[abitdeef]

For completest sake, the rear of mine also from Hong Kong.
As my test results were deemed inconclusive, are there any from Hong Kong that DO have the fault?

Do you have any imput on your computer? Should be easy to test if you do. Walkman as output and line in or mic in as imput. You've got to make shure it says line in or mic in under the imput tab. I got results with mic in with RTA and I used control and was able to adjust the curve with eq. I couldn't do the loop because walkman wasn't showing up under dac.

Oh wait you tried mic in on REW, try just a sweep on RTA with mic in. If you can be bothered. Or if it sounds good just enjoy

 

[abitdeef]

For completest sake, the rear of mine also from Hong Kong.
As my test results were deemed inconclusive, are there any from Hong Kong that DO have the fault?

Yep I think there was one. Like every region has some so far, well not sure about EU. Seems random.

 

[psikey]

I've just been chatting with Davvy of UAPP about our manual success of using his software with A300Series.

He may add it (and ZX700Series) to next update.

 

[AtomicUK]

...try just a sweep on RTA with mic in. If you can be bothered. Or if it sounds good just enjoy

The test was all down to PSIKEY who very kindly did it all, I was a mere spectator and to be honest, not sure I'd be able to figure it out as all this is 100% new to me.

I'm very happy with mine, and certainly do not have perfect hearing unfortunately, but, I would like to know definitively if I have the issue or not.

 

[abitdeef]

The test was all down to PSIKEY who very kindly did it all, I was a mere spectator and to be honest, not sure I'd be able to figure it out as all this is 100% new to me.

I'm very happy with mine, and certainly do not have perfect hearing unfortunately, but, I would like to know definitively if I have the issue or not.

Pretty much there's a sort of guide on page 73.you load the sweep file on you dap. Stick the 3.5 to 3.5 into the mic in, hit the RTA tab change 2 settings and start the sweep on loop and hit the record button and let it do it's stuff.

If the bass sounds good to you I wouldn't worry about it. It was described as sounding like a clock radio speaker. Lol yours doesn't sound like that right?

 

[AtomicUK]

If the bass sounds good to you I wouldn't worry about it. It was described as sounding like a clock radio speaker. Lol yours doesn't sound like that right?

It sounds great, I'm very happy with it.
(Would still be good to know sometime though.)

I'd planned to get some decent in-ears that were worthy of being paired with the A306 when I am in the US shortly, just as well as my (very old) Shure ones have fallen apart & died with the sudden increased sustained use!

The Bose will have to do for now but as nice as they sound, they are around 60 less dynamic than the Shure set, but then their main purpose is noise cancelling.

It's all good.

 

[supersonic395]

Yes, I was using mine to drive a Modius and my new Bifrost 2/64 -- works fine, though I'm not sure if it's using direct control or still going through the stock Android signal path. I think the Walkman app can go direct.

Sadly the US model volume limit -- and obnoxious 'stop playback after 20 hours' -- applies to the USB output as well, even though you basically have to crank the media volume to 100 for it to be at a reasonable level over the DAC.

Awesome, great to hear it works with the Schiit DACs. How did you connect it to the Bifrost - did you use a USB C to USB B cable?

Tbh if the Walkman is effectively a transport outputting to a DAC, then volume shouldn't come into it.

 

[psikey]

Is there a balanced adapter any of you guys recommend to use with my a306? My iems come with interchangeable balanced connectors.

Photo & info a few pages back

 

[glward]

Awesome, great to hear it works with the Schiit DACs. How did you connect it to the Bifrost - did you use a USB C to USB B cable?

Tbh if the Walkman is effectively a transport outputting to a DAC, then volume shouldn't come into it.

Yeah, just a USB C to B cable.

I think the issue is whether the app playing music can go directly to the DAC over USB or not. TIDAL and Walkman can, UAPP kind of worked, but Poweramp definitely did not go direct. Near as I can work out, the apps that support direct access prompt you to allow it every time you plug in a DAC, while the others just go over the system audio path.

Using direct USB seems to confuse Android. Hitting the physical pause key _pauses_ the Walkman app, but when I hit it again it just tries to resume in Poweramp even if it's been force-quit, but it can't play because the USB DAC is locked by the Walkman app. Very strange.

 

[Earbones]

Got mine today... Japan-market via eBay, 1002625. No bass issues.

Sounds roughly similar to my NW-WM1AM2 in the bass department, definitely the same familial DNA. Perhaps the bass is slightly faster and punchier and slightly less sub-bass focused, but from what I understand, those are the differences one should be hearing between the two machines, when both are performing as expected. This particular NW-A306 is certainly not bass-lite, in any event.

HOWEVER... There are a few other issues:

-Overall bugginess in the Android OS. There can be a lot of lag both in and out of apps. Certainly not the upgraded experience to the 1AM2 I was hoping for. It's markedly worse in this department.

-Initially it said it couldn't connect to my WiFi, and when I backed out of that screen it read as connected.

-Early on, when I was in the middle of getting started with the device, the screen went black and ran me through the whole initial setup process again (wifi, signing into google account), despite the fact I had already done all that, and was in the middle of downloading Apple Music.

-Just now, when I started it up, it stayed on the black "Sony" screen and didn't progress to the "for music lovers" nor the home screen, and I had to restart it.

-Low but audible static feedback when Wifi is on... the device seems to be acting as a radio receiver and picking up stray signals. Luckily, I can't replicate the issue (so far) when listening offline, so this last thing doesn't bug me so much... I only listen to downloaded music.

In any event, it sounds great when it's just playing, so I have hope either a reset or a firmware update will correct the bugs. I'll update you all if I decide to do the reset. I'm a little afraid of the correcting the bugs and picking up the bass issue, lol.

 

[emilsoft]

Yes I noticed few smaller issues as well -

* static interference on one channel when Wi-Fi is on (I use fair bit of streaming). Sony didn’t isolate the chips from the audio segment enough possibly
* loud pops at times when changing track - quite annoying
* slow ui - seemed on par with zx507

 

[psikey]

Yes I noticed few smaller issues as well -

* static interference on one channel when Wi-Fi is on (I use fair bit of streaming). Sony didn’t isolate the chips from the audio segment enough possibly
* loud pops at times when changing track - quite annoying
* slow ui - seemed on par with zx507

I experience none of this. Dead silent live streaming Spotify over my home wifi too.

OS is smoother/faster that 1AM2 for my usage. Used about 40hrs now.

 

[pinkbecca]

there's a problem with the "Battery care" setting, when its switched on it charges sometimes up to 85% but sometimes it goes above, yesterday it charged up to 92%, and second bug when the device is switched off and charging at the same time it will charge 100% ignoring the battery care setting, how can I let Sony know about this issue?

 

[Toad King]

I've experienced the popping at the beginning of tracks but only on DSD tracks. My FLAC tracks have not had that issue.

 

[Earbones]

I experience none of this. Dead silent live streaming Spotify over my home wifi too.

OS is smoother/faster that 1AM2 for my usage. Used about 40hrs now.

Maybe it's a 306/307 disparity? A slightly different internal layout to accommodate the larger chip could account for the 307 presenting a silent background when connected to wifi, while the 306 has some feedback. As emilsoft posited, it could just be a sound chip isolation thing... even a millimeter or two can make a difference...