*COPY & PASTE OF VIDEO DESCRIPTION TEXT BOX* UPDATE: You can make the A55 sound better, louder and add the FM radio back - here's the video that shows how th-cam.com/video/7VPaXdQoKXs/w-d-xo.html The NW-A50 series can be found at the Affiliated Amazon Links below: UK: amzn.to/3bN4AvH US: amzn.to/2SRMno0 DE: amzn.to/3bM9EQN FR: amzn.to/327Ar5D ES: amzn.to/2wtpqjB IT: amzn.to/3bNgbuQ I prefer the NW-A100 series - the next tier up from the NW-A50. There are some Amazon links below for these - note that in my experience some colours are cheaper than others. AFFILIATED LINKS: UK: amzn.to/2s6p0gP US: amzn.to/2SWTDyP DE: amzn.to/2qCmtue FR: amzn.to/2D5LT6c ES: amzn.to/2XBuP1e IT: amzn.to/2XK24Qp Sony NW-A100 Review here: th-cam.com/video/uzdy_2kGGhM/w-d-xo.html *ADDITIONAL INFORMATION* It turns out (unsurprisingly) that *there are a number of differences between the A40 and the A50* series Walkman that aren’t immediately apparent from looking at Sony’s disorganised specs pages for the two devices - Here’s a video that explains the changes: th-cam.com/video/8uOp5Y-rTGs/w-d-xo.html --------------- SUBSCRIBE ------------------ th-cam.com/users/Techmoan ------------- Merchandise ----------------- teespring.com/stores/techmoan-merch ------------- SUPPORT --------------- This channel can be supported through Patreon www.patreon.com/techmoan *******Patrons usually have early access to videos******* ---------- Outro Music ----------- Over Time - Vibe Tracks th-cam.com/video/VSSswVZSgJw/w-d-xo.html ------ Outro Sound Effect ------ ThatSFXGuy - th-cam.com/video/5M3-ZV5-QDM/w-d-xo.html ------ AFFILIATED LINKS/ADVERTISING NOTICE ------- All links are Affiliated where possible. When you click on links to various merchants posted here and make a purchase, this can result in me earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network & Amazon. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON Sites (including, but not limited to Amazon US/UK/DE/ES/FR/NL/IT/CAN)
I love Techmoan and find it funny how he always has to copy videos descriptions to pinned comments since people are used to descriptions never containing anything of use so they just do not read it even when something is actually there.
Very interesting, and quite a surprise I wonder if they use different D-A conversation chips. What do you do with all this tech Techmoan, do you keep it all?
Hearing difference between audio players is not that surprising actually. Different D/A chips and op-amps have different sound signature, especially op-amps where change is not even so subtle and even people who swear this is snake oil stuff will almost always change their view from "it all sounds the same" to something like "this and this op-amps is the best". This is as you can imagine much more audible when you drive headphones directly and not use external amplifier. Sony unfortunately does not disclose what parts they use in any of their Walkman products like some other manufacturers do.
I understand and appreciate keeping separate devices. Yes a smartphone does practically everything but the strictest photographers will have their cameras, the strictest gamers will have their computers and consoles, and the strictest music lovers will have their standalone music device
A blind A/B test! Good man! So often do you see TH-camrs opine about things and you wonder "did you just convince yourself of this or would it stand up to a blind trial", and you actually did it! Big props!
I think the main reason more TH-camrs don't do blind tests is because they're afraid they'll look stupid if the one they prefer going in doesn't win the blind tests. In other words: they're just plain covering their butts by not doing blind tests. This comes off to me as just plain cowardice, because if what you prefer is really the better choice, a blind test will give you more credibility--you only "lose" if you've made the wrong choice in the first place. And if you do "lose", so what? We're all human, nobody's perfect. I personally feel that someone who can be big enough to admit they made an error, makes them look better in my eyes, not lesser. And Techmoan (Mat) has done this--which is just another of the many reasons I watch him.
Just be aware that A/B tests paint an incomplete picture. I can e.g. barely hear a DIRECT difference between MP3 and lossless audio when doing an A/B test, but for longtime listening there is no doubt I prefer lossless. I recommend people read "Slow listening" over on Stereophile: www.stereophile.com/content/slow-listening.
Good review! I have an nw a55 actually and what i love the most of the device is that you are disconnected from Wifi. You just have your music to focus on and have no distractions from other apps on your device.
@@brandenlucero I strongly agree with you about MediaGo being much better than Music Center for PC (MCFP), its replacement. MediaGo had its issues (synching didn't work for me because I couldn't control the sort order) but it was easy to use, reliable, and did everything I needed when it came to music and video. All I had to do was select files/playlists and send them to my player. I tried MCFP and it ended up locking up to the point it was unusable (I made changes to large number of files and it locked up the program while it tried to process the changes). I ended up returning to MediaMonkey and it works great with the A55.
@@humoody Ik this is a year ago. But it really does. It depends though, if you use cheaper headphones or earphones. It will practically be the same, since those headphones can’t output really great sound anyway you put it. But for better more hi fi headphones, your phone will not be able to fully use the headphones, due to compression on all streaming services (except tidal) and some headphones just need a higher power output to really even work on any device. If you have a pair of headphones that is good, you will benefit from one of these.
@@mytester6208 hard to say...the Premium Sound micro SD fate determination relies on positional cell-cell signaling that activates signal transduction pathways, rather than fiber optic lineage. An opti-genic signal that is released from the A55 aural receptor is received by the neighboring 2K gold progenitors, stimulating the plating particles into adhering to the ommatidia. The adjacent cryogenic silicon selects it's appropriate oxygen levels based on their position with axon bundles and reduces them to 0.001% or 0 (zero) parts o2 per .8 parts silicon, measured in rhabdomere. Finally, the local signal activates the 'non-neuronal cone receptor soni-transduction pathway' (NECRO.STRAP) and initiates the R8 'Premium Sound' receptor neurons and progresses to the sequential recruitment of each ommatidium. note: Achieving this has also required the rewiring of the the axon bundles such that 4 heptochimney are twisted through 180 degrees (re-inverted), and each rhabdomere is united with those from the six adjacent ommatidia that share the same aural axis.
I've had an A45 for a couple years now. Honestly I can't tell the sound quality difference between it and higher end DAPs and I tried in person before buying against a bunch of other options, plus it does sound noticeably better than my phone with less random issues coming up due to a smartphone OS interrupting things. The benefits of a separate device are clear to me. You don't use phone battery, you don't need to deal with an app that gets updated with a broken UI and ads, you just get a straightforward player for your own files whether they are paid for, downloaded ages ago, or ripped yourself from CDs or a high quality blu ray. And the walkman series has great support for a lot of different file formats with many different bitrate and sample rates. All that plus physical buttons so you can use it in your pocket, and of course a headphone jack that is increasingly disappearing from phones. The proprietary connector is a funny thing to encounter these days but there are some benefits to it. With USB you get data and that's it. But with the connector you can also get proper Line Out, and get either a Line Out cable online or an older Sony dock. The dock I got is a cheap used one from 2009 that works great and can charge and do Line Out at the same time, and I have it hooked up to my even older Onkyo minidisc deck+amplifier. So yeah you need to have a funny Sony-only cable but generic options are cheap and plentiful, and you get some other advantages out of it. But because it's also a modern device it still has bluetooth out for when that's useful with modern codecs that would be better quality a classic ipod for example. Altogether I've gotten a lot of use out of my walkman since I bought it. It's gotten me listening to my library of music more than I used to. One thing to note is don't try importing one from Japan. It'll come with Japanese language only and there's no way to change it!
The Walkman series has done me very well. All the way from a cassette player through the minidisc saga and finally MP3 players. Glad to see it hasn’t fully died.
@Lassi Kinnunen Thank you! I was just about to say the same thing. If it's 'not' OFC then it 'is' copper (plated) clad. People just don't know the reality of the situation.
I believe the supposed advertised benefit of OFC was to minimize diode type conduction between adjacent strands of oxidized copper. Essentially millions of tiny “whisker detectors” along the strands of wires where they touch. Technically yes, but audible? It is a fact patch cords can sound different based on their capacitance and that is probably the largest reason for change in sound across various brands/grades of patch cables.
