The Sony NWZ-A15 is a slimline MP3 player that supports high resolution audio files . It is less than one centimeter thick and incorporates a screen TFT color LCD with a diagonal of 2.2 inches (5.6 centimeters) which gives a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels ( QVGA ). You can display photos from albums and artists. The screen takes up almost two thirds of the front, and the remaining third is reserved for the button to play and pause. The rest of the functions are accessed through the screen. The icon-based menu is quite simple to use. This portable reader is available in two colors:black or silver . It weighs 66 grams and is a high-end product, well finished. For example, the solders have been made without lead.
Another detail that reflects its good build quality is the power supply reinforced with thick cables, to reduce distortions. The aluminum chassis rigid made of a casting mold contributes to reduce electrical noise and stabilize reproduction. Instead of conventional ceramic capacitors, it incorporates Sanyo POSCAP capacitors to power the built-in Sony S-Master HX digital amplifier . Thus, the Sony NWZ-A15 can play audio files in formats lossless and FLAC or ALAC , but also in other more common as MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV and AIFF . Of course, it does not support filesAAC or WMA with copy protection.
For overly compressed audio files and poor quality sources, the in-house engineers have put in an enhancement technology that tries to restore lost frequencies, especially in the highs, called DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) HX . It achieves clarity results close to high resolution, and can be activated to suit the consumer. The internal memory has a capacity of 16 GB , expandable using microSD memory cards . The user has at his disposal an equalizer and a dynamic normalizer. You can also use a subwoofer when necessary. And with the VPT function, you will be able to listen to surround sound through headphones.
The entertainment options are not limited to music. This Sony also integrates an FM radio tuner . This player can work with conventional headphones with an audio cable; its headphone output has a stereo minijack connector (3.5 mm). It can also be used with wireless headphones because it includes Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR1 , which is compatible with A2DP, VRCP, and OPP profiles , and supports aptX and SBC codecs .
The autonomy of the rechargeable battery extends up to 50 hours for songs in MP3, but remains in some 30 hours for audio in high resolution in both cases, whenever the Bluetooth is turned off. On the other hand, the reader measures 43.6 by 109 and by 8.7 millimeters. Throughout the month of October, the Sony NWZ-A15 will hit European stores at a retail price of 200 euros.