Sony Walkman NW-A306 Review: A new twist on a classic, sans nostalgia

Sony Walkman NW-A306 Review: A new twist on a classic, sans nostalgia- Technology News, Firstpost













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Here’s everything you need to know about Sony’s latest Walkman that couldn’t be more different from its ancestors.

Price: Rs 25,990

The mere mention of a Sony Walkman brings back so many great memories (assuming you are old enough to know what an audio cassette is). What Xerox was to photocopiers and Google to search, Walkman was synonymous with portable audio cassette players back in the 80s and 90s.

Image Credit: Tech2 Ameya Dalvi

Does the music sound better than it does on my Android phone?Yes, absolutely! But only if you use some high-quality earphones or headphones with it. You may not see much of a variance in entry-level wireless earphones. If you intend to use wireless earphones or headphones, choose one that is compliant with either LDAC or aptX HD codecs.

We used the Sony WH-1000XM5 for the better part of the test process and the results were excellent. While the XM5 sounds great even with the top quality Spotify Premium stream on smartphones, this Walkman elevated the experience to a new high.

Incidentally, I had a few old lossless FLAC files at hand too to try and get the best out of this player. The sound quality was topnotch with the three major frequency ranges well represented.

The detail in the audio was clearly a notch or two above what I have been experiencing on certain high-end Android phones. The clarity in mids was very good, the bass had a good thump without overstepping its boundaries and the highs had just the right amount of edge.

We also tried using certain midrange Soundcore TWS earbuds with aptX codecs. While I wasn’t expecting much of a jump in sound quality in comparison to smartphones, the audio actually sounded crisper than usual, which is pretty good. I tried pushing my luck further with some popular budget earphones like the OnePlus Buds Z2 but to no avail. There was hardly any discernible difference in audio when using earphones with AAC codecs.

Who should buy the Sony Walkman NW-A306?This is a very important question. Of course, if you have the money, you can buy whatever you want, but that’s not the point. This player is ideally suited for those who have a large collection of lossless audio files or access to a streaming service like Tidal that offers high-fidelity audio. In addition to that, you also need to have a high-quality listening gear, be it wired or wireless. Unlike the good old Walkmans from three decades ago, this doesn’t exactly have a mass appeal.

Image Credit: Tech2

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