I tapped out with my ipod classic. I had a Bluetooth adapter for it but it stopped working. N105 don't care for android and I've watched other videos stating that the music sounds Better on the a55
@@digidrum2003 you know so this thing can do way more than just mp3 right? Flac support is a must for me because I prefer lossless format over obsolete lossy mp3 format.
I used to use Language Study on my old A40 model for podcasts as it kept them separate from my music and allowed for jumping back and forward by set increments.
lol old!!! i have an a40 but at the moment with the way i use it i cant tell if the music is at hd or not, you need to use it wired etc but ive gone all bluetooth even with my sony wmx 2s... the wmx2s are amazing though only beaten by bose comforts for comfort but sonys had the better reviews and features for the same price
In addition to podcasts, I use the Language Study Area for audiobooks and audio plays. Those are the types of files where being able to manipulate the audio (such as speeding up) is an advantage. Plus, as others have mentioned, it allows me to separate them from my music. That is some I used to have to do via playlists.
Although a dedicated device for listening music is pretty unusual these days, that Sony Walkman logo reminded me those awesome times between 2007-2010 when you were ‘popular’ in the school owning Sony Ericsson cellphones with that logo in the back and colorful RGB leds in the sides, like the W580 model. The sound quality through the speaker was really great and the camera had way better resolution compared to other similar models of the time. It’s funny how I remember that thing with the same nostalgia as other generations remember vinyls or cassettes.
A nice review. Thank you. I was considering this as an option. I doubted that I would notice (or even that there would be ) the difference between this and the A100 which has been in my wish list since you reviewed it. I'm still using my MiniDisc player (only a lowly MZ-N510) as my primary portable (when not streaming from TIDAL over a phone etc). And yes I am one of those weird people that still enjoy getting up and leafing through the discs to select what to play and sitting down to listen to it.
Love your work Techmoan. Everything you have said in this review is correct. You know that already but I wanted to be clear before I go on. I bought an A55 here in Aus last week, and while I am sure it might not quite match up with the A100 series, as the gateway drug for hires and flac on the go, it is perfect, at least for me. I’ve recently re-ripped my entire CD collection from mp3 to flac. I was kicking myself reencoding 500 odd CDs, but it was worth it. I can now drag these lossless files over to my m55 and when I do ABX testing, the flac on the A55 wins every time. I know that with some apps etc I can play flac on my phone, but having the m55 as a dedicated lossless/hires player is perfect. I’m sure the A100 series are the duck’s nuts but the A55 at 35% cheaper, at least here in Aus, and the fact that you can still Bluetooth stream Tidal etc to it from your iPhone, means the A55 really is that gateway DAP if you want to go from lossy to lossless or hires and still use streaming apps from your phone. The milled aluminium and copper sales pitch is complete BS, but this device still represents excellent value for someone coming from an iPod touch or iPhone and want to rock out during the day with a lossless player in their pocket. I already own Dire Straits Brothers in Arms on vinyl, CD, DVD and tape, but I*cough* came across a 96kHz 24 bit rip of the Japanese SACD the other day, and on my A55, it is heads and shoulders above a 320 mp3 made fresh from my CD. I can pick it out every time in blind/ABX testing. Also, the USB DAC feature is excellent when travelling and you want better audio while watching or listening to something on your work laptop...and it charges up while you are using it as a laptop DAC. I’m sure the A100 series are better, but I say to others out there making their first move from mp3 that the A55 represents excellent value for money!
Man, II want to go from mp3 to flac, you really feel the difference between your smartphone and this walkman?, I've been seeing reviews for weeks and yours reflects exactly how I plan to use it myself.
@@tommyfunk92 that really depends on your headphones, mate. You won't get a decent result without having a decent pair of headphones or IEMs, ie. you will notice zero difference if you're listening on Airpods or similar earplugs. Sometimes you just hit the limit of the device or headphones and you can't get past it. If you have headphones or IEMs like Fidelio X2HR or FIIO FH3 (just an example to make you understand what are we talking about, there's plenty of cheaper and more expensive options that will also do the trick, it's just what I personally use), you will definitely notice a difference. Tracks are clearer, you will hear details you were unable to hear before. It's more for analytical type of listening, though. If you enjoy that kind of things, it'll be worth it. If you just want to vibe, I wouldn't be quite sure. For comparison, I also have an iPod Touch 4G. I transferred ALAC files to it, plugged in my FIIO FH3's, and guess what? Almost no difference. Its just not capable of doing any better.
if we are talking about audio quality, it would make a difference. different phones, different music apps, different file systems, etc etc can and does sound MASSIVELY different. This isn't including the different headphones you use or the EQ's you are running as those are rather obvious.
@@kalypso4133 I have two Android devices, one cheap and the other more expensive. Even via bluetooth, the cheap one sucks in comparison. I think the only time it's similar is when I use an external DAC like a Schiit Modi or something.
@@kalypso4133 I assume you’re replying to a now deleted comment? Regardless, I have my doubts about file systems... I’ll give you the others depending on how the audio path looks, though it shouldn’t matter that much as long as it isn’t so bad it doesn’t provide the DAC with samples sufficiently quickly. Beyond that it shouldn’t really matter.
@@kalypso4133 I assume you’re replying to a now deleted comment? Regardless, I have my doubts about file systems... I’ll give you the others depending on how the audio path looks, though it shouldn’t matter that much as long as it isn’t so bad it doesn’t provide the DAC with samples sufficiently quickly. Beyond that it shouldn’t really matter.
He says looking at his old PS Vita with proprietary charging cable and memory card, and old MD with proprietary memory sticks. Hell, I just out the price here in Japan on Amazon for the A50 and it's utterly ridiculous. Who are still buying these things?
@@mattfrench2120 Only the OLED 1000 series has the proprietary connector, the 2000 series uses a micro USB connector, just the downside it that they replaced the OLED screen with an LCD.
@@lowdefal6306 This player also passes an audio signal to any speaker dock you might place it on as well. I don't think that's a good enough defence to stay proprietary since USB-C can pass through video, audio and pretty much any other signal Sony could dream up alongside its basic charging requirement. If they really felt so bad about the people who have old Sony docks they still want to use they could always release an adapter.
@@BartvG88 It's a play words. Oxygen-free copper (Cu) is high grade and much vaunted by audiophiles. Copper is also another word for policeman in England.
@@binface9 Thanks for the explanation, but isn't copper and element, and therefore oxygen-free by definition? Or it refer to pure copper stored in an anaerobic environment straight from the crucible before it has a chance to oxidise?
I love your reviews!! Calm, educational and funny. Always looking forward see a new episode... please continue review both old AND new tech! Kind regards, Jim
Yep....the Wednesday model is always preferable. Monday's OK, Tuesdays; a touch better... but Wednesday is alway the best!! We don't even mention the Friday mess.... ;-)
I've driven myself insane doing comparisons over the years. I have always had personal stereos and they have always been Sony, from Walkmans to minidiscs to mp3 and to me they always come out top on sound quality. Done so many earphone comparisons I have even doubted my brain's capacity to process sound in some cases lol. I have now settled on Spotify through my phone and semi decent earphones and am more than happy now but I love watching your vids. BTW I think minidisc was so underrated. Brilliant in every way
The problem with watching a Techmoan review is that it makes it impossible to see any others and not feel like watching rubbish. This guy is thorough!! Thanks!
Most likely due to Aluminum getting milled in the morning vs afternoon as afternoon Aluminum becomes tired witch definity effects the overall sound quality
Not true. You are thinking all aluminium is a morning metal. Some aluminium likes sitting up all night so you need to observe the aluminium ti ensure its sleep cycle is the correct one before starting the milling process.
Depending on whether the aluminium is facing north or south when you mill it also changes how it will sound. Most aluminium likes to face north as thats where Santa lives.
You’re mistaken on that. It’s actually east and west, not north and south. If it was facing west it prefers Tupac, Snoop, lil Wayne and the game. It will reject and downgrade the likes of 50 cent and biggie.
@@JRSanchez93 : And don't forget, the guy doing the milling, has to be stood on one leg at the time, with the other leg facing in whichever direction, dependant on the weather at the time.
