Sony Walkman NW-A306 Review: Best Value HiFi Audio Player to Get!

[@nelsonc6173]

I was looking at this but settled on the HiBy R6 III. It's a bigger screen, has the Snapdragon 665 chip making the DAP really responsive, has android 12, 64gb of storage and 4 gb of ram, bluetooth 5.2 and slew of other features for 100 bucks more than the Sony. Plus it sounds awesome! I love it!

[@klgadgettv]

That's a great choice, too bad it is way more than 100 bucks extra here in Malaysia.

[@Andyhandle]

Thought about the hiby but bigger and heavier and worse battery life. The nwa306 is better for me given that I have a phone too

[@mral4381]

​@@klgadgettv What would you suggest as the best offline mp3 player?

[@Jacob1451_Kapnobatai]

​@@mral4381Mechen M30, that's my first player I bought a while back.

[@krenerkun]

This is what i really hate about android DAPs, bloated apps and consumes quite more battery than my Sony Walkman A55. My DAP could last weeks with daily listening of 5 hours. I hope they still produce better product but without android OS.

[@ReceiveMusic]

That's what I'm afraid of. The A55 is on my radar but the product is discontinued now so only used listings most of the time. While the newer versions have android and barely have the hardware to run efficiently. Having an app store on a DAP doesn't outweigh all the shortfalls that come with it.

[@elisagillespie6865]

I just need a bright yellow, retro silver, or red one. Come on.

[@14bqdonk]

i need all colour

[@cementheed]

Just bought one, will be using with a LINUX based laptop to transfer my MP3s - we'll see how it goes.

[@ChrispyChris3]

@charlesbrickner6006I used rsync on my earlier version of a Sony player and it worked just fine if you know what you're doing. I'm unsure about this one, but saw someone mention rsync as well, so I'm sure it works still. I'm also a bit worried about the volume, I've heard it's not too loud for in ear buds. Did you ever pick this up and give it a shot? Any information on the volume? I don't listen to my stuff super loud anyways because I don't want to go deaf, but I'm still curious to hear what people think.

[@HazyFelix]

so how did it go?

[@rmfotaru]

Your reviews are excellent short but detailed cheers

[@Gravy_Jones22]

I just wish it wasn't trying to be a smart phone. It's meant to be a DAP so be a DAP. Bad user interface for listening to your own library, no easy way to manage/create playlists, adware, and forced app installs. We're all looking for an ipod replacement so give us one.

[@Cyrisus]

I believe device manufacturers are contractually required to add the GSuite host of apps if they wish to have access to the Google Play store... Its dumb but it is the way it is.

[@felervega6839]

Una pregunta ,los a306 producidos en Japón tiene la aplicación para usarlos en otro idioma como el español ? O solo viene para usas en japonés?

[@zizou-zwane]

Whenever Tugg uploads a video, my blood pressure starts rising out of nowhere. Like a 6th sense

[@amrlazn]

love this review!!! thinking of buying one. thanks so much!!

[@melike7842]

nw-a307 buy

[@Zenstone26]

Nice review but it would be great if you could tell what audio features are available on bluetooth

[@TheMCNanno]

My only question is Can I download the Hallow prayer app? It is the only app I need but no reviews Tell me what apps I can download

[@KE8NUF]

It should be able to download anything you normally could from the Play Store

[@chevymusclecar1970]

can you do a versus with Ipod classic?

[@WhoobieD]

Best IEMs for this unit? Looking for a solid all arounder... I don't think the Sony warrants super high end iems. My ideal (simplified) profile would be warm, full and resolute. Would love a few suggestions. Over looked at moondrop, Dunu, Aful, Sennheiser and even truthear hexa... Heck I've looked at KZ. Thank you for your videos!

[@arifkizilay]

hi, could you compare NW-A306 with nwz 707? thank you

[@undergroundterrorist72]

Thanx for the video! I was wondering: I dont need all the apps, only bluetooth, a lot of GB storage and easy to access folders where I put MP3 files in. I dont like streaming, is it worth to buy only for the things I mentioned above? Thanx!

[@sasski9383]

How about compares with fiio m11s? Is that big difference? I don’t sure should I add more budget to fiio m11s

[@Juleru]

2:45 What app is that? Can you use it to sync your music with the Walkman?

[@krishanjagtiani9060]

Thanks for the great review. Can I use this walkman to stream via bluetooth to jbl party speaker? Objective is to get loss less audio unlike when I stream from mobile phone. Will using the walkman make a quality difference?

[@klgadgettv]

The transmission will be marginally better, not unless your JBL party speaker supports lossless audio streaming

[@krishanjagtiani9060]

@@klgadgettv many thanks

[@caseystone8017]

I'm looking for an MP3 style player with Bluetooth that I can download music and albums to and play through the headset of my car. I know I can use my phone to do the same thing through Bluetooth but I get a ton of notifications and phone calls and my music streaming is alway interrupted while I'm driving when using my phone. Does this player have the capability of doing that? Thanks

[@KE8NUF]

This player is perfect for that

[@14bqdonk]

3:53 What powerbank brand is that?

