Sony has introduced a new range of Walkman portable media players aimed squarely at the high-end audiophile market, with prices that start at $1,899.99 and top out at $5,899 for a gold-plated flagship model. The NW-WM1ZM3 sits at the top of the lineup, distinguished by an entire chassis made of oxygen-free copper that is then gold-plated. A slightly cheaper $2,999.99 model, the NW-WM1AM3, is nearly identical but skips the gold shell.
The three players share a DSD Remastering Engine that upsamples standard PCM audio to an 11.2MHz DSD stream, which Sony says produces a more analog-like sound. They also use gold-plating on the rear chassis to reduce interference and lower noise. The two higher-end models add hand-soldered oxygen-free copper wiring and upgraded power circuitry, plus a milled OFC block that isolates digital circuits from analog ones to limit potential interference.
The gold-plated Walkman is not Sony’s first experiment in luxury media players. The previous model, the NW-WM1ZM2, is now available for $2,599.99, which the announcement frames as a bargain by comparison. Still, as the source notes, an older iPod purchased on the secondhand market probably remains the better deal for most listeners.