of 100 for the same volume). Also deactivating background apps helped a lot with the Dap’s responsiveness
My man here with the thesaurus
Great review. It really does take a turn at the end. Kinda fun.
One of the very few channels I like 👍🏽 before even watching the content - bravo 🙌
Thank you for finally adressing the power output problem. Ive got the nw a105 and was very annoyed when i wanted to use it with actually all my wired headphones. They were all underpowered. Stil i had to use my Dragonfly red portable DAC to power my headphones.
But every review back then was like this player was straight from heaven made by angels.
That cassette tape screensaver looks very cool!
Nice review John. Thanks.
Luvin my A306. Currently using it as a player for my CA AXR100 + Dali Oberon 1’s
My comments are based on ownership of one of the previous models: NW-A40 which does not have android and was significantly cheaper. The NW-A40 has since received custom firmware which give it the exact sound signature of one of Sony's more ridiculous $1000+ models.
The entire point of a dedicated device is to separate your music listening experience from your online world and all the distractions (and battery drain) that come with it. I love android, but making your dedicated player an android device not only eliminates the battery life advantage, it goes against pretty much the only use-case to own one of these things. For reference, my NW-A40 gets 40+ hours of battery life. The A306 gets 15.
More to the point, if you are already having an android experience with your dedicated player, why wouldn't you just use a phone with great battery life and LDAC/APT-X HD codec. I thought I would get a lot more use out of my walkman player than I do. The fact is, there are so few scenarios where I will choose wired headphones for the now tiny, almost imperceptible sound quality advantage over just using high quality bluetooth headphones.
Pretty much the only time this thing has ever had enough use to justify its existence is when I'm doing lots of travel on planes or trains. I'm glad such devices still exist but for 99% of people, you are just throwing your money away.
Interesting video! You exactly describe what I didn’t / don’t like from Sony audio equipment. That feeling that the Japanese designer have different hearing. I always found that their equipment have a thin sound, just like the old ‘good years’ Technics stuff. When I bought my first expensive Harman Kardon ‘good years’ amplifier I was shocked about the difference and the full spectrum rich sound of the Harman Kardon had…
Love the callout at the beginning!!!!!!! 0:48
Great video, loved my old Walkman and might even try a newer one over my Android phone. With battery life like this though, I would take 15 hours with a fuller sound any day. Nice work!
It'd be so cool if this cassette screensaver could be configured by the owner, e.g. using own cassette images. I have very fond memories of some BASF and TDK tapes ... oh, and Maxell, and Fuji, and ... 🙂
In this day and age, there’s absolutely no excuse for a device to be laggy. If they can’t make the interface smooth as silk, they shouldn’t be releasing the product at a premium price.
This! I hate when greedy corporations release untested and unpolished products. They shouldn't releasing it at all.
I would rather have it running the old sony walkman software since my NW-A866 even though it came out in like 2011,it still runs really smoothly.
Your videos look gorgeous John (and Olaf), great depth of field and colour
Great review John, thank you.
Sony is back on the audio game big time. For the first time in what seems like an eternity, I feel like going all Sony.
I'm a multichannel music lover. I know, not very popular in these circles. But I just have to mention that this Sony Walkman comes along now, when Sony seems to be giving Atmos a bit of a competition with their own approach at multichannel music. I hear great things about their 360° sound profiling, dual center channels (above and below the screen, if you're into movies), which creates a vertical virtual image (crazy stuff!), their Ultra HD 4K bluray players supporting SACD and DVD-Audio (2 channel and multichannel), native DSD support and decoding...
Their TVs offering new levels of integration with the rest of the electronics and having some is the best picture... And now this Walkman? I think I'm becoming a Sony fan again!
Thanks for your thorough and focused review.
It's much appreciated.
The internal amp having to reproduce lower frequencies after the update will explain the increased battery (power) usage. Maybe they shelved the low frequencies to increase the battery life for the marketing
As someone who still owns an LG V30 and, for that matter, a Cowon D2, I remain unconvinced.
And you think you're old school John !!
Great review! Nostalgia is a powerful thing
It was a good video, thanks John!
John, since the Sony will be in your pocket during use, the cool cassette screensaver won't be visible to you for longer than the few seconds while it's in your hands. So it may be cool, but... for only a few seconds? Hope you find a set of earphones that suit! And thanks for another fine video!
I bought the older Sony NW-ZX507. It has a 4.4 balanced output and higher output, yet still small with hardware control buttons. I mainly use DAPs for offline music hi-res flac files. I too love the tape screensaver. 😊
Awesome I was waiting for this!
Did the update improve the screen / system response?