[@GeorgeVega]

Cucktech no 30

[@jairdabrini]

I bought a Sony mp3 player once, not gonna do the same mistake twice.

[@fjzingo]

Restarted my ipod classic 4th gen, that is music only!! Hm where is my Md player, discman and walkman…

[@Monetenbursche]

Watching this from my A306 rn

[@paolochicco7200]

Hallo. Sorry for the silly question. Is it possible to download the music from streaming services like spotify or youtube in the device or it can only been used as a streaming device? Cannot find anywhere this answer :(

[@klgadgettv]

Yes you can because it runs Android

[@paolochicco7200]

@@klgadgettv thank you so much!

[@thenwordjose]

Nice video, bro. One query, could you tell me what is inside the *MUSIC* folder in *Internal Shared Storage* other than the 3 sample musics found there please? I think I deleted an extremely important file or PDF by accident and would like to recover it and put it where it belongs. Thanks.

[@ismafaridismail1086]

is this good for running?

[@GrimReaper4383]

Can this player display album covers if I make them in FLAC?

[@bigzybinc]

Could this connect to a CarPlay

[@anikchoudhury]

Can it play Dolby Atmos files?

[@eskeskeskeres]

Got pcm-m10. Its better for half price. (including 40 segment vu meter)

[@sathandommi]

I can't install Tidal on it. Please help.

[@michiville8087]

sony nw-a306 or ibasso dx170?

[@Dude.Rude.]

Nice review

[@stripervince1]

Does this one have wifi? Can it play videos and store photos?

[@dont4450]

How would you compare this to the nw a55 as far as sound?

[@klgadgettv]

Pretty similar, the only improvement I can see is just battery life and performance.

[@WattTheTech]

Can you plug this into an external DAC and use it like a transport. I know you can use this as a DAC but I want to go the other way. Use it as a source with my external DAC

[@klgadgettv]

Yes you can,

[@WattTheTech]

@@klgadgettv Thats great thank you for the reply

[@hamwhacker]

Can you play mp4 videos off an as card with it? Please

[@tristarsilver6052]

What is better to buy Sony a306 or shanling m3x? Now they are about the same price in my country (around 300-350 dollars). The rest are much more expensive. This is my first player.

[@klgadgettv]

I would go for the Shanling for its better audio performance, but I wished Shanling had updated the OS instead of Android 7.1

[@dreamfunction4491]

Does it UPSCALE regular PCM and/or mp3 audio files ???

[@klgadgettv]

Yes it does with the DSEE HX feature

[@dreamfunction4491]

@@klgadgettv thanks.

[@angelpagador91]

does airpodsPro gen 2 works with this player?, airpods pro gen 2 is the only headphone that is not working with sony older bluetooth player, i have airpods pro gen 1, beats solo 3, beats buds and airpods MAX, the only one that not work is airpods pro gen2, when google problem i found that airpods pro 2 have a new bluetooth thats not work on older, i dont know, but would love to know if airpods pro 2 works with this player, if i work i might buy one. i have Sony Walkman A55L atm

[@klgadgettv]

Yeah it works

[@themmaboom8045]

Which earphones do you recommended to use with this device ?

[@klgadgettv]

I'm using the inTime Sora and Tangzu Wuzetian

[@jorgeviveroshuerta9689]

SONY NW-A306 or HIBY R5 GEN 2? pls help!!!

[@Psyclonus7]

How's the volume cap when compared to the nwa-55?

[@klgadgettv]

Up to 120.

[@komedee3739]

Can the language be changed on this?

[@ericlai3221]

great stuff👍

[@Daniel_RO-TM]

if you could do calls with this..

[@cowsgomoo6276]

does anyone know if this sony NW-A306 will work well with my audio 64 Ut6 IEMs? (cost like $2k SGD) or do i need a better DAP instead? i dont wanna spend too much on a DAP so im considering if this sony model will be a decent choice for a better sound rather than using my iphone.

[@theinceptor3672]

According to Google, your iem is low in impedance which means it can be easily driven by most mobile player. So yes, this Walkman is capable of driving your iem

[@brahmantasatyo]

​@@theinceptor3672how about drive hifiman sundara?

[@Andyhandle]

I like daps, but another option for the iPhone is a decent lightning (or usb c) dac, there aee somw great small ones around. Apple outputs truebit audio so the dac has more to work with. Android down samples unless the manufacturer has bypassed android, or use an app like usb audio player Pro. But doing that way drains your phone battery life.

[@elpanameno8127]

me llega el 20 de junio, ya quiero pobarlo

[@Bilalhaqx]

Strange how even in these days the first generation of new devices is still slow despite the breakthroughs in efficiency over the last 20 years of smart hand devices. I owned Google pixel watch (first version) and same issues, what's the excuse for making such slow devices in 2024?

[@klgadgettv]

Audio players don’t require that much of performance, and most of the power is given to the DAC, which is why many of these devices use low to mid tier SOCs

[@beerticker1260]

I'd like a player that's just a player. I wish i could get rid of the Android functionality.

