Sony announces three premium Walkman players, priced from $1,899.99 to $5,899
Sony announced three audiophile Walkman players, the NW-ZX900, NW-WM1AM3 and gold-plated NW-WM1ZM3, priced from about $1,900 to $5,900. They are available for preorder, and Sony has not said when they will ship.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Sony announced three new Walkman portable media players on 15 October, priced from $1,899.99 for the NW-ZX900 to $5,899 for the gold-plated NW-WM1ZM3. The VergeLC “Sony has announced a trio of new Walkman portable media players that start at an already absurd $1,899.99 for the NW-ZX900 and climb all the way up to $5,899 for the gold-plated NW-WM1ZM3.” Read at The Verge ↗ The Straits TimesRC “the company said in a statement on Oct 15.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Left · 1The NW-WM1AM3 sits in the middle at $2,999.99. It is nearly identical to the WM1ZM3 but has no gold shell. The VergeLC “Sandwiched in between is the $2,999.99 Walkman NW-WM1AM3, which is nearly identical to the WM1ZM3, just minus the gaudy gold shell.” Read at The Verge ↗ Mixed · 2All three are aimed at audiophiles. Each has Sony's DSD Remastering Engine, which upsamples standard PCM audio to an 11.2MHz DSD stream. Sony says this gives a warmer, more analog-like sound. The VergeLC “which upsamples standard PCM audio to an 11.2MHz DSD stream, which it claims delivers a more analog-like sound” Read at The Verge ↗ The Straits TimesRC “can make digital music files sound warmer and more analog, Sony said.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Mixed · 2The flagship WM1ZM3 has a chassis made entirely of oxygen-free copper (OFC), which is then gold-plated. The WM1ZM3 and WM1AM3 also add hand-soldered OFC wiring, upgraded power circuitry and a milled OFC block that isolates digital from analog circuits. The two cheaper models have an aluminum-alloy enclosure with a gold-plated rear chassis, which Sony says reduces interference and noise. The VergeLC “What sets the WM1ZM3 apart is that the entire chassis is made of OFC and then gold-plated.”“add hand-soldered oxygen-free copper (OFC) wiring and upgraded power circuitry to lower noise even further” Read at The Verge ↗ The Straits TimesRC “The two less expensive models, meanwhile, have an aluminum-alloy main enclosure with a gold-plated rear chassis.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1According to Bloomberg, carried by The Straits Times, the WM1ZM3 and WM1AM3 have 5.5-inch 1080p screens. The NW-ZX900 has a 5-inch display, upgraded to 1080p from 720p. All three run Android, and the ZX900 moves up to Android 16 from Android 12. The Straits TimesRC “both have 5.5-inch, 1080p-resolution screens that are slightly larger and sharper than their predecessors from 2022.”“is making a particularly big leap to Android 16, up from the much older Android 12 software found on its predecessor.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1Bloomberg also reports that the players use artificial intelligence to enhance compressed streamed music. Sony's battery estimates are up to 31 hours of streaming or 35 hours of local playback for the two WM1 models, and up to 35 and 40 hours for the ZX900. Those figures are based on 128 kbps MP3 files, which Bloomberg calls an unlikely scenario for enthusiasts. The Straits TimesRC “the Walkmans use artificial intelligence to identify music genres and enhance both high frequencies and subtle sounds”“Notably, Sony's battery life estimates are for low-quality, 128-kilobit-per-second MP3 files, an unlikely usage scenario for enthusiasts.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Right · 1The players are available for preorder, and Sony has not said when they will ship. Bloomberg describes them as the first new hardware in several years to carry the Walkman name. It notes that rivals such as Astell & Kern and some Chinese brands sell hi-fi players at significantly lower prices. The Straits TimesRC “The three new devices are available for preorder now, though Sony has not yet said when they will start shipping.”“competitors like Astell & Kern, along with some Chinese brands, offer their own so-called hi-fi players at significantly lower prices than Sony.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Left · 1The Verge notes that Sony has made a gold media player before. The previous model, the NW-WM1ZM2, is on sale for $2,599.99. The VergeLC “you can pick up the previous model — the NW-WM1ZM2 — on sale now for just $2,599.99.” Read at The Verge ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- A short, wry product item that treats the price as excessive and the gold-plated flagship as a curiosity.
- Emphasis
- Prices, model differences and the gold-plated copper chassis, plus a joke that an old eBay iPod is a better bargain.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention screens, Android versions, battery life, preorder status or competitors.
- Charged language
- “already absurd”“gaudy gold shell”“A veritable steal”
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- A fuller business and consumer-tech explainer. It is Bloomberg wire copy, so the wording is the agency's rather than the outlet's. It places the launch within Sony's heritage and its audio business.
- Emphasis
- Specifications, preorder status, competition from cheaper rivals, and caveats such as the battery tests using low-quality MP3 files.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the earlier NW-WM1ZM2 model still on sale at a lower price.
- Charged language
- “finest portable sound experience”“Notably”
- For example
-
“aim to deliver the “finest portable sound experience” for audiophiles” — The Straits Times
“The Walkman brand is core to Sony's heritage” — The Straits Times
What every side reports
- Sony announced three premium Walkman players aimed at audiophiles.
- The top model is the gold-plated NW-WM1ZM3, at about $5,900.
- All three use Sony's DSD Remastering Engine and have a gold-plated rear chassis.
- The NW-ZX900 is the cheapest, at about $1,900.
Sony organisation
Sony presents the players as delivering the "finest portable sound experience" for audiophiles. It credits the DSD Remastering Engine and the gold-plated copper construction with better sound.
“aim to deliver the “finest portable sound experience” for audiophiles, the company said in a statement on Oct 15.” — The Straits Times
“a gold-plated oxygen-free copper chassis that the company says will help elevate the sound quality” — The Straits Times
North America1 outlet
The Verge treats the launch as a luxury curiosity and pokes fun at the price.
“Sony made a $5,900 gold-plated Walkman MP3 player” — The Verge
The Verge
East and Southeast Asia1 outlet
The Straits Times carries Bloomberg's business-oriented explainer and adds a Singapore dollar conversion (S$2,400 for the US$1,900 model).
“priced from US$1,900 (S$2,400) to US$5,900” — The Straits Times
The Straits Times
Left1 article
-
Sony made a $5,900 gold-plated Walkman MP3 player
Mixed Reports the lineup and specifications, but with a sardonic tone about the price and the gold plating.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
The Straits TimesRC · · via Bloomberg
Sony debuts US$5,900 gold-plated Walkman player for audiophiles
Neutral Bloomberg wire copy giving a detailed rundown of specifications, with some scepticism about the justification for the price and the battery claims.
- 15 Oct 18:48 First The VergeLC Sony made a $5,900 gold-plated Walkman MP3 player
- 16 Oct 12:56 +18h 7m The Straits TimesRC Sony debuts US$5,900 gold-plated Walkman player for audiophiles via Bloomberg
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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