The high popularity of devices capable of reproducing high-definition sound has been established for a long time. When some music lovers listened to their favorite music on such exclusive and expensive equipment, it was like for the first time. The only problem is that such equipment was stationary, which means that it was possible to listen to its sound only in the place where it was installed. And this is not very convenient. Yes, and often there is simply not enough time.
Japanese company Sony took this issue into account and recently released just what they have been waiting for - a portable device that reproduces high-definition sound at an affordable price.
Appearance is not the main thing
As for the appearance of the player, no new discoveries were made here. It looks quite strict and has several color schemes. According to many, the Sony NWZ-A15 bm looks better than the rest. Its body is metal, however, the back cover is still made of plastic.
Buttons are physical only. They are made in the form of a rhombus with a round key in the middle. Below the 2.2-inch screen, there are two more buttons– Option and Back. By the way, the display has a low resolution, but this is not so important, because in the first place the Sony NWZ-A15 player is needed for high-quality listening to music.
On the left side there is a slider blocking device control and a hole for a memory card. Below is a standard headphone jack and a Walkman-only charging port.
Worth noting is the high build quality of the Sony NWZ-A15. All parts sit tightly, do not creak or dangle. The plug on the hole for the memory card protrudes slightly from the case. But this is a minor drawback.
Packaging issues
Given the modest dimensions of the device - 10.9×4.4×0.9 cm, a small box was needed for it. Manufacturers decided not to spoil the people, so the kit includes only the Sony NWZ-A15 player itself, an instruction manual and a cable for charging and downloading multimedia files.
You should not look for headphones or a memory card. There is not even a power supply, so restoring power from the outlet is out of the question. Although this accessory can be purchased separately.
Easy menu and controls
A few seconds after starting the player, the interface appears. It is much simpler than models on OS Android. The top bar shows the playback status, time icon and battery level.
Below is a menu of 12 items. In addition to the various functions that will be mentionedlater, there are folders for music, photos and videos. The necessity of the last two is a big question, given the small screen, its low resolution and the lack of a camera in the Sony NWZ-A15. But maybe someone will find it useful.
The player itself is able to sort songs by genre, artist and album. You can also create playlists and bookmark your favorite tracks. There are no tricks to manage, that's why it is simple and convenient.
Useful Features
Of course, before listing the functionality of the device, it is worth mentioning the presence of Bluetooth and NFC with support for the aptX codec. They are able to provide wireless audio transmission.
S-Master HX technology is responsible for the frequency and bitrate of music. Many formats are supported, including FLAC. The built-in memory in the Sony NWZ-A15 is 16Gb, only a little less will be available. Although, if you wish, you can buy an additional memory card, because it is not in vain that a slot is provided for it.
The main advantage of the player is Hi-Res audio. The sound is played so high quality that all the smallest nuances and details in the music become audible.
There is also a dsee HX function that greatly improves the sound at very low sound quality. True, when it is turned on, other effects, as well as the equalizer, cannot be used.
Basic tools for sound tuning
Continuing the theme of sound tuning, it is worth mentioning the ClearAudio + technology. This is another purely "Soniev" technology,allowing you to make the sound more detailed.
There are more traditional instruments as well. These include VRT and an equalizer. The first mode is responsible for the effect of presence in a particular place (concert hall, room, club, studio). And in the equalizer, you can either put one of the preset modes or make your own settings.
From the interesting there are also dynamic normalization, which equalizes the volume, and the DCP mode, which is responsible for speeding up or slowing down the music being played.
Software
Besides musical functions, there are other programs. For example, the ability to display the words of the songs you listen to, albeit not in all formats. Files are viewed through the folder even if their format is not supported. The signal can be transmitted via Bluetooth, which means you can try to connect the car radio.
Next Sony NWZ-A15 can play videos in several formats. And for someone it will be a big plus to have a radio.
And, of course, do not forget about the NFC module, with which the device will quickly connect to various accessories, such as a headset, speakers, headphones, etc.
Sound quality
The level of sound produced by the Japanese machine is definitely high. No modern smartphone is capable of this. When playing a song, you can hear every audio track and every instrument that participated in the recording of the song.
The headroom is quite large. But it depends not only on the capabilities of the device. It also matters how well the album is digitized and other factors. Therefore, somewhere the volume will be enough, but somewhere it will not be enough. To avoid such problems, you can do a decent digitization yourself.
The fact that the MP3 player goes on sale without headphones means that you will have to purchase them. It is only important that the accessory is of high quality, otherwise it will be difficult to feel the fullness and depth of the sound.
In general, the developers awarded their A-series device with amazing sound. Both an amateur and a true connoisseur of music will instantly fall in love with him.
A few words about the disadvantages of the device
Strange as it may seem, there are things you might not like about the Sony NWZ-A15. Reviews on thematic forums often talk about the unfortunate decision of developers to use a non-standard Walkman connector. Due to the uniqueness of the charger, you have to carry it with you at all times.
Slightly unusual device works with a memory card. If you select it while it is not in the slot, the player will start asking you to insert it. At the same time, it will not switch to internal memory.
It also happens that the player turns on when you press any of the buttons. Although a special Option key is provided for this, which must be held for several seconds. Moreover, this can happen even in Hold mode, when the device is completely locked.
But, despite this, such minor problems are unlikely to spoil the pleasant impression of listening to your favoritemusical compositions.
Work offline
The claimed battery life of the player is impressive. At least the developers promise 50 hours of listening to MP3 music and 30 hours of Hi-Res mode. And, importantly, judging by many reviews, the way it is.
Moreover, in the device settings, you can activate a special function that prevents the device from charging to the maximum. This greatly extends the life of the battery. An interesting and very useful solution. Moreover, it will take 4 hours to fully charge the player, which is quite a long period.
It's hard to say something about the device's operating time in the video and photo viewing mode. Not many users will be doing this on a low-res 2-inch screen. If only as an experiment. One thing is for sure - you can hardly get pleasure from this.
Price for quality sound
Even with a lot of pluses, the MP3 player is offered at an affordable price. Given the difficult economic situation in the country, the metal body, high-quality sound, wide functionality and characteristics of the Sony NWZ-A15, its price is not considered high.
Only the following situation arises - this model will first of all appeal to those who understand what HD-sound is and want to listen to it. For the rest, the device runs the risk of going unnoticed, and a cheaper and simpler model can take its place in your pocket. And there are a lot of such options on the market now.
Whatin the end?
It can be concluded that the efforts of the developers were not in vain. Even taking into account the fact that there are already many devices that claim to play high-quality sound, many of them lose a lot in price.
The body of the Sony NWZ-A15 is made of metal, which means it is quite capable of protecting it from external physical influences. Moreover, a case for the player is not provided, at least it will definitely not be included in the kit. And nothing that in its appearance there is no zest. After all, the device does not need to be worn around the neck or put on the finger. His place is in his pocket, and there appearance is not so important.
The most important thing to note is a really high-quality sound and a lot of tools for setting it up. So the player performs its main function perfectly. And don't blame Sony for the small display and poor picture quality. For these purposes, other devices have long been invented. And here it's just like a nice bonus.
