Sony today is expanding its well-known Walkman music player lineup with two new additions that are now available for purchase. The two new players Sony is unveiling today, the NW-ZX707 and NW-A306, feature multiple improvements over the previous generation models including enhanced audio quality and longer battery life. Even though the Walkman name has been around for decades, Sony is still innovating and bringing better features to the market. Keep reading below the fold to learn more about these new and improved music players.
Listen the way the artist intended
We will start off by talking about what’s new with the higher-end NW-ZX707 Walkman. Here you receive a music player with a larger 5-inch display, enhanced battery life, and Wi-Fi compatibility so you can download music without having to connect to a computer. As music quality is paramount for Sony here, this player uses upgraded fine-tuned capacitors including an FTCAP3 high-polymer capacitor. This offers large capacitance while keeping resistance low.
On the processing side, Sony has implemented a Direct Stream Digital (DSD) Remastering Engine which will take Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) audio and resample it into 11.2MHz DSD audio. This is joined by the S-Master HX digital amp technology, which has been specifically designed for Walkman and is compatible with the native DSD format. This leads to reduced distortion and a wider soundstage to produce “rich and full-bodied sound.”
Enhanced streaming music quality
The more budget-oriented NW-A306 Sony Walkman also has the same S-Master HX digital amp mentioned above in a smaller package. The screen is stepped down to 3.6 inches and is aimed at those who want high-quality music playback in a stylish frame. While the screen is smaller, you do have physical audio controls on the side of the player and can download music over Wi-Fi. Both new Walkman players also feature Edge-AI and the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), which work together to upscale compressed digital music files in real-time. The algorithm now works even better with CD-quality lossless codec audio to restore “acoustic subtleties and dynamic range.”
Both of these models feature improved battery life compared to the previous models with the NW-ZX707 being capable of playing back up to 25 hours of 44.1kHz FLAC, 23 hours of 96kHz FLAC High-Resolution, or 22 hours while streaming audio. The NW-A306 is more optimized for longer listening with up to 36 hours of 44.1kHz FLAC, 32 hours of 96kHz FLAC High-Resolution, or 26 hours while streaming. What you actually experience will come down to what type of audio you’re listening to and whether it’s locally playing back or streaming.
Availability
The all-new Sony Walkman NW-ZX707 and NW-A306 music players are available now with the MSRPs being $899.99 and $349.99 respectively. You can either grab them from Sony’s website directly or from other authorized retailers. Head below for links there where you can pick up these new music players.
- Sony
- NW-ZX707 – $899.99 shipped
- NW-A306 – $349.99 shipped
- Amazon
- NW-ZX707 – $899.99 shipped
- Listed as temporarily out of stock as of writing
- NW-A306 – $349.99 shipped
- NW-ZX707 – $899.99 shipped
9to5Toys’ Take
While I do enjoy listening to music while working, I do not see myself dropping the cash to grab either of these Walkman players, though I’m probably not the target audience anyway. If you care about listening to audio the way the artist intended with hardware specifically built to handle lossless files, it may be worth taking a look at these players.
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