Sony Electronics announces three new Walkmans, and the cheapest costs $1,899.99 (about Php 120,000). The NW-ZX900 sits under two Signature Series models: the NW-WM1AM3 at $2,999.99 (about Php 189,000) and the NW-WM1ZM3 at $5,899.99 (about Php 372,000).
Now buckle up: there’s a whole bunch of serious audiophile mumbo jumbo up ahead.
Sony mills the NW-WM1ZM3’s main chassis from 99.99% pure oxygen-free copper, adds a copper back and plates both in gold. Even the screws are gold-plated, to give the player a low-resistance ground, which Sony credits for stronger bass, a wider soundstage and smoother highs.
Your pocket will notice the copper before your ears do. The NW-WM1ZM3 weighs 670g, while the NW-WM1AM3, the same size in aluminum alloy with a gold-plated copper back, weighs 425g.
Both Signature models draw on two large solid high-polymer capacitors, with hand-soldered copper wiring, for cleaner, more stable power. A bigger high-purity copper coil filters the balanced output, and a milled copper block over the digital section strengthens its ground to cut noise.
Sony’s own S-Master HX digital amp plays DSD natively and has a balanced, high-power output. It now predicts the noise that digital rounding creates and shapes it in advance, which Sony says makes fast notes cleaner.
All three run Sony’s DSD Remastering Engine, which turns ordinary digital music into 11.2MHz DSD, now on Wi-Fi streams as well as downloads.
Each player has a stereo mini jack and a balanced standard jack, and plays FLAC, WAV, AIFF and Apple Lossless up to 384kHz. They run Android 16, so streaming apps come from Google Play. The Signature pair get 5.5-inch Full HD screens and up to 35 hours of MP3 playback, or 31 hours with streaming apps in offline mode; the NW-ZX900 has a 5-inch screen and up to 40 hours.
Sony Walkman NW-WM1ZM3, NW-WM1AM3 and NW-ZX900 key specs
Sony UK lists the Signature models’ full specs.
- Display: NW-WM1ZM3 and NW-WM1AM3: 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) TFT touchscreen; NW-ZX900: 5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) TFT touchscreen
- Storage: NW-WM1ZM3: 256GB (about 207GB usable); NW-WM1AM3: 128GB (about 91GB usable); microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC slot
- Audio chips and amplifier: S-Master HX digital amp with native DSD and balanced output; look-ahead noise shaper (three types) on the Signature models; DSD Remastering Engine (to 11.2MHz DSD); NW-ZX900: ultra-low-noise LDO regulator and crystal oscillators
- Headphone outputs: stereo mini jack and balanced standard jack, 20–40,000Hz; NW-ZX900: 50mW + 50mW (mini) and 250mW + 250mW (balanced) at 16 ohms, high gain
- Formats: FLAC, WAV, AIFF and Apple Lossless up to 384kHz (WAV and AIFF up to 32-bit); DSD (.dsf, .dff) at 2.8, 5.6 and 11.2MHz; APE up to 192kHz; MQA; MP3, WMA, AAC and HE-AAC
- Streaming and software: Android 16; streaming apps from Google Play; DSD Remastering Engine on Wi-Fi streams and downloads; USB DAC mode
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC, AAC, LDAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive and LC3; NW-WM1ZM3 and NW-WM1AM3: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax on 2.4, 5 and 6GHz, Bluetooth sending only, no NFC
- Battery: NW-WM1ZM3 and NW-WM1AM3: up to 35 hours of 128kbps MP3, 33 hours of 96kHz/24-bit FLAC, 31 hours with streaming apps in offline mode; NW-ZX900: up to 40 hours of MP3, 38 hours of 96kHz/24-bit FLAC, 35 hours with streaming apps
- Charging and ports: USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1); about 4 hours to a full charge on the Signature models
- Size and weight: NW-WM1ZM3: 86 x 157.6 x 23.2mm, 670g; NW-WM1AM3: 86 x 157.6 x 23.2mm, 425g; NW-ZX900: 77.2 x 139.8 x 17.5mm, 345g
- Colors and finish: NW-WM1ZM3: gold-plated copper chassis (99.99% oxygen-free copper main chassis, oxygen-free copper rear chassis), gold-plated screws; NW-WM1AM3 and NW-ZX900: aluminum-alloy main chassis, gold-plated oxygen-free copper rear chassis
- Other: Kimber Kable internal wiring from Sony’s DMP-Z1 (NW-WM1ZM3); two large solid high-polymer capacitors (Signature models); no plastic in the packaging, coatings and adhesives aside
Pre-orders are now open in the US and Canada. Sony’s store lists the NW-WM1ZM3 at $5,899.99 and its press release at $5,899; the two Signature models also reach the UK and Europe in November at €4,999 (about $5,600 or Php 354,000) and €2,499 (about $2,800 or Php 177,000). Sony’s 2022 Signature models, the NW-WM1ZM2 and NW-WM1AM2, launched in the US that June at $3,699.99 (about Php 233,000) and $1,399.99 (about Php 88,000), so the cheaper Signature Walkman now costs more than twice as much.
Sony’s first Walkman, the TPS-L2, went on sale on July 1st, 1979, and played cassettes. That one didn’t cost an arm and a leg.
