[MrWalkman]

I second to that!
BTW: Did You ever try to make the EQ and DSEE HX settings work via BT? I miss those options everytime I use my TWS...

I don't think that would be possible without modifying the app from source, and the sources are not available to us, of course.

 

[Facta]

The A55 already has the AI variant of DSEE HX..

A55 isn't detecting a new 1TB MicroSDXC card by SanDisk. Wondering what might be the best way to transfer a 1TB music folder from Mac to A55...

 

[Luis Mad]

A very positive review

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-nw-a55l

 

[gerelmx1986]

A55 isn't detecting a new 1TB MicroSDXC card by SanDisk. Wondering what might be the best way to transfer a 1TB music folder from Mac to A55...

Create a folder in the root of the micro SD card and name it Music and drop all the music in that folder

 

[didacusc]

Hi everyone! I'm new here.
I've been a user of the NW-A55 for almost two years now, after importing it from Japan right after it launched, and I'm super happy with this small beast.
I've been reading about using the USB cable for a digital out to a DAC, but I was wondering how could this be achieved. I have tired to find the FiiO cable, but it's not produced anymore, I believe. Could any USB cable work? Would I have noticeable gains when plugged into my HiFi amp or does the 3.5mm jack work well enough?

Thank you!

 

[WilcoRoger]

USB cable? I think you mean WM cable. You'll need a cable with WM connector at one end and your choice of connector at the other (depending on your DAC's input)

I have bought such a cable in one of the booths in Wanchai (Hong Kong) works flawlessly with the DAC/AMP I have, so the Fiio cable is not the only option.

PM me if you're interested in the Fiio cable, I might have a spare one with micro-USB termination.

 

[öncü]

Hi everyone. I've been using the NW-A35 since 2017 and looking for an upgrade. I know it's a bit late but I'm on the verge of buying NW-A55. Is it worth the upgrade from 35 series? USB DAC feature is not important for me since I don't like listening to music from PC. The only issue i have on my A35 is it does not show the album cover if cover is bigger than 500x500 thus I always have to compress album cover on mp3tag before moving it to walkman. Did Sony solve this on A55 ?

 

[Raketen]

Hi everyone. I've been using the NW-A35 since 2017 and looking for an upgrade. I know it's a bit late but I'm on the verge of buying NW-A55. Is it worth the upgrade from 35 series? USB DAC feature is not important for me since I don't like listening to music from PC. The only issue i have on my A35 is it does not show the album cover if cover is bigger than 500x500 thus I always have to compress album cover on mp3tag before moving it to walkman. Did Sony solve this on A55 ?

I've only demo'd 35, but I don't think 55 would be much of an upgrade if you don't need DAC mode or bluetooth receiver mode. Have seen a few comments that the 105 is a slight upgrade, if you don't mind Android.

 

[kova4a]

Hi everyone. I've been using the NW-A35 since 2017 and looking for an upgrade. I know it's a bit late but I'm on the verge of buying NW-A55. Is it worth the upgrade from 35 series? USB DAC feature is not important for me since I don't like listening to music from PC. The only issue i have on my A35 is it does not show the album cover if cover is bigger than 500x500 thus I always have to compress album cover on mp3tag before moving it to walkman. Did Sony solve this on A55 ?

The only upgeade you'll get from the a55 is a bit better and more responsive screen. Honestly, just install the zx300 software that MrWalkman ported LINK
I personally prefer the Reloaded to the Reloaded+

 

[öncü]

The only upgeade you'll get from the a55 is a bit better and more responsive screen. Honestly, just install the zx300 software that MrWalkman ported LINK
I personally prefer the Reloaded to the Reloaded+

Could you please give more info about that software installation or link of the thread if posted ? I didn't know something like this could be done.

 

[kova4a]

Could you please give more info about that software installation or link of the thread if posted ? I didn't know something like this could be done.

Yeah, here you go https://www.head-fi.org/threads/new-sony-nw-a30-series.815843/post-15841972 . He also ported the WM1A/Z as you can see from his post below the one in the link, but honestly I tried all versions and prefer the standard Reloaded. The are also detailed instruction in the download folder

 

[öncü]

Yeah, here you go https://www.head-fi.org/threads/new-sony-nw-a30-series.815843/post-15841972 . He also ported the WM1A/Z as you can see from his post below the one in the link, but honestly I tried all versions and prefer the standard Reloaded. The are also detailed instruction in the download folder

Thank you so much but in his explanation, he says "Reloaded version brings a different sound than the normal version" Could you describe what is the difference in terms of sound between the reloaded and reloaded+ ?

 

[kova4a]

Thank you so much but in his explanation, he says "Reloaded version brings a different sound than the normal version" Could you describe what is the difference in terms of sound between the reloaded and reloaded+ ?

Well, Reloaded is a bit more neutral and cleaner sounding than the + version, but once you're used the model switcher you can easily switch between Reloaded and Reloaded+, so you can test them yourself.

 

[ColdsnapBry]

Dang I love the pure utility of the NW A55; amazing battery life, excellent UI, lots of options, physical buttons, excellent build quality.

