On IFA in August 2017, Sony Audio released NW-ZX300A, an MP3 product called "mini version black brick". From the name of NW-ZX300A, it belongs to Sony's ZX series MP3 products, but since NW-ZX300A uses the same S-Master HX full digital amplification chip (CXD3778GF) as the black brick (NW-WM1A), its internal main board circuit design and capacitor materials are very similar to the black brick, and its volume is a circle smaller than the black brick, so it is called "mini black brick".

The international version of Sony NW-ZX300A has a built-in capacity of 64GB, and the price is $699 (about 4700 yuan); The Sony NW-ZX300A of BOC has a built-in 16GB capacity, and the price is 2999 yuan; Since Sony NW-ZX300A supports TF card expansion, it doesn't matter whether it is 64GB or 16GB, The pricing of NW-ZX300A Bank of China is much lower than that of the international version It can also be seen that Sony Audio attaches great importance to the Chinese market.

The price of the NW-ZX300A BOC is only 2999 yuan, and the price of the black brick NW-WM1A BOC is nearly 10000 yuan. From the price of the two machines, the positioning of the two machines is obviously different. But it is puzzling that the materials and internal design of the NW-ZX300A are very similar to those of black bricks. If the NW-ZX300A with a price of 3000 yuan can achieve the black brick effect to a certain extent, how many percent can it achieve? For ordinary users, is the NW-ZX300A a very cost-effective Sony MP3?

appearance

The NW-ZX300A adopts the consistent straight plate columnar design of the ZX series. The whole body is made of integrated metal materials. The outer layer of the metal is sanded. The screen part is also made of frosted glass. The back is black leather with a pad like the black brick. The appearance of NW-ZX300A makes people feel like the combination of ZX100 and black brick. The seamless combination of frosted glass+one-piece metal+leather materials makes Sony Design completely obvious.

The overall key layout of the NW-ZX300A is basically the same as that of the black brick. The brushed metal cover plate on the top has a 4.4mm Sony balance port and a 3.5mm headphone interface; The bottom is the data/charging port and lanyard; On the right are the power key, volume key, song switch key, play/pause key and screen lock key; On the left is the Micro SD card slot. In terms of keys and interfaces, NW-ZX300A can be said to have everything.

The overall weight of the NW-ZX300A is 157g, which is about the same as that of an iPhone 7. However, because its body circumference is not as large as that of a mobile phone, and the leather area on the back can effectively prevent hand slipping, it is very comfortable to hold.

Function interface

Golden Brick, Black Brick and NW-ZX300A are all non Android MP3 players. They use Sony's own MP3 proprietary system. Compared with some Android MP3 players, their functional interfaces will be much simpler.

The main interface of the system is a functional module that classifies tracks according to album, performer, style, release year, etc. The lowest column is a fixed number of virtual keys, from left to right, you can return to the playing track, return to the main menu interface, and enter settings. The track currently playing is displayed above the lower bar.

Sliding the touch screen on the current track playing interface can call up four functional interfaces: equalizer, dynamic volume equalizer, DSEE HX, and DC phase linearizer. Compared with black brick, NW-ZX300A uses equalizer instead of tone control.

DSEE HX includes five types: standard, female voice, male voice, percussion instrument and string;

The function of the DC phase linearizer is to make the low frequency band characteristics of the player closer to the traditional analog amplifier. There is a total of type A: Low、STANDARD、HIGH， Type B: Low, STANDARD, HIGH six modes;

The function of the dynamic volume equalizer is to reduce the volume difference between songs after it is turned on. Users will not suddenly increase or decrease the volume due to the differences of the songs themselves when switching songs;

It is worth mentioning that the NW-ZX300A also supports the USB DAC function, which can be used as an external sound card of the computer.

Actual sense of hearing

The NW-ZX300A not only uses the S-Master HX full digital amplifier chip (CXD3778GF) like the black brick (NW-WM1A), but also uses the high polymerization capacitor as the power supply of the amplifier module; Oxygen free copper (OFC) cable is also used as the connection wire between amplifier and headphone interface; It also supplies power to the host through the double-layer electrical capacitor with large capacity and low ESR; Even their internal circuit design is extremely similar. Even Sony officially announced that the NW-ZX300A is a mini player of NW-WM1A sound quality essence.

This time, we use MDR-1A as a pair of headphones to evaluate the sound quality of NW-ZX300A

Low frequency:

Low frequency has a strong sense of volume and elasticity, but the overall component is not very heavy. There is no boom feeling. Friends who like heavy bass may be disappointed, but for users who are insensitive to low frequency, this feeling may be just right. NW-ZX300A has a moderate sense of low frequency performance, but it has a sense of speed and rhythm, especially some fast-paced bass tracks, which have abundant potential energy and excellent transient performance, which is very similar to black brick.

intermediate frequency:

The intermediate frequency of NW-ZX300A can be said to be "clear and delicate", especially in some ACG songs with multiple musical instruments, the expressive force of the voice is still strong, especially the female voice, with dense voice and light charm. In contrast, the NW-ZX300A male voice is not as strong as the female voice. The author prefers the male voice with a sense of vicissitudes, while the NW-ZX300A male voice is more lively and youthful.

High frequency:

When listening to the black brick (with MDR-1A), I thought that the high-frequency extension of the black brick was very high, and the timbre was bright enough. In the case of NW-ZX300A, the author believes that it not only retains the advantages of black brick in high-frequency extension and timbre, but also reduces overtones. The high-frequency attenuation is more smooth and less burr. From the beginning, extension and attenuation of high-frequency, the whole process looks very natural and comfortable.

summary

Nishihara Yingyan, the product planning director of NW-WM1A (Black Brick), said in an earlier interview that Walkman is good at "sharp sound quality with a sense of speed".

This is particularly obvious on black bricks. Here, the author (Mo Changyou) wants to say that the voice of NW-ZX300A also has this characteristic, especially in low frequency. Compared with the black brick, the NW-ZX300A's voice in low frequency and high frequency is more in line with the author's preference. Its low frequency sense is slightly lower, but it has a sense of speed. High frequency overtones are less, and it is very comfortable from beginning to end. The NW-ZX300A in the mid frequency part is more female than female, and its male voice performance does not match my taste. The preference for sound is different from person to person, but we have to admit that the comprehensive quality of the 2999 yuan NW-ZX300A can really reach the level of black brick, and Sony Audio has also made a big contribution this time.

Overall, The NW-ZX300A is indeed worthy of the name of "mini version black brick", and has a very conscience in terms of workmanship and materials. The lightweight body also has black brick sound quality. The most important thing is that its price of 2999 yuan is more user-friendly and popular. After all, not every fan is willing to pay nearly 10000 yuan to buy a Sony black brick, but now the threshold has been reduced to 2999 yuan.