Review on 🎧 Sony NW-WM1A 128GB Premium Walkman: Elevate your Music Experience with Hi-Res Audio in Black by Kevin Hawkins

My experience is mainly in classical music, but I sometimes dabble in electronic and experimental acoustics as well. My taste in music ranges from very early forms of musical expression to the most progressive experimental sounds. What I'm not a fan of is modern music. For me most of what is offered today is without art, it is superficial, the cause is very wrong, so the product has no value. To me. But the music I love and appreciate, I enjoy listening to and in abundance. The source of this listening experience plays a major role. Unfortunately, most current trends in portable digital audio devices are pushing quality over convenience. While the video was pushed to its limits and beyond, constantly improving with each new iteration, the sound was somehow forgotten, neglected and sacrificed. I'm talking about our most used devices for daily media consumption - our phones. As a result, most quality sound lovers, or "audiophiles” if you will, will have to look elsewhere for portable audio devices. Fortunately, device manufacturers have increasingly recognized the need for this segment in recent years. Some of them are: Astell&Kern, Sony, iBasso, Cowon, Pioneer, Fiio etc. Before I decided to buy Sony NW-WM1A, I also thought about A&K Futura SE100 and Cowon P2. They were roughly in the same price range (although prices for the trio have changed a lot recently). I didn't have a chance to test all three at the time. I could only get a taste of Sony and Cowon. That was exactly a year and a half ago. Since then I can also listen to A&K. I stand by my choice. That's why. Aesthetics: They all have completely different design philosophies. A&K gets the most attention. Modern and art form. P2, probably my favorite design, has a very structural and architectural design. Sony has a more practical, functional and passive design language. All three devices are beautifully finished, but the Sony is a bit different in terms of build quality and finish. Sony NW-WM1A is a premium product with impeccable design. No fiddly plastic here. The device consists of an aluminum frame and is very rigid. It exudes quality. The feel in the hand, the weight, the materials, the build quality, the finish... you could say this product was designed with great attention to detail and perfection. Japanese craftsmanship at its finest. Many thanks to the Sony engineers. Over the years they always managed to make me smile. Thanks very much! Ease of use: Sony OS is very simple and easy to use. Make sure you update it to the latest version and you're done. In the year and a half that I've had (1713 hours and 50 minutes of gameplay), I've never encountered any errors or lags. Works perfectly for its purpose. The screen is decent, the physical buttons feel very comfortable, and the layout is very organic and easy to get used to. There are many headphone amps out there, so you won't have a problem with more demanding headphones. Battery life is far superior to any other DAP on the market right now. Nothing is even close. Sound: Oh my god, where do I start... The Sony NW-WM1A sounds very relaxed, open and smooth. The sound is consistent across the soundstage and the bass is rich and controlled. Never too analytical or boring. Very pleasant and convenient player for listening. All the details are here, expertly separated but well rounded. The handling is excellent, there is no "in your face", assertive, harsh sounds, what you hear is a very softly structured sound. There are 120 volume levels, upscaling technology and plenty of preset or custom EQ settings so you can control the tone to your liking. I won't even mention that this device is for high-resolution audio. The player can enhance the sound of any audio file, but if you want to experience all the player's capabilities, I recommend using a high-quality digital format. Compared to other DAPs, the Sony NW-WM1A has a softer and warmer sound signature, which I really like. A few things I don't like about the player: proprietary WM port, no way to delete an album directly from the player. , the inability to save the equalizer settings for a specific file. Final Thoughts: The main focus of this player is the sound quality. There are no compromises. And that's why the Sony NW-WM1A does its job perfectly. There has been a lot of discussion about the prices of these devices. For me the price is justified. In this day and age it's taken for granted the latest flagship phone, a device you replace every few years, priced at $1,000-$1,500, a premium DAP with all the engineering and craftsmanship that going into the development of these devices, the cost of the materials used, which will last for many years, is more than justified. All of these devices that I have mentioned here are designed to give you a premium audio experience. Both the A&K and Cowon are great devices and you can't go wrong with either. Do your research and find out which one best suits your taste. I just fell in love with Sony.