Sony’s Walkman Returns As $1,200 Media Player Running Android 4.2
Long before there were smartphones and iPod devices, there was the Walkman, which allowed us to groove to Guns N' Roses belting out Paradise City and Sweet Child O' Mine while on the go. Of course, it was helpful to carry a pen or pencil in case those cassette tapes needed adjusting, but whatever, Sony changed the game with its Walkman. Well, the Walkman is making a comeback, though at around $1,200, it will attract an entirely new audience.
It's also a different Walkman than the one you might remember (or heard about from your folks, depending on your age). Sony's new Walkman NW-ZX2 delivers High-Resolution audio to reproduce master quality recordings as artists intended for them to be heard.
In other words, it's a device for true audiophiles. The NW-ZX2 features an S-Master HX digital amplifier that's been developed for Hi-Res audio playback, and is also equipped with DSEE HX technology so that listeners can stream and upscale from sources that are not Hi-Res.
Sony says the NW-ZX2 supports digital music files up to 192 kHz/24 bit. Compatible file formats include MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, WAV, and ALAC including DSD.
The NW-ZX2 doesn't look like your old-school Walkman -- it's been modernized with rounded sides carved out of aluminum alloy and sports a highly rigid case. There's also gold-plated copperplate in the structure, thick film copper layer PCBs, and other refinements aimed at providing higher sound resolution with reduced impedance and interference.
Other features include 128GB of built-in storage, a micro SD card slot, Wi-Fi connectivity, large capacity Lithium-ion battery good for up to 60 hours of music playback, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Look for the Walkman NW-ZX2 to ship in Spring 2015.
It's also a different Walkman than the one you might remember (or heard about from your folks, depending on your age). Sony's new Walkman NW-ZX2 delivers High-Resolution audio to reproduce master quality recordings as artists intended for them to be heard.
In other words, it's a device for true audiophiles. The NW-ZX2 features an S-Master HX digital amplifier that's been developed for Hi-Res audio playback, and is also equipped with DSEE HX technology so that listeners can stream and upscale from sources that are not Hi-Res.
Sony says the NW-ZX2 supports digital music files up to 192 kHz/24 bit. Compatible file formats include MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, WAV, and ALAC including DSD.
The NW-ZX2 doesn't look like your old-school Walkman -- it's been modernized with rounded sides carved out of aluminum alloy and sports a highly rigid case. There's also gold-plated copperplate in the structure, thick film copper layer PCBs, and other refinements aimed at providing higher sound resolution with reduced impedance and interference.
Other features include 128GB of built-in storage, a micro SD card slot, Wi-Fi connectivity, large capacity Lithium-ion battery good for up to 60 hours of music playback, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Look for the Walkman NW-ZX2 to ship in Spring 2015.
