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Sony NW-A306 Music Player Review: A Wireless Powerhouse | Moon Audio

NW-A306 Walkman® DAP Music Player

MPN: NW-A306

Was: $349.99
Now: $328.00
In Stock

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Sony NW-A306 Music Player Review: A Wireless Powerhouse | Moon Audio

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Stunning new design

An eye-catching rippled wave design covers the rear of the unit, which looks stylish and provides better grip. As a playful nod to the portable music revolution, we began with the iconic TPS-L2, the NW-A300 series features a special cassette tape user interface and screensaver. The cassette tape visual that appears on your Walkman® display varies depending on the codec of the music you’re listening to.


Features at a Glance

  • Wi-Fi® compatible for direct download and streaming
  • Made with a rigid aluminum frame and gold solder inside a precisely engineered chassis
  • Up to 36 hours of 44.1KHz FLAC playback1
  • Supported by Android
  • Connect to a PC to access your music collection
  • Lightweight and designed for pockets
  • NW-A300 series high-quality PCM conversion
  • DSD audio formats up to 11.2MHz
  • The NW-A306 lets you enjoy 360 Reality Audio.
  • Rigid aluminum milled frame for improved sound quality
Lifestyle shot of masculine person of Asian decent sitting at a table with a cup of coffee, listening to a Sony Walkman with IEMs.
Sony NW-A306 Walkman Music player, sitting on a table with headphones and a journal in the background.

High-end components

The S-Master HX™ digital amp technology, independently developed for Walkman®, is compatible with the Native DSD format, and supports balanced and high power output. It reduces distortion and noise across a wide range of frequencies, for rich and full-bodied sound, further enhanced by new high quality sound lead-free solder.


The 3.6 inch (diag.) display gives you easier access to your music without compromising comfort. With the Walkman® Home Screen, you can customize the home display to suit your needs.

With a long battery life, you can immerse yourself in more of your music, with up to 36 hours of 44.1KHz FLAC playback, up to 32 hours of 96 KHz FLAC High-Resolution Audio playback, or even up to 26 hours with a music service app.1,2

The NW-A300 series features a USB Type-C port for quick charging and easy connectivity with a range of devices.

With a 32GB integrated memory and an SD card slot, the NW-A300 series Walkman lets you take even the biggest music collections on the go.

Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® Compatible

Supported by Android™ and compatible with Wi-Fi®, the NW-A306 offers you even more ways to listen to your music. Enjoy your favorite streaming and music apps right on your Walkman or connect to a PC to access your music collection.

Connect wirelessly with Bluetooth® and you’re ready to go. aptX HD audio compatibility is available.



Sony NW-A306 Walkman Music Player sitting on a table with IEMs and printed photos.
A Masculine person of Asian descent standing outside with a backpack, listening to a Sony Walkman with headphones.

Hi-Res Audio

Take your digital music collection to another level with High-Resolution Audio. By capturing and reproducing digital audio at a higher rate than CD (24-bit/96kHz and beyond), High-Resolution Audio allows you to get closer to the original studio recording. Enjoy High-Resolution Audio quality without wires thanks to LDAC, our premium wireless codec. With 3x the bitrate of standard Bluetooth® technology, you can enjoy a superior listening experience for all your music.

The NW-A306 lets you enjoy 360 Reality Audio. Immerse yourself in sound all around you. As real as if you were there at a live concert or with the artist recording in a studio. With 360 Reality Audio, music has never been so immersive and so real.

Experience the natural sound and intense detail of DSD audio formats up to 11.2MHz, thanks to the NW-A300 series' high-quality PCM conversion. Using Edge-AI (Artificial Intelligence), DSEE Ultimate (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) upscales compressed digital music files in real time. And the evolving algorithm now delivers even greater benefits for CD-quality (16 bit 44.1/48kHz) lossless codec audio. Restoring acoustic subtleties and dynamic range, it provides a richer, more complete listening experience.

Give the warmth and character of vinyl back to your digital tracks. Enjoy subtle reproduction of the low-frequency resonance, tone-arm resistance and surface noise to deliver an authentic listening experience.



