Sony NW-A306 Walkman. Any Good? Setup & First Impressions. RND Diaries

[@abhishekbhattacharjee805]

Nice intro + walkthrough with the mini review! I bought my A306 a couple hours back from a Sony Store. This Sony DAP is a tiny device! I plan on using it with my set of IEMS (Moondrop/KZ/Sony XB55AP/Marshall Mode EQ +). Preliminary observations - the device looks well built, sounds nice with my wired earphones across a wide range of varying music genres and file types. Loving it! Highly recommend it!

[@davetheconqueror4702]

Thank you so much for the info Ive been having trouble with the setup and It took me hours until I found your video much respect mate

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Glad it helped

[@LaurenGlenn]

Everyone has their preferences but for me, PowerAmp works great. Plays back in full hi-res as long as you turn off DVC and ReplayGain.... basically any type of audio processing. Also a great way to consider putting files on the device is using an app like OneSync or DropSync, etc. They have variants for Google Drive and others too. You can store all your files on your PC/Mac and it will sync to the micro SD card bidirectionally. Point whatever music player you use to that folder on the SD card and when you make changes on your device or PC/Mac, you'll all remain in sync and have a backup. First MP3 player I bought that let you do this via the cloud and I'm loving that. It took a couple of days to bring over my whole library but it was worth it to me.

[@rickmesta6033]

just got my a306, this was super helpful, thank you very much.

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Glad it helped!

[@ricardomontes373]

Thank you. Good review.👍👍

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Thanks for watching!

[@dennis_doom]

My m6 only worked for 1 year. I missed the feature of play store and it was slow. One day it just didn't turn on. I am waiting for this walkman to give it a try

[@Gallery90]

Nice review and nice walk-through of the setup.

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@___David__]

The delay in booting isn't due to the Sony software. It's due to the far far weaker Processor on the Walkman. The A306 uses a Qualcomm QCS2290. That is a low end processor. By contrast, the S10 used either an Exynos 9820 or a Qualcomm 855, both of which were flagship grade processors. While the 2290 was released in 2020 and the 855 in 2018, the 855 remains a vastly more powerful processor. In fact, they could have been released with 6 years of difference and the 855 would still outperform the 2290. That's why it's slower ;)

[@jamie_votes]

I literally laughed out loud at the "English light" comment. I've never heard American English called that before.

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Glad it made you smile. Came to me out of nowhere. Who knows, maybe it was the first time it has ever been said...

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

BTW you are the first person to have noticed I reckon... jolly good

[@KrissyBunnieGaming]

@@RedNemesisDogPrime I'm stealing that lol it was brilliant

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Of course, by definition, it should be 'English Lite'...

[@fredbloggs1472]

I was fortunate enough to buy this model. I was atttracted by the screen saver, but disabled it very quickly as it became an irritant. I like the form factor, and it takes the battery load off my phone. I mostly use it to cast music to a Wiim Pro/integrated amp combo. Battery life is nowhere near any manufacturer claims, thanks mostly to the bloatware. Does anyone know what the capacity of the battery is?

[@superdananderson1382]

Poweramp is my go-to. It will read ALOT more than the 15K song limit on the Sony player installed.

[@NoBodyO2TheG]

Why is a music player (the walkman app) limiting the amount of songs it can play, wtf?? And secondly how much does power amp let you play? On my phones I usually use jetaudio.

[@superdananderson1382]

@@NoBodyO2TheG Right now, I have over 45K separate tunes that register thru Poweramp on my Walkman.

[@paulinhatrem]

I have a PSVita and one of these Sony's Walkman. I don't know why, but both Sony's device have the same problem. At the top of the screen, the panel starts to detaching the screen from some level of plastic or sort of. It's like a stick when is getting loose, but is the screen itself. Pretty annoying, but I hope it doesn't ruin my display.

