Sony has announced two new premium audiophile Walkman models, the snappily titled NW-WM1ZM2 and NW-WM1AM2.
Both models are focused on high-resolution audio, with Sony setting out to “satisfy the most demanding audiophiles”.
The NW-WM1ZM2 is the more eye-catching of the two. It’s gold-hued body is made from 99.99% purity gold-plated Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC), which provides higher rigidity for clearer, more expansive sound. Conversely, the NW-WM1AM2 employs an aluminium alloy frame for its own high quality sound.
The NW-WM1ZM2 also uses a higher grade Kimber Kable to run from the amp base to the balanced headphone jack. The NW-WM1AM2 uses a uses a low-resistance OFC cable.
Differences aside, both Walkman products use custom S-Master HX digital amp technology, which goes as far as using high-quality lead-free solder to bolster its “rich and full-bodied sound”. This ain’t your grandpa’s Walkman.
Sony’s news release goes into the fine details, such as the fact that he has equipped both of these audio players with a stronger power supply than their predecessors, and that it has “upgraded fine-tuned capacitors”.
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Not enough audio geekery for you? How about this: for the first time, Sony (our audio brand of the year for 2021) has used a reflow solder containing gold, which is said to have a significant effect in improving sound localisation and creating a wider sound space. You asked for it.
Back into the realm of basic functionality, both Walkman units are now Wi-Fi compatible, and they run on Android 11, opening up a vast world of music sources.
Both also feature a 5-inch HD touchscreen display, and their batteries support 40 hours of non-stop 96kHz FLAC High-Resolution Audio playback. Talking of playback, both devices can use DSEE Ultimate to upscale compressed music files in real time.
The NW-WM1ZM2 packs 256GB of integrated memory, while the NW-WM1AM2 offers 128GB. Both complement their storage with a microSD card slot.
Sony will be making its new Walkman products available from April 2022, and the pricing is not cheap. The NW-WM1ZM2 will cost £3,350 / €3,700, while the NW-WM1AM2 will cost £1,300 / €1400. Good sound costs, we guess.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
