JM21, HiBY R4, HiBY M300 These all run on android and cost between 160-250. Should be good enough for your wired earphones as well. The M300 is the cheapest of the bunch Answer from Terrible_Onions on reddit.com
Sony
electronics.sony.com › audio › walkman-digital-recorders › walkman-mp3-players › p › nwa306-b
Sony Digital Media Player | NW-A306
NW-A306 Walkman® A Series | Enjoy a high quality sound from this stylish and compact music player that lets you download and stream more of the music you love. With full Wi-Fi® compatibility, Bluetooth®, aptX™ HD, a longer lasting battery, ...
Amazon
amazon.com › Sony-NW-A306-Walkman-Portable-Bluetooth › dp › B0BS8493WY
Amazon.com: Sony NW-A306 Walkman 32GB Hi-Res Portable Digital Music Player with Android, up to 36 Hour Battery, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth and USB Type-C – Black NW-A306/B, Black : Electronics
Amazon.com: Sony NW-A306 Walkman 32GB Hi-Res Portable Digital Music Player with Android, up to 36 Hour Battery, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth and USB Type-C – Black NW-A306/B, Black : Electronics
Is NW-A306 that bad? (Looking to buy one)
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January 1, 2025sony nw a306 is so hard to find.. is it worth it?
remember to follow the subreddit rules and only post comments that will be relevant to the post topic. if you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact the moderators I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. More on reddit.com
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March 21, 2023Sony NW-A306 good/bad list
Forgot one Bad: Cannot wake up by touching the screen More on reddit.com
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April 2, 2023NW-A306
Grado SR-325 (YMMV , some people find them too bright) More on reddit.com
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February 24, 2023Videos
05:01
Sony walkman a306 Upgrade music Review battery life mp3 music player ...
11:37
Sony NW-A306: Questions I Get Asked 306 Times a Day (Your questions ...
09:15
Sony NW-A306: $350 DAP with $1000 Dreams! Is This a Budget Audiophile ...
13:21
Sony NW-A306 Music Player Review: A Wireless Powerhouse | Moon ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/digitalaudioplayer › is buying a sony nw-a306 worth it in 2025?
r/DigitalAudioPlayer on Reddit: Is Buying a Sony NW-A306 Worth It In 2025?
January 22, 2025 -
I really need a device just to listen to songs i cant go with the higher model because i dont have that much money saved and since the Sony NW-A306 alr came out a while back not only is it old but still runs on android 12 and i dont really know how good the device is so i came here looking for help. I mainly only wanna listen to music and i use wired earphones
Top answer 1 of 16
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JM21, HiBY R4, HiBY M300 These all run on android and cost between 160-250. Should be good enough for your wired earphones as well. The M300 is the cheapest of the bunch
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If the device size, streaming services and battery are a concern, then yes NW-a306 is a good buy. The CPU is insanely laggy even after debloating (40secs to bootup on avg). A306 in certain regions has volume limitations too. The other DAPs like JM21, HiBy R4 are as big and thicker than your mobile phone with lesser listening time. However they are performant and can drive balanced earphones as well. NW-A55 is also a choice you can think about in case you don’t need to drive balanced. The device is slimmer than A306 and has no android, hence is very responsive. Again, it does not have a 4.4mm balanced jack. There is a utility to override its volume limitations on it (from rockbox). You will find a good near mint device on ebay or zen market.
eBay
ebay.com › electronics › portable audio & headphones › ipods & mp3 players › see more sony walkman a series nw-a306/b 32gb hi-res po...
Sony NW-A306 Walkman 32GB Hi-Res Portable Digital Music Player | eBay
Sony NW-A306 Walkman 32GB Hi-Res Portable Digital Music Player
Connect to a PC to access your music collection. DSD audio formats up to 11.2MHz. The NW-A306 lets you enjoy 360 Reality Audio. Wi-Fi compatible for direct download and streaming. NW-A300 series high-quality PCM conversion.
Price $249.99
Audio Science Review
audiosciencereview.com › forum › index.php
Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum
6 days ago - Audio reviews, science and engineering discussions.
Sony
helpguide.sony.net › dmp › 1301 › v1 › en › index.html
NW-A306 | Help Guide | Top
Use this manual if you encounter any problems, or have any questions about your device.
Sony
sony.com › electronics › support › digital-music-players-nw-nwz-a-series › nw-a306 › specifications
NW-A306 Specifications | Sony USA
Get the detailed list of (technical) specifications for the Sony NW-A306
Medium
jakubjirak.medium.com › sonys-nw-a306-walkman-revives-the-joy-of-distraction-free-music-089b87e8d14b
Sony’s NW-A306 Walkman Revives the Joy of Distraction-Free Music | by Jakub Jirak | Medium
March 11, 2025 - It’s like a tiny time machine for music lovers, blending old-school charm with modern hi-fi tech. Don’t get me wrong — the NW-A306 is every bit a 2023 gadget (it launched in early 2023 at around $349).
Best Buy
bestbuy.com › best buy › home audio & speakers › mp3 players
Sony NW A306 Walkman A Series Black NWA306/B - Best Buy
Shop Sony NW A306 Walkman A Series Black products at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.