[@ThibautMahringer]

I can definitely agree on the battery life. It never reaches what's claimed by Sony

[@Solitaire001]

If it is like my player (an A55) there are many factors that affect the battery life. These include the audio format and the settings. I've noticed with my player the playing time take a significant hit when I use Bluetooth. Some examples of the difference in playing times (from the specifications): - MP3 with Ambient Sound Mode On: 30 hours - MP3 with Ambient Sound Mode Off: 45 hours - MP3 with a SBC Bluetooth Connection: 20 hours

[@ThibautMahringer]

@Solitaire001 I guess the results Sony use are made with pass-through audio (no processing), playing wired with MP3 files and screen off

[@Solitaire001]

@@ThibautMahringer It's supposed to be with continuous playback. I will take a guess that it is using music at a moderate volume, and hit "Play" and let it play until the battery is depleted. In one case with Bluetooth (using LDAC) the playing time was 13 hours.

[@stevejt76]

When you added your own music files, are they stored in artist and chronological order (rather than album alphabetical order) ?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

In my case it was all alphabetical albums, but that may be because of the original file structure I imported.

[@Solitaire001]

The files will be organized as you choose, if it is like my player (A55) you just have to put them in the MUSIC Folder. I use MediaMonkey 4 (MM4) to load my music on my player and it is organized as follows (each line is a folder level and MM4 organizes it this way as it loads the files on my player): /MUSIC /(Type of file [Music, Classical Music, Podcast, Audiobook]) /First character of the Album Artist's Name /Album Artist's Name /Album's Name /Track Number - Song Title BTW, MM4 allows you to organize the music on your player anyway that you want.

[@GARGOYLE2303]

Slightly annoyed that it won't allow rips from certain CDs in my collection. Doubt I will be using it anymore ,will revert back to my AW45 that had no issues

[@ferdinando154]

Hello, could you make a comparison between the A306 and the Fiio M6... I have the M6 ​​and I want to change it for the A306, your opinion would help me. thank you.

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Obviously there are more options with the Sony given the supported Android platform however I have to say I was also very happy with the M6 - it just got old. Both very competent in terms of the sound quality, but for preference I would choose the Sony simply because of the interface with more mainstream Android options and so far it has been robust providing 10+ hours of music every day.

[@ferdinando154]

@@RedNemesisDogPrime Thank you.. in the end I decided on a Hiby M300, it is cheaper than the Sony and has good comments.. I haven't received it yet

[@a.b.shadow7147]

can you listen or stream music through the USB c port?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

I think the USB C port is for charging and transferring files only, and do not have a loudspeaker with a USB C input to try it

[@jefferlopez4393]

Hi I have a SD card with 400 gb of music how scan my music into this device?? I don't find any solution

[@rdutta5368]

Could you please throw light on how this player performs when used with wireless earbuds because I prefer to use earbuds? Does it enhances sound quality with wireless earbuds in comparision to listening through any android phone ? Thanks.

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Personally I believe there is a marginal improvement with the Sony over my S24, but only marginal. That said I am 67 so I do not have the sensitivity of hearing I had when I was younger...

[@rdutta5368]

@@RedNemesisDogPrime Thanks.

[@rodneyhowell7398]

Deezer is my choice Music app as well and works great with the Sony NW A306.

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Yes I agree. I was an early adopter of Deezer - I think it came as part of a promo' budget with an Orange phone way back when and has pretty much done what it says on the tin for many years. Working really well with the A306 as you say.

[@mahekr4963]

Is there a low volume output issue with this device? Which IEMs do you recommend using with it?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

I have not noticed any low volume output issues. I have RHA T20 IEM's and they are perfect for me.

[@oscarafonso3593]

I just ordered mine. Do you recommend any specific type/brand of sd card? Thank you

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Perfect! I use these: SanDisk Extreme Pro 256 GB microSDXC Memory Card which has worked well so far.

[@jordyorantes7613]

Does it support voice recording?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

There is no internal microphone that I can see on mine.

[@sanjayhne1]

Hi there. Thanks for the excellent review! Can you connect the 306 to car audio? What does the interface look like, please ?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Thank you. I haven't tried it in the car yet, however as it is BT and Android I am guessing it will display whatever interface the car usually displays for my smartphone but cannot confirm at the moment. Will hopefully be able to update this thread once I have tried it.

[@sanjayhne1]

@@RedNemesisDogPrime thank you!!