I have the A45 version of the Sony Walkman and have been very pleased with it. I bought it for taking with me on a long-haul flight and it didn't let me down. The only downside to it (in my opinion) is that if you have a huge amount of audio files, it doesn't have a function whereby you can search for a track. Otherwise, a great little device which is very capable.
I think it would be interesting to run the two players through audacity at the same set level, and see what the differences are. It may help you to pinpoint what you like more in players. It may help you decide what you like about each set of headphones.... Maybe a sample track that could be consistent for testing and comparing sound qualities in a library that you could always refer too.
I to am happy they still make this kind of player. I use mine at work as we are not aloud to use phones wile working so this is the best for me to use. Great video as always
I used to love walkmans, until they got expensive and held less music than a smartphone. I remember when this channel had just over 20K subs not so long ago and was and still is, the only good reviews of Chinese knock off camera and dash cam devices, lol, happy to see it's grown so massively. Cheers mate.
Kind of cool to see this kind of review on your channel. It is often the case that we judge familiar as better than new, as our ears are adjusted to it and we know what we're listening for. Even for the same model of a device you might notice you prefer your old one than a brand new one due to some slight difference at manufacturing. So when audiophiles talk about burn in I think the real phenomenon they are experiencing is adjustment to a new sound. Of course this principal applies to more than just sound. We think we like novelty but for certain things it seems we prefer what we know. Once we get used to the new thing and try to go back to the old, that's when we notice what the new is doing that the old didn't, and we have to readjust to the old... So short of real technical failures like static noise things tend to be different but not universally better.
Small correction: 9:52, you mention that the WF-1000XM3's are capable of aptX HD. Sadly, they're not. Made me double check, was a feature I was hoping they'd add in a firmware update.
aptX is a Qualcomm product. Sony switched the chipset from Qualcomm, used in their previous models, to Mediatek in the WF-1000XM3s, so there is no aptX
Weird, my wh-ch700n are aptX but notably not aac. It's about time sony standardized...oh..that's not their thing is it. In their defense (not that I will often defend Sony) these earphones do sound pretty much the same using the SBC codec. They have somehow managed to clean up SBC a lot. I think the app alludes to "SBC DSEE" or something. Not sure what that's all about.
Here's a better idea, unless you REALLY need noise cancelling you can get a good pair of closed headphones that never need battery life and are capable of playing anything you throw at it!
@@xyanide1986 Bluetooth headphones without battery life? There are reasons why people like Bluetooth headphones, and there are good Bluetooth headphones as well
@@rikimiki12 the funny thing is they didn't even claim it reduced interference. They just made it sound like a solid construction would somehow improve sound.
Since you’re sticking with the A105, a suggestion for dealing with the lock screen: Go into Android settings and enable “Screen Pinning.” Will let you “pin” an app of your choice that you can access without having to complete a lock screen password. I pin my Walkman app and am able to use the device without password until I need to do something else. Which can be days.
Thanks for the video. Since watching the 1st time I have now grabbed a nw-a55 and I love it. And it was more my price. I use it in my car and around the home and I can't fault it. Sound quality to me is crisp and clear. Though I'm no audio file but I know what I like to hear and most of my collection is flac or hi-res. Honestly since watching your videos my bank accounts are a lot poorer but I am a happy camper. Thanks for the great videos. I watch them multiple times. 😃😃😃😃
Thanks for the review. Just as a side note, I have the japanese nw-a105 and it has the tape player screensaver when using Sony Walkman app - I don't think you need to buy the limited version. People are even hacking together their own walkman cases using printed vinyl skins! This player has pretty incredible sound for the size, I'm really happy with it.
SensMe Channels are still available on the A55. Unfortunately, you can't do the SensMe analysis on the player. Instead, it must be done to the files using a program like Music Center for PC and then loading the files on the Player.
I have a Pioneer XDP-100R music player & I love its sound (I should think so for the price) & the fact it takes two micro SD cards. It did seem a little quiet at times on certain tracks until I discovered something in the settings that could be switched off to allow more decibels. The case was an issue & I too had to source one from Japan. Keep up the good work.
My Coby from the same or earlier era worked great until I got it wet. Then every single budget mp3 player I bought since died very quickly. Plus a not-so-cheap Sony. Right now I'm using a 2009 era iPod Classic w/ 120G HD that I came upon for free. It's bulky but it's a workhorse.
@@ginolatino4122 Oh, undoubtedly, but like Techmoan, I'm old enough that my ears can scarcely detect a difference. I've listened to newer, nicer media players and I'm still fine with the 11-year-old Mp3 player I paid $15 for ;)
I have been using clip + or zips forever. Stock they're ok but rockboxed their phenomenal. I would love someone to compare either 1 to a high end player say 300, or less. My gut tells me it won't totally suck even at those prices
I don't even want to bring it up but thank you for your respect to Americans. The whole aluminum vs aluminium and just your general respect for our differences like an adult. You show a lot of respect for people in general in your videos. Also your humor makes me laugh out loud and that's hard nowadays because I hate everything!
Having a walkman a45 I am really happy with it, cheap and lasts for ages... Although the vinil effect thing isn't present and It has an fm radio instead...
A good reason to visit Japan. In 1981, in Tokyo, I bought a small clock radio which had a button when pressed the time was spoken in Japanese - no problem as I was there attempting to learn Japanese.
I bought the NW-A45 last November and it’s awesome. This week I bought the WF-XB700 wireless headset and it’s even better. I was annoyed with the cable but bought two spares and an Inorlo clear case on Amazon. I drop MP3 at 320k onto it and the card and it’s fantastic. The FX are silly and strange Bluetooth overrides the audio settings! The buff on the Sony website about solder, brass and milling is ridiculous! But compared to an iPod these things are superb.
Looks like my 5th Gen iPod with Rockbox firmware is still the best solution for me. Sounds good, 80 GB storage, can play FLAC. When something breaks, there are many replacement parts. Battery and HDD can be upgraded, even to SSD, CF- or SD-Cards. (People modify iPods up to 1TB storage.)
I bought one of these last year and have been very happy with it. I listen to a lot of Bhangra music that was recorded in the 1990s and 1980s and the audio sounds WAY better using the onboard software which improves the sound. Plus the other reason I bought it is because I own all of my music having grown up in the 80s & 90s and so I don't listen to streaming at all. I don't see why I should pay every month to listen to music that I already own.
12:13 Aluminum and copper are very good at rejecting certain frequencies that may mess up the sound. Everything is frequency in the universe including all atoms.
One interesting detail for this Walkman. Even though it won’t display volume when connected to a Bluetooth headphones, you can actually still control the volume and it will display a volume + or volume - when you’re pressing the button. However, for some Bluetooth headphones, you can never switch the volume to the normal range.
Brings me back to when I had a Cowon iAudio X5. They sounded AMAZING when paired with my Sennheiser headphones. I went a couple of years when I didn't use that setup and then I went back and was blown away by the difference. I miss that little player.
I'm still running an iPod Classic w/ 120G space on it. A friend of mine gave it to me because it wasn't working; all I did was reformat and install the OS and it works great.
This reminds me of doing a sound experiment between my 5yrs old Vivo X-Shot smartphone & my newly bought Huawei Nova 3i smartphone. Hooked both up thru 3.5mm jack to my Sony mini hifi & played the same song from Morgan James - Call my name via TH-cam. I turned off all the EQ on the smartphones & hifi. I do not have golden ears as well, but Vivo wins hands down. Richer, wider sound stage & louder for an old phone with no EQ adjustments. Huawei sounded really compressed, dry & softer even thou it has so many EQ to choose from. It's fun to do comparison like this once awhile. Thanks Mat for the great video.
Thank you for this informative comparison. I am currently using the NWZ-E385. I wanted to upgrade because 16GB just isn't enough storage, but after seeing your review, I might just wait.
I'v had the A45 series (here in the US) for a couple of years and I love it. Once you use it as your in-car or commuter music source you will realize how poor your (PICK) FM radio, XM radio, phone, iPhone) sounds in comparison. Mine has the FM tuner and Language Study features together fwiw. Once at work I use the A45 as an inline DAC for TH-cam and Spotify...huge improvement on any laptop DAC.