Specifications

Software
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 12
Playback & Display
  • DISPLAY RESOLUTION : Size: 9.1 cm (3.6-inch), Resolution: HD (1280 x 720 Pixels)
  • DISPLAY TYPE: TFT color display with white LED-backlight
  • Touch Panel: Supported
  • MUSIC PLAY MODE: Shuffle Playback, Repeat Off, Repeat 1 Song, Repart All, All Range, Selected Range
  • MUSIC SEARCHING METHODS: All Songs, Artist, Release Year, Playlists, Album, Genre, Composer, Hi-Res, Recent Transfers, Folder, Cue sheet
  • SOUND EFFECTS: Direct Source (Direct), 10 Band equalizer, DC Phase Linearizer, Dynamic Normalizer, ClearAudio+, Vinyl Processor
  • AUDIO PLAYBACK: MP3 ( .mp3): 32 - 320kbps (supports VBR) / 32, 44.1, 48kHz, WMA ( .wma): 32-320kbps(supports variable bit rate(VBR)/44.1kHz(STEREO) 32-48kbps/44.1kHz(MONO), FLAC ( .flac): 16, 24bit / 8-384kHz, WAV ( .wav): 16, 24, 32bit (Float/Integer) / 8-384kHz, AAC ( .mp4, .m4a, .3gp): 16-320kbps / 8-48kHz, HE-AAC ( .mp4, .m4a, .3gp): 32-144kbps / 8-48kHz, Apple Lossless ( .mp4, .m4a): 16, 24bit / 8-384kHz, AIFF ( .aif, .aiff, .afc, .aifc): 16, 24, 32bit / 8-384kHz, DSD ( .dsf, .dff): 1bit / 2.8224, 5.6448, 11.2896 MHz, APE ( .ape): 8, 16, 24bit / 8-192kHz (Fast, Normal, High), MQA ( .mqa.flac): Supported
Dimensions
(W X H X D): Approx. 56.5 mm x 98.4 mm x 11.8 mm Approx. 2.23 inchs x 3.88 inchs x 0.47 inchs
Weight
Approx. 113 g 3.99 Oz
Connectivity
  • TERMINALS: USB: Type-C (USB3.2 Gen1 compliant), Headphone: Stereo mini-jack, External Memory: microSD microSDHC microSDXC
  • WIRELESS CAPABILITIES: Communication system: Bluetooth Specification Version 5.0, Supported Bluetooth profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, SPP, OPP, DID, Supported Codecs (Transmission): SBC, LDAC, aptX, aptX HD, AAC
Headphone Out (Stereo mini-jack)
  • FREQUENCY: Frequency response: 20-40,000 Hz
  • MAXIMUM POWER OUTPUT (JEITA 16Ω/MW): 0.4-1.1mW (32Ω)
USB DAC Mode
Yes
Power
  • Built-in Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion Battery
  • Charging and Power Supply: USB Power (from a computer via a USB)
  • BATTERY LIFE - Bluetooth (Transmitter mode): MP3 (128kbps) / SBC-Connection pref: Approx. 22 hour, FLAC (96kHz/24bit) / LDAC Connection Preferred(Auto): Approx. 11 hour
Power Continued
  • BATTERY LIFE - Bluetooth (Transmitter mode) Notes [1]: ・A Bluetooth connection will shorten the battery life by up to 50% depending on the following conditions. -Format of the content. -Settings of the connected device.
  • BATTERY LIFE - CONTINUOUS PLAYBACK MUSIC NOTES: ・The values shown in this topic indicate the approximate battery life when the player is playing continuously with the default settings. ・Even if the player is turned off for an extended period, a small amount of battery power is still consumed. ・Battery life may vary depending on volume setting, conditions of use and ambient temperature. ・The battery is consumed considerably when the screen is on. ・The battery life may become about 40% shorter when some of the sound adjustments are active. ・The battery life may become about 30% shorter when the [High-Res streaming] function is active.
  • BATTERY LIFE - CONTINUOUS PLAYBACK MUSIC: MP3 (128kbps) / Stereo mini-jack: Approx. 36 hours AAC (256kbps) / Stereo mini-jack: Approx. 36 hours WAV (44.1kHz/16bit) / Stereo mini-jack: Approx. 36 hours FLAC (44.1kHz/16bit) / Stereo mini-jack: Approx. 36 hours FLAC (96kHz/24bit) / Stereo mini-jack: Approx. 32 hours FLAC (192kHz/24bit) / Stereo mini-jack: Approx. 32 hours DSD (2.8224MHz/1bit) / Stereo mini-jack: Approx. 28 hours DSD (5.6448MHz/1bit) / Stereo mini-jack: Approx. 22 hours DSD (11.2896MHz/1bit) / Stereo mini-jack: Approx. 14 hours

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