Sony NW-WM1A High-Resolution Walkman with Bluetooth (Black)

Sony WM1A

I was considering Sony WM1A and ZX507 players to upgrade from my good old A17. I first bought ZX507 but returned it later due to poor battery (my A17 still can beat that battery in 2020), and unnecessary android mess. Then I bought WM1A and I was never so happy with my music.

Here is my opinion:

Hardware:

Feels premium with leather back, gold colour walkman logo and metal like NFC logo. The entire aluminium block feels good in hand. It is a delight to look at the screen, which is big enough (4”) to satisfy most music listeners. This big player devotes its aluminium chassis and components for one main purpose, to reproduce quality sound. Battery is solid lasts me a 2-3 days without worrying to charge.

Software:

Sony has come a long way to improve its already fantastic Walkman OS and WM1A reconfirms the fact by being glitch free and seamless. The OS is a breeze to work with and comes with Equalizer, Tone control, DSEE HX, DC Phase Linearizer, Dynamic Normalizer, and Vinyl processor. I enjoy on-screen time more on WM1A tweaking the sound using all technologies. Digital peak metre, spectrum analyzer, and analog level metre are fantastic addition. This is where WM1A felt more of a Walkman than ZX507.

Sound:

If I have to describe in short, the Sony WM1A sounds more natural and original to music creator’s intent. It still has the magic Sony sound signature but with enhanced clarity and realism. I have pushed the limits on volume but never find the player to be struggling neither leaving bass behind nor the treble went irritating for my ears. The sound stage is expansive and instruments could be easily distinguished. If I identify any shortfall, I tweak the sound to my personal liking using equalizer and tone control, however they both are mutually exclusive. I have little to complaint in the sound category. I heard people saying it might not have enough bass for bass lovers, this made me a bit nervous before buying, but I have no complaints with bass its plenty and precise. Paired with logic 7 in car audio, it redefines music at each note. It is a genuine Walkman that holds its ground well in 2020.

I bought this product a few weeks ago and I like it very much. The build quality is excellent and the features are great. I have always been a Sony fan and trust the quality of their products.

One of the best buy DAP in market if you into sony house signature

I already had a good HiFi system, but I knew that I could improve the source and wow, this Sony WM1A blows me away. The depth and clarity coming out of my Parasound and SVS set up was incredible and then I plugged in my Fostex TH900s and found even more unbelievable clarity.... I can hear every breath, every string of a bass vibrate. The WM1A is solid engineering and easy to use and transfer HeRes music to, and I could not be happier. It even sounds pretty amazing through LDAC bluetooth. Very, very impressed

I’m so happy using this WM1A It' so great & awesome

I have tried so many DAPs , A&Ks, FiiO’s, Onkyo, and others and none of them have the sound quality of the WM1A.... this DAP still beats off all the latest DAPs when it comes to sound and almost 3x the battery life of any other DAP...
With my CA Solaris and EA Cleopatra cable this WM1A is audio nirvana....

Egronomics are excellent. Menu layout are straight-forward.

Well built, great sound and display overall a great purchase

I just bought this DAP yesterday. It is just wonderful. I really enjoy the many sound adjusting possibilities. My DAP needs to burn in at least 100 hours, I'm using Shure SE846 with Alo Reference 8, 4.4mm cable and Andromeda + Alo Gold 16, 4.4 mm cable. The Andromeda combo is perfect math. Hey... you get what you paid.

I just bought this DPA. It is just wonderful. I really enjoy the many sound adjusting possibilities.

Because I haven't received the 1TB microSD card I had ordered, I only loaded my Bob Marley albums on the device to try it out. CD quality for Uprising and HD for Kaya

The sound is already very good but I have a feeling it will improve as the device gets broken in. I've tried it with: Bose QE35 Bluetooth, Sony WH-1000XM3 and last but not least, balanced Ultrasone Edition 10.