BUT I just feel like the Shanling M0 drives my Porta Pros slightly better than the NW A55 and has a fuller sound. It's a tough call between the two.

 

[Elbonja]

> Listening Impressions



My informal listening impressions. I am not a reviewer or contributor, so this will be amateur hour. I will keep it terse to minimize wasting your time

I purchased the NW-A55 to replace my NWZ-A17. From a listening standpoint, I am mainly interested in not having to pair my Walkman with an outboard DAC/amp. In my case, it’s either a Sony PHA-1A or a PHA-3. Both outboard DAC/amps sound great, but neither of them have a battery life much over 6 hours. So, charging is a concern, as well as size of the combined DAP + DAC/amp.

I primarily use one of two sets of ‘phones when traveling or at work:

1. Shure SE535LTD - 36 ohm, 119 dB SPL/mW IEMs w/ an upgraded cabled from Moon Audio (Silver Dragon)

2. Sony MDR-Z7 - 70 ohm, 102 dB SPL/mW semi-closed ‘phones w/ an upgraded cable from Kimber Kable (the Sony co-branded model).

Recently I acquired a Google Pixel 2 and I went through the (very real) pain of uploading most of my collection to Google Play Music, after transcoding to MP3/320. I have some Apple AirPods and I even tried the Pixel Buds but, to be honest, am not satisfied with the sound from either via bluetooth from my Pixel 2.

That said, I’ve been listening to a lot of Spotify lately, so I’ve been using my phone for music more than anything else in my signature.

When I read about the bluetooth capabilities of the Pixel 2 (i.e. aptX HD and LDAC), I was thrilled to read that the new Sony Walkman would support a bluetooth receiver function. Maybe I could have my cake and eat it too: streaming music from Spotify, Google Play and SiriusXM on-the-go, but with the superior sound quality of a wired DAC/amp with my favorite travel ‘phones.

I will cover bluetooth receiver functions, as well as how the NW-A55 works with my library (browsing smoothness, metadata handling, searching, et al.) in a follow-on post. Right now, I want to get straight to my FLAC collection on a microSD card and see how well the new Walkman can drive my ‘phones.

SHURE SE535LTD

I started with a playlist that is a mixer of tracks from The Doors (ripped from a DVD-Audio collection). I know this music extremely well and anything unusual will “pop” for me, instantly. Things I listen for:

Riders on the Storm - the opening keyboard and bass track
The Crystal Ship - the lush vocals throughout the track

Then, I moved on to softer, modern recordings:

London Grammar - If You Wait
Julia Holter - In The Same Room
Gillian Welch - Revival

Some classical: Hilary Hanh - Hilary Hahn plays Bach: Sonatas 1 & 2 Partita 1 (2018 release)

OBSERVATIONS:

These are just initial impressions. The sound is clean and pleasing, with detailed highs that are a little thin-sounding. Classical strings can become a little fatiguing. I found myself turning up the volume to “add weight” to the sound (e.g. opening part of Riders on the Storm needed volume set to 80 / 120). Percussion and vocals sound better (clear and a little forward) than I am used to hearing with the SE535. Big improvement over the A17, so mission accomplished. Does it outperform the PHA-3? I don’t know; I have to listen more...

SONY MDR-Z7

Carl A. Finlow - Introspective (this is one of my bass test albums)
Opeth - Sorceress
Pantera - Far Beyond Driven

OBSERVATIONS

This is the music that makes me reach for MDR-Z7s. When played on the NW-A55, I turned up the volume to 120 / 120 (full) for some tracks. So, no, the A55 does not outperform the PHA-3.

But it’s not bad. With the PHA-3 on the Finlow tracks, I was up to 75% (low gain) before it started getting too loud for my taste. Even at 120 / 120 on the A55, I never felt like it was “too loud”. The PHA-3 had a warmer sound, which makes me think the A55 is on the bright side of neutral.

One last test: I flipped over to my desk rig (choosing the Lehmann Rhinelander, Bel Canto DAC, Bryston Streamer chain). I played the same FLAC tracks from Pantera. The NW-A55 sounds a little “congested” in comparison and, obviously, no where near the volume output level. But Throes of Rejection still sounded good.

SENNHEISER HD-650

Just for completeness sake, I tried a few tracks with the Sennheiser HD-650. These are my go-to ‘phones, when using the Woo WA3 - probably my favorite pairing.

Best of the Grateful Dead and ...Live
Everything But The Girl - Amplified Heart.

Well, I had to crank the volume to 120 / 120 (full) for the Dead tracks. Acceptable sound, but simply not enough power for these ‘phones. The Woo, et al., + HD-650 w/ the Dead is an engaging sound. IMO, the NW-A55 is unacceptable with the HD-650, if you’ve heard them with a better playback chain.

OK, next post will be on Feature and Usability Impressions.

If you had to choose between. The A55, ibasso DX120 and Cowon Plenue D2, which one would you go for?

Is the Walkman really behind the other 2 in terms of sound quality? Is the Walkman significantly better than a smartphone or just "slightly"better?