Sony Walkman NW-A306 Review: Nostalgia Bait?

It was back in 1979 when Sony introduced the portable audio player which revolutionized how we consume music with the Walkman. The first Walkman, TPS-L2, was a cassette tape player which quickly became a cultural phenomenon having sold millions of units since its inception. Over the years, the Walkman evolved and adapted to newer technologies like CDs, MP3 file formats and much more. The Walkman brand eventually expanded to include mobile phones and other portable devices, however, the peak 1980s OG and iconic Walkman series remains the golden standard. Cut to 2023, where smartphones and music streaming have pretty much become synonymous with one another, Sony has launched a new iteration of the Walkman which costs Rs 25, 990. This begs us to ask the question of whether this new Walkman is actually worth shelling out the price for or is it just nostalgia bait? Find out below – 

Design and Features

The Sony Walkman NW-A306 is a high-quality digital audio player that brings back memories from an era bygone. It’s a compact and lightweight device featuring a 3.6-inch TFT display coupled with button controls on the side for ease of accessibility. While the Walkman is thicker than an average smartphone, it weighs lighter at just 113 grams. It has an eye catchy design that demands attention with its rippled wave design that covers the back of the device. The port selection consists of a 3.5mm Single-Enabled headphone output, coupled with a USB Type-C and an SD Card slot. The onboard storage is limited to 32GB with just 18GB out of it available for users to store offline music and load apps. It runs on Android 12 with connectivity options such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. 

The Walkman supports playback of Hi-Res audio files up to 24-bit/192kHz which translates to the user enjoying their music with the utmost clarity and detail. The device also comes equipped with Sony’s proprietary Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE Ultimate) technology which is capable of upscaling compressed audio files to enhance their sound quality. As it runs on Android 12, all your favourite streaming apps can be downloaded on the NW-A306 and used seamlessly. Overall, Sony has built a compact and complete package for the audio geek. 

Performance

At the first glance, the Sony Walkman NW-A306 comes off as an unnecessary device meant only for the truly indulgent among us. However, once you get to use the device and compare its audio quality to the standard smartphones we use to stream music nowadays is when you’ll realize its actual prowess. The device is designed to play/stream music and it does so flawlessly. Its audio output is incomparable when it comes to smartphones as they don’t flaunt the hardware features present in the Walkman. It features wireless HI-Res Audio with Sony’s premium wireless codec titled LDAC. On paper, LDAC technology allows 3X the bitrate of standard Bluetooth and provides a better listening experience. During my testing of the device, the experience through Bluetooth headsets and wired earphones was both unmatchable to any other device. However, the crispest audio quality from the Walkman can be achieved through FLAC files in the offline mode. I listened to the entirety of Adele’s studio album ‘30’ on the FLAC file format and it felt like she was singing right in front of me (no exaggeration) Standard 128Kbps and 320Kbps sound formats can be upscaled using the DSEE Ultimate feature present and the difference in sound quality after turning it on was always notable. Other features in the audio tuning section include Vinyl Processor, ClearAudio+, and DC Phase Linearizer along with a standard Equalizer. It comes with an auto power-off feature which always came in handy to preserve battery during a trek. The sound output here can be dialled up to 120 and no sound distortion or noise was witnessed at higher volumes. To sum it all up, the Sony Walkman NW-A306 is truly a treat for the audiophile. While some eyebrows are sure to rise when it comes to the NW-A306’s pricing, it is definitely justified for the premium performance you get for it. 

Verdict

The Sony Walkman NW-A306 builds upon the legacy of the Walkman brand with flying colours. It rewrites the boundaries of personal audio consumption by offering high-quality premium sound features in a compact package.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sony India launches the new NW-A306 Walkman

Sony today announced the latest addition to the Walkman® series family, NW-A306. Designed for listeners to enjoy music the way the artist intended with high-quality audio in a compact form factor.

Lightweight and compact design for maximum portability

The new Sony Walkman NWA306 is a stylish and compact music player, that lets consumers download and stream more of the music they love. Weighing just 199 grams, it is lightweight with the comfort and function of both a 3.6” touch screen and tactile physical music controls, the NW-A306 series delivers exceptional music experiences right from the users’ pocket

Designed for audiophiles with Hi-Res Audio Wireless

The NW-A306 is designed for audiophiles looking for premium sound and style. With the S-Master HX digital amp technology, independently developed for Walkman® is compatible with the native DSD format. 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. It uses Edge-AI (Artificial Intelligence), DSEE Ultimate™ (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) which upscales compressed digital music files in real time. Restoring acoustic subtleties and dynamic range provides a deep and rich listening experience.

