Sony NWZ-A15: overview, specifications and reviews

The high popularity of devices capable of reproducing high-pitched 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 as if for the first time. The only problem is that such equipment was stationary, and therefore, you could listen to its sound only in the place where it was installed. And this is not very convenient. And time is often just not enough.

The Japanese company Sony took this issue into account and most recently released just what it had been waiting for so long - a portable device that reproduces sound in high definition at an affordable price.

Appearance - not the main thing

As for the appearance of the player, there were no new discoveries. It looks rather strict and has several color solutions. According to many, Sony NWZ-A15 bm looks better than others. The case is metallic, but the back cover is made of plastic.

The buttons are only physical. They are made in the form of a diamond with a round key in the middle. Under the screen, whose diagonal is 2.2 inches, there are two more buttons - Option and Back. By the way, the display has a low resolution, but it's not so important, because first of all Sony NWZ-A15 player is needed for high-quality music listening.

On the left side there is a slider blocking the device control, and an opening under the memory card. Bottom - the standard input for headphones and the Walkman-only connector for charging.

It is worth noting the high quality of the Sony NWZ-A15. All the details sit tight, do not creak and do not hang out. Slightly protrudes from the body of the plug on the hole under the memory card. But this is a minor disadvantage.

Configuration problems

Given the modest dimensions of the device - 10.9 × 4.4 × 0.9 cm, the box under it needed a small one. Manufacturers decided not to indulge the people, so the kit includes only the Sony NWZ-A15 player, instruction manual and a cable for charging and downloading multimedia files.

Neither headphones nor memory cards should be looked for. Even the power supply is not present, so restoration of energy from the outlet is excluded. Although such an accessory can be purchased separately.

Easy menu and control

A few seconds after the player starts, the interface appears. It's much simpler than the models on the Android OS. The top panel shows the playback status, time icon and battery level.

Below is a menu consisting of 12 items. In addition to various functions, which will be mentioned later, there are folders for music, photos and videos. The need for the latter 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 add favorite tracks to your favorites. There are no tricks in the management, because it is simple and convenient.

Useful features

Of course, before you list the functionality of the device, it is worth mentioning the presence of Bluetooth and NFC with the support of the codec aptX. They are able to provide wireless transmission of sound.

For the frequencies and bitrate of music is responsible technology S-Master HX. Many formats are supported, including FLAC. Built-in memory in Sony NWZ-A15 16Gb, only available will be slightly less. Although, if you want, you can buy an additional memory card, it's not for nothing that the slot is designed for it.

The main advantage of the player is Hi-Res audio. The sound is played so high that all nuances and details in music can be heard.

There is also the dsee HX function, which significantly improves the sound with very low sound quality. However, when it is turned on, other effects, as well as the equalizer do not use.

Basic tools for sound settings

In the continuation of the topic of setting the sound, it is worth mentioning the technology ClearAudio +. This is another purely "Sonevskaya" technology, which makes sound more detailed.

There are more traditional tools. These include VRT and EQ. 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 set one of the preset modes or make your own settings.

Of the interesting was still the dynamic normalization, engaged in leveling the volume, and the DCP mode, responsible for accelerating or slowing down the music played.

Software

In addition to musical functions, there are other programs. For example, the ability to display the words of the listened songs, albeit not in all formats. Files are browsed 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 video in several formats. And for someone, the radio will be a big plus.

And, of course, do not forget about the NFC-module, through which the device will quickly connect with various accessories, such as a headset, speakers, headphones, etc.

Sound quality

The level of sound produced by the Japanese device is definitely high. No modern smartphone can do this. When playing a song, you can hear every sound track and every instrument that participated in the song recording.

The volume of the volume 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 loudness will be enough, but somewhere not be missed. To avoid such problems, decent digitization can be done independently.

The fact that the MP3 player goes on sale without headphones means that they will have to be purchased. 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 have awarded their device A-series amazing sound. In him instantly fall in love as an amateur, and a true connoisseur of music.

A few words about the minuses of the device

Strangely enough, but there are moments that may not like the Sony NWZ-A15. Reviews on thematic forums often tell about the unfortunate decision of developers to use a non-standard Walkman connector. Because of the unique nature of the charger, you have to always carry it with you.

The device works with a memory card a bit unusual. If you select it, while it is not in the slot, the player will start asking for it to be inserted. This 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, it must be held for a few seconds. And this can happen even in Hold mode, when the device is completely blocked.

But, despite this, such minor problems are unlikely to spoil the pleasant impression of listening to your favorite musical compositions.

Autonomous work

The claimed battery life of the player is impressive. At least, the developers promise 50 hours of listening to music in MP3 and 30 hours in Hi-Res mode. And, importantly, judging by the many reviews, it is so.

Moreover, in the device settings you can activate a special function that does not allow the device to be charged to the maximum. This greatly increases the battery life. An interesting and very useful solution. Moreover, to fully charge the player it will take 4 hours, and this is a fairly long period.

About the time of the device in the mode of watching videos and photos say something difficult. Not many users will do this on a 2-inch screen with a low resolution. If only as an experiment. One thing is clear - pleasure from this can hardly be obtained.

Price for sound quality

Even with a large number of advantages, the MP3 player is offered at an affordable price. Considering the difficult economic situation in the country, the metal case, high-quality sound, wide functionality and characteristics of Sony NWZ-A15, its price is not considered high.

Only this situation arises: this model will first appeal to those who understand what HD sound is, and wants to listen to it. For others, the device runs the risk of not being noticed, and its place in the pocket can take a cheaper and simple model. And there are a lot of such options on the market today.

What in the end?

It can be concluded that the efforts of the developers were not in vain. Even with the fact that devices claiming to play sound in high quality, already released a lot, many of them are losing a lot in price.

The case of Sony NWZ-A15 is made of metal, which means it is quite capable of protecting it from external physical influences. Especially since the cover to the player is not provided, at least in the kit it will not be exactly. And nothing that in appearance it is not a highlight. After all, the device does not need to be worn around the neck or put on a finger. His place in his pocket, and there appearance is not so important.

The most important thing to note is that this is really a quality sound and a lot of tools for tuning it. So the player performs its main function perfectly. And do not blame Sony for the small display and poor-quality image. For these purposes, other devices have long been invented. And here it's just like a nice bonus.