Sony's New Walkman NW-WM1ZM3 and NW-WM1AM3 Target Ultra-Luxury Audiophiles

Sony has released two premium portable players, the NW-WM1ZM3 and NW-WM1AM3, positioned at the top of its Walkman range. The NW-WM1ZM3 is priced at £4,299 / €4,999 and features a precision-machined, gold-plated oxygen-free copper chassis with a matching gold finish. The NW-WM1AM3, at £2,099 / €2,499, uses an aluminium-alloy main chassis with gold-plated oxygen-free copper on the rear. Both models carry a 5.5-inch touchscreen and a claimed 31-hour battery life, alongside 207GB of onboard storage. Sony says revised power supply and circuitry improve audio quality, and an onboard DSD Remastering Engine upgrades digital files toward a more analogue character. The players combine a touchscreen with physical transport and volume buttons. Sony cites playback times using 128kbps mp3 files, which the review notes is at odds with high-fidelity use; the storage is said to hold over 60,000 songs at that quality, or roughly 10,000 in maximum-lossless FLAC. Streaming audio is supported as standard. The review argues that gains from hand-soldering and the absence of oxygen in materials will register only with a small group of hardcore audiophiles. The players are available via Sony.co.uk.