This is a review and detailed measurements of the Sony NW-A105 "high-res" digital audio player (DAP). It is on kind loan from a member. The NW-A105 costs US $348 from Amazon including Prime shipping. It runs the Android OS.
As DAPs go, I like the lighter weight and smaller form factor of the Sony:
You can't see it in my picture but the display has very good contrast and nice to look at. Likewise the controls are on the side are a big step above typical DAP and phones.
Navigation for the most part is intuitive if you keep min mind the mishmash of Sony software on top of Android. This is the same problem with other DAPs built on top of Android.
Navigation and playback is responsive enough though you can watch the pixels draw when interacting with Android. Definitely not in the same class of performance as any modern smartphone.
One thing I did not like is the fact that it doesn't act like a USB DAC. Only choices given are charge only or file transfer. Why not both?
Not being a DAC heavily limits the tests I can run on it because my audio analyzer can't control what it plays. Instead I have to transfer a few files to it that enable measurements that are not sweep based. Still, I think we can get a decent feel for the device.
DAP Audio Measurements
Let's start with our usual dashboard:
Output of just 1 volt means it can be anemic and unable to drive difficult headphones. I like to see 2 volts in little dongle. Not seeing it in a large dedicated music player is disappointing. Looks like they used a standard phone chipset for the DAC.
SINAD of 89 dB by DAC standards is poor:
Again, we have dongles that nearly approach the green zone.
Signal to noise ratio is good enough for CD but certainly not for "high-res:"
Jitter performance was good which was a relief:
Conclusions
As DAPs go, my general experience was more positive with the Sony than other Android based DAPs. Performance is reasonable for the class as few produce anything competitive to best phones (LG) or dongles. I am not a fan of these devices but if you don't want to use your phone, the Sony is an OK choice.
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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
I really need to become much wealthier to higher a helper. This device was sent to me last year and only now I am getting to reviewing it! Being out of work, my only choice is to milk you guys for money. So please reach deep in your paypal account and donate what you can using : https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
As DAPs go, I like the lighter weight and smaller form factor of the Sony:
You can't see it in my picture but the display has very good contrast and nice to look at. Likewise the controls are on the side are a big step above typical DAP and phones.
Navigation for the most part is intuitive if you keep min mind the mishmash of Sony software on top of Android. This is the same problem with other DAPs built on top of Android.
Navigation and playback is responsive enough though you can watch the pixels draw when interacting with Android. Definitely not in the same class of performance as any modern smartphone.
One thing I did not like is the fact that it doesn't act like a USB DAC. Only choices given are charge only or file transfer. Why not both?
Not being a DAC heavily limits the tests I can run on it because my audio analyzer can't control what it plays. Instead I have to transfer a few files to it that enable measurements that are not sweep based. Still, I think we can get a decent feel for the device.
DAP Audio Measurements
Let's start with our usual dashboard:
Output of just 1 volt means it can be anemic and unable to drive difficult headphones. I like to see 2 volts in little dongle. Not seeing it in a large dedicated music player is disappointing. Looks like they used a standard phone chipset for the DAC.
SINAD of 89 dB by DAC standards is poor:
Again, we have dongles that nearly approach the green zone.
Signal to noise ratio is good enough for CD but certainly not for "high-res:"
Jitter performance was good which was a relief:
Conclusions
As DAPs go, my general experience was more positive with the Sony than other Android based DAPs. Performance is reasonable for the class as few produce anything competitive to best phones (LG) or dongles. I am not a fan of these devices but if you don't want to use your phone, the Sony is an OK choice.
-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
I really need to become much wealthier to higher a helper. This device was sent to me last year and only now I am getting to reviewing it! Being out of work, my only choice is to milk you guys for money. So please reach deep in your paypal account and donate what you can using : https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/