Hello everyone, I was very excited to receive my UK volume capped NW-A45 and listened to it for a few days and wanted to share my impressions.
This is my opinion only and another data point for everyone to consider when deciding how to spend their money.
tldr : I did not like it and I have sent it back for a refund.
What the Sony does right:
- Light and portable;
- Easy to use;
- Snappy UI and a nice menu system;
- Incredible battery life which seriously puts other DAPs to shame;
- A clean and clear sound;
- Good details, separation and lots of sparkle.
What I did not like:
- It sounded a little unnatural to me;
- High hats and symbols were clear and articulate but they sounded fake;
- Lacking a solid foundation to the music with no real driving power so I found myself having to turn it up louder than I would have liked to get some weight to the notes;
- Vocals were distant, unengaging and a little thin so I again had to crank the volume.
- Does not like progressive jpeg artwork which was actually more annoying than I thought it would be.
Before this I had the WM1A for a few weeks which I loved and was hands down the best I had ever heard my music. In the end I returned it because I did not feel comfortable spending so much on a DAP. I am not super rich and every time I listened to it, as much as I loved it, all I could think about was that I could have taken my wife on a much deserved break with the money.
My previous DAP which I just sold was the Cayin N3. It is not as easy to use as the Sony and the battery is nowhere near as good but it sounded more realistic, vocals were up front and there was a nice weight to the notes.
Thank you.
