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Testing the Sony NW-A306?

Wheel_Audio

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Sony has just released the NW-A306 and NW-ZX707, successors to the A105 and ZX507, respectively. I'm interested in the A306 and was hoping ASR would consider testing it. Yes, I know: the A105 tested poorly, and the new model isn't likely to be much better. If I had my proverbial druthers, I'd get a Lotoo PAW 6000. However,

- the Lotoo is out of my price range

~ and ~

- as a person with a physical disability, I probably couldn't use the Lotoo comfortably

It's a similar situation with the LG V-[whatever]--they're cheap, but I'd likely find them inconvenient.

Thanks for your consideration.
 
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JunkRunner

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I'd like to second this! Please measure the NW-A306 at the very least!

I think it could be a challenge because the Japanese version seems superior power wise. But, I too would love to see what Sony has improved (if anything).

Apple products have recently increased about 20% here in Japan, so the NW-A306 is actually a more attractive product at its price point atm.

Is this product a market disruptor or DoA...?
 
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Wheel_Audio

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For those considering the NW-A306, I've got a single word of advice:

WAIT!

As in, you'll definitely want to hold off for the foreseeable future. Not only are the majority of units volume-capped (read: output-limited), now comes word that the A306's frequency response is also incorrect, at least for a significant number of units sold. Yes, the issue has been verified via direct measurement.

TL;DR - The release of the A300 series is a mess. Wait for Sony to resolve major issues.
 
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JunkRunner

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For those considering the NW-A306, I've got a single word of advice:

WAIT!

As in, you'll definitely want to hold off for the foreseeable future. Not only are the majority of units volume-capped (read: output-limited), now comes word that the A306's frequency response is also be incorrect, at least for a significant number of units sold. Yes, the issue has been verified via direct measurement.

TL;DR - The release of the A300 series is a mess. Wait for Sony to resolve major issues.
Yeah... I'm pretty shocked to see this. I mean I know Sony DAP don't have the best measurement track record, but this is wild. Anything beyond +/- 0.5dB should be carelessly bad design... let alone +/- 10dB!

Maybe that iPhone upgrade with maxed out HD is looking more attractive...
 
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Wheel_Audio

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Yeah... I'm pretty shocked to see this. I mean I know Sony DAP don't have the best measurement track record, but this is wild. Anything beyond +/- 0.5dB should be carelessly bad design... let alone +/- 10dB!

Maybe that iPhone upgrade with maxed out HD is looking more attractive...

As you may have noticed, the problem doesn't appear to be affecting all units. Perhaps I'm naive, but I'm reasonably hopeful that Sony will resolve these issues eventually.

Of course, there will still be the issue with the non-replaceable battery. . . .
 

Berwhale

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Sony has just released the NW-A306 and NW-ZX707, successors to the A105 and ZX507, respectively. I'm interested in the A306 and was hoping ASR would consider testing it. Yes, I know: the A105 tested poorly, and the new model isn't likely to be much better. If I had my proverbial druthers, I'd get a Lotoo PAW 6000. However,

- the Lotoo is out of my price range

~ and ~

- as a person with a physical disability, I probably couldn't use the Lotoo comfortably

It's a similar situation with the LG V-[whatever]--they're cheap, but I'd likely find them inconvenient.

Thanks for your consideration.

Amir has to buy a unit himself, or someone has to send him one. Some manufacture's do send Amir stuff to test and here he has to be very careful to avoid claims that he's been sent a 'golden sample'. You should also be aware that Amir has worked for Sony: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/a-bit-about-your-host.1906/

Personally, I can't see the point of a DAP any more (I bought my first one over 20 years ago). My phone (Poco F3) + Qudelix 5K offers a much better experience and the phone+Q5K+Truthear combo cost the same as the Sony NW-A306 on it's own in the UK.
 
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aagstn

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I wanted to share my experience with this unit. I picked up the US version from Amazon and while setting it up was fairly happy with the size and design. It is unfortunate the unit is glued together. Not sure why Sony wouldn't allow you to replace the battery later considering how they promote the quality of the build.

The problems came when I plugged in headphones. The units are severe in their volume limiting. Even with the limiter off the Walkman could barely drive Sennheiser 58X Jubilee headphones so high impedance ones are a no go. The sound signature is also terrible and obviously a defect. Bass is very low and treble comes across bright. The EQ in the unit does not fix this issue. I can't believe Sony is charging $350 for something they shipped defective. I still have my old LG G7 phone with the Quad Dac and it blew away the Walkman.

I would not recommend this product and it is a shame Sony is selling a Walkman that can't drive serious headphones and has defective sound.
 
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Wheel_Audio

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aagstn, thanks for your comments. Yes, it certainly sounds like you got a defective unit. As you may know, your finding is in line with many others' experiences, though problems with the audio quality aren't universal. My guess is that Sony will resolve the frequency response issue in subsequent batches.

Still, the situation is ridiculous. As if it wasn't bad enough that the battery is unreplaceable--as if it wasn't bad enough that these units contain undisclosed limits to volume and output--it's now apparent that many of these devices are fundamentally unable to perform their core function.
 
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threni

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For those considering the NW-A306, I've got a single word of advice:

WAIT!

As in, you'll definitely want to hold off for the foreseeable future. Not only are the majority of units volume-capped (read: output-limited), now comes word that the A306's frequency response is also incorrect, at least for a significant number of units sold. Yes, the issue has been verified via direct measurement.

TL;DR - The release of the A300 series is a mess. Wait for Sony to resolve major issues.