Great review !! Sorry to ask , what frame you have for your eyeglasses ? Thanks 🙏
He is wearing Tom Ford’s frame.
@6:10 Honestly I was interested in the "306" until you mentioned the laggy ui. It's 2023, we should never have another laggy UI ever. Put a decent chip in it. Laggy UI's are one of my biggest pet peeves with devices. EDIT: For $350 today's price, yeah I won't pay $350 for a laggy UI.
I'm surprised that Sony would think that anyone would want a separate music player in a world of smart phones.
Facts
@@mannythebaka7522 it’s for a niche group of users.
@@HellaReckless Simply because your phones are not designed or have the hardware to properly fully driver IEM's / Headphones.If you want quality and not quantity then a DAP is needed. If quantity is what you want and are not that bothered by High quality then phones are ok...assuming they have the battery to use as a phone and a music player?
@@mannythebaka7522 using the word "anyone" is dumb. I agree a majority of people probably wouldn't buy this but it doesn't make it irrelevant. I for one is a customer for such devices. I don't want music on my phone, I don't want my phone (used for many other things) to interrupt my music + I don't have an am not interested in having lots and lots of space used for music when I have many other things filling my phone. A seperate device for me and my use of music and phones is perfect and needed.
And if I exist, thousands of me exist. That's makes a boat load of "anyones".
I have the NW-ZX707 and I love it.... I have had a number of other DAPs and I keep returning to the Sony's, this is my third one of their daps
Making my own mix tapes was how i got my music fix way, way back. I spent hours making mixes and sharing music with my friends this way. Good times😎🕺🏻
Great post. Really informative. I do have a novice question though, with the rechargable battery since its built-in has there been an estimate done of the projected life of the battery if charged and used everyday? I'd hate to buy it and a few years down the pike not be able to use it if the battery goes (like my old one from back in the day). Cheers, 2SC
I've seen people say Sony will service their DAPs but I never looked into it.
I've just ordered one of these myself. Seeing this review has me even more excited as I've missed having a dedicated audio player in recent years without the distraction of a smart phone.
what do you think of it having google, youtube, playstore etc ?
Great review takes me back to the good old days
Great video...I have the Sony NW-A55 and thinking of upgrading. Side note, what brand of glasses are you wearing? Sharp!
Maybe you should revisit this Dap after the recent android 13 update. I use my nw-a306 with my status audio bt ones and status audio between buds. I will say this Dap is better sounding at Bluetooth audio. I also fine tuned it with the wavelet app which allowed me to add gain output along with better eq.
i have never used my phone to play music, as soon a si plug my headphones into my ears with my player, from that moment on i know a call wont interrupt cause i know i'm not on my phone.... also with a player it keep my phone charge and i dont have to worry about going around with a power bank , music player takes the place of a powered bank . and also
more reasons why i use a player
Cool concept, it’s kinda like retro meets modern. I’m one of those that likes to play my music from a different device, but I’m not so concerned about the tiny details, but it’s nice that they addressed the issues with firmware updates in time for the video. I’m not so sure this would beat the itouch for me, although the ability to put in an SD card is really nice. So far, it’s really cool, but for my money, I’m more inclined for the itouch, it has more that I can do with it, I guess it all comes down to preference, great video.
great content as always ! amazing review ! The sound gain settings on Japanese Market NW players are different as per some sellers here in Singapore. Is that true ?
I bought it's bigger brother the Sony NW-ZX707 (limited Japan edition Hatsune Miku)
It is simply amazing. What a piece of kit.
So, this sony don’t have really dac convertion. If i understand i can use my hifi amp dac quality when i Connect it to this sony throw USB cable?
Great Review! How does the Sony sound compared to an LG V70 or G8 with Quad DAC, each via the headphone jack? Thank you!
I enjoyed the video,the screen saver is my favorite part of the new Sony Walkman
Your sound description sounds shockingly similar to the Headphone output from my Xperia 5ii. I wonder if they used the same circuit
Wow, ok, I have to share this - I've been hearing that the Sony device is only "ok" in terms of sound, but I was still leaning towards getting it because of the cassette tape image. That said, I felt so embarrassed and self conscious about that, that I would never admit it to anyone, and low and behold - I see Darko of all people admitting or just saying really that this plays a big role in his feelings towards keeping it as well !!! So first of all - I feel so much better about what I felt was somewhat childish thinking on my part, and second - I have that much more appreciation for Darko's honesty. Major major props for this sir ! I'm still not sure whether or not to get it because I usually use over-ear headphones and I'm concerned that I wont' be getting enough volume, but after watching this I can come out of the closet and say that yes, that incredible cassette screen is one of my biggest considerations in whether or not to get this device. Btw - I feel the same way about V.U. meters that I know some DAP's have in their displays. If anyone can recommend a DAP that has those - I thank you in advance :) Still debating about the sony because of headphone gain, but much much love for this video. Thank you !
