Forget the CD revival, Sony's new Walkman is what audiophiles will really want

Sony Walkman NW-WM1AM3 — (Image credit: Sony)

Quick Summary

Sony's latest Walkman products, the top-end NW-WM1ZM3 and step-down NW-WM1AM3, are no-compromise audiophile digital audio players (DAP).

Made with gold-plated oxygen-free copper (OFC) for the utmost low-noise and grounded signal, both players are capable of Hi-Res Audio and DSD upscaling – whether listening from file or Wi-Fi streaming.

Pre-orders are open now, with a 27 November shipping date slated. If you can afford the ZM3's £4,299 / $5,899 and AM3's £2,099 / $2,999 outlay, that is.

While we've been seeing huge rises in physical formats – from vinyl records to CD – there's also big demand for proper high-quality digital audio players. And Sony has just revealed a masterstroke in that department, which audiophiles will love.

Launched under the Walkman brand, the latest NW-WM1AM3 and even fancier NW-WM1ZM3 are "engineered to deliver exceptional sound and incorporate a wealth of premium audio components throughout".

They're also engineered to mine your wallet, because these 'no corners cut' products cost a pretty penny. Or, more precisely, £2,099 / $2,999 / €2,499 for the AM3, £4,299 / $5,899 €4,999 for the ZM3 – the latter on account of its gold-plated oxygen-free copper (OFC) chassis, as you can see in the pictures below.

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So just what does such cash get you? It's all about class-leading components, Sony suggests.

The ZM3's OFC chassis is said to further elevate the sound quality, the front and rear paired with gold-plated screws for the most stable ground connection and low-noise listening experience. Kimber Kable wiring is used within, too.

The AM3, meanwhile, take a similar philosophy – but its main chassis is aluminium-alloy to keep the cost profile down (the rear is OFC, though).

With S-Master HX digital amplification on board, both players support native DSD – that's Direct Stream Digital, Sony's high-res audio format – for balanced, high-powered output.

The DSD Remastering Engine resamples audio into an 11.2MHz ultra-high-frequency stream to try and emulate an analogue signal as closely as possible. So whatever you're listening to, this upsampling should deliver greater clarity. This works for both downloads or real-time via Wi-Fi connection for streaming sources.

Both products also feature a large 5.5-inch display, responsive to touch, to handle your input and add dynamic visual flair. Battery life is claimed to hit up to 35 hours of playback, reduced to 31 hours when using a streaming source.

You can pre-order right now direct from Sony's site. Shipping commences from 27 November, though, so don't expect to have one of these top-tier digital audio players in your hands until December time.

Mike is T3's Tech Editor. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 years and his beat covers phones – of which he's seen hundreds of handsets over the years – laptops, gaming, TV & audio, and more. There's little consumer tech he's not had a hand at trying, and with extensive commissioning and editing experience, he knows the industry inside out. As the former Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for 10 years where he furthered his knowledge and expertise, whilst writing about literally thousands of products, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more.