I thought you were going to get someone else to help you disguise which unit was plugged into which port. When you just mixed up the wires, I laughed hard. Awesome! Keep it up!
The man responsible for the milled Aluminium told me he takes great exception to question his sound wisdom LOL. Great review sir, I especially benefitted from your testing. I have the A55 and eyeing the A105 which is now £199 in some colours. Spotify would be my main reason but now the sound quality as you state is better thanks to MILLED Aluminium.
WAIT A HONKING GOD GIVEN MOMENT! I just checked and this man is right. He did really get me to watch a whole video with an old dude using a label maker! Wtf this man has a talent
Hmmh, maybe, though I'd have to have the details explained, and still the _rigidity_ is a point I don't see worth mentioning. At any rate I'd _like_ to know there's an excusable explanation like that for this nonsense claim. Science and science ignorance are among my biggest passions, and I have a lot of respect for both Sony and the Japanese. I would have hoped that they'd be among the last to sink into the sea of misinformation, and if that's happening, all hope is lost for the rest of the world.
Your reviews are peerless. Thank you. Love the humour too - we must all pour ridicule on the hi-fi BS. I once demonstrated a system where the speaker "cables" were 15mm copper pipe. Better then "Oxygen-Free Copper"!
Aluminum case allows to be connected to ground (-) polarity in order to create a shield that prevents EMI (electromagnetic interference) from external sources (fans, transformers, engines, lamps, etc.) and protecting inject noise in the analog amplifier in wired headphones. Plastic cases doesn't protect it from EMI noise.
Thanks for another great video. I really enjoy watching your content as I never know what's coming next. Have you thought about heading to Japan to check out some of their devices first hand? I think you could make a bunch of great videos out of it. Cheers, Daniel.
I'm still rocking an iPod Classic for my daily music collection. Longer battery life, it can play music without annoying notifications getting in the way, and if I'm somewhere without a data connection I still have my music.
Here is something that I don't understand, someone goes out and spends $1,000 or $1,500 to get high quality sound with a quality player and they play the music through wireless earbuds, I don't understand !
Exactly, it makes zero sense at all! Using wireless headphones means you completely bypass the audio circuitry of the playback device! The only thing your fancy audio player can to improve your sound that way is by applying an equalizer, but the same can be achieved using an app on your smartphone. There's nothing to understand about it, it literally makes no sense. 💁
I am wondering if the output from the players would differ in a way that could be captured. It would be interesting to record the output from the two devices with Audacity and take a look at their waveform and spectrograms
When your headphones connected at 6:18 I couldn’t help but notice they connected at (seemingly) SBC quality, the bluetooth default that’s been around forever. Maybe that’s why the audio doesn’t sound great, it’s the player not doing AptX HD. As for wired, maybe the player just has a crappy DAC.
Remove the EU volume limmiter and the sound quality will improve. This can be done by changing the region. FM radio will also appear in the menu. I am quite sure that the DAC/amplifier (it's all in one IC) is very similar if not same as the one used in the $3k nw-wm1a.
SonyNWDestTool is able to edit information stored in the device regarding the region. For instance J is japan, CEW2 is Europe etc. So, once you edit the region code and factory reset the device it will load the corresponding settings for the region. I recommend region E! For details check: www.rockbox.org/wiki/SonyNWDestTool If you have questions, ask. Btw, I recently verified that A55 uses the exact same dac/digital_amp as the $3000 WM1Z. To be specific it's the 32-bit/384kHz/DSD 11.2MHz 2nd-generation S-Master HX CXD3778GF.
On one hand, you kind of make me want to get the A105, on the other, I am still happy with my 5th Gen Video iPod. Also, the 6th Saturday is the best day for milling aluminum for audio purposes. :)
*COPY & PASTE OF VIDEO DESCRIPTION TEXT BOX*
UPDATE: You can make the A55 sound better, louder and add the FM radio back - here's the video that shows how th-cam.com/video/7VPaXdQoKXs/w-d-xo.html
The NW-A50 series can be found at the Affiliated Amazon Links below:
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I prefer the NW-A100 series - the next tier up from the NW-A50. There are some Amazon links below for these - note that in my experience some colours are cheaper than others.
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IT: amzn.to/2XK24Qp
Sony NW-A100 Review here: th-cam.com/video/uzdy_2kGGhM/w-d-xo.html
*ADDITIONAL INFORMATION*
It turns out (unsurprisingly) that *there are a number of differences between the A40 and the A50* series Walkman that aren’t immediately apparent from looking at Sony’s disorganised specs pages for the two devices - Here’s a video that explains the changes: th-cam.com/video/8uOp5Y-rTGs/w-d-xo.html
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I love Techmoan and find it funny how he always has to copy videos descriptions to pinned comments since people are used to descriptions never containing anything of use so they just do not read it even when something is actually there.
Hi mate, totally off topic but me and my wife are arguing about your accent so please can you just put this to bed, what part of the uk are you from?
Very interesting, and quite a surprise I wonder if they use different D-A conversation chips. What do you do with all this tech Techmoan, do you keep it all?
Hearing difference between audio players is not that surprising actually. Different D/A chips and op-amps have different sound signature, especially op-amps where change is not even so subtle and even people who swear this is snake oil stuff will almost always change their view from "it all sounds the same" to something like "this and this op-amps is the best". This is as you can imagine much more audible when you drive headphones directly and not use external amplifier. Sony unfortunately does not disclose what parts they use in any of their Walkman products like some other manufacturers do.
@@gilbertsprojects2954 Planet Tech.
I understand and appreciate keeping separate devices. Yes a smartphone does practically everything but the strictest photographers will have their cameras, the strictest gamers will have their computers and consoles, and the strictest music lovers will have their standalone music device
Strictest motorcycle riders won’t use their baby to commute
Buy a cheap moped for that
Or to escape from interruptions from rings & notifications
True that
For jogging is cool instead of taking your big phone.
Totally agree. You got better audio hardware in these standalone devices.
“I’d be spelling the whole thing as BS” made me laugh.
A blind A/B test! Good man! So often do you see TH-camrs opine about things and you wonder "did you just convince yourself of this or would it stand up to a blind trial", and you actually did it! Big props!
I think the main reason more TH-camrs don't do blind tests is because they're afraid they'll look stupid if the one they prefer going in doesn't win the blind tests.
In other words: they're just plain covering their butts by not doing blind tests. This comes off to me as just plain cowardice, because if what you prefer is really the better choice, a blind test will give you more credibility--you only "lose" if you've made the wrong choice in the first place.
And if you do "lose", so what? We're all human, nobody's perfect. I personally feel that someone who can be big enough to admit they made an error, makes them look better in my eyes, not lesser.
And Techmoan (Mat) has done this--which is just another of the many reasons I watch him.
I appreciated the approach as well. How am I not going to kid myself? Solution: tangled wire harness.
@@beavis6363 That wire tangle idea was a mild stroke of genius
Just be aware that A/B tests paint an incomplete picture. I can e.g. barely hear a DIRECT difference between MP3 and lossless audio when doing an A/B test, but for longtime listening there is no doubt I prefer lossless. I recommend people read "Slow listening" over on Stereophile: www.stereophile.com/content/slow-listening.
@@TaswcmT 🤔
Good review! I have an nw a55 actually and what i love the most of the device is that you are disconnected from Wifi. You just have your music to focus on and have no distractions from other apps on your device.
@Ivan Gromov I use Media Go. It's discontinued sofware but it's so much better than the shit that the "replaced" it.
@Ivan Gromov I prefer to use software as it helps organize my music and catalog it.
@@brandenlucero I strongly agree with you about MediaGo being much better than Music Center for PC (MCFP), its replacement. MediaGo had its issues (synching didn't work for me because I couldn't control the sort order) but it was easy to use, reliable, and did everything I needed when it came to music and video. All I had to do was select files/playlists and send them to my player.
I tried MCFP and it ended up locking up to the point it was unusable (I made changes to large number of files and it locked up the program while it tried to process the changes). I ended up returning to MediaMonkey and it works great with the A55.
Is there really an improvement in the sound quality comparing to when listening to mp3 music through bluetooth?