The best results are with the Ultrasone of course. The Bose sound better than the Sony (which sound better than the Bose on my iphone).

i like how this masterpiece was built.though its a little bit pricey but not too bad
for the quality it present.i like the idear of sticking to a dedicated software system solely for
their DAP and also how distinctive it is from smartphones.for a music lover,this is the way to go to get your large music file played(DSDs and FLAC).I think its inapropriet to call it mp3 player in general.its offer more than that.

Dear Sony, I love this player, thank you for making it. I use it with your Kimber cable and XBA-N3AP and cannot be happier save for 4 things.
1. Please can the next firmware have an option for Right/Left channel swap? Rationale: Increasingly in classical orchestral recordings the bass/cello section is in the middle, but there are still those recordings which persist in placing the cello/bass on the right. Therefore, my right ear gets lovely low-end and my right ear misses out. You may say: "swap the earphones, or swap the cables" - however, with a premium product like XBA-N3AP etc its not ergonomic or possible and always changing the MMCX connections can cause damage in the long term. Therefore, please provide an option to swap audio channels in software.
2. Option to set a default delay between the end of one track and the start of another. When I'm listening to classical suites/sonatas/quartets/symphonies etc its nice to have a few seconds between the movements. Perhaps this might affect battery life or the capacitors, but if not, it would be nice to set a default gap between tracks ranging from 0-15 seconds. Please could you implement this?
3. In some cases, the end of one track is to lead directly onto the next track (eg. from Beethoven's 5th symphony between the 3rd and 4th movements, or Beethoven's 5th piano concerto between movements 2 and 3). In these cases, it should be possible for the user to specify a custom delay (or none) between tracks which is different from the default.
4. Improved battery longevity - I wish the battery didn't die out after a published 500 charge cycles. I understand its not easy to replace and must be sent away to a service centre. I'd like to keep this device for a lifetime, but the battery element is problematic. Please can you research an alternative battery which has greater longevity?

I love this player all things said and the above would make it perfect.

just got it and i am very happy with it, it does what it says on the box

The craftmanship, quality sound ease of use rises the bar for digital players.

Very good sound. Worthwhile. Happy with product. Nice

Good quality.
However, I cannot update the firmware of my NW-WM1A to 3.01 because the update tool cannot detect my NW-WM1A. I have tried so many times. Even I rebooted the device and also my Laptop MAC, iOS 10.14.6. It still cannot detect my WM. The message Connect the target "Device to a computer with a USB cable." doesn't disappear. I think Sony should update their update tool, especially for this hi-end product, more often.

I bought the WM1A after spending some time with the ZX300. I’m glad I decided to spend the extra on the WM1A as the sound signature is absolutely perfect to my ears.
The Sony ‘house sound‘ is something I’ve always enjoyed but I felt there was something just a little ‘off’ with the ZX300. Nothing bad, but just felt a little bit too thick for me. This is probably because I like to use DD hybrid earphones.
The WM1A is a lot more neutral in its signature which, to me, allows for synergy with a greater variety of earphones/headphones.
This DAP with be a keeper for me and would only ever replaced with another Sony device somewhere down the line.

