ElmerJFudd Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 Thoughts? Feelings? Nostalgia? Ambivalence? https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/walkman/nw-wm1am2 https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/walkman/nw-wm1zm2 Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberGene Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 How is that better at streaming Apple Music, Spotify, etc. than the iPhone/Android you already have in your pocket? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaptainkeys Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 24 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said: Thoughts? Feelings? Nostalgia? Ambivalence? https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/walkman/nw-wm1am2 https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/walkman/nw-wm1zm2 I grew up in the age of the iPod/MP3 player, I had both a cheapo sandisk MP3 player and then later on an iPod touch 4, and I think this concept of portable media players works if they provide some kind of feature that your phone doesn't have, such as a better DAC/AMP. 17 minutes ago, CyberGene said: How is that better at streaming Apple Music, Spotify, etc. than the iPhone/Android you already have in your pocket? Some people prefer a media player that doesn't have their email, texts, phone calls, and social media there to distract them. Quote Instruments: Walters Grand Console Upright Piano circa 1950 something, Kurzweil PC4-88, Ibanez TMB-100 Studio Gear: Audient EVO16, JBL 305P MKII monitors, assorted microphones, Reaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJUSCULE Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 Neil Young shaking screaming crying rn 1 5 Quote Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 23 minutes ago, CyberGene said: How is that better at streaming Apple Music, Spotify, etc. than the iPhone/Android you already have in your pocket? That was my initial thought. Then, I thought about those times where I'm been an impromptu DJ. The Walkman device would be better than typing up a cell phone to play music and having to stop it when a call comes though. 😁😎 Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 Do we know the expected pricing? I am seeing pre-order prices in the thousands of dollars, which is confusing to me. If these prices are meaningful, it's a nostalgia product for the wealthy few. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course. 😉 😀 https://audio46.com/products/sony-nw-wm1am2-walkman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docbop Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 Why in the age of "good enough" and Pop music with the trend in LoFi sounds. Then when they mentioned streaming. It will probably be real expensive and as guys who working in audiophile shop would tell you..... The only people who can afford this stuff their hearing is already going or gone bad. They buy this stuff to brag about the spec's to their friends and more because it makes their young wifes bounce err I mean dance around the mansion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted February 18, 2022 Author Share Posted February 18, 2022 48 minutes ago, ProfD said: That was my initial thought. Then, I thought about those times where I'm been an impromptu DJ. The Walkman device would be better than typing up a cell phone to play music and having to stop it when a call comes though. 😁😎 Dedicated device with Audio file design. SD card slot for storage is a win for those that miss discovering and collecting, digital music files, burning CDs, using iPods and the like. Has wifi for those who don’t mind paying for a streaming service. I can see maybe as an installed unit - in a car, in a shop, behind the bar, restaurant, something like that. Yeah for DJ. I don’t think I want to actually carry another device - which was the purpose of the original Walkman. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 "NEWLY DEVELOPED REFLOW SOLDER CONTAINING GOLD This is the first time Sony has used reflow solder containing gold, and it features extensively across the circuit board surface – so the overall effect is significant, including improved sound localisation and a wider sound space." I'm guessing this is aimed at the people that spend thousands of dollars on a few feet of speaker cable, or "cable lifters", or other such stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah DC Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 I bought a digital audio player for about $300 last year, loaded it up with high-quality files, and haven’t looked back. It just sounds so much better than anything I get on my phone, especially with good headphones. I would have thought this kind of thing would appeal to a forum full of folks who obsess over every tiny technological advance in clonewheeling! 3 1 Quote Numa X Piano 73 | Yamaha CP4 | Mojo 61 | Motion Sound KP-612s | Hammond M3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 “Vinyl processor”? An AI to reconstruct the acoustic subtleties of lossless audio codecs? If this is an early April Fools’ prank, it’s a good one. Nice and subtle. If it isn’t, the audiophile market has changed mightily since I last dabbled in the 90s. Back then, it was all about perfect fidelity. Adding amp simulations to emulate the acoustic profiles of various analog amplifiers is the opposite of that market. It’s something musicians would be into, more than consumers. hmmm Quote "The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk) The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaptainkeys Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 5 minutes ago, analogika said: Adding amp simulations to emulate the acoustic profiles of various analog amplifiers is the opposite of that market. It’s something musicians would be into, more than consumers Can I run a 70s home organ through that to get a more realistic tone lol? 1 Quote Instruments: Walters Grand Console Upright Piano circa 1950 something, Kurzweil PC4-88, Ibanez TMB-100 Studio Gear: Audient EVO16, JBL 305P MKII monitors, assorted microphones, Reaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 I think a lot of people here are missing the point. It's not a mass market consumer piece like the original walkman. Nor is it something totally new. As referenced in the video, It's an updated version of the NW-WM1X which has been around for about 5 years, and sells for about $3,200 (and I believe they had other similar models before that). I don't know pricing, but I expect it will remain a big ticket item. I also suspect its biggest market is not the U.S. Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elif Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 I have an old LG G2 with the chip removed that I use for a media player. Camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, browser, games, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 5 hours ago, Reezekeys said: "NEWLY DEVELOPED REFLOW SOLDER CONTAINING GOLD This is the first time Sony has used reflow solder containing gold, and it features extensively across the circuit board surface – so the overall effect is significant, including improved sound localisation and a wider sound space." I'm guessing this is aimed at the people that spend thousands of dollars on a few feet of speaker cable, or "cable lifters", or other such stuff. Yup, this is absolute nonsense, designed for those with more money than auditory faculty. Cheers, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 6 hours ago, ProfD said: That was my initial thought. Then, I thought about those times where I'm been an impromptu DJ. The Walkman device would be better than typing up a cell phone to play music and having to stop it when a call comes though. 