Anybody wanna buy a $3,200 Sony Walkman?
BERLIN -- Sony's out of its mind. At IFA 2016, the company unveiled a new high-resolution Walkman audio player... that costs $3,200.
As part of its Signature Series and aimed at audiophiles who have "golden ears," the new NW-WM1Z isn't just expensive, it's also one chunky and heavy music player. It's as bulky as an original iPod.
The music player is made of gold plated oxygen free copper chassis and leather on the backside. Sony says it chose the material because it's a "higher purity material" that produces clearer highs and deeper, more powerful bass.
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On the front is a 4-inch touchscreen with 854 x 480 resolution. On the left side is a hold switch that deactivates the touchscreen; playback and volume buttons are on the right side.
The interface is typical Sony with so much information -- everything from music info to buttons to an equalizer to album art to file type -- crammed onto the screen that it can be a little terrifying to know where to look at.
Still, if you're the slightest bit tech-savvy, you'll be able to pick it up and appreciate some of the details, like how much more precisely volume can be controlled.
The NW-WM1Z comes with 256GB of internal storage and also has a microSD card slot for expansion.
Of course, for audiophiles, it'll all come down to sound and format support. The Walkman supports native DSD (Direct Stream Digital) audio files, which has a sample rate of 64 times that of CD quality.
The Walkman also supports Bluetooth for wireless headphones.
But is it all worth $3,200? I'm no audiophile, so I'd never pay that much -- and there are plenty of more affordable options if you're into hi-res audio.
In my brief listening time with Sony's MDR-1000X noise-canceling headphones, the audio sounded pretty good. I wasn't blown away, but then again the bustling listening environment I was in wasn't exactly suitable for music appreciation.
If $3,200 is too steep, Sony's got a more affordable $1,200 NW-WM1A that looks exactly the same, except it comes in black and is made of lighter aluminum. It's still the same thickness, though.
Its sound probably isn't as "pure" and crisp since it's not using the same lower-resistance copper as its more expensive sibling.
Both Walkmans will be out next year. So who's buying?
Topics Music
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