This is a note from a musician and an avid music listener.
My background is mainly in classical music, but I’ve dabbled in electronic and experimental acoustics here and there. My music tastes vary from very early forms of musical expression to the most progressive experimental sound. What I’m not a fan of, is current music. To me, most of what is being offered today, is devoid of any art, it’s superficial, the root cause for it is very wrong, hence the product has no value. To me.
That said, the music that I love and appreciate, I like to listen in abundance. The source for that listening experience plays a big role. Unfortunately, most current trends in portable digital audio, play in favor of convenience, not quality. While video has been pushed to its limits and beyond, constantly improving with every new iteration, audio has been kind of forgotten, neglected and sacrificed. I’m talking about our most common daily media consumption devices – our phones. That is why most lovers of quality sound, or “audiophiles” if you will, are left to look elsewhere for portable audio devices. Fortunately, the need for this segment is being recognized more and more by tech manufacturers lately. To name a few: Astell&Kern, Sony, iBasso, Cowon, Pioneer, Fiio etc.
Before I decided to purchase the Sony NW-WM1A, I was also considering the A&K Futura SE100 and the Cowon P2. They were pretty much in the same price range (even though lately, the pricing has changed quite a lot for the three). At the time, I did not have the opportunity to test all three. I was only able to get a taste of the Sony and the Cowon. This was exactly a year and a half ago. Since, I have been able to listen to the A&K as well. I stand by my choice.
Here is why.
Esthetics:
They all have completely different design philosophies. The A&K is the most eye catching. Contemporary and artistic form. The P2, which is probably my favorite design wise, is very structural and architecturally designed. The Sony has a more practical, functional and passive design language. All three are beautifully crafted devices, but the Sony slightly separates itself from the others by build quality and craftsmanship.
The Sony NW-WM1A is a premium product that is designed impeccably. There are no finicky plastics here. The unit is built with an aluminum frame and is very rigid. It oozes quality. The way it feels in your hand, the heftiness, the materials, the build quality, the finish…you can tell that this product has been tailored and designed with huge attention to detail and perfection. Japanese craftsmanship at its best. Kudos to the Sony engineers. They have always managed to put a smile on my face throughout the years. Thank you!
Ease of Use:
The Sony OS is very simple and easy to use. Make sure you update it to the latest version and you are good to go. In the year and a half that I’ve had it (1713 hours and 50 minutes playtime), I have never experienced any bugs or lags. For its purpose, it works perfect. The screen is decent, the physical buttons feel very good on touch, and the layout is very organic and easy to get used to. There is plenty of headphone amplification, so you will not have issues using your more demanding headphones.
The battery life is way above any other DAP on the market right now. Nothing comes even close.
Sound:
Oh boy, where to start…The Sony NW-WM1A sounds very relaxed, open and smooth. The sound is even throughout the sound stage and the bass is rich and controlled. Never too analytical or boring. It is very enjoyable and comfortable player to listen. All the details are there, masterfully separated, yet well rounded. The control is superb, there is no “in your face”, pushy, harsh sounds, what you hear is a very smooth textured sound. There are 120 volume levels, an upscaling technology, a lot of pre-set or customized equalizer settings, so you can control the tone to your liking. I will not even bother mentioning that this device is meant for hi-res audio. The player is capable of making any audio file sound better, but if you want to experience the full capabilities of the player, I recommend using a high quality digital format. Compared to other DAPs, the Sony NW-WM1A has a smoother, warmer sound signature, which I really like.
A few things I do not like about the player: the proprietary WM port, not being able to delete an album directly from the player, not being able to save EQ settings for a particular file.

Final Thoughts:
The main focus of this player is sound quality. There are no compromises there. And that is why the Sony NW-WM1A completely fulfils its purpose. There have been a lot of discussions about the pricing of these devices. To me, the price is justified. In today’s age, when it’s considered normal for the latest flagship phone, a device that you replace every couple of years to be priced from $1000-1500, a premium DAP, with all the engineering and the craft that goes into development of these devices, the cost of materials used, which will last for years, it is more than justified.
All of these devices that I have mentioned here are designed with a purpose of bringing you a premium level of audio experience. Both, the A&K and the Cowon are beautiful devices and you will not go wrong with choosing any of them. Do your research and find out which one is more suited to your tastes.
I just fell in love with the Sony.

excellent with 4.4 balanced plug and IEM though the investment to the new system is expensive. never applied any EQ to HD music in different format, 1A is capable to deliver a balanced full sound.

I bought this player after auditioning quite a number of players including the WM1Z. To me this player is neutral sounding and good sound quality in all sense. Placement of instruments are precise and has great sound stage. The WM1Z is slightly warmer and more tube like sounding. I chose this as I can get the tube like sound quality from my Stax tube amplifier driving my Stax Lambda.