@@humoody Ik this is a year ago. But it really does. It depends though, if you use cheaper headphones or earphones. It will practically be the same, since those headphones can’t output really great sound anyway you put it. But for better more hi fi headphones, your phone will not be able to fully use the headphones, due to compression on all streaming services (except tidal) and some headphones just need a higher power output to really even work on any device. If you have a pair of headphones that is good, you will benefit from one of these.
I found your issue with audio quality, you weren't using Sony's "for premium sound" microSD card.
Made with oxygen-free silicon!
@@DryPaperHammerBro lol does it really work
@@DryPaperHammerBro Wow at that price + cheap shipping, I'll buy 3 pmsl
no it only works with very high quality cryogenically treated unobtanium coated fiber optic cables!
@@mytester6208 hard to say...the Premium Sound micro SD fate determination relies on positional cell-cell signaling that activates signal transduction pathways, rather than fiber optic lineage. An opti-genic signal that is released from the A55 aural receptor is received by the neighboring 2K gold progenitors, stimulating the plating particles into adhering to the ommatidia. The adjacent cryogenic silicon selects it's appropriate oxygen levels based on their position with axon bundles and reduces them to 0.001% or 0 (zero) parts o2 per .8 parts silicon, measured in rhabdomere. Finally, the local signal activates the 'non-neuronal cone receptor soni-transduction pathway' (NECRO.STRAP) and initiates the R8 'Premium Sound' receptor neurons and progresses to the sequential recruitment of each ommatidium.
note: Achieving this has also required the rewiring of the the axon bundles such that 4 heptochimney are twisted through 180 degrees (re-inverted), and each rhabdomere is united with those from the six adjacent ommatidia that share the same aural axis.
I've had an A45 for a couple years now. Honestly I can't tell the sound quality difference between it and higher end DAPs and I tried in person before buying against a bunch of other options, plus it does sound noticeably better than my phone with less random issues coming up due to a smartphone OS interrupting things.
The benefits of a separate device are clear to me. You don't use phone battery, you don't need to deal with an app that gets updated with a broken UI and ads, you just get a straightforward player for your own files whether they are paid for, downloaded ages ago, or ripped yourself from CDs or a high quality blu ray. And the walkman series has great support for a lot of different file formats with many different bitrate and sample rates. All that plus physical buttons so you can use it in your pocket, and of course a headphone jack that is increasingly disappearing from phones.
The proprietary connector is a funny thing to encounter these days but there are some benefits to it. With USB you get data and that's it. But with the connector you can also get proper Line Out, and get either a Line Out cable online or an older Sony dock. The dock I got is a cheap used one from 2009 that works great and can charge and do Line Out at the same time, and I have it hooked up to my even older Onkyo minidisc deck+amplifier. So yeah you need to have a funny Sony-only cable but generic options are cheap and plentiful, and you get some other advantages out of it.
But because it's also a modern device it still has bluetooth out for when that's useful with modern codecs that would be better quality a classic ipod for example.
Altogether I've gotten a lot of use out of my walkman since I bought it. It's gotten me listening to my library of music more than I used to.
One thing to note is don't try importing one from Japan. It'll come with Japanese language only and there's no way to change it!
Galaxy j3 + sd card = much better music player with replaceable battery and amoled display for dirt cheap
@@dalobucaram7078 You don't know what you're saying, Dalo.
Thanks a lot for your last warning, Pal ! o.O
@@DarkoSayd You can change the region of the player, and then you can change the language.
@@ursulmusic Oh, that makes sense, Thank You!
Made my remember the old Sony’s 80ties catalogues, where all the cool stuff, was marked
“not available in your region”
Anders Ljungberg, he, he! I’ll buy the things a wanna instead, tank you very much! :)
The Walkman series has done me very well. All the way from a cassette player through the minidisc saga and finally MP3 players. Glad to see it hasn’t fully died.
Oxygen free copper! That's the kind of clever punning I appreciate in a tech review.
@Lassi Kinnunen Thank you! I was just about to say the same thing. If it's 'not' OFC then it 'is' copper (plated) clad. People just don't know the reality of the situation.
OFC cables help bring out the pop of the vinyl and sizzle of the tubes.
@@A3Kr0n Sounds more like a food review
I don't get it :(
I believe the supposed advertised benefit of OFC was to minimize diode type conduction between adjacent strands of oxidized copper. Essentially millions of tiny “whisker detectors” along the strands of wires where they touch. Technically yes, but audible?
It is a fact patch cords can sound different based on their capacitance and that is probably the largest reason for change in sound across various brands/grades of patch cables.
I can't believe how much your channel has grown, and I'm very happy for you.
Easily one of your best (and snarkiest) reviews in a long time. Your common sense deconstruction of marketing hyperbole is well appreciated.
I'm still using a 7th Gen iPod Classic with flash storage, but this is pretty tempting and I'm glad to know products like this still exist
It's great if I don't want to take up space on my phone. Even though I can expand with SD card.
I tapped out with my ipod classic. I had a Bluetooth adapter for it but it stopped working. N105 don't care for android and I've watched other videos stating that the music sounds Better on the a55
My 6th gen died so bought this
I loved all of my ipods......my 6th gen finally croaked after years of faithfull service.......just ordered this Sony mp3.
@@digidrum2003 you know so this thing can do way more than just mp3 right? Flac support is a must for me because I prefer lossless format over obsolete lossy mp3 format.
I used to use Language Study on my old A40 model for podcasts as it kept them separate from my music and allowed for jumping back and forward by set increments.
Frost Gamer98 thank you frost gamer I will use this tip
lol old!!! i have an a40 but at the moment with the way i use it i cant tell if the music is at hd or not, you need to use it wired etc but ive gone all bluetooth even with my sony wmx 2s... the wmx2s are amazing though only beaten by bose comforts for comfort but sonys had the better reviews and features for the same price
In addition to podcasts, I use the Language Study Area for audiobooks and audio plays. Those are the types of files where being able to manipulate the audio (such as speeding up) is an advantage. Plus, as others have mentioned, it allows me to separate them from my music. That is some I used to have to do via playlists.
Although a dedicated device for listening music is pretty unusual these days, that Sony Walkman logo reminded me those awesome times between 2007-2010 when you were ‘popular’ in the school owning Sony Ericsson cellphones with that logo in the back and colorful RGB leds in the sides, like the W580 model. The sound quality through the speaker was really great and the camera had way better resolution compared to other similar models of the time. It’s funny how I remember that thing with the same nostalgia as other generations remember vinyls or cassettes.
A nice review. Thank you. I was considering this as an option. I doubted that I would notice (or even that there would be ) the difference between this and the A100 which has been in my wish list since you reviewed it. I'm still using my MiniDisc player (only a lowly MZ-N510) as my primary portable (when not streaming from TIDAL over a phone etc).
And yes I am one of those weird people that still enjoy getting up and leafing through the discs to select what to play and sitting down to listen to it.
"Old Men Labelling Minidiscs" sounds like the name of a hipster indie band album.
I love the double blind testing. Top quality review as always
Love your work Techmoan. Everything you have said in this review is correct. You know that already but I wanted to be clear before I go on.
I bought an A55 here in Aus last week, and while I am sure it might not quite match up with the A100 series, as the gateway drug for hires and flac on the go, it is perfect, at least for me. I’ve recently re-ripped my entire CD collection from mp3 to flac. I was kicking myself reencoding 500 odd CDs, but it was worth it. I can now drag these lossless files over to my m55 and when I do ABX testing, the flac on the A55 wins every time. I know that with some apps etc I can play flac on my phone, but having the m55 as a dedicated lossless/hires player is perfect. I’m sure the A100 series are the duck’s nuts but the A55 at 35% cheaper, at least here in Aus, and the fact that you can still Bluetooth stream Tidal etc to it from your iPhone, means the A55 really is that gateway DAP if you want to go from lossy to lossless or hires and still use streaming apps from your phone.
The milled aluminium and copper sales pitch is complete BS, but this device still represents excellent value for someone coming from an iPod touch or iPhone and want to rock out during the day with a lossless player in their pocket. I already own Dire Straits Brothers in Arms on vinyl, CD, DVD and tape, but I*cough* came across a 96kHz 24 bit rip of the Japanese SACD the other day, and on my A55, it is heads and shoulders above a 320 mp3 made fresh from my CD. I can pick it out every time in blind/ABX testing.
