Great streaming player in a phone-sized package
I chose the Sony NW-WM1AM2 Walkman because I was looking for a streaming player that could play digital music downloads (which comprise maybe 80% of my music purchases lately) from cloud-attached storage, and handle high-resolution formats like DSD and MQA.
The NW-WM1AM2 does this with aplomb. Being able to stream my digital downloads from the cloud is a godsend; no more laboriously loading music files onto MicroSD cards, all of my music stays on my Synology NAS.
I should mention that the NW-WM1AM2 supports MicroSD as well (handy for when you want to listen to music in places where you can't get an Internet connection.
Sony states that the FTCAP polymer capacitors used in the NW-WM1AM2 take about 200 hours to break in and allow the player to start sounding its best, but the unit sounded great right out of the box. NW-WM1AM2 presents the music in a way that is both involving and inviting, no matter what the format or genre.
The NW-WM1AM2 gets the most out of high-resolution music streaming services like Tidal; listening to Arcade Fire's "We" in MQA format is addictive.
If the NW-WM1AM2 has a downside, it's that it's an Android device, with a full suite of Google apps; you'll have to disable all notifications from email and the calendar to keep them from intruding on your music playback.
I never thought I'd still be listening to music on a Sony Walkman in 2022, but I'm happy to be listening to music on this one.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New