It does look amazing
The tape thing is the nuts xx
Great review, just wondering if you try to connect to a DAC headphones trougth the USB-C, something like the Focal Bathys for example (DAC input)?
This will be the perfect device to replace my iPod Classic. Have some SD cards lying around I could use.
two things I need: hot swappable battery, a quality microphone...then it's perfect....imagine 24 bit audio mixes on this...they can create a market for new artists and consumers!
Swappable battery for devices are getting rare because of planned obsolescence. The manufacturers will claim that it's for water resistance purposes.
I find I've been on the same trajectory re: dongles and DAPs. There's no doubt dongles come close for (usually) a fraction of the price of a DAP. But there's just a sense of fullness and space I get with the DAPs I've owned that isn't present with a dongle. I'll still keep one for how handy and small they are, and they double as a means of improving my PC's sound quality, but I think it's DAPs for music for me for the foreseeable future.
@DarkoAudio, nice review. Does the A306 power the ru6 well enough like other Android DAPs/phones or is it a weaker output power like an iPhone.
I still use a Sony WM-EX506. The tape hiss complements my tinnitus ringing 🙂
I'm hoping you can give me an honest answer here. I have the nw a55 and a45 and both of these sound almost identical. Does the 306 have new internals that make it sound any better than the a55? I don't care that it has streaming capabilities. Thanks.
I had a Sony Walkman DDII (Dolby NR) in black. Loved it! The one that played cassettes. You know...
Thanks John!
I’m surprised it doesn’t have a Lo-fi retrostalgia filter , for additional noise with wow and flutter 😂 that would seriously warm up one’s memories with tape screensaver ( 4king genius ) …. should definitely have dictaphone mic/line input for recording in keeping with the great Japanese culture of Karaoke. Great overview, will definitely have a look at one, whilst listening to my Walkman I just got from eBay 👾. Battery life game 💯 🔋 ( I wish my lecky bill had that tariff)
Hi John. What happened to your Audio Technica 60th Anniversary AT-LP2022 Turntable. Did you miss out on getting one? I continue to enjoy my Pro-Ject X2 with Ortfon 250 LVB cartridge. I really enjoy your channel. Thank you. LotusLissi
I'm looking at my first ever DAP and now I'll certainly consider this and compare it to more expensive options. Thanks for clarifying that a firmware update is essential.
Great review!! Is it worth getting if I already own an A106? And could you please list all the music player/streaming apps installed on the A306 that you showed in this video? Thanks!
Streaming forward, no DAC, laggy touch screen…count me out. All the reasons I want a portable music player that isn’t my phone is all of those things.
i am confused on who would ever want this
I use the previous version of the Sony, I downloaded a tool that removed the volume limit and it also added a radio. I still find a separate player useful for home,car and travel.
Tool name?
@@fabriglas
SonyNWDestTool
Only works on the following models
NWZ-A10
NW-A20
NW-A30/40/50
NWZ-A810
NWZ-A840
NWZ-A850
NWZ-A860
NWZ-E450
NWZ-E460
NWZ-E470
NWZ-E580
NW-WM1
NW-ZX100
NW-ZX300/300A
NWZ-S750
I'm a middle aged guy writing a comment before the video is done... I like that you're honest about the ad support, plus I like it's related (well targeted). It makes me feel good about WhatHiFi, B&W as well.
I still use the older version NW-A100 series. I agree with the cassette tape animation. One of the reasons I chose it.
Where does the tape go in though?
Nothing can beat the NW-A45 or NW-A55, perfect mp3 players without android and solid audio
John. In your opinion, what sounds best:
The sony and the campfire audio earphones or your phone + a dac (dragonfly cobalt or mojo 2) + the campfire audio iems ?
How are you transferring files from your computer to the 306? Can you transfer while the card is inserted in the unit?
I want one, I honestly hate having a phone!
Eazy E approves of the model number.
I have the NW-A45 and overall I'm quite pleased with it. It does indeed lack output power though and struggles to drive my B&W P5 Series 2.
My own take on why these dedicated players sound so much better than a phone is simply that the electronics within are dedicated to one simple function - music playback.
In a phone, there's so much other stuff going on - all of it contributing to digital noise. My NW-A45 has a proprietary Sony o/s so in this respect it's purer than an android based one. I do like the idea of direct music streaming with the A306 though so I'd take a hit on that for convenience maybe? But the low output might be a deal breaker for me having already had this issue with my current device.
Love the eyeglass frames.
Built to Spill baby!