The BEST Sony mp3 Player in 2023 | Sony NW-A306 Walkman Review

The best value Sony Audio Player is here! The NWA306!
DSD, DSEE, VINYL PROCESSING, 360 AUDIO and much more!
Aaaaand, yes, you can read ebooks on it.

Check it out and let us know what you think!

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[christill]

It’s cool that Sony are still committed to these types of devices. I have a pair of Sony noise cancelling headphones that have got good reviews, and they sound really nice connected to my regular iPhone and Apple TV; so I’m not in the target audience of audiophiles for this, but I’m happy for those who do want the absolute best sound that they have this option.

[MultiLolgasm]

There's currently a huge issue that Sony isn't acknowledging that appears to be hardware based where a a very very large number of units are shipping with insufficient power delivery, the result is a massive reduction in bass output of 10 dB at the low end. It's been reported and physically validated by countless users. Sony have so far not addressed the issue or offered any solutions. A quick Google of NW-A306 will quickly tell you everything you need to know. The issue prevalent across all serial numbers and geographical locations.

[DHPuppy]

I like the idea that this could not only be a really good music player, but you could read an ebook while you listen. I think that aside from price, this seems like something I'd buy. Great review!

[BR-pmhy]

I got my Sony ZX707 Walkman about a week ago and LOVE IT. The sound it produces is AMAZING and it’s so much fun just listening to old music and discovering new sounds/voices. It’s like rediscovering little details in all my old music. The only thing I hate is the battery life with Qobuz, the default Sony app is the advertised battery life of 20+ hours. With third party apps like qobuz I only get about 10hrs and that’s with Bluetooth and WiFi turned off. I think one thing you forgot to mention in this video is the aw306 is all aluminum (not plastic). Sony also has a 307 in Japan which is the same model with double the storage. One thing to note for people who want one of the new walkmans is that Sony has limited the volume (no high gain) in US/UK models. If you want the most from these Walkmans you’ll have to get the Japan model. I thankfully got one from eBay for less than MSRP with no VAT charge

[Yu-Fei-Hung]

I think “audio” player suits better since MP3 in a lossless format, although given its popularity it gives a “good” idea about its functionality

[casatest]

This is very basic review for the people who have no idea about this "hi-res" thingy and don't care. At the same time it is absolutely useless for the potential buyers...

[johnforster]

i love my 306, sound is amazing great for when im working out

[Cons]

6:49 imo, if you put a speaker it will just occupy space, yes it’s small but these things are mostly for people who enjoy high quality music and a small speaker like that would just not cut it

[LaurenGlenn]

This unit does way more than I expected. MicroSD slot up to 1TB, I can use PowerAmp, Pocketcasts, Google Home and output to get full hi-res audio out to my Google Home speakers at home. I can also install Plex on it to have it offline sync videos from my Synology box from ATSC OTA broadcasts for shows I watch.... and purchased movies I put on there also. It does great on all those things. I wasn't expecting it to be like a phone here.... sadly it doesn't do ethernet but it will cast to my Google Home without stuttering when playing stored FLACs 192/24 audio files on it.

Plus... :).... Dropsync support so I can synchronize the folders on it to the folders on my PC for my entire audio library.... all that makes it a great purchase and worth the $350 I paid for it.

[kbhasi]

(4:50) That reminded me: I've been planning to get one*, and when I do, I plan to install stuff like Storytel, Kobo, and Libby, just for their audiobook features, like I already do on my phone where I have those apps just for audiobooks and read the on-screen content on my tablet or laptop.

*I didn't know about the power delivery issues until someone else here mentioned it

[Kristianxvx]

Out of curiosity what Micro sd size can this take and is it bluetooth headphone compatible?

[slushpuppii]

Love mine, look forward to listening to music each day when working

[bobbleczar]

pretty sure that USB port stopper is just part of the packaging you can toss.

[twinmillario]

One question. Will the FM Radio app be in there?

[mqaisataloss.]

I just replaced my ipod classic with one of these and I'm never looking back.
The only upside and reason why I still used the ipod was repairability.
But now i got 1tb instead of 512gb and I can just download for offline use with tidal ❤
So no more hours of waiting when shoveling music onto my ipod 🎉

And the audio quality has ofc improved leaps and bounds. 😊

[razzmatazz]

any idea what kind of screen this device has? is it acrylic, glass? is it scratch resistant to any length? thanks

[owenchuarbx]

I’m saddened it’s one of the only brands that build mp3 players left. With the departure of Apple and their iPod Touch in 2022. Things have been pretty obscure.

[mrmshifan]

I don't know about these new Sony Walkmans, but the old school their old school cassette Walkmans had a nice sound profile. It's similar to how cameras are tuned differently. I use a generic no name MP3 player to listen audio while working or during sleep. It sounds better than with my smartphone and because of the small size it's easier to attach or hang around the neck. it was around $10 at that time, so don't worry much about it falling down, even if it fell, it's not going get damaged because of it's weight. Only feature lacking is there is no audio book capabilities.

[film]

What are the main differences between the two models sony offers on their website.

[shadmanalrashid]

Are u sure it supports 360degree audio? Plz reply.. I wana buy one