Sony just announced the 64GB Walkman NWZ-A17 Hi-res audio, portable, digital music player for $300. It supports digital music files up to 192 kHz/24 bit. Compatible file formats include MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, WAV and ALAC. Users can also enjoy high quality Bluetooth audio streaming convenience and simplified connectivity with Near Field Communications (NFC) technology. With built in SBC and aptX codec support, users will benefit from high-quality audio when streaming music wirelessly.
With 64GB of internal memory, the Walkman NWZ-A17 provides plenty of room for a music lover’s library of tunes. A microSD slot has been added, and microSDXC memory cards with a capacity of 64GB or greater are also supported. And, the built-in lithium ion battery provides up to 50 hours of MP3 audio playback or up to 30 hours of Hi-Res Audio playback per charge.
Sony says the Walkman NWZ-A17 is the world’s smallest and lightest Hi-Res Audio player. The device’s sleek and compact design features a spun brushed aluminum chassis in front and a simple user interface for ease-of-use. On the inside, the Walkman A17 borrows a few tricks from some of Sony’s flagship audio products. First up is the high-purity lead-free solder from the ES audio line, used for thousands of component connections. The first time being adopted in a portable device, this high-purity lead-free solder allows for reproduction of finely-detailed sounds with well-balanced low, mid and high frequency ranges. In addition, the power supply line strengthened by thickened wires offers reduced impedance, reducing distortion and ensuring deep, sonorous bass. The extremely rigid aluminum die-cast chassis further reduces electronic noise and stabilizes sound reproduction. Finally, instead of conventional ceramic capacitors, a high-grade POSCAP capacitor is used as the charge pump for the S-Master HX digital amplifier to minimize noise and distortion even further.
The S-Master HX digital amplifier, uniquely developed for Hi-Res audio playback, reduces distortion and noise while reproducing wide frequency response for a clearer acoustic experience. DSEE HX technology is used to upscale the quality of compressed digital files (MP3, AAC, and WMA) to surpass CD resolution, nearing High Resolution quality, giving the listener the feeling of being in the performance space, and closer to the original recording.
Price and Availability
Sony Walkman NWZ-A17 will be available November 2014 for $299.99.
Specifications
| Model Name | NWZ-A17 |
| Available colors | Silver |
| Internal memory | 64GB |
| External memory | microSD (card not included) |
| Display size/resolution | 2.2-inch (5.6 cm)TFT color LCD QVGA (320×240) |
| Compatible media formats | Music: FLAC/Apple Lossless(ALAC)/MP3/AAC/HE-AAC/WMA/Linear PCM(WAV)/AIFF: Copyright protected AAC-LC files cannot be played back. Copyright protected WMA files cannot be played back. |
| Movie: MPEG-4/AVC(H.264/AVC)/Windows Media Video 9 | |
| Sound effects/processing | S-Master HX/DSEE HX/Clear Audio+/Clear Bass/Equalizer/VPT(surround)/Dynamic Normalizer |
| Battery life | MP3 50 hrs: MP3 128kbps (Bluetooth OFF) |
| Hi-Res Audio 30 hrs: FLAC 192kHz/24bit (Bluetooth OFF) | |
| Bluetooth | Communication system: Bluetooth Ver. 2.1+EDR1Compatible Bluetooth profiles: A2DP／AVRCP／OPPSupported Codec: SBC/ aptX |
| Weight | 66g |
| Dimension (projecting parts not included) | 43.6 x 109 x 8.7mm |
| FM Radio | 87.5~108.0MHz : Headphone is not included. |
| NFC | Yes |
