Sony has introduced two new high-end digital audio players, the NW-WM1AM3 and NW-WM1ZM3. Both were announced in October and are scheduled to go on sale in November in most regions, although the US launch is planned for January. Sony lists the AM3 for November 27, while the more expensive ZM3 is already sold out on its website.
The NW-WM1ZM3 is priced at $5,899, £4,299 or AU$6,499. Its premium construction includes oxygen-free copper, gold-plated screws and cabling from Kimber Kable. The NW-WM1AM3 costs $2,999, £2,099 or AU$3,999 and shares many of its counterpart’s audio features.
Both players have 5.5-inch screens, 256GB of internal storage with SD card expansion, and dual headphone jacks. They support listening over Wi-Fi or from music stored on the device, offer up to 35 hours of playback, and use Sony’s DSD Remastering Engine to upscale PCM audio.
Despite the launch of the two players, attention has shifted to a separate Walkman product that Sony has been teasing on social media. The company is due to reveal it on November 5, and its outline and retro-inspired styling have led to speculation that it may be a new pair of Walkman headphones. Sony has not yet confirmed what the device is.
The teaser has revived interest in the Walkman’s heritage, including the MDR-3 headphones that accompanied Sony’s first-generation TPS-L2 Walkman in 1979. Whether the upcoming reveal is limited to headphones remains unknown.
Sources: TechRadar.