😁😎 On my iPhone it's an on-screen button to tap, "do not disturb." Airplane mode works pretty good for this too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalogGuy1 Posted February 20, 2022 Share Posted February 20, 2022 I'm an electrical engineer, and I use gold solder because it is more thermally conductive than cheaper silver solder. Oh wait, no, it is a worse thermal conductor. Well, I use it because it is more electrically conductive than cheaper silver solder. Oh wait, no, it's way poorer at that too - worse than even copper. OK, well I use it because it doesn't oxidize! True, but that difference is only important for connectors that are exposed where they connect; why would it make a difference inside a soldered connection? Must be that the oxidation can deeply penetrate the joint. No, wait, that's not true either; oxidation of copper or silver is only a few microns thick before the patina sets up a barrier to further oxidation. But maybe a few percent difference in eventual electrical resistance increase matters? Well, no, because gold is only about 75% as good an electrical conductor as plain old copper, so electrical resistance is the reason for gold's use, it doesn't make sense at all. Maybe it's because the few percent of outer oxidation would mechanically reduce the joint strength? Umm...but gold's mechanical strength is terrible. So why would using gold, whose price is artificially high because of its history as a fungible money substitute (e.g. much higher than rarer metals such as palladium and rhodium) be important? Maybe because someone in marketing thought using a precious metal would make the product appear better than its bourgeoisie competitors that use materials actually suited to the design. I'm sure though that the rest of the design choices, like higher current digital supplies make perfect sense, because every bit more current you can supply to those digital system, the bit better they perform, right? 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted February 20, 2022 Share Posted February 20, 2022 Never mind all that. Its an old-tech form. Where is that flexible 50 terabyte SD card that stays behind one ear without getting all itchy? What about in-ear monitors that don't get all waxy, like the moldy spit valve on a teenaged student's first (and maybe last) trumpet? Give me magic nannites or piss off! Quote "Why can't they just make up something of their own?" ~ The great Richard Matheson, on the movie remakes of his book, "I Am Legend" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elif Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 The "oh brother" moment for me was the mention of an incorporated technology that "helps remove a veil". Things that remove a layer of veiling in the sound reproduction was standard copy for reviews of high-end audio gear in the previous century. I was surprised to see such a worn phrase used in modern ad copy. Perhaps I shouldn't have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 How do you fit a 33-1/3 record in that thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 This is some marketing gimmicky to the extreme. Quote Keep it greazy! B3tles - Soul Jazz THEO - Prog Rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Tatum Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 An oxygen copper-free chassis with everything integrated even increases purity from 99.96% to 99.99%. We're proud of that figure. The previous chassis was 99.96%. Maybe even a touch beyond that. That last .03%... it may not sound like a lot. But it is. It's tremendous. Its a tremendous... gulf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 2 hours ago, ChoppedHam said: The "oh brother" moment for me was the mention of an incorporated technology that "helps remove a veil". Things that remove a layer of veiling in the sound reproduction was standard copy for reviews of high-end audio gear in the previous century. I was surprised to see such a worn phrase used in modern ad copy. Perhaps I shouldn't have been. And they let you decide just how that veil is "removed" by adding profiles for high-end home amplifiers and their specific distortion. Simultaneously reiterating the goals of last-century high-end and acknowledging that the failure to achieve them was the reason why people loved it is one of the odder marketing backflips I’ve seen. Quote "The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk) The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluMunk Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 "Purer materials for a purer sound Despite oxygen-free copper (OFC) being notoriously difficult to machine process, the WM1ZM2 features a gold-plated OFC chassis – just like its predecessor. This time though, OFC purity has been upgraded to 99.99% (four nines), offering even greater benefits in terms of audio quality and high rigidity. Bass notes are clear and powerful, the atmosphere is more expansive, and mid to high range sounds linger beautifully." I mean . . . this is 100% a joke, right? Are people literally that stupid? The material that the case is made out of affects the sound? [cranky pants] It should be against the law for companies to make claims like this. I know that this kind of marketing un-truth is on par with an infinite number of other things we're sold on a daily basis, but it's just . . . every person involved with the bit I quoted (and everything else about the product) is a career liar. They make the world a worse place. [/cranky pants] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberGene Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 This type of BS is pretty typical for the niche audiophile market where they basically sell snake oil with pseudoscientific claims like that. But a big corporation like Sony to bring that nonsense for something like Walkman is beyond ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Tatum Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 14 hours ago, Floyd Tatum said: An oxygen copper-free chassis with everything integrated even increases purity from 99.96% to 99.99%. We're proud of that figure. The previous chassis was 99.96%. Maybe even a touch beyond that. That last .03%... it may not sound like a lot. But it is. It's tremendous. Its a tremendous... gulf. Oops, I didn't mean to misquote Mr. Sato, it was just dyslexia on my part. He said "An oxygen-free copper chassis" etc. Ps: I don't know if this is marketing hype or not. For a very rich person, maybe this makes sense. I just thought the .03% stuff was amusing, and reminded me of a certain chemist with unusual music preferences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 This thread reminded me of a horrendous NSFW piece by Monty Python, "The Executive Intro." It totally fits.🤭 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihw1DSTm_WI Quote "Why can't they just make up something of their own?" ~ The great Richard Matheson, on the movie remakes of his book, "I Am Legend" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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