Also, the USB DAC feature is excellent when travelling and you want better audio while watching or listening to something on your work laptop...and it charges up while you are using it as a laptop DAC.
I’m sure the A100 series are better, but I say to others out there making their first move from mp3 that the A55 represents excellent value for money!
Man, II want to go from mp3 to flac, you really feel the difference between your smartphone and this walkman?, I've been seeing reviews for weeks and yours reflects exactly how I plan to use it myself.
@@tommyfunk92 that really depends on your headphones, mate. You won't get a decent result without having a decent pair of headphones or IEMs, ie. you will notice zero difference if you're listening on Airpods or similar earplugs. Sometimes you just hit the limit of the device or headphones and you can't get past it. If you have headphones or IEMs like Fidelio X2HR or FIIO FH3 (just an example to make you understand what are we talking about, there's plenty of cheaper and more expensive options that will also do the trick, it's just what I personally use), you will definitely notice a difference. Tracks are clearer, you will hear details you were unable to hear before. It's more for analytical type of listening, though. If you enjoy that kind of things, it'll be worth it. If you just want to vibe, I wouldn't be quite sure. For comparison, I also have an iPod Touch 4G. I transferred ALAC files to it, plugged in my FIIO FH3's, and guess what? Almost no difference. Its just not capable of doing any better.
Reminds me of the old joke about Gold-Plated Fibre Optic Cable.
@@trollop_7 It's not a joke. Look at TOSLINK cables and most will be gold plated, exclusively for marketing purposes.
if we are talking about audio quality, it would make a difference. different phones, different music apps, different file systems, etc etc can and does sound MASSIVELY different. This isn't including the different headphones you use or the EQ's you are running as those are rather obvious.
@@kalypso4133 I have two Android devices, one cheap and the other more expensive. Even via bluetooth, the cheap one sucks in comparison. I think the only time it's similar is when I use an external DAC like a Schiit Modi or something.
@@kalypso4133 I assume you’re replying to a now deleted comment? Regardless, I have my doubts about file systems... I’ll give you the others depending on how the audio path looks, though it shouldn’t matter that much as long as it isn’t so bad it doesn’t provide the DAC with samples sufficiently quickly. Beyond that it shouldn’t really matter.
@@kalypso4133 I assume you’re replying to a now deleted comment? Regardless, I have my doubts about file systems... I’ll give you the others depending on how the audio path looks, though it shouldn’t matter that much as long as it isn’t so bad it doesn’t provide the DAC with samples sufficiently quickly. Beyond that it shouldn’t really matter.
that indescribable feeling when techmoan reviews something you own
does this thing run android os? i guess meaning can you run spotify or something on it?
"The" James May on Tech, loving it everytime
"Standard!"
@Joost Wasbauer
It would be entertaining to see Techmoan guest on a show like Top Gear to speak about automotive technology.
12:49 - "Whoever wrote that guff should be cautioned by an oxygen-free copper."
I see what you did there, Techmoan.
Proprietary cable: well, we're done here.
yeah, but its not apple so no one is going to freak out and complain.
He says looking at his old PS Vita with proprietary charging cable and memory card, and old MD with proprietary memory sticks. Hell, I just out the price here in Japan on Amazon for the A50 and it's utterly ridiculous. Who are still buying these things?
@@mattfrench2120 Only the OLED 1000 series has the proprietary connector, the 2000 series uses a micro USB connector, just the downside it that they replaced the OLED screen with an LCD.
The Vita connector at least has multiple uses, it carries a video signal as well.
@@lowdefal6306 This player also passes an audio signal to any speaker dock you might place it on as well. I don't think that's a good enough defence to stay proprietary since USB-C can pass through video, audio and pretty much any other signal Sony could dream up alongside its basic charging requirement. If they really felt so bad about the people who have old Sony docks they still want to use they could always release an adapter.
indeed the by far best place to see an old man labeling mini discs ❤️
"cautioned by an oxygen-free copper" that's a hell of a line Mat, well done!
What does this refer to?
@@BartvG88 It's a play words. Oxygen-free copper (Cu) is high grade and much vaunted by audiophiles. Copper is also another word for policeman in England.
@@binface9 Oh, that's clever!
@@binface9 Thanks for the explanation, but isn't copper and element, and therefore oxygen-free by definition?
Or it refer to pure copper stored in an anaerobic environment straight from the crucible before it has a chance to oxidise?
I love your reviews!! Calm, educational and funny. Always looking forward see a new episode... please continue review both old AND new tech! Kind regards, Jim
Yep, your A50 is definitely made on a Thursday. Could easily tell.
Yep....the Wednesday model is always preferable. Monday's OK, Tuesdays; a touch better... but Wednesday is alway the best!! We don't even mention the Friday mess.... ;-)
@@stevesstuff1450 Mondays model is pretty much rubbish too. The maker is still recovering from the weekend.
at my place wednesday some restaurants 50/50 chance good food. bcs wednesday horses racing. bad mood make bad food i guess.
@@stevesstuff1450 I had a van made on a Friday night around eleven, shite it was. Bloody Canadians.
Morning or afternoon?
I've driven myself insane doing comparisons over the years. I have always had personal stereos and they have always been Sony, from Walkmans to minidiscs to mp3 and to me they always come out top on sound quality. Done so many earphone comparisons I have even doubted my brain's capacity to process sound in some cases lol. I have now settled on Spotify through my phone and semi decent earphones and am more than happy now but I love watching your vids. BTW I think minidisc was so underrated. Brilliant in every way
2:18 "You save: *£0.99 (1%)* "
how generous
It got worse over time>> 18:48 "You save: £0.38"
also amazon: shows overpriced "shipping handling" when paying for it
The problem with watching a Techmoan review is that it makes it impossible to see any others and not feel like watching rubbish. This guy is thorough!! Thanks!
Most likely due to Aluminum getting milled in the morning vs afternoon as afternoon Aluminum becomes tired witch definity effects the overall sound quality
what?
Not true. You are thinking all aluminium is a morning metal. Some aluminium likes sitting up all night so you need to observe the aluminium ti ensure its sleep cycle is the correct one before starting the milling process.
Depending on whether the aluminium is facing north or south when you mill it also changes how it will sound. Most aluminium likes to face north as thats where Santa lives.
You’re mistaken on that. It’s actually east and west, not north and south. If it was facing west it prefers Tupac, Snoop, lil Wayne and the game. It will reject and downgrade the likes of 50 cent and biggie.
@@JRSanchez93 : And don't forget, the guy doing the milling, has to be stood on one leg at the time, with the other leg facing in whichever direction, dependant on the weather at the time.
"my head is incompatible with the aluminium has been meld on a Thursday" Amazing analysis of the problem :D great video as usual
I have the A45 version of the Sony Walkman and have been very pleased with it. I bought it for taking with me on a long-haul flight and it didn't let me down. The only downside to it (in my opinion) is that if you have a huge amount of audio files, it doesn't have a function whereby you can search for a track. Otherwise, a great little device which is very capable.
I think it would be interesting to run the two players through audacity at the same set level, and see what the differences are. It may help you to pinpoint what you like more in players. It may help you decide what you like about each set of headphones.... Maybe a sample track that could be consistent for testing and comparing sound qualities in a library that you could always refer too.
I to am happy they still make this kind of player. I use mine at work as we are not aloud to use phones wile working so this is the best for me to use. Great video as always
I used to love walkmans, until they got expensive and held less music than a smartphone. I remember when this channel had just over 20K subs not so long ago and was and still is, the only good reviews of Chinese knock off camera and dash cam devices, lol, happy to see it's grown so massively. Cheers mate.
...the Wednesday models have less harmonic distortion...cracked me up!
Kind of cool to see this kind of review on your channel.
It is often the case that we judge familiar as better than new, as our ears are adjusted to it and we know what we're listening for. Even for the same model of a device you might notice you prefer your old one than a brand new one due to some slight difference at manufacturing. So when audiophiles talk about burn in I think the real phenomenon they are experiencing is adjustment to a new sound. Of course this principal applies to more than just sound. We think we like novelty but for certain things it seems we prefer what we know. Once we get used to the new thing and try to go back to the old, that's when we notice what the new is doing that the old didn't, and we have to readjust to the old... So short of real technical failures like static noise things tend to be different but not universally better.