[@funcionyforma]

Hiby r2, Hiby R3 pro ii, sony a55, shanling m0 pro, shanling m1s, hidizs ap 80 pro x. Beside, a lot of devices from fiio, shanling, ibasso, hiby, etc has their own "pure music" OS, that bypass Android. Plenty of options out there

[@martincowling6562]

Great is Sony at the Audio and sound quality, but don't like the way they now want you to use Android as we all know Android is the way of getting you to update or buy an new device as in time, they will say, no longer supported isn't this feature no-more, as you have no privacy with Android at all, This is why the best one Sony ever did was the NW-A55 ,where no rubbish Android or privacy gap was included on this, Wish they still made one like the NW-A55 as it was far better battery too,

[@bondjovi4595]

Apple stock went down 3 points. Lol, I really don't care. I would buy this over an iPod, anyday. I go for build quality, every time.

[@brianaa6502]

Do you need a computer to add music onto it?

[@klgadgettv]

Nope

[@markerikcanar7363]

Astell & Kern pa rin.. Nice review by the way.

[@herrwarmduscher5204]

What's the benefit of buying this over a smartphone? Hasn't Sony made LDAC available to all Android devices?

[@klgadgettv]

No distractions from notifications, and much better wired audio quality.

[@herrwarmduscher5204]

@@klgadgettv Wired makes sense. Is the quality better than getting a dongle DAC like Dragonfly Red / MoonRiver 2 and using it with an Android phone?

[@andrzejsochon1169]

This is one hand operating device, very important for me. I have NW-A105, very convenient to operate audiobooks and music playback without looking at the screen, unfortunately it has poor battery capacity.

[@joshuvaantonio]

Unpopular question - Isn’t a flagship smartphone with headphone jack enough

[@klgadgettv]

They don’t have powerful amps like these players do to drive earphones

[@antoniosmith197]

😮​@@klgadgettv

[@Haydos]

​​@@klgadgettvthat's not true. The sony only has enough power for iems. People say this is a bad thing but no it's just right for the product you use it for. I have it and use it with my iems and love it. If you have a phone with a headphone jack there isn't much difference. They will drive any iem just fine

[@gnoclaude7945]

Just make a mp3 player or use a better arm chip for android. This does neither thing well and appears slow and laggy. The hibi ones are better but big and clunky. Maybe I'll just use my phone lol. I just want a snappy, small, sexy, device with decent dac that powers all my headphones. I hate dongles.

[@NobitaASMR-r4c]

Sana magkaroon ako nyan😢

[@christopherbentley578]

The audio quality is good, but the software is horrible. Mine is 14 months old and needs to go back for a software reset apparently. It is like using something from the 90's. Avoid.

[@Fionn-Greyship]

Can we use Apple Music on this device?

[@Rockthespaceship]

Yes.

[@ipodtvbox2042]

Can we download songs from Apple Music to play offline ?

[@Rockthespaceship]

@@ipodtvbox2042 yes.

[@krhetsogaming5121]

Sony NW-A306 Walkman

[@stevenharrison7431]

Anyone have any success downloading emulators from the playstore and playing gameboy games? I feel like it shouldn’t be a problem but I’ve heard loads times on this device aren’t always the best.

[@klgadgettv]

Like I mentioned, you shouldn't do any sort of gaming on it because the processing power is so weak

[@pakalurtz1831]

Shanling m3x or Sony a306

[@klgadgettv]

I would go for M3x for better performance, but too bad it runs on a dated version of Android

[@Blue4Life_]

I don’t get it, why would anyone buy these if they already have an android phone ??

[@klgadgettv]

No distractions such as phone calls, notifications, and most importantly, your phone storage probably won't be enough for uncompressed audio files

[@fuchsiapods]

This might be a cursed comment, but here goes... I wonder how it performs in games 😅

[@klgadgettv]

Don’t ever try it, not even Candy Crush plays well enough

[@fuchsiapods]

@@klgadgettv 😅 Thanks

[@mickfitz76]

​@klgadgettv what about instant messaging apps like Line, Telegram etc?

[@jorgeehernandez6930]

So i have to pay like 400 but is very responsive? 😂

[@darrellglover4301]

Overpriced.

[@kapitantutan4862]

Yup thats the issue for me as well

[@richmoney9348]

No camera like the ipod touch

[@dont4450]

I wish someone could tell me this sounds any better than the nw a55? I know it's further advanced as far as having the ability to stream, but it's the sound I'm interested in. Are it's dac and other internals really better. I have the nw a55 and love it. I don't want to spend the cash if it doesn't really sound a lot better.

[@klgadgettv]

IMO the A55 still sounds better, but what you are here is Android OS which you can stream music instead of just downloading them onto your SD card

[@martincowling6562]

A55 is better in some way, because you have privacy where your not using Android, where you have to sign up to it as you are being watched, plus in time android features on the latest versions will soon be out of date as features could no longer work,

[@dont4450]

If I download a video app, and a movie, can it be watched on this player?

[@klgadgettv]

Yes