[@CornBreadMan264]

Can the NW-A306 play videos/movies ?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

I have only played KZbin videos on it which it delivers perfectly. However the screen is very very small...

[@bassclay100]

do i have to use the wifi for getting music?????

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

For your own music you can download from your computer. Obviously any music streaming service requires internet access.

[@bassclay100]

@@RedNemesisDogPrime i got a mac n now its not compatible to my ipod so can my mac tranfer to thge sony?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Sorry I just do not know the answer

[@rhoieeichstadt8406]

How about sony nwa306 japan version can you change the language to english since it has only japanese language?

[@pankajsoni7382]

please tell me how m use usb dac feature with my Mac Pro.... the high resolution player of Mac is not compatible with with it.. any solution for it.. or anyone use it with Mac

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Sorry, I am a PC user...

[@OldTechMemories.mp3]

Do you need Sony Music Center to add music to Walkman NW-A306??

[@dtz1000]

No

[@harrisedgar]

The battery life cycle weas very useful..!! Thank you. (where did you find that info?)

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

I think I found it on the Sony website - feels like a long time ago now. Glad it was useful.

[@NoBodyO2TheG]

Do you HAVE to format the sd card? It should just pick it up as phones do, no? Because then I have to take all the songs off, format and them put them back on, which is stupid and annoying.

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

I do not know if it will pick up the songs - I guess it should do... I always format sd cards when I put them in a device to avoid any issues between devices/software.

[@NoBodyO2TheG]

@RedNemesisDogPrime normally I do, especially with Cowon but thought this android so no need. But I didn't need to format it, works fine, my 128gb sd card. Just needed to put it into the "music" folder. But the walkman app is crap, using poweramp on vol 115 with sennheiser momentum 4 headphones and I'm only getting 4-5 hours with everything disabled wtf??

[@Solitaire001]

If it is like my Walkman (A55) then you need to format the MicroSD card on the player. This will format the card and then put folders and configuration files on the memory card. On my player I have to put the music and playlists into the MUSIC Folder. While it might be able to see the music files in other folders, it won't be able to see any playlist not loaded in the MUSIC Folder. As far as I know, you can put playlists into any folder within the MUSIC Folder. On my player I put the playlists in the top level of the MUSIC Folder.

[@GurpreetSinghDev]

Does it allow you to change the equilizer when connected to a Bluetooth headset? Will I be able to use it as a DAC with playstation 5

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Pretty sure the equaliser works when connected to all Bluetooth devices - mine does. No idea on the Playstation 5 as I do not possess one..

[@chinna6413]

How much expandable storage

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

This what the Sony website states: ''Sony Walkman devices that can use SD cards support the following standards: For micro SDXC cards, the Walkman supports up to 2TB. For Micro SDHC cards, the Walkman supports up to 32 GB For micro SDSC cards, the Walkman supports up to 2 GB.'' Which I assume also relates to the A306: www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00171492

[@rhoieeichstadt8406]

Same as sony nwa306 version do they have english language or can you change it to english

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Best is to ask Sony direct I guess. I do not know. The UK version I got only had a few language choices and even the English option was American English with no other choices...?!

[@serafimb2319]

But does it also play music?

[@b3taw0lfvfx46]

would you recomend buying this or buying Sony Xperia 1 V?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

I have no experience of the Sony Xperia smartphones at all so cannot give you an evidence based answer. I do think the Walkman has a specific user case, certainly for me - I want decent quality music playing and I want to use my smartphone separately and apart with the Walkman playing through Bluetooth speakers in different parts of the house

[@uruharakimsuke1092]

Is this better than nw zx300?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

I do not know unfortunately.

[@avushpavush]

how much ram it has?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

I do not know and as far as I can see Sony don't advertise how much either... www.sony.com/electronics/support/digital-music-players-nw-nwz-a-series/nw-a306/specifications

[@dtz1000]

4GB.

[@GrimReaper4383]

Is this still on Android 12?

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Mine is....

[@johnmonk66]

Not an audiophile? You sure talk like one.

[@RedNemesisDogPrime]

Nah. I am just old and have owned quite a few bits of audio equipment over the years... (but I will take your comment as a compliment, so thank you!)