Small correction: 9:52, you mention that the WF-1000XM3's are capable of aptX HD. Sadly, they're not.
Made me double check, was a feature I was hoping they'd add in a firmware update.
That's down to the flavor of bluetooth communication chipset. Can't be fixed with firmware as far as I know.
aptX is a Qualcomm product. Sony switched the chipset from Qualcomm, used in their previous models, to Mediatek in the WF-1000XM3s, so there is no aptX
Weird, my wh-ch700n are aptX but notably not aac.
It's about time sony standardized...oh..that's not their thing is it.
In their defense (not that I will often defend Sony) these earphones do sound pretty much the same using the SBC codec. They have somehow managed to clean up SBC a lot.
I think the app alludes to "SBC DSEE" or something. Not sure what that's all about.
Here's a better idea, unless you REALLY need noise cancelling you can get a good pair of closed headphones that never need battery life and are capable of playing anything you throw at it!
@@xyanide1986 Bluetooth headphones without battery life?
There are reasons why people like Bluetooth headphones, and there are good Bluetooth headphones as well
I love my a55. I wanted the green color option so I had to import it to the US. But I am a big fan of the clear audio too. Great review!
I also got the green one. The red one looks also very cool.
Oh my god, still laughing at the RIGID ALUMINIUM MILLED FRAME, they can't be serious with that stuff...
Helllloooooo
THICC ALUMINUM
@@rikimiki12 the funny thing is they didn't even claim it reduced interference. They just made it sound like a solid construction would somehow improve sound.
@@startedtech Maybe whoever writing it thought they were selling a speaker.
I'm pretty sure it protects the sound from the influence of chem trails. You know how bad these are 😜
Since you’re sticking with the A105, a suggestion for dealing with the lock screen: Go into Android settings and enable “Screen Pinning.” Will let you “pin” an app of your choice that you can access without having to complete a lock screen password. I pin my Walkman app and am able to use the device without password until I need to do something else. Which can be days.
*insert comment that bewilders people who don't look in the description about patreon releases*
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤭
@@Joseph-vf5yq 😂
How come you posted this 2 days ago when it's only just gone up ??????
:)
Thanks for the video. Since watching the 1st time I have now grabbed a nw-a55 and I love it. And it was more my price. I use it in my car and around the home and I can't fault it. Sound quality to me is crisp and clear. Though I'm no audio file but I know what I like to hear and most of my collection is flac or hi-res. Honestly since watching your videos my bank accounts are a lot poorer but I am a happy camper. Thanks for the great videos. I watch them multiple times. 😃😃😃😃
Bloody Hell it's 4am in the states and I'm watching a just uploaded vid from Techmoan, oh how I love time zones
Thanks for the review. Just as a side note, I have the japanese nw-a105 and it has the tape player screensaver when using Sony Walkman app - I don't think you need to buy the limited version. People are even hacking together their own walkman cases using printed vinyl skins! This player has pretty incredible sound for the size, I'm really happy with it.
Senseme is still around? Flashback to the PSP's heyday
ikr, tbh thought it died with the go
@I Blow Bubbles badum tss
SensMe Channels are still available on the A55. Unfortunately, you can't do the SensMe analysis on the player. Instead, it must be done to the files using a program like Music Center for PC and then loading the files on the Player.
Mat, I just dropped in to let you know how much I love watching your videos. Keep up the great work please.
Love the sarcasm at the end of the test! :)
I have a Pioneer XDP-100R music player & I love its sound (I should think so for the price) & the fact it takes two micro SD cards. It did seem a little quiet at times on certain tracks until I discovered something in the settings that could be switched off to allow more decibels. The case was an issue & I too had to source one from Japan. Keep up the good work.
I personally carry around a 15 years old iPod.
It still works great, have to get a remplacement battery in the near future but nothing too worrying
iFixit still sells them.
You can always find a battery that fit even if it's not exactly right. Just find a liion same size or smaller
I have an eleven year old iPod, bulky but works great. And I'm typing on a 9 year old MBP.
Love your channel for what it is. Your passion in gadgets is totally delivered to your audience.
And here I am still using my Sansa Clip+ from 2009...
My Coby from the same or earlier era worked great until I got it wet. Then every single budget mp3 player I bought since died very quickly. Plus a not-so-cheap Sony. Right now I'm using a 2009 era iPod Classic w/ 120G HD that I came upon for free. It's bulky but it's a workhorse.
I still have and use one. Wish I had bought 10 of them at the time!
i have nwa45 and sansa clip. sony is much better (detail and stereo separation).
@@ginolatino4122 Oh, undoubtedly, but like Techmoan, I'm old enough that my ears can scarcely detect a difference. I've listened to newer, nicer media players and I'm still fine with the 11-year-old Mp3 player I paid $15 for ;)
I have been using clip + or zips forever.
Stock they're ok but rockboxed their phenomenal.
I would
love someone to compare either 1 to a high end player say 300, or less.
My gut tells me it won't totally suck even at those prices
I don't even want to bring it up but thank you for your respect to Americans. The whole aluminum vs aluminium and just your general respect for our differences like an adult. You show a lot of respect for people in general in your videos. Also your humor makes me laugh out loud and that's hard nowadays because I hate everything!
Having a walkman a45 I am really happy with it, cheap and lasts for ages... Although the vinil effect thing isn't present and It has an fm radio instead...
@@jondonnelly3 Is there any guide on how to do this? Sounds interesting...
A good reason to visit Japan. In 1981, in Tokyo, I bought a small clock radio which had a button when pressed the time was spoken in Japanese - no problem as I was there attempting to learn Japanese.
audiophile forums be like 16:54
Just letting the ususal "audiophile" marketing blah blah explode with a great sense of humour.
Hahahaha, I thought the same thing!
I bought the NW-A45 last November and it’s awesome. This week I bought the WF-XB700 wireless headset and it’s even better. I was annoyed with the cable but bought two spares and an Inorlo clear case on Amazon. I drop MP3 at 320k onto it and the card and it’s fantastic. The FX are silly and strange Bluetooth overrides the audio settings! The buff on the Sony website about solder, brass and milling is ridiculous!
But compared to an iPod these things are superb.
Looks like my 5th Gen iPod with Rockbox firmware is still the best solution for me.
Sounds good, 80 GB storage, can play FLAC.
When something breaks, there are many replacement parts. Battery and HDD can be upgraded, even to SSD, CF- or SD-Cards.
(People modify iPods up to 1TB storage.)
I hate iTunes (and Apple) but after having two different Sony MP3 players my old 5g iPod was the best player I ever had.
Shame it broke.
@@Farquad76.547 not when it went in the bin 10 years ago
Thank you for explaining the USA's aluminum and UK's aluminium spelling, makes sense now.
I bought one of these last year and have been very happy with it. I listen to a lot of Bhangra music that was recorded in the 1990s and 1980s and the audio sounds WAY better using the onboard software which improves the sound. Plus the other reason I bought it is because I own all of my music having grown up in the 80s & 90s and so I don't listen to streaming at all. I don't see why I should pay every month to listen to music that I already own.
Bhangra. I remember looking at the list of MP3 ID3 tags, seeing Bhangra and thinking ‘nobody has ever tagged an MP3 as that’.
@@bedgegog At best it’s classified as “World Music”. But to me, western music is world music. It’s all subjective based on your heritage.
12:13 Aluminum and copper are very good at rejecting certain frequencies that may mess up the sound. Everything is frequency in the universe including all atoms.
One interesting detail for this Walkman.
Even though it won’t display volume when connected to a Bluetooth headphones, you can actually still control the volume and it will display a volume + or volume - when you’re pressing the button.
However, for some Bluetooth headphones, you can never switch the volume to the normal range.
Brings me back to when I had a Cowon iAudio X5. They sounded AMAZING when paired with my Sennheiser headphones. I went a couple of years when I didn't use that setup and then I went back and was blown away by the difference. I miss that little player.