Long lasting battery life for extended audio experience

The NW-A306 boasts a great battery life compared to previous models so listeners can immerse themselves in more of their music for a longer duration. It has a battery life of up to 36 hours1 of 44.1kHz FLAC playback, up to 32 hours1 of 96kHz FLAC high resolution audio playback, or even up to 26 hours with the streaming service apps to meet the demand of consumers.

Wi-Fi® compatible for direct download and music streaming

Further learning from its predecessor models, consumers can enjoy DSEE Ultimate for upscaling their music in NW-A306, whether it is Wi-Fi® streamed or downloaded. Now listeners can also enjoy DSEE Ultimate with wireless headphones.

Price and Availability 

The NW-A306 Walkman will be available across all Sony Centres, major electronic stores, Headphone Zone and e-commerce portals in India from 9th February 2023 onwards. It is priced at Rs 25,990 in the Indian market. 

Top 9 Retro-Tech That Fill Us With Nostalgia!

Do you remember all those attention-seeking gadgets the millennial generation used to have in their childhood? If you remember them, then you’re one of the good duns of memories, and if you don’t, then no worries, I’m going to take you on a nostalgic walk down memory lane, resembling some of the most desirable and most unique gadgets from the last few decades that has been outdated now by their talented cousins. Here is a list of 9 devices that will take you back to the world of millennials:

Camcorders

The earliest camcorders were tape-based, portable, and self-contained devices used to record videos without any film, which at that time was the most beneficial feature. When companies like Sony, Kodak and Panasonic launched their Camcorders in the market, almost everyone drooled over the device, from first-time parents to aspiring filmmakers, and started making videos. Nowadays, Canon is the only major manufacturer to announce new consumer camcorders (which happened in the CES 2017) due to their less demand in the current market.

Nokia 3310

Nokia 3310 has the honour of having excellent strength, it’s been 20 years since its launch, but still, the phone is famous for its durability and often features in the many internet memes. In November 2015, the Nokia 3310 was picked as one of the first three ‘National Emojis’ for Finland, referred to as the unbreakable. It was one of the first phones to have customized Xpress-on covers, and it also featured the hugely popular game Snakes. The phone was re-launched in 2017 with a colour display, 2 MP camera and micro-SD slot.

DVD Players / Portable DVD Players

Ever get caught watching some adult stuff on the DVD player, or have you ever dealt with the stuck DVD? Back then, people used to rent DVDs for days or two and used to enjoy newly released movies at home, but the Netflix Generation will never understand this kind of life. Some of the fortunate ones used to own Portable DVD players, a very rare gadget in India, but the relaxation after freeing the jammed DVD from a home-based DVD player always hit differently.

Walkman/Discman

People always prefer zoning out for me time; nowadays, they turn on Spotify, and back then, they used to own Walkman/Discman for some musical pleasure. Walkman or Discman was a portable cassette or CD player that allowed people to listen to the music of their choice on the go. Heading out to college with the Walkman was considered one of the coolest things as it automatically gets the attention one is looking for. Sony and Panasonic were the prominent Walkman/Discman makers at that time.

Video Games

We often scream our hearts out and talk about PUBG and other new-age games just because generation next is getting addicted to them but have you forgotten about your addiction to Video games? Come on, we all used to own and loved playing a Video game, be it Super Mario, Duck Hunting, Soccer or Contra; we spend most of our childhood days and summer vacations around them, don’t you count it as an addiction? Some of the popular companies which manufactured Video Games were Nintendo, Sony and Sega.

Cassette Tapes

Before the arrival of CD’s in the market, every Indian house cupboard used to hold at least 30 different cassette tapes, mainly Bollywood hits and devotional songs. If you still dig your attic or storeroom, you’ll find a handful of them. Cassette tapes are composed of a polyester-type plastic film with a magnetic layer, and they remained well-known for particular applications like car audio, personal stereo and telephone answering machines.

Film Cameras

The smartphone generation will never understand what it was like to click hundreds of pictures on a film camera and wait for a week in excitement to see the results, which turns out to be pathetic, most of the time. Yes, it’s true! Believe it or not, for most millennial, film cameras were just a one-day gig, especially a birthday photoshoot gadget. Today, the old film cameras of a golden era are more expensive than some of the full-frame DSLR cameras.

CDs

Generation X may have seen the Burning car but have you guys heard about burning CDs? Hold on, it’s not actual burning, but burning metaphorically. Nowadays, we have HDD, SDD, pen drives and other external storage devices, but back in those days, people used to store important data, music mixes and favourite movies on CDs, and to do that, they must have to drag the files they wish to burn from work in progress to the CD drive’s window.

Wired Telephones

Last but not least, wired telephones. Almost everyone from the millennial generation pranked their friends or random people by calling them during odd hours; it was such a happy moment for us, definitely not for the receiver. However, they are still in use at some of the old government and private offices; having them at home was a different kind of thrill, especially when you’re a popular school brat. Those were the days, my friend.

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