Two luxury Walkman music players from Sony

Sony has introduced two new premium-class Walkman music players – the more wallet-friendly NW-WM1AM2 and the luxurious Signature Series NW-WM1ZM2. They replace the NW-WM1A and NW-WMZ models that have been on the market for about six years. Both new Walkman players use balanced audio connections and support High-Res audio.

The main difference between the ZM2 and the AM2 model is its chassis, which is made of lead-free copper and coated with 99.99% pure 4N gold. The price is also significantly higher than the AM2 model with an aluminum shell. According to Sony, the difference should also be reflected in the sound, for example in terms of clarity, as the material conducts electricity more effectively and is stiffer. The listening experience is promised to be live-like.

Another difference is that the ZM2 model uses a Kimber Kable cable between the amplifier and the balanced headphone outputs, instead of the AM2’s oxygen-free copper cable. Third, the ZM2 has a 256 gigabyte storage memory, while the AM2 is limited to 128 gigabytes. Both models can be expanded with microSD memory cards.

Compared to the previous model, the display has grown from four inches to five inches and is now sharper, with battery life increased from 30 hours to 40 hours when playing 96 kilohertz-quality FLAC files. The operating system is Android 11, and the device also supports wireless Wi-Fi connectivity. Unlike the previous models, the player can now download and stream music, as long as there is a wireless network available. Songs can also be downloaded wirelessly from a computer. Another option is to connect the player via USB-C.

The speakers feature a digital amplifier implemented with S-Master™ HX Digital Amp technology. The capacitors have been updated, and include, for example, FT CAP3 capacitors with a high capacitance but low resistance. Background noise is promised to be practically non-existent. Both players feature an integrated DSD Remastering Engine that converts PCM audio to 11.2 megahertz dsd. There is also DSEE Ultimate technology that scales compressed music files in real time to make them sound higher quality.

Sony says that the ZM2's sound is rich, dynamic, and nuanced. The AM2's sound field is said to be richer, more balanced, and wider than its predecessors.

The NW-WM1ZM2 will go on sale in April 2022 and its recommended retail price is 3,800 euros.
The NW-WM1AM2 will go on sale in April 2022 and its recommended retail price is 1,500 euros.

www.sony.fi