I'm still rocking a ten year old Microsoft Zune.
Congratulations for being "that guy".
My Zune died within the first month I had it. I was so pissed. I saved up my money when I was a kid.
Yaaa Booooy!
My Zune was but the software made me wanted to smash it against the wall. It kept moving up artists and songs.
The hard drive in mine died a year ago 😭. It was a great sounding player gonna miss it.
Where is “Excellent” button here? Outstanding quality of the review!
1:16 - A new Walkman costs what?! I'll just keep hoarding iPod Nano 2nd gens then
I've been looking for used Gen 2s on eBay recently, looks like I should have started buying 5 years ago
I'm still running an iPod Classic w/ 120G space on it. A friend of mine gave it to me because it wasn't working; all I did was reformat and install the OS and it works great.
Overall, click wheel iPods are rising in price.
Why would you compare HiRes Walkmans to a piece of garbage like iPod? iPods never had good sound quality. Those are products for different targets.
@@ArturKwaszyn Guesd I would have to give the Walkmans a try since my deaf ears love the quality my 2nd gen Nano puts out
This reminds me of doing a sound experiment between my 5yrs old Vivo X-Shot smartphone & my newly bought Huawei Nova 3i smartphone. Hooked both up thru 3.5mm jack to my Sony mini hifi & played the same song from Morgan James - Call my name via TH-cam.
I turned off all the EQ on the smartphones & hifi. I do not have golden ears as well, but Vivo wins hands down. Richer, wider sound stage & louder for an old phone with no EQ adjustments. Huawei sounded really compressed, dry & softer even thou it has so many EQ to choose from. It's fun to do comparison like this once awhile. Thanks Mat for the great video.
Thank you for this informative comparison. I am currently using the NWZ-E385. I wanted to upgrade because 16GB just isn't enough storage, but after seeing your review, I might just wait.
Nice, Sony Ericsson's Walkman font on the preview picture :)
I'v had the A45 series (here in the US) for a couple of years and I love it. Once you use it as your in-car or commuter music source you will realize how poor your (PICK) FM radio, XM radio, phone, iPhone) sounds in comparison. Mine has the FM tuner and Language Study features together fwiw. Once at work I use the A45 as an inline DAC for TH-cam and Spotify...huge improvement on any laptop DAC.
I'm surprised no one here has mentioned SensMe yet.
Great little blind test. Good job.
Just watch out for those oxygen-free coppers ;)
Glad stuff like this still exists
I still have my Xperia Z5 and it's perfect for listening to music.
I thought you were going to get someone else to help you disguise which unit was plugged into which port. When you just mixed up the wires, I laughed hard. Awesome! Keep it up!
The interface looks exactly like my Sony Ericsson Vivaz from 2010.. this is nostalgia
Brilliant review. Very detailed and very well done. You should review products for a living, truly. Thanks again.
“Old man labelling up minidiscs” - take me there
The man responsible for the milled Aluminium told me he takes great exception to question his sound wisdom LOL. Great review sir, I especially benefitted from your testing. I have the A55 and eyeing the A105 which is now £199 in some colours. Spotify would be my main reason but now the sound quality as you state is better thanks to MILLED Aluminium.
As much as I like tech, I sub to this channel for Retro and the puppets. I demand more puppets :P keep up the great work :D
Yes the puppets. More skits please.. British humor from Techmoan is tea notch!! 🙃🌈❤️
Saw Elephant Revival on the screen during this video. Always notice your nice and eclectic taste in music when watching these reviews.
Would bluetooth headphones even sound any different playing from a phone or a high end dap? Your relying on their built in dacs and amplifiers.
They would sound the same.
@@thomasesr there are phones with AptX, so I guess that answers the question!
WAIT A HONKING GOD GIVEN MOMENT! I just checked and this man is right. He did really get me to watch a whole video with an old dude using a label maker! Wtf this man has a talent
I have to wonder if that bit about the aluminum frame was suppose to be about reducing EMI but was lost in translation in the marketing dept
Hmmh, maybe, though I'd have to have the details explained, and still the _rigidity_ is a point I don't see worth mentioning. At any rate I'd _like_ to know there's an excusable explanation like that for this nonsense claim. Science and science ignorance are among my biggest passions, and I have a lot of respect for both Sony and the Japanese. I would have hoped that they'd be among the last to sink into the sea of misinformation, and if that's happening, all hope is lost for the rest of the world.
Your reviews are peerless. Thank you. Love the humour too - we must all pour ridicule on the hi-fi BS. I once demonstrated a system where the speaker "cables" were 15mm copper pipe. Better then "Oxygen-Free Copper"!
Aluminum case allows to be connected to ground (-) polarity in order to create a shield that prevents EMI (electromagnetic interference) from external sources (fans, transformers, engines, lamps, etc.) and protecting inject noise in the analog amplifier in wired headphones.
Plastic cases doesn't protect it from EMI noise.
Ok, but that doesn't explain "rigid" as a selling point. That said, someone else in these comments offered an explanation for that, too.
Thanks for another great video. I really enjoy watching your content as I never know what's coming next. Have you thought about heading to Japan to check out some of their devices first hand? I think you could make a bunch of great videos out of it. Cheers, Daniel.
Thank you so much for this content.
It's great to find someone just as fussy about music as me.
Hello from India.
The A45 is currently my everyday carry with a 400gb micro sd loaded up with flacs. Sure it's not perfect, but I'm very happy with it for my use case.
This is really cool. I would definitely be interested in buying o e of these. Especially if I can use it with my Sony M3 earbuds and M4 headphones
I'm still rocking an iPod Classic for my daily music collection. Longer battery life, it can play music without annoying notifications getting in the way, and if I'm somewhere without a data connection I still have my music.
Here is something that I don't understand, someone goes out and spends $1,000 or $1,500 to get high quality sound with a quality player and they play the music through wireless earbuds, I don't understand !
Exactly, it makes zero sense at all! Using wireless headphones means you completely bypass the audio circuitry of the playback device! The only thing your fancy audio player can to improve your sound that way is by applying an equalizer, but the same can be achieved using an app on your smartphone.
There's nothing to understand about it, it literally makes no sense. 💁
I'm absolutely here for the niche devices and commentary. You keep that up, "old man."
I am wondering if the output from the players would differ in a way that could be captured. It would be interesting to record the output from the two devices with Audacity and take a look at their waveform and spectrograms
One reason I love ur vids, ur not afraid to call bullshit...
You should skip the Sony stuff and get yourself a Cowon. You'd love it.
...and no I don't work for Cowon..lol
Keep up the good work. Love your videos.
Elephone trunk + lineage os + dolby audio + onkyo music app + sd card = way better than the overglorified sony crap.
Awesome channel! Keep going!Sugest to check CD-i
players/discs
I’ve got some cool CDi stuff to show one day.
Can't wait to see like any of your uploads
When your headphones connected at 6:18 I couldn’t help but notice they connected at (seemingly) SBC quality, the bluetooth default that’s been around forever. Maybe that’s why the audio doesn’t sound great, it’s the player not doing AptX HD.
As for wired, maybe the player just has a crappy DAC.
Remove the EU volume limmiter and the sound quality will improve. This can be done by changing the region. FM radio will also appear in the menu. I am quite sure that the DAC/amplifier (it's all in one IC) is very similar if not same as the one used in the $3k nw-wm1a.
@@pyeltd.5457 Your comment is nonsense. Most likely you don't even own the player.
@@valentinla1305 How do you change region? Just wondering before buying one... Thanks!
SonyNWDestTool is able to edit information stored in the device regarding the region. For instance J is japan, CEW2 is Europe etc. So, once you edit the region code and factory reset the device it will load the corresponding settings for the region. I recommend region E! For details check: www.rockbox.org/wiki/SonyNWDestTool
If you have questions, ask.
Btw, I recently verified that A55 uses the exact same dac/digital_amp as the $3000 WM1Z. To be specific it's the 32-bit/384kHz/DSD 11.2MHz 2nd-generation S-Master HX CXD3778GF.
On one hand, you kind of make me want to get the A105, on the other, I am still happy with my 5th Gen Video iPod. Also, the 6th Saturday is the best day for milling aluminum for audio purposes. :)