Sony ZX2 Coming in the near future

 

I was told by a source to expect a new updated ZX model but no details about when and how it will look like.  The ZX2 has just passed thru the FCC, albeit the Japanese model, NW and not NWZ.  It looks like the device will feature dual-band Wifi, NFC, Bluetooth and GPS.

Sony A-Series (A17) up for pre-order on Sony.ca

Unlike Sony US, Sony Canada has opted for the black version and not silver.  At $299 CAD, it is also cheaper when converting from USD.  Expected arrival date is October 20th, so a little over a week from now.  

Sony Walkman A-Series (NWZ-A15) Preview (Update)

My Sony NWZ-A15 has just arrived, the courier just delivered it 10 minutes ago.  I have snapped some quick photos, apart from the Walkman, USB cable and guides, there is nothing else in the box.  Really excited to finally test it out this weekend.

Throwback: NWD-E020 Design Story

Dozens of styles, and one that's all your own

Some colors excite us, and others turn us off—even if the design is the same. It's no surprise that color is a key factor affecting our impression of products. With accent panels running the spectrum in 20 patterns, the new WALKMAN® E series satisfies quite a range of tastes.

Sony A-Series Walkman Delayed in Europe? (Update 2)

I was about to order my A-Series this morning here in Poland but had a bit of a surprise when I saw the expected delivery date, late October.  This is unfortunate and I have no idea why the date has changed or if the first date of Early October was a mistake.

Sony M-Series Preview (NWZ-M504)

Good news everyone, my M-Series has arrived.  Due to the fact I was not home earlier in the day, my delivery only arrived about an hour or so ago, therefore apologies for the poor photos; I will upload better photos tomorrow.

Sony Walkman NWZ-W273S Review

The original W-Series was introduced back in 2009 and it brought a new design approach to Sony, a Walkman and headphones in one.  Jump 5 years ahead and Sony has expanded the W-Series to include the WH-Series and WS-Series.  I was always curious how the W-Series would work as a daily Walkman but I was hesitant to spend the money on it since I had other Walkmans already, and the limited storage capacity.  Fortunately I was able to get my hands on a W273 for about 3 weeks and test it out.  So does the W-Series live up to the hype Sony has put on it? 

Sony to release 4 new XBA headphones (Update)

When Sony announced the new A-Series, some of the images on the Sony website featured new XBA headphones, but of course Sony Europe would tell me which model they were.  But it appears Sony Singapore has jumped the boat and posted the new headphones on their site.

New Sony S-Series coming to Japam

In addition to the newly announced A-Series, Sony Japan will also be introducing a new S-Series, the S10.  As seen in the photo, there will be a multitude of colours, black, white, blue, vivid pink, green, and light pink.  Capacities will be only 8 (S14) and 16 (S15) and priced at 15,000 and 18,000 yen (110, and 130 Euros) respectively.

Sony Japan Introduces new the A-Series

Sony Japan has introduced the new A-Series to Japan, 2 versions will be available, A16 and A17, 32 and 64GB respectively.  This was expected, but was surprised me and has me a bit irritated is that the Japanese A-Series features built in noise cancellation.  The 64GB model will come only in black and silver, where as the 32GB model comes in all 4 colours, red, blue, black and silver.  Prices are 35,000 (A17) and 25,000 (A16) yen, so around 250 and 180 euros, again cheaper than in Europe, which appears to be getting screwed over.  Release will be November 8.

Rest of the information, photos and sources after the break.

New Sony A-Series appears on Sony Hong Kong

The new A-Series has shown up on the Sony Hong Kong site, priced at 1,580 HKD, which is roughly 160 Euros, so substantially cheaper than in Europe.  Both models will be available the A17 and A15.  Price for the A17 is 2,380 HKD, or 240 Euros, and it ships in 4 different colours, red, blue, black and silver.

What Hi-Fi? Preview of Sony NWZ-A15

What Hi-Fi? have a quick preview/review of the new A-Series from the IFA show floor.  Here is what they thought.

Sony M-Series Walkman coming to Sony Asia Pacifc

With Sony Europe soon launching the new M-Series (early October), it appears Sony Asia Pacific has also put up the player on its website with a coming soon tag.

