Sony is bringing back the Walkman this year with two new models, including a special gold-plated version. But don't get too excited yet, as both cost more than an iPhone 13 Pro.
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The NW-WM1AM2 is priced at $1,600, while the gold-plated NW-WM1ZM2 costs $3,200. Both products will be released in select countries in Asia starting in April.
Sony released the first Walkman portable cassette player in 1979 and sold it for about $150. Production eventually ended in 2010 after the advancements of other portable music devices like MP3 players and iPods.
These two new Walkman have Wi-Fi capabilities to download and stream on the 5-inch touch screen device. It can also play MP3 files in high definition, lossless formats including Flac and Apple Lossless.
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The $3,200 NW-WM1ZM2 comes with 256 GB of storage and was made with "a 99.99% purity gold-plated, oxygen-free copper chassis." It's made to improve sound quality by reducing electrical noise and promoting a more 'nuanced sound,' according to Sony.
"Building upon a wealth of experience in digital amp technology, our engineers developed the NW-WM1Z with detailed acoustics and natural sound qualities, resulting in a unique and truly pleasurable listening experience," Sony said.
The less expensive NW-WM1AM2 model has only 128 GB of storage. Instead of being covered in gold, it has a strong aluminum alloy frame which helps reduce electrical noise.
Both devices use the 3.5mm headphone jack and can play up to 30 hours of high resolution music nonstop.
"Enjoy the subtlest nuances of studio-quality sound in higher than CD quality with High-Resolution Audio," Sony said.
"Passion for music unites every component from signal to speaker, so it feels like the artist is performing right in front of you."
If spending that much money on a music player isn't up your alley, the average price of an original Sony Walkman, depending on the specific model, goes for between $100 to $300 on eBay.
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