As most of the reviews emphasized, sound is excellent.

As a reviewer before me mentioned, memory is small (128GB of which some is used by the system) and it supports up to 256 microSD card. I tried 512GB and it worked without any problem but that is not what SONY promises.

As far as day-to-day usability, there is only one improvement I wish SONY implemented in some future firmware update. It needs "search" function. Something like on HAP-Z1ES would be perfect so we do not need to scroll through hundreds of albums etc. Please, it would be really helpful and probably not too hard to do.

I love my WM1A and now pairing with my Fender Ten 5. Excellent sound stage. Value for money versus WM1Z despite WM1Z is even better. If money is not your concern, you should go for WM1Z, Otherwise, WM1A will do the job nicely. You won't regret for owning any of them.

As a very seasoned music lover and user of top end DAPs (Hifiman 901s being a direct comparator), I took a chance on Sony's WM1A (and also bough Questyle QP2R at the same time). I am delighted with the Sony for its excellent sound (-I much prefer it to A&K models I tried out), very easy and clear functionality (-having got used to absolutely no frills in the superb HM901s, the Sony gives you Bluetooth pairing and various sound options which are quite adequate for me and work as described), and enjoy unexpectedly good battery power (-having been used to swappable batteries for long air trips). The build quality is excellent, it feels heavy (-much lighter than the coveted gold model I would have instantly bought after trying but for the price!) and the touch screen (-after the updates) works perfectly fine...no lags in my 300GB + of jazz albums (600+ albums) in flac/a few in DSD. The OS handles everything without burden, a previous concern. The only irritant is a) it comes with no cover, b) more important the 4.4 balanced output is a pain as one has to match my JH Audio 13R2 Pro (recommended for quality sound) with new plugs etc. and I wish Sony had a more compatible socket or gave some suitable accessories with the player, c) no dock to my advanced amps...so only plain lineout from 3.5mm headphone socket seems possible - big flaw for me as I want to use it also plugged into my extremely expensive headphone amp. The Sony has a wider soundstage to my faithful HM901s which has gorgeous sound but is much less practical than the Sony. All in all, thoroughly satisfied with with 1A as a dedicated portable and hope Sony will keep up with software updates and occasional decent new models. Five stars also (unlike with other manufacturers including Chinese) for the UK Customer Service from Sony - they actually respond professionally to my query, thank you in a marketplace of thousands of MP3/DAP players.

Before buying the WM1A I had the Questyle QP2R which I bought bundled with the Focal Utopia headphones. While the QP2R excelled in technicalities and speed, I found its sound signature to be overly aggressive for the dynamic Utopia. So I decided to sell it and get the WM1A instead. Apart from being better built and with a much nicer user interface (including touchscreen), the Sony is extremely musical (something the QP2R lacks) and its bass is simply superb to any other DAP offering I have heard thus far. The soundstage is wide and airy, even through the overall signature is on the warm side. Acting as a server to the Sony TA-ZH1ES headphone amp/DAC (through the Sony BCR-NWH10 doscking station and Lush^2 USB cable), I am in sonic paradise. Just waiting for the Kimer Axios Cu balanced headphone cable to arrive, and then I will have a complete package for many years to come.

I purchased this based on reviews and specs, even though it's been in the market a couple of years. Until recently I owned a (very) high-end DAP from AK... the sound from the WM1A is AMAZING!... I play .flac format as well as .MP3 - great sound throughout. This player easily outperforms most if not all available today; user interface is easy and never fails, battery life is way beyond anything else available, build quality is A+++, and most importantly the sound quality is really, really good. This player is solid, and a little larger/heavier but it is also my "home stereo" as I use a bluetooth speaker with it. I use a balanced cable for my acoustune iem's and the sound stage, depth, bass, mids, and highs are CLEAN and full... AMAZING!

The balanced output on all models are flawed. Looks as if someone took a hack saw to the output.

