SonyNW-WM1AM2 - Walkman Digital Music Player with High-Resolution with Android 11, Touch Screen, Bluetooth & Wi-Fi - Black

First things first, this Sony sounds absolutely sublime. My FiiO M17 and R7, however good, can’t touch this unit for sound quality.But here’s the rub. This unit’s output (in the UK & EU) has been limited by the ‘EU’ volume cap. It, therefore, cannot drive headphones to satisfactory levels, even low impedance models like my Beyer T1’s (3rd generation) and T5’s. There simply isn’t enough power from this UK/EU model. And that includes Sony’s own MDR-Z7M2, which I also own.BUT partner it with a suitable pair of IEM’s (I use Sony’s XBA-N3’s), and you’re literally in heaven! It has a subtlety and poise that can’t be touched, and is the most ‘musical’ DAP I have ever heard. And I’ve heard my fair share, including Sony’s own NW-WM1Z which I used to own.So, this is HIGHLY recommended. Just don’t buy it to partner with headphones, as you’ll be disappointed.

After having some of the lower end Sony Walkmans I wanted to get the best portable player I could buy. I was looking at all sorts from FIIO to Astrell & Kern but what was disappointing to me was the battery life what's the point of upgrading when there's so much of a downgrade in a less then ideal area, that's when I came across this product. I was amazed with the 40 hours of Battery life when using wired and with it being sony a previous brand I'd used I knew the build quality would be decent. I can honestly say I'm astonishing pleased with my purchase the sound is so clear and detailed feels like the person is singing infront of you, and was hearing bits of the song I wasn't on anything else I'd previously used. I will admit I was worried about the volume cap but with having xm5 headphone that have a low impedance is absolutely fine and is loud enough to listen at 86, I will admit this won't be ideal for any one with headphones that exceed and impedance of 32 which is the maximum of this device so sorry but might want to look else where or order possible get and imported Japanese version of this.

The AM2 sounds great, it's well built, and has some excellent features. Transferring files from a Mac is a pain in the backside as you have to use Android File Transfer which frequently crashes. The infamous "EU volume cap" is frankly ridiculous. I'm listening to an album with DR of 11 at moderate volume on a reasonably sensitive pair of headphones (Oppo PM-3) and it's at 95/120. I think the volume warning kicks in at 80 or something daft. Somehow, other DAP brands get away with avoiding this silly rule. Sort it out Sony.

Starting with experience / exposure to good HiFi, listening volume, favourite music genres, source material, all the way to the size, shape of your ears and age will affect the way we hear things. We are all different and this is MY experience with my ears and my hardware. I am nearly 50. I seldom push my music beyond 65-70db. I like all sorts of genres. I use Qobuz as my main source. As always, to make a definitive judgement you should try and decide for yourself.So. Vanilla Android. Turn on, log in, install your apps. I only have one: Qobuz, straight away downloaded a playlist for offline listening and I was good to go. So far so good.I don’t have balanced headphones. I use Jerry Harvey customs (13 Pro) and a AKG 872. Both pro headphones but, although over the years I listened to all sorts, some many times more expensive, I would not trade either.Android experience - a bit slow. Not as bad as 507 but there is a lag. Keep in mind, vanilla Android so probably plenty of things to tune and tweak but I am not an Android power user so this is my experience out of the box.The build quality is great. Hefty but sitting well in the palm, solidly built, quality look and feel. Gone the cheap feel of the 507 back. The screen is decent and entirely usable but not up to high end smartphone standards.The battery life is improved compared to the previous generation (507) - with high resolution Qobuz an hour translates in about 10- 15% of battery life, give or take. And the standby is gentle on the battery.The sound quality is extremely impressive. There are no obvious faults - it’s a mature presentation that doesn’t favour certain aspects of reproduction. It’s a refined, well balanced sound, with the right amount of low end, a smooth treble and a great midrange. If one activates DSD oversampling the treble can be pushed in fatiguing territory but the direct sound is well judged and I can’t emphasise this enough. This wipes the floor with AQ Cobalt and, from memory, beats the ADI 2, a favourite among aspiring headphone listeners, as well.Now on to the controversial matter of volume capping. Keep in mind, I like to listen at around 65-70dB and in order to achieve it I have to keep the volume at 65-70 with my JH 13 Pro. The AKG however require 100, sometimes more (out of 120). For me, this is enough but if you like your music loud and you have power hungry headphones, it is definitely going to be an issue.I agree with most reviewers in this respect - Sony has to acknowledge that this is not a wireless headphone so they can’t anticipate what volume can be reached with a particular headphone. What are they capping? My JH 13 Pro, which can easily go beyond 100dB + even with the current power output? Or the AKG which can probably only be pushed as far as 80-85dB? It’s mind boggling why a company would spend years of research and resources to achieve this level of performance, and then sabotage their own work with a volume cap which compromises the experience with all but toy headphones.Sony, why don’t we use a Sennheiser HD650 to set the volume cap? Or an Audeze for that matter? I expect that the DAP will struggle with anything over 100ohm impedance and, while this can primarily be seen as a portable source, it is good enough to be used as a desktop rig. If only Sony would unleash its power.So here is my conclusion, based on my experience with my toys: despite the volume cap, this is the best portable source I have had or heard to date. It reaches desktop performance, although a Bartok it is not. If you have a pair of efficient IEMs, this is HiFi in your pocket with the advantage of the myriad Android apps - meaning that it will work with any and all streaming services, on and offline, without any issues. The Android experience is passable, although not as smooth as one would want/expect from a 1400£ DAP. But to be fair it is usable and, so far, I haven’t had any hiccups with it. However if you plan to buy this for your 600ohm home cans, consider a US or Japanese version. I think the DAP is worth the money as long as it serves the purpose and in my case it does. But if you are that person, with those headphones, do not waste your time. Sony would rather have you go through the trouble of importing a usable version of the DAP than offer you the performance you paid for here, in UK. Thank you Sony. And shame on you Sony.Update Feb 2022. While still loving the sound quality I became increasingly unhappy with the slugish performance of a 1000£ DAP, the low power output and seeing that a new generation (the 306 and 707) is being released at a lower price point with a faster processor and Android 12, while Sony made it clear that the WM1AM2 will never be updated to Android 12, I decided to send mine back. Sony has to try harder at this price point.

NIce looking, feels good in the hand. Slowish to boot up, menu system a bit clunky. Bit of a pain to use with a mac (presume it's a lot easier with a pc). Won't display artwork for anything that isn't .flac ie. wav, or aiff.However, it you can cope with all that, it does sound good. Mine's paired with some Austrian Audio headphones, and I can't fault the sound.

Not part of the EU but still play by their rules ! Ridiculous volume cap and no removal tool for this, definitely skip it and buy a US / Jap one for sure

Low volume, no gain.Otherwise great.