[rlw6534]

they're not in stock but they're still available to order if you're in the US. Amazon and Crutchfield both have it at $248:

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Walkman-NW-A105-Hi-Res-Player/dp/B082PMB7BQ
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-AHj2qCffXGv/p_158NWA105B/Sony-NW-A105-Walkman.html

FWIW I haven't tried the M3X yet (I preordered the silver one) but I really like Sony walkman's app UI/UX and the versatility of full android for ease of streaming apps and such on my ZX507. The portability is also really good

Also saw at B&H: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod.../?cnxclid=16238640429638115527410090302008005

and Sony direct: https://electronics.sony.com/audio/audio-components/hi-res-audio/p/nwa105-b

 

[vikibeats]

Yes, if I had to choose between the A105 and M3X, I would keep the M3X. It's simply more capable and powerful at a similar price. The only real advantages to the Sony is its' small size which unfortunately limits the battery runtime. Both are fine DAPs, but the M3X is a better value and can drive more power hungry devices.

Edit:
I just noticed that the A105 is currently on sale ($100 off) which might change things if price is a major concern. It's a darn good device for $250. I suppose it's possible that the sale prices might indicate a new device coming soon...

Oh, that’s will be nice. I'm also looking forward to the new Walkmans this fall, but no news yet. But even if Sony introduces new players, it will take at least six months for them to appear on sale in Europe and the United States.
So, my eyes fell on shanling m3x. With this stunning battery life, it’s perfect for Apple Music streaming.
Last questions, 4.4 balanced connector is much better than 3.5?

 

[n00b]

4.4mm bal gives you access to more power, which is useful if you have high impedance headphones that otherwise can't get loud enough. It's also a physically larger and more robust connection. If you find your headphones easy enough to drive to acceptable volume and they sound good on 3.5mm, and you're pretty gentle/don't anticipate using these in rough conditions, then 3.5mm should be fine. Personally I opt for 4.4mm when I can because it seems to be a popular format moving forward (compared to say, 2.5mm), the connection seems sturdier, and I'll have more output power if I ever need it. That said, I still often go between 4.4mm and 3.5mm depending on what termination my earphone has and I don't feel like one is significantly better than the other sonically.

 

[vikibeats]

4.4mm bal gives you access to more power, which is useful if you have high impedance headphones that otherwise can't get loud enough. It's also a physically larger and more robust connection. If you find your headphones easy enough to drive to acceptable volume and they sound good on 3.5mm, and you're pretty gentle/don't anticipate using these in rough conditions, then 3.5mm should be fine. Personally I opt for 4.4mm when I can because it seems to be a popular format moving forward (compared to say, 2.5mm), the connection seems sturdier, and I'll have more output power if I ever need it. That said, I still often go between 4.4mm and 3.5mm depending on what termination my earphone has and I don't feel like one is significantly better than the other sonically.

Thanks! I have a sony xba-n1ap (pretty love them) with a 3.5 jack and I don't know if I should buy a 4.4mm balanced cable for a future upgrade.

 

[holsen]

Can someone please give me an idea as to the driving power of this DAP? Will it be a good investment if I plan to buy TOTL IEMs somewhere down the line, ones such as CFA Andromeda?

Also, does YouTube work well on this DAP? Or is it too battery consuming? Also, how's the battery with Spotify?

Just to put it on perspective, the Lotoo PAW 6000 is only 10mW on low gain vs 300mW on High. Compare that to the M3X which is 101mW on Low / 265mW on high. The M3X has P L E N T Y of driving power. The Andromedas are extremely easy to drive. At 112.8 dB SPL/mW sensitivity and 12.8 Ohms @ 1kHz, they are definitely on the sensitive side and get easily loud out of pretty much any source.

Flagship doesnt neccessarily mean hard to drive. In fact one of the biggest issues for something like the Andro is that it's so sensitive that they can be prone to hissing if improperly matched to source. The M3X has an extremely low noise floor and very low impedance making it a great match for the Andro. As far as driving power is concerned. I've got several IEMs which would classify as "Flagship" that love power and and the M3X has tons of of driving power. I believe the only area of caution with the M3X would be high impedance Headphones where the M3X would stuggle to drive them. IEMS - no problem.

 

[funnyjoke]

Just to put it on perspective, the Lotoo PAW 6000 is only 10mW on low gain vs 300mW on High. Compare that to the M3X which is 101mW on Low / 265mW on high. The M3X has P L E N T Y of driving power. The Andromedas are extremely easy to drive. At 112.8 dB SPL/mW sensitivity and 12.8 Ohms @ 1kHz, they are definitely on the sensitive side and get easily loud out of pretty much any source.

Flagship doesnt neccessarily mean hard to drive. In fact one of the biggest issues for something like the Andro is that it's so sensitive that they can be prone to hissing if improperly matched to source. The M3X has an extremely low noise floor and very low impedance making it a great match for the Andro. As far as driving power is concerned. I've got several IEMs which would classify as "Flagship" that love power and and the M3X has tons of of driving power. I believe the only area of caution with the M3X would be high impedance Headphones where the M3X would stuggle to drive them. IEMS - no problem.

Okay, thanks. How's the battery consumption while using YouTube and music streaming services like Spotify?