Significant number? You've linked to a comedy audio site, where the person who typed in the message admitted they were just listening to exactly one item. Their message on the forum consisted mostly of nonsense words: sparkly, tight, together sounding, bouncy, "not even a neutral-bright, it's a super compressed bass". Their attempt at being objective consisted of "aligning the volume" (presumably by ear). They hoped the sound would improve with "burn in" so lets hope all the silicon, resistors etc improve after a few days usage and he can "test" it again.

It's hard to tell if this piece of anecdata relates to a faulty item, a device in need of a firmware update or something else. The only way to know for sure would be for someone technically competent to perform a few simple tests.
 

dedero

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Significant number? You've linked to a comedy audio site, where the person who typed in the message admitted they were just listening to exactly one item. Their message on the forum consisted mostly of nonsense words: sparkly, tight, together sounding, bouncy, "not even a neutral-bright, it's a super compressed bass". Their attempt at being objective involved "aligning the volume". They hoped the sound would improve with "burn in" so lets hope all the silicon, resistors etc improve after a few days usage and he can "test" it again.

It's hard to tell if this piece of anecdata relates to a faulty item, a device in need of a firmware update or something else. The only way to know for sure would be for something technically competent to perform a few simple tests.
I'm partially agree with your post, because there are also a considerable amount of people, including me, that tested with REW sweep, calibrating the soundcard and we got different mixed results, not only by hearing.
Would you please recommend the few simple tests you mention so I can perform them and also share in the head-fi post in order to inform the people to do them?
Thanks!
 

rlw6534

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Significant number? You've linked to a comedy audio site, where the person who typed in the message admitted they were just listening to exactly one item. Their message on the forum consisted mostly of nonsense words: sparkly, tight, together sounding, bouncy, "not even a neutral-bright, it's a super compressed bass". Their attempt at being objective consisted of "aligning the volume" (presumably by ear). They hoped the sound would improve with "burn in" so lets hope all the silicon, resistors etc improve after a few days usage and he can "test" it again.

It's hard to tell if this piece of anecdata relates to a faulty item, a device in need of a firmware update or something else. The only way to know for sure would be for someone technically competent to perform a few simple tests.

As the person that first did the REW testing on head-fi (and posted a brief how-to), please tell me if I did something wrong and I will try again. I have measured 3 different ways with REW and 1 way with Audacity and have gotten consistent results showing what appears to be a -10 dB low shelf. I'm not trying to start a debate, I just want to do it correctly to verify the situation.
 

threni

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As the person that first did the REW testing on head-fi (and posted a brief how-to), please tell me if I did something wrong and I will try again. I have measured 3 different ways with REW and 1 way with Audacity and have gotten consistent results showing what appears to be a -10 dB low shelf. I'm not trying to start a debate, I just want to do it correctly to verify the situation.
I only looked at the one linked-to post - I didn't look any further. Did I miss some data/charts? I think thinking of the sort of measurements you see on this site: SINAD, dynamic range, linearity etc. It's entirely possible the device is awful and your analysis is spot on. I almost bought a Sony DAP right around the time I discovered this site so I agree with the part of the comment which suggested sticking with a phone & dongle.
 

rlw6534

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I only looked at the one linked-to post - I didn't look any further. Did I miss some data/charts? I think thinking of the sort of measurements you see on this site: SINAD, dynamic range, linearity etc. It's entirely possible the device is awful and your analysis is spot on. I almost bought a Sony DAP right around the time I discovered this site so I agree with the part of the comment which suggested sticking with a phone & dongle.

Yes, you missed data/charts that are posted in the thread. I don't have the equipment that Amir has, but I do have some ability to measure using my computer line-in and readily available software. I also used another DAP as a control to validate what I was seeing. If there are better ways to validate my findings without spending significant money, I would very much like to try them.
 

aagstn

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Yes, you missed data/charts that are posted in the thread. I don't have the equipment that Amir has, but I do have some ability to measure using my computer line-in and readily available software. I also used another DAP as a control to validate what I was seeing. If there are better ways to validate my findings without spending significant money, I would very much like to try them.
The sound issues are so obvious to the ear that I have no doubt at all that your measurements are correct. I am just glad someone was able to more accurately detail what I was hearing. I just wish I had discovered your findings before buying the Walkman but it was easy enough to return.
 
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Wheel_Audio

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Do you have any plans to try a second unit?

For my part, I'll wait at least a few months--possibly much longer--then reassess. Among other issues, hopefully Sony will have removed the volume cap for units sold in North America.
 

rlw6534

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I imported mine from Japan (Amazon/Buyee) to get around the volume cap. A return will likely be quite difficult, so I'm hoping for a timely fix from Sony...
 

microchipmatt

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I am SO glad I found this thread by chance. In a moment of irrational bliss and nostalgia, I was obsessing hard over the NW-A306. After reading this, looks like there is some work to be done, that may or may not be fixable with firmware. As well, the "Audio" cap doesn't sound to pleasurable to me either. The device sounded divine on paper. I will wait now. I literally almost hit the pre-order button this morning, but something was telling me to research harder.

While I wait for Sony to maybe never fix this...this may be a loaded question..but the dongle sounds intriguing..

I think I am going to get this:

People say it's good. This may be loaded and I may get many answers but do you suggest some "Studio monitors" I'm pretty new to the game, but would like to get my feet wet....I would be using this with a pixel 6 pro. Go easy on me if I missing something...I'm learning....These are the only Monitor Headphones I've looked at so far:

I would like to experience some of the elevated audio experiences others are enjoying.
 
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