SoundStage! Solo
soundstagesolo.com › index.php › equipment › players › 378-sony-nw-a306-portable-media-player
SoundStage! Solo | SoundStageSolo.com - Sony NW-A306 Portable Media Player
April 15, 2023 - At one end of the price spectrum are no-name players of various capacities and dubious quality that litter the likes of Amazon and eBay. Of more interest to us are the ones aimed at the audiophile market. Several companies hit that niche. I decided to test the lower end of those waters, for reasons I’ll discuss below, and bought myself a Sony NW-A306 ($349.99, all prices USD).
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Sony's NEW WALKMAN hits me right in the feels (NW-A306 ...
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Sony UK
sony.co.uk › walkman › products › nw-a306
NW-A306 360 Reality Audio | Portable Audio Player | Sony UK
Discover the NW-A306 from Sony.Enjoy a high quality sound from this stylish and compact music player that lets you download and stream more of the music you love. With full Wi-Fi® compatibility, a longer lasting battery and a stylish and sleek ...
Amazon UK
amazon.co.uk › Sony-Walkman-NW-A306-Touchscreen-Player-Black › dp › B0BS1PKYWK
Sony Walkman NW-A306 Touchscreen MP3 Player - 32GB, Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
Sony Walkman NW-A306 Touchscreen MP3 Player - 32GB, Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
Shop Sony Walkman NW-A306 Touchscreen MP3 Player - 32GB, Black. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.
Price £348.98
Audio Science Review
audiosciencereview.com › forums
Sony NW-A306 frustration
March 28, 2024 - Audio reviews, science and engineering discussions.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/walkman › is nw-a306 that bad? (looking to buy one)
r/walkman on Reddit: Is NW-A306 that bad? (Looking to buy one)
January 1, 2025 -
I am looking to buy a "DAC" and yes its going to be my first device. My budget is kinda limited so my choice would be the A306. I watched the DarkoAudio's review on youtube and from what i understood this walkman seems really mediocre compared to Fiio and other chinese brands... For those of you that have it how does it perform? Does it sound better than a mobile? ( I do not care about spotify, i will be playing flac and wav files with wired headphones)
Top answer 1 of 9
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Same here. I am not audiophile, using A306 capped version with Sony IER M9. I haven’t tried any other better DAC, but I am very happy with A306 now after I debloat it last week. It is smoother and battery life is much better after debloating. I listen to offline Apple Music only. Average 1 hour battery drop around 5% at around 50% volume. I think if used Sony Walkman app to play local file should give even longer battery life. When comparing A306 with my iPad mini + Apple dongle, the sound is not like day and night difference when testing both using my IER M9. I would say very minimum. A306 is slightly more crisp and clean. Slightly better sound stage. I probably won’t buy A306 if I know the difference is not significant compared Apple Dongle. But since I already got one, I am glad I got it and I just love my A306. Good to have a separate DAC to enjoy music without interruption.
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A307 from Japan. Debloated. Almost 30K flac files. Love this little thing. Haven’t tried any other modern music players. Coming from 1TB iPod classic 7th gen and iPod classic 5.5 gen.
What Hi-Fi?
whathifi.com › hi-fi › portable music players
Sony NW-A306 review: an affordable Walkman that's appealing and infuriating in equal measure | What Hi-Fi?
Sony NW-A306 review
An affordable Sony hi-res music player that’s appealing and infuriating in equal measure
Reddit
reddit.com › r/walkman › sony nw a306 is so hard to find.. is it worth it?
r/walkman on Reddit: sony nw a306 is so hard to find.. is it worth it?
March 21, 2023 -
So I've been wanting to get a new small music player since Apple decided to axe the iPod. I remember walkmans were an awesome device back in the day so I looked into them to see if there was something modern. Fast forward some months later and I'm finally deciding on getting the newest a306 model cause it's small and cheap and plays music. And it's sony and a walkman with adds to the cool factor.
But then comes the rocky road to achieving one. They are ridiculously hard to find it seems! Tried to order one from best buy: soon as I entered all my info and hit submit, sold out.
Tried to order one from amazon: says it will arrive betqeen March 13th and March 30th. Still waiting on that one, but at least they haven't charged me yet.
Tried to order one from sony's website cause it's estimated to arrive March 21 - 22: they immediately took my money and then I get an email saying my item is delayed because the warehouse is having trouble securing my product.
Then comes the problems ive heard of: low bass or no bass, low volume level, inability to run cheap earphones when plugged in due to lack of power, laggy interface.
So while I'm still waiting to see if either sony or Amazon will send me a device I ask you all here: is it worth it to wait for one? Or should I just go about saving for a cheap iPhone instead or a more expensive model of walkman that might also be hard to find?
Thank you for your time and I hope you all have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night!
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IMO the lack of bass issue has been too widespread to get this player until we get an official response from Sony. The one I got from Best Buy had the issue and I returned it but plan on picking another one up as soon as there is a fix. It's size to performance ratio just seems unmatched in the current DAP landscape so I'm really hoping this bass issue doesn't just get swept under the rug. If you're not as concerned about size then I think there are other Android based DAPs that you could get right away. If you're dead set on getting an A306 as soon as possible my recommendation would be to make sure you order from somewhere that has a solid return policy, and just go in knowing that your shiny new device might need to be returned.
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Not until there's a fix to the lack of bass issue, I bought two units and both were defective and Sony have been "investigating" the issue for two weeks with no official response