Sony has introduced a new music player to the Walkman series family.
The NW-A306 is a stylish and compact music player that lets users download and stream more of the music they love. It is dedicated to delivering “exceptional music experiences right from the user’s pocket”, the brand said.
The new Walkman has full Wi-Fi compatibility and weighs just 113 grams, plus there’s a 3.6-inch touch screen.
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”.
Just like the latest Signature Walkman model, the NW-A306 applies a reflow solder containing gold, which has a significant effect in the overall improved sound localisation and wider sound space. To realise the music player’s evolutionary sound, a dual clock, film capacitor and fine sound register have been precisely placed within the Walkman.
The NW-A306 uses Edge-AI (Artificial Intelligence), DSEE Ultimate (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) which accurately upscales compressed digital music files to higher quality. The evolving algorithm now delivers even greater benefits for CD-quality (16 bit 44.1/48kHz) lossless codec audio.
With further progress from its predecessor models, listeners can enjoy DSEE Ultimate for upscaling music, whether it is Wi-Fi streamed or downloaded. Plus DSEE Ultimate can also be enjoyed with wireless headphones.
The NW-A306 – which will have a suggested retail price of £350 – features a longer battery life compared to previous models; it can offer up to 36 hours of 44.1kHz Flac playback, up to 32 hours of 96kHz FLAC high resolution audio playback, or up to 26 hours with the streaming service app to meet user’s demand.
Sony also reported that the NW-A306 reflects its commitment to reducing its environmental impact by avoiding the use of plastic in the packaging material. The company alluded that this could be the case for most, if not all, products going forward.