 

[holsen]

Okay, thanks. How's the battery consumption while using YouTube and music streaming services like Spotify?

I havent run YT on it but I listened to Spotify for about 4 hours yesterday and I didn't specifically track the battery consumption but it wasn't much. Just music I burn about 4% / hour SE and 6%balanced. You Tube will burn more because the screen needs to be on...

 

[funnyjoke]

I havent run YT on it but I listened to Spotify for about 4 hours yesterday and I didn't specifically track the battery consumption but it wasn't much. Just music I burn about 4% / hour SE and 6%balanced. You Tube will burn more because the screen needs to be on...

Interesting info, thanks for that. I'm debating on buying this but I'm not sure. But your replies help, so thanks.

 

[holsen]

Well, I love my M3X and M5s before it so much that I'm jumping to the M6 21 Pro (or M6 Pro 21) so my M3X is going for sale. $330 including Free Unused Blue Case so $40 discount. Original Screen protectors still in the box. PP and Shipping on me. It's pristine and less than 10 charge cycles. PM if interested.

 

[paolo51]

anyone got output power at 16 ohms for 3.5mm and balanced?

The M6 PRO 3.5mm output is NOT balanced. The 2.5mm and 4.4mm are balanced. From my M3X I have plenty output from 4.4mm balanced to 3.5mm balanced 18Ω Hifiman DEVA.
And I also have plenty output from 3.5mm unbalanced TRS to my 80Ω Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO headphone.

 

[holsen]

The M6 PRO 3.5mm output is NOT balanced. The 2.5mm and 4.4mm are balanced. From my M3X I have plenty output from 4.4mm balanced to 3.5mm balanced 18Ω Hifiman DEVA.
And I also have plenty output from 3.5mm unbalanced TRS to my 80Ω Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO headphone.

I think he was asking: Whats the Power 3.5? and whats the power balanced?

 

[nekromantik]

I think he was asking: Whats the Power 3.5? and whats the power balanced?

Yes thats correct,
I know that 3.5mm is not balanced...
There is a reason why I added the word "and" inbetween 3.5 AND balanced.

 

[paolo51]

The M6 PRO 3.5mm output is NOT balanced. The 2.5mm and 4.4mm are balanced. From my M3X I have plenty output from 4.4mm balanced to 3.5mm balanced 18Ω Hifiman DEVA.
And I also have plenty output from 3.5mm unbalanced TRS to my 80Ω Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO headphone.

M6 PRO Power Output:

Single ended 3.5mm 200mW (32Ω) | Balanced 2.5mm+4.4mm 600mW (32Ω)

 

[paolo51]

Shanling M3X in combination with USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP)
(based on own experiences)

Disadvantages of the default Shanling music app:
* The sorting of audio tracks in the default Shanling music app is hopeless. Even when the tracks are numbered neatly, the Shanling player can show a different order, even when sorting by alphabet is chosen.
* If there are multiple versions of an album on the SD card, when you select Albums in the Shanling library, these albums are displayed as one album. For example, Cobra Records releases both the regular stereo version and the binaural version of an album. One for speakers, the other for headphones. The Shanling music app mixes those versions into one album.
* In the Shanling music app it is not possible to filter by composer.
* In the Shanling music app, the metadata of a track cannot be displayed.

Shanling claims that the Shanling music app is the only one that can bypass Android in Prime mode. Although no other apps can be installed in Prime mode, there are music players (apps) that can largely bypass Android and play NativeDSD files directly without any conversion.
One of them is in any case USB Audio Player Pro from eXtream Software (€ 7.49)

Advantages of the USB Audio Player Pro app:
* The sorting of audio tracks is just as it should be.
* If there are multiple versions of an album on the SD card, they will also be shown as separate versions.
* Filtering by Composer is possible, and especially navigating and selecting is much easier.
* The metadata of each track can be found.
* UPnP/DLNA services seem much better organized; audio files on the network (or a computer with shared folders) are found without any problem.
* With the correct settings in the USB Audio Player Pro app, even NativeDSD audio can be played in full quality.


The settings of the USB Audio Player Pro app: (As far as I have discovered until now)

Internal audio driver: HiRes Direct driver
Internal HiRes audio:
HiRes driver flags: leave all checkboxes unmarked
HiRes driver audio format: auto
Bit perfect mode: When possible
upsample: off
Use with Bluetooth output: mark checkbox
Android audio:
Play through Android: unmark checkbox (ignore all subsequent warnings)
Android sample rate: Device native sample rate
Force 16-bit: unmark checkbox
USB audio:
Upsample: Off
Bit perfect mode: When possible
DSD mode: Native DSD
High quality DSD conversion: unmark ckeckbox
Limit sample rate: No limit
HiRes logo: mark checkbox
USB audio tweaks:
Use USB DAC: mark checkbox (ignore all subsequent warnings)
USB tweak 1: unmark checkbox
USB tweak 2: mark checkbox
Buffer size: 200 milliseconds
USB device speed (Android 7+): Automatic

Maybe other forum members have different experiences. So let us hear from you and share your knowledge.

 

[Audiosolace]

The Shanling M3X is quite a nice compact DAP, with plenty of features and a linear sound. We have reviewed them here.