I bought a year ago and it just getting better! I would recommend to my friend!

I bought this player as I used to have an old Sony player which was lost many moons ago which was great. I have tried many other makes but I was drawn to this one due to excellent sound quality and ease of transfer. As far as I can see the only down side is transferring album art which so far has been impossible even after searching many websites. If they could sort this issue out I would have no hesitation in awarding 5 stars.

Sounds absolutely superb, however the software to manage the files on your PC is still sub-par and requires a lot of improvement. iTunes it ain't.

I've had the WM1A for a few months now. Physically it is well crafted, very robust, and in my opinion a beautiful HiRes DAP. The external buttons are well placed and the hold button (to disengage functions) is simple and well positioned. There are two gorgeous gold jack sockets one for standard 3.5mm and a 4.4mm for balanced cable. To get the most out of the WM1A it is recommended to invest in a balanced cable.

The touch screen works fine perhaps lacking a little fluidity when scrolling but I don't find it an issue. There are a number of sound settings. The only disappointment with this device is the 'Gain' limiter incorporated in European version. This prevents the device from being used with some high end headphones (for me Sennheiser HD 800). The Direct Source setting for HiRes music requires IEMs such as Westone W60 to be played at volume between 70-110 with the standard jack but is improved slightly with balanced. To boost sound I use a personal setting with the equaliser.

Overall once personal sound settings are set the quality of music is astounding. Well balanced bass, mids and highs, a wide sound stage and excellent clarity/detail. The reproduction for both modern and classical music is very impressive.

Apart from the sound 'Gain' issue I am very pleased with this purchase.

I bought NW-WM1A for my Sony Walkman collection since I owned my first generation of "S-Master" digital amplifier portable music player, NWZ-A846. As I knew from wikipedia, "Compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony and released in 1982. … The format is a two-channel 16-bit PCM encoding at a 44.1kHz sampling rate per channel." Because of her research and development, I respect her innovation and history as her brand that encourage me to own their products.

Run-in for over 60 hours, sound getting better. One hiccup, when changing track from lossless to HR, a little noise can be heard.

I've had Sony ES equipment since I discovered it in Tokyo 30 years ago. I have a HAP Z1 which I love, matched with B&W and Anthem. I travel in the entertainment business and it's important to me to have great sound wherever I am in the world. But I'm having real problems transferring content from my Mac to my SD card and once again Sony's support is really weak. Everyone I demo it for flips for it but this product is less valuable to me than when I first saw it.

Used around a month, sound good and suggest common charger port like USB C type and streaming support

This is an absolutely fantastic music player. Everything from the build quality of the unit through to the minimal user interface. The sound quality is exemplary-I listen on some balanced 5 driver custom IEMs and literally everything sounds better through this player. It has a slightly more bass forward profile than other devices I’ve listened to but I like that.

I like that the Bluetooth features can be toggled. It works well with an Astell & Kern XB10 for wireless listening.

What could be improved?

I wish there was a way to suggest improvements to the UI. The ability to group music in compilations separately from the main categories would be good (like iTunes does). Right now any compilations just clutter up the artist view with hundreds of entries I just don’t need. In this regard, iTunes is better. I believe this is available in the metatata so should be an easy feature to add.

I would like to improve the Podcast genre - e.g. controls for skip/go back 15s, remember position, mark as played, speed up etc.

The startup time is a little slow.

The Mac ‘Content Transfer’ app is very basic

I love this player. I've owned many AK series and Fiio high end DAPs and I have to admit, the WM1A is the best priced player for extremely high value. I owned the WM1Z and I sold it when I listened to the WM1A.

My only request to sony is to bring out another update with a USB DAC function like the ZX300 has, and make the UI a bit more streamlined when showing album art for files that are not 'Hi-Res'. Added to my 24bit FLAC and DSF collection, I have a large collection of lossless WAV format files and it would be easier to navigate to them if the UI allowed album art for these files to show as well.

