Sony's latest Walkman could replace my iPhone if it wasn't for one major issue

[What Hi-Fi?]

Sony's new NW-A306 Walkman is a great example of an affordable, compact, dedicated hi-res music player. So why does it act just like another Android phone?

Sony's latest Walkman could replace my iPhone if it wasn't for one major issue : Read more

 

[AllanM]

wow, you getting a dedicated player to listen to "hi res" audio through Grado SR325s? I have some fine land to see you in Florida if you are intersted.

 

[McFly]

If you're using Bluetooth audio, I'd stick with your iPhone and stop wasting your money on Tidal.

 

[SICKS6SIX]

does Bluetooth degenerate the sound so much it's not worth having high-end sound devices to play it, I have read that several times now, is it true, or is it hogwash

 

[Jasonovich]

Why would you want to listen to open back headphones namely Grado SR325x on your moble? You realise when you're commuting, everyone can listen to your music and vice versa.

I would have thought, having a fully functional OS such as Android, would be a strength not a weakness and despite having similiarity to a phone, it isn't a phone, you can't make phone calls. I'm not a big fan of SONY DAP's, the quality is good but there always two steps behind with the latest technology and features.

The DAP I'm using, has Android, which is great, I can download all the streaming apps, such as Tidal, Deezer, Spotify and et'al but I can also Tik Tok, how can I function without the funny cat videos. The feature that stands out for me is the Hiby music player, as softwares go, it has a great interface, makes managing your music files a doddle.

 

[waynebaal]

As a pedant, it is 'less' than half the price of the SR35 .

 

[Gnik_Nus]

If you're using Bluetooth audio, I'd stick with your iPhone and stop wasting your money on Tidal

Why would you want to listen to open back headphones namely Grado SR325x on your moble? You realise when you're commuting, everyone can listen to your music and vice versa.

I would have thought, having a fully functional OS such as Android, would be a strength not a weakness and despite having similiarity to a phone, it isn't a phone, you can't make phone calls. I'm not a big fan of SONY DAP's, the quality is good but there always two steps behind with the latest technology and features.

The DAP I'm using, has Android, which is great, I can download all the streaming apps, such as Tidal, Deezer, Spotify and et'al but I can also Tik Tok, how can I function without the funny cat videos. The feature that stands out for me is the Hiby music player, as softwares go, it has a great interface, makes managing your music files a doddle.

PMP is the correct term because they are media players, not just music players. So-called audiophiles don’t even know that even back in the iPod days they stopped being dedicated to just music playback. DAP. lol.

 

[Gnik_Nus]

If you're using Bluetooth audio, I'd stick with your iPhone and stop wasting your money on Tidal.

Why? The device supports LDAC, and when I use wired headphones I hardly notice any difference in the sound quality anyway. Wired headphones are ok in some situations but wires do tend to get in the way and are annoying. If you want to get most out of the battery life, wired headphones are obviously better but in my experience, even Bluetooth will give you at least 5 hours of playback and unless you are listening to mystic for longer than that, there is no real need to use wired headphones.
Also, using an iPhone for music playback will reduce the phone’s battery life so it is still better to have a separate media player to preserve the battery life of the phone. Makes perfect sense.

 

[Gnik_Nus]

does Bluetooth degenerate the sound so much it's not worth having high-end sound devices to play it, I have read that several times now, is it true, or is it hogwash

I have owned many different headphones over the years and though it so true that different headphones have a different sound signature, I have never personally noticed any inferior sound purely due to using Bluetooth. Crap headphones will give you crap sound. Mid priced headphones will give you more than adequate sound quality and the high end ones will have better drivers etc. Most of the audiophiles talk nonsense when they say they can notice differences between Bluetooth and wired sound. What do they hear on wired headphones that they can’t hear on decent Bluetooth headphones? The difference between different priced headphones is not always clear cut because it all comes down to preference. One person can have very expensive headphones and like the sound, while another person might prefer a much cheaper headset. This is why audio reviews and opinions are worthless because not everyone hears things the same way and neither doors everyone like the same sound. Some so-called audiophiles speak of the money they spend on expensive equipment such as DAC’s speakers, and headphones, but they are, at the end of the day, telling you about what they prefer. It doesn’t mean that everyone will like that sound or would even think it is good.

 

[Jasonovich]

PMP is the correct term because they are media players, not just music players. So-called audiophiles don’t even know that even back in the iPod days they stopped being dedicated to just music playback. DAP.

DAP (digital analogue player) is just a generic word for it!
My little TempoTec, my little P(i)MP, yeah I think I like that better(!) streams and has a host of features such as Chrome browser, TikTok, file manager, photo browser but hardly use these features

 

[Gnik_Nus]

Fair enough. I prefer not to use that term though.

 

[Jasonovich]

Fair enough. I prefer not to use that term though.

Sorry I'm a little late welcoming you but Welcome to the forum Gnik_Nus.

 

[Gnik_Nus]

DAP (digital analogue player) is just a generic word for it!
My little TempoTec, my little P(i)MP, yeah I think I like that better(!) streams and has a host of features such as Chrome browser, TikTok, file manager, photo browser but hardly use these features

Most people wouldn’t call it a Digital analogue player. They use the term to call it digital audio player. That is what they used to in ancient days. Even the iPod got video playback at one point.

Sorry I'm a little late welcoming you but Welcome to the forum Gnik_Nus.

Thank you so much!

 

[Jasonovich]

Most people wouldn’t call it a Digital analogue player. They use the term to call it digital audio player. That is what they used to in ancient days. Even the iPod got video playback at one point.

Thank you so much!

Yes sorry my bad, digital audio player.