Remember those times strutting around the city streets with that nifty portable $200 cassette music player in hand, even dancing to that furious, reverberating beat?
That iconic music player is back, of course with updated 2022-era features and details that will still make you groove to the beat wherever you are.
Sony has unveiled a $3,200 gold-plated Walkman NW-WM1ZM2 that now comes with high quality lossless audio, enhanced, "nuanced" studio-sound quality with reduced electrical noise, The Daily Mail reported. A lesser-priced but still staggering $1,600 NW-WM1AM2 model is also available with a sturdy aluminum alloy frame that also offers decreased electrical noise.
The Japanese electronics giant announced that the two models will be available in April.
Sony Walkman 2022 Features: Wi-Fi Compatibility, High-Def MP3 Audio, Lossless Format Support
Apart from the precious, pricey metal shell, the new Walkman music player offers Wi-Fi compatibility, supports high-def MP3 files, and lossless formats, such as FLAC and Apple Lossless. They also come with a five-inch touchscreen and up to 256 GB of storage, which is enough to carry lossless files, which are about 5MB per minute of music, and thousands of high-def format songs. They also support external SD card storage, the Business Insider posted.
In the gold-plated version, Sony utilized high-end braided cables to enhance the sound quality.
The braided cables were manufactured using advanced braiding techniques, Sony added, engineered by audiophile cable maker Kimber Kable. These cables are handcrafted to handle high power and the best sound performance.
The top-end variant has that cable running from the amplifier to the headphone jack. The lower-end model has a plain low-resistance cable.
With its decades of audio technology experience, Sony built this special line with customized internal components. Sony engineers developed the gold-plated model with "detailed acoustics and natural sound qualities" that resulted in a distinct, brilliant listening experience.
Sony Walkman: Four Decades of High-Quality Portable Music Playing
The Walkman has gone a long way from its peak in the 1980s and the 1990s, offering high-quality sound using cassette record albums or mixtapes that had songs recorded from radio play. It is now catering to a niche market of audio connoisseurs expecting the perfection of lossless audio formats. These help users get the most out of the stored music, yet with far more data needed.
The first $150 Walkman was released in 1979, which also had an aluminum shell, though later versions used plastic.
The 2022 Walkman can play high-resolution audio files in native Direct Stream Digital audio sourced from the beginning of the music's production process before mastering. This would reduce audio degradation from the music's transfer and conversion over time.
The new models can play high-resolution music for 30 hours straight and another three hours for lower-resolution MP3 files.
The upscale sound in the new Walkman, Sony said, would be close to what musicians and producers intended to produce when in the studio. Its chassis offers oxygen-free copper coated in pure gold plating. It shows its high rigidity and robust digital foundation that enables clear and expansive sound. As a result, listeners can experience each instrument being played as if it was being performed live, Sony added.
