Sony Walkman NWZ-A17, MDR-1A Headphones Boast Hi-Res Audio

At IFA 2014, Sony is trying to bring the Walkman brand back into relevance with its latest and smallest Walkman to date. The Walkman NWZ-A17 and the MDR-1A headphones that you will most likely need to go with it both bring Hi-Res quality audio to the table, giving audiophiles something to think about for their next audio equipment purchase.

Sony defines Hi-Res Audio, sometimes called HD Audio in other literature, as sound that is delivered at at least 96 kHz/24 bit. If that's the case, then the NWZ-A17 overachieves, supporting digital playback of 192 kHz/24 bit. It also supports a wide range of audio formats, including MP3, WMA, and even lossless formats like FLAC and ALAC. But when you're dealing with Hi-Res music, you will naturally be handling files larger than your normal CD-quality tunes. That is why this Walkman has a rather spacious 64 GB for its internal storage. But if that were not enough, you can add up to 192 GB more via a microSD card.

As for audio output, the Walkman NWZ-A17 supports Bluetooth and NFC connections. However, if you pipe Hi-Res audio through Bluetooth, you won't be getting the acoustic benefits of that high quality sound. That is where the Sony MDR-1A headphones come in. This Sony product was specifically designed to handle whatever the NWZ-A1 can dish out, with a 40 mm driver that lets it faithfully reproduce sound of up to 100 kHz. Ergonomic ear pads also ensure maximum comfort while you enjoy prolonged listening to your Hi-Res music.

The bad news is that these will cost you a pretty penny if you decide to jump on them. The Walkman NWZ-A1, which becomes available in November, carriers a price tag of $299. The MDR-1A headphones, available later this month, also carries a $299 price tag. Considering you would need a Hi-Res capable headphone or speaker to take advantage of the Walkman's prime feature, you would effectively be roped into paying for both, unless you already have your own favorite headphones.

SOURCE: Sony