I had the previous version of the Walkman (NW-Zx2) and this tops it by a substantial margin. The sound is unbelievable! I have played professionally in symphonies and opera pit orchestras for years and I feel as though I am back in the orchestra while listening to the NW-WM1A. Don't need a headphone amp with my Shure SE846. Also have a 400GB SD Micro card and all works fine. Wow!

No DAPs around this price range can beat what this awesome Walkman DAP in what does and what it offers.

happy with the purchase. worth the money as the resolution is good. is user friendly.

If you're a fan of high resolution audio you owe it to yourself to experience this Walkman in balanced mode. So glad Sony is back in the high end consumer audio

Hi everyone I have my DAP with me for 2 days now, I use to have the NW-Z6 that is a nice dap to begin with HiRes music and a pair with the sony 1000XM2 Headphones with LDAC this dap is just incredible

Excellent sound quality and ease of use. Solid build and small enough to pack for travel and use on long haul flight. Good upgrade for my DX90.

great feel when hand held. Good weight, not too heavy. Battery life is amazing when producing great sound

For me, the other characteristics are not important. The unique thing that is important is the sound. I've listened DSD, FLAC and other formats. The sound is fantastic. obviously, it depends on the headphones too. I recommend Sure 846 or MDR-Z7 or ATH M50x.

The first and only Sony walkman I owned is back in the 2002, an AIWA cassette player. After so many years we witnessed the vicissitude of Sony's audio product line, even to a period of time the NE20 and ZX1/2 looks like a joke to audiophiles. And now comes the wm1 series, which indicate the Sony engineers finally find some clues on how to manufacture a decent digital player. Admittedly, you can buy a Chinese DAP with less than half the price but produces the same or probably, much better sound quality. So why I purchase wm1a? First, its design is absolutely outstanding, if not the best, of its class; second, I can't bear the problematic OS of its cheaper competitors; and finally, perhaps most important, I want to own a "true" Sony walkman DAP, for me only the wm1 series deserves this honor.

So, if you're in the Sony team, buy it; if not, the wm1 could still blow you mind if you think the ZX1/2 series are the "ceiling" of Hi-fi DAP. Otherwise, you got more choices than you think you have.

DSEE HX really changes the lower bit music. greatly constructed, feels great in hand. minus point is the search function without allowing you to search via keywords. pair it with a great sony earpiece and sony copper wire your music will shine!

I bought the Sony Walkman NW-WM1A last month.
Sound resolution and reproduction Excellent...
You won't be disappointed in getting this piece.

The WM1A replaced a well liked Sony ZX2. Yes, it absolutely is an improvement, even over the highly respected ZX2! More sound shaping options, and major hardware improvements.

Magnificent sound quality. Its plays slightly on the warmer side of neutral. Has crystal clear sound with warmish tonality, lush midrange and punchy bass performance. I mostly listen to rock music and this thing just really sparkles with thunderous dynamics. Classical music also sounds wonderful with nice smooth and clean treble with no hint of harshness. In short its great for ALL genres of music. I feel the best sound performance is experienced when you set the "high gain" mode on output settings. I've heard the sony zx2 and all models of Astell and Kern but this thing is just the best DAP for the money. It also has a phenomenal battery life. I have only one gripe with this item. The audio enhancements(tone controls, DSEE, etc) do not work on bluetooth streaming. So if you are looking to pair this with Bluetooth headphones you will not be able to tweak the sound if you may wish. Sony - can you please allow the sound enhancements on bluetooth as well ? Thanks! I'm very impressed by the sound quality of Sony products and also wanted to buy the HAP-z1es HDD music player to add to my high end sound system, but it does not have tone controls. Sony can you fix that through a firmware upgrade? Thanks!

Soundstage, clarity and details retrieval are major improvements over my old Ak120. However, a lack of line out is a bummer. At this price point, this is value for money if like me, u can't justify paying more for the TOTL 1Z. I can assure u the difference in sound quality is not that big.