[Anthony9]

Has anybody managed to get the wavelet app working on the 105? I've tried but it doesn't appear to alter the output. It works perfectly on my Huaweii mobile phone.

 

[EvilJesus]

I have a Fiio M6 and just picked up a used A105 for 150$ on Amazon. Definitely a better experience with the A105. I don't understand the battery compliants. Both are small players which are better equipped than say something like a PD2. Of course your trade off will be battery life. I don't stream and only use wifi for file transfers. The battery life is not a problem with either player. I get 10-12 hours on both. Be able to use the latest version of UaPP on the A105 makes it my new go to player.

 

[Gamerlingual]

I have a Fiio M6 and just picked up a used A105 for 150$ on Amazon. Definitely a better experience with the A105. I don't understand the battery compliants. Both are small players which are better equipped than say something like a PD2. Of course your trade off will be battery life. I don't stream and only use wifi for file transfers. The battery life is not a problem with either player. I get 10-12 hours on both. Be able to use the latest version of UaPP on the A105 makes it my new go to player.

My friend had the battery heat up on his. Somehow these batteries aren’t the best from Sony’s lab

 

[Kingston12]

Is anyone using the A105 as a transport for a USB-C DAC?

I'm using it with an IfI iDSD Signature and it really seems to compound the battery issues - AIFF files playing through the Music app seem to give me less than 3 hours of battery life. I was prepared for bad battery life, but not this bad!

For info - all Wifi and Bluetooth turned off and this is not a DAC that charges from the source transport!

Any ideas appreciated!

 

[Kingston12]

It looks like it is the USB output that is killing the battery. I just connected the headphones directly to the A105, and playing at half volume it only drains the battery 7-8% an hour.

I can’t understand why I’d get 3-4x the battery life using the inbuilt amp compared to using the USB output. It will have to go back unless there is a fix as I only bought it as a transport for the DAC.

 

[Anthony9]

The battery is the biggest compromise on this device, which will also shorten its overall lifespan because of the frequent cycles. My 7yr old A15 still gives 30hrs playback on a full charge. It will still be of use long after the 105 is bricked I reckon.

 

[Kingston12]

The battery is the biggest compromise on this device, which will also shorten its overall lifespan because of the frequent cycles. My 7yr old A15 still gives 30hrs playback on a full charge. It will still be of use long after the 105 is bricked I reckon.

I’ve got an A15 too, and the battery is amazing on that device. I found it in a drawer after months of not using it and it still had a full battery! Unfortunately, I was so convinced that I had lost it that I’d already bought an A45 to replace it! The battery on the A45 is nowhere near as good as the A15, but better than the A105.

I only decided to get the A105 to use as a transport because the USB OTG cable for the the A15/A45 is so expensive to import to the UK.

I think I’ll just get the cable and go back to the A15/A45 if I can‘t work out why the USB out is draining the A105 so quickly.

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

You need USB-C hub with PD input and a USB-C PD charger.

 

[Raketen]

I’ve got an A15 too, and the battery is amazing on that device. I found it in a drawer after months of not using it and it still had a full battery! Unfortunately, I was so convinced that I had lost it that I’d already bought an A45 to replace it! The battery on the A45 is nowhere near as good as the A15, but better than the A105.

I only decided to get the A105 to use as a transport because the USB OTG cable for the the A15/A45 is so expensive to import to the UK.

I think I’ll just get the cable and go back to the A15/A45 if I can‘t work out why the USB out is draining the A105 so quickly.

My A17 still gets 20+ hours (and even survived a cycle in the washing machine!). Makes me a little bit sad when great devices like that get produced for a year or two and then disappear forever... gotta keep the engineers busy, I guess

 

[Kingston12]

You need USB-C hub with PD input and a USB-C PD charger.

That would solve the problem, but won't work for me in a semi-portable setup. The iDSD is quite big as it is, the A105 doesn't add much bulk, but it would be too much if I needed a USB hub and PD charging brick as well.

I guess the A105 just isn't what I'm looking for after all. It works well as a standalone unit, but not as a transport for a DAC.

I'll continue to see if I can find a solution within the return period.

 

[Kingston12]

My A17 still gets 20+ hours (and even survived a cycle in the washing machine!). Makes me a little bit sad when great devices like that get produced for a year or two and then disappear forever... gotta keep the engineers busy, I guess

They are amazing DAPs battery-wise. My A45 was ok, but it always seemed to be dead when I tried to turn it on after a few days of not using it. I never quite got to the bottom of why it did that!

 

[Anthony9]

Sony's earlier DAPs were very impressive. And once they got passed Atrac and Sonicstage their ease of use improved dramatically. They seem to have stepped backwards recently though. The A105 is not representative of what they are capable of providing at this price point. Android, to me, is a limiting factor. By its presence it speeds up the aging process.

 

[Kingston12]

Sony's earlier DAPs were very impressive. And once they got passed Atrac and Sonicstage their ease of use improved dramatically. They seem to have stepped backwards recently though. The A105 is not representative of what they are capable of providing at this price point. Android, to me, is a limiting factor. By its presence it speeds up the aging process.

Totally agree. I've had Sony DAPs for years. Atrac and Sonicstage were a problem, especially when I started running them alongside Apple iPods and iPhones as that software didn't work at all well with Apple! I used to love my HD5, although I think that the A15 might run it close as my overall favourite Sony DAP.

 

[Anthony9]

Totally agree. I've had Sony DAPs for years. Atrac and Sonicstage were a problem, especially when I started running them alongside Apple iPods and iPhones as that software didn't work at all well with Apple! I used to love my HD5, although I think that the A15 might run it close as my overall favourite Sony DAP.

Believe or not I still run SS on Windows 10. My NW S703 is still in perfect condition. It was Sony's first entry in Noise-Cancelling , AFAIK. It was, and still is, pretty impressive both in aesthetics and function. Liimited to Atrac, so it only gets the occasional use. It's a keeper though.

 

[Kingston12]

One thing I have noticed is that the battery life of my A105 when NOT connected to a USB DAC seems much better than expected.

As a test, I left it running yesterday, volume level 70/120 and 24 hours later it's still going strong with 20% left on the battery. It's hardly a proper test, because the screen has only been on 3-4 times in the period and I've not been swapping/selecting different music to play like I would if I was using it properly.

It's impressive though, and it's a shame that it uses so much power in USB DAC mode as that makes it pretty much useless to me.