TLDR Review: Sony NW-WM1AM2 Walkman
Verdict
The Sony NW-WM1AM2 is a beautiful piece of audiophile hardware delivering rich, detailed high-resolution sound and excellent customization options, paired with a premium, durable build. However, it struggles with slow software performance, limited battery life when using wireless features, and frustrating music management software that may test your patience. This player is best suited for serious enthusiasts who prioritize sound quality and accept some compromises on convenience and usability. If you want a more user-friendly experience with stronger battery life and more flexible software, exploring alternatives like Astell & Kern models could be worthwhile, as they tend to offer more advanced DACs and smoother firmware overall. Still, if wireless DAC support or longer battery life are priorities, the NW-WM1AM2 may leave you wanting, despite the superb audio fidelity. Choose it for sound first, convenience second.
- Top pro:
- Delivers spectacular high-resolution sound with a slightly warmer signature, offering immersive clarity, wide soundstage, and excellent instrument separation that audiophiles will appreciate.
- Top con:
- Performance is noticeably slow, with lag especially when scrolling through albums or displaying album art, likely tied to limited RAM given the premium price.
Pros
- •Delivers spectacular high-resolution sound with a slightly warmer signature, offering immersive clarity, wide soundstage, and excellent instrument separation that audiophiles will appreciate.
- •Extensive and unique system-level audio customization, including equalizers, audio filters, and custom sound signatures, allowing a personalized listening experience.
- •Solid, premium build quality with a visually appealing touchscreen and a premium feel; the original leather case is a recommended accessory.
- •Supports large music libraries smoothly, handling up to 1TB of FLAC files, with menu options that improve navigation by sorting both artist and album artist.
- •Battery holds charge well when wireless functions are disabled, improving on previous models, and the device maintains charge well after periods of non-use.
- •Works well with a variety of earphones and headphones, delivering clear and fatigue-free sound, although pushing powerful headphones may require volume adjustments.
- •High-definition Bluetooth codec support extends wireless listening options, especially notable with compatible headphones like Sennheiser MTW4 and Denon Perl Pro.
Cons
- •Performance is noticeably slow, with lag especially when scrolling through albums or displaying album art, likely tied to limited RAM given the premium price.
- •Battery life falls significantly short of the claimed 40 hours, averaging around 12 hours, and drains quickly with any wireless connections enabled, making WiFi and Bluetooth streaming a battery hog.
- •Lacks Bluetooth DAC functionality, surprisingly limiting its capability as a wireless audio receiver at this price point.
- •Software is frustrating and unreliable for music management: playlist creation is complicated, music order resets on reboot, and deleting music requires manual device interaction rather than software.
- •Misses common Android features such as native gesture navigation, file quality display, current volume level reporting, and advanced streaming app integrations.
- •Power output is insufficient for some high-demand or planar magnetic headphones, requiring near-maximum volume and thus limiting volume flexibility and potential sound quality.
- •Bluetooth connectivity is unreliable at times, with occasional disconnections reported.
- •The sound improvement is most noticeable only with high-end headphones or speakers, which may limit appeal for casual listeners.
- •No user-replaceable battery; combined with a lack of guaranteed long-term firmware support, this raises concerns about device longevity and future-proofing.
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How we researched this
About this review: it summarizes the professional reviews and customer ratings ShopSavvy collected for this product, alongside prices from ShopSavvy's price data.
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