Features

Overview: The Sony NW-A55 is a Walkman A-series digital music player, capable of playing high-resolution audio files up to 32-bit / 384kHz. The NW-A55 has Bluetooth Audio Streaming for wirelessly listening to your favorite music, either transmitted from the player to your Bluetooth headphones or speakers, or transmitted from your smartphone or tablet to the player. You can also use the unit as a USB-DAC to stream music from your computer and bypassing the computer's digital-to-analog converter. The device is equipped with a 3.5mm mini jack output for headphones. The unit features a 3.1" LCD screen, and an internal 16 GB flash memory. You can add even more memory by inserting an optional microSD card.

Supported Audio Formats: The NW-A55 Hi-Res Walkman can support multiple digital audio formats:

Construction: The NW-A55 is precision-engineered and constructed with high-quality materials and components for superior sound quality. It has a rigid aluminum milled frame which shields the internal circuitry from electrical noise. Internally, the NW-A55 uses a gold-plated circuit board and contact springs for low impedance, which leads to better bass and clear midrange response. To minimize signal loss, the circuit board uses audio-grade, lead-free solder with a small amount of gold for optimal signal transfer.

Side-mounted Controls: The unit has a row of physical controls along the right edge of the player. Buttons include music playback controls (play/pause, skip forward (hold down for fast forward), skip backward (hold down for fast rewind), Volume up, Volume down, and Power. A sliding Hold switch locks the playback operating buttons and volume controls to avoid accidental commands.

Memory: The NW-A55 has a 16 GB built-in internal memory for storing your high-resolution music files. If more storage is needed, there is a slot for an optional microSD memory card. Cards up to 128 GB are compatible. Using a higher capacity memory card may work, but isn't guaranteed. Based on an average of 4 minutes per song, the built-in memory can hold the following number of songs:

Bluetooth/NFC: With built-in Bluetooth 4.2, you can stream your music files wirelessly from compatible devices to the player, or stream music to your Bluetooth headphones or speakers, up to 30 feet away. Devices, such as a smartphone or Bluetooth headphones, that have the NFC (Near-Field Communication) function, can be automatically turned on, and paired with the player, by simply touching the device to the N-mark on the back of the player. The NW-A55 is equipped with LDAC, which uses the conventional Bluetooth connection, but transfers data at up to 999 kbps. That's three times the transfer rate of other audio profiles, which results in higher fidelity. In addition, the unit supports aptX and aptX HD.

USB-DAC Function: The NW-A55 lets you enhance the sound of the music stored on your computer without transferring it to the player. The USB-DAC function bypasses the usually inferior Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) of your computer, using the higher quality DAC in the NW-A55. You'll need to install a USB-DAC compatible application to your computer, such as Music Center for PC, or Hi-Res Audio Player for Mac. When the USB-DAC function is active, you cannot listen to music via Bluetooth, or turn on the Ambient Sound Mode or Noise Canceling function.

FM Radio Tuner: The NW-A55 has a built-in FM radio tuner that allows you to listen to FM broadcasts through your headphones. You can preset up to 30 radio stations, either manually or automatically. Receivable stations can be scanned by pressing the < or > buttons. Scan sensitivity can be changed, if needed, plus you can switch from stereo to mono output. The player uses the cord of connected headphones as an antenna. Sound quality settings do not apply to FM radio.

Ambient Sound / Noise Canceling: The Ambient Sound Mode and Noise Canceling functions are found on select models of Sony headphones. Ambient Sound Mode lets you hear ambient sound while you wear headphones, so you can safely pay attention to your surroundings. The Noise Canceling function reduces ambient noise, allowing you to hear your music more clearly without distraction. The NW-A55 works with the compatible headphones to activate the Ambient Sound Mode and Noise Canceling functions. Compatible headphones include: IER-NW500N/NE and MDR-NW750N/NE.

Sound Quality Settings: You can adjust the sound quality with the following Sound Quality Settings:

• 6-band Equalizer/EQ Presets: You can adjust the sound at 6 individual EQ bands at 60Hz, 400Hz, 1kHz, 2.5kHz, 6.3kHz, and 16kHz. The adjustment can be made from -10 to +10dB, and saved as Custom 1 or Custom 2 presets. Other available presets include Bright, Excited, Mellow, Relaxed, or Vocal.
• DSEE HX: DSEE HX uses an algorithm to analyze the music, and automatically replace the "lost" information. DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) gives your highly-compressed music files new life so they sound almost as good as true Hi-Res Audio quality. DSEE HX can be turned on or off, as desired.
• DC Phase Linearizer: This function makes low frequency phase characteristics more similar to a traditional analog amplifier. It can be turned on/off, as desired.
• VPT (Surround): The VPT (Virtualphones Technology) function is a proprietary sound processing technology from Sony, and applies a surround effect and enriches the sound quality of the audio playback.
• Vinyl Processor: The Vinyl Processor can add the character of vinyl recordings to your digital recordings with subtle reproduction of the low-frequency resonance, tone-arm resonance, and surface noise.
• Dynamic Normalizer: The Dynamic Normalizer moderates the change in volume between tracks to minimize differences in volume level.

Rechargeable Battery: The NW-A55 has a built-in Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery for exceptional stamina. After a 4-hour full recharging time (via USB power), the unit's estimated battery life is as follows:

WM-PORT / System Requirements: The unit has a bottom-mounted, 22-pin WM-PORT interface between the device and your computer. With the included 42" WM-PORT-to-USB cable, you can charge the battery and transfer music content. Downloadable software is available for use with the NW-A55: Music Center for PC (Windows 7, 8.1, 10) or Content Transfer for Mac (macOS 10.10 - 10.13). You can also transfer content directly by dragging and dropping music files from Windows Explorer (Windows) or Mac Finder (Mac).

Specifications:

• Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 40 kHz
• Dimensions: Width 2.17", Height 3.836", Depth 0.427"
• Weight: 3.5 ounces