Design: Interview with ZX1 Designers

With uncompromising attention to detail, the NWZ-ZX1 achieves truly realistic sound that resonates in the heart of the listener. We went behind the scenes of history’s best-ever Walkman model to learn more about its development, and discovered a team of professionals who were passionately dedicated to achieving the best possible audio quality.

Full story after the break.

Will Sony release a WH-Series Successor?

Exactly one year ago Sony introduced the new WH-Series 3-in-1 Walkman.  I have personally yet to see anyone using one here and wonder if sales have been good enough to warrant a replacement of new model, regardless of sales, I hope a second generation will be introduced.  Now for my thoughts.

New Sony A-Series and WS-Series coming to Sony Singapore

Sony Singapore will be offereing both the new A-Series and WS-Series.  The A-Series will be offered in silver/black and in 16 and 64GB capacities, where as the WS-series will come in 16GB capacity and in yellow, black and blue.  There is no pricing information provided unfortunately.

So what is aptX and should you care?

When I posted the teaser for the new A-Series earlier this week, I mentioned support for aptX Bluetooth.  Before this, I never heard of aptX, so naturally I was curious what it was.  Doing some research revealed a pleasant surprise, both my MDR-10BTs and Xperia Z1 support aptX.  So naturally I had to test this out to see if there was any actual sound quality difference versus standard SBC, in short there was quite a difference, but more on this later.  So what is aptX and should you care?  All the information after the break.

Pocket-lint Hands on with new A-Series

Hands on from Pocket-lint

Sony to ship new Walkman A-Series in other colours?

 

Here are some photos of the new A-Series in different colours, nothing of this was mentioned in the press release as always, so they are probably either for individual regions or Asia only or Japan only probably.

Sony Walkman WS-610 Video from Sony

Sony Walkman A15 Video From Sony

Sony Officially introduces the new A-Series Walkman

Sony gives you more ways to enjoy High-Resolution Audio on the move

 

High-Resolution Audio brings you closer to the spirit and soul of the artist’s original performance – just as you’d hear it on stage or in the recording studio. Now Sony offers an expanded range of options for enjoying pristine Hi-Res sound at home, on holiday or the daily commute.

Sony officially introduces the new WS-Series Walkman

Music while you work out: wearable, waterproof Walkman® WS610 series now with Bluetooth® wireless technology

 

Energise yourself with the perfect soundtrack as you run, bench-press or swim with the brand new Bluetooth® Walkman NWZ-WS610 – complete with its own handy ring-type remote commander.

Sony E vs A: Size comparison E580 and A10 (corrected)

 An update using the official dimensions from Sony, I was told the screen was 2 inches and not 2.2 inches.

Leaked Sony Walkman WS-Series (NWZ-WS610)

The Sony NWZ-WS610 has leaked, here are the photos.

Some new details about the WS-Series.

• 3 colours - all black, blue with black, and yellow with grey
• comes with small remote for your index finger
• controls on remote include - play/pause, Next/previous, volume +/-, power
• Remote is also waterproof
• Walkman can be used as Bluetooth headset with your smartphone and remote includes a button to answer incoming  calls
• Remote connects via Bluetooth
  

At this moment I have no information on pricing or availability, capacity is 4 and 16GB.

Leaked Sony Walkman NWZ-A Series (NWZ-A10)

 

The new Sony NWZ-A10 has leaked, here are the photos. Does not look like it comes with any headphones, as none are included in the press photos.

Teaser of new Sony Walkman A-Series (NWZ-A10) (Updated)

• 2 colours - Silver and Black
• No noise cancellation
• Audio Out via the WM-port to Hi-Res compatible Sony Equipment (ex ), this uses a WM-Port to USB which then can be attached to a USB cable to the Coaxil digital in on the UDA-A1, on the SRS-X9, the connections seems to be into the regular audio in 3.5mm.
• Internal and external memory seem to be separate with access to the micro-sd via an icon in the menu
• No controls on the left side, right side has vol +/-, Hold switch, and micro-sd slot which is covered
• NFC on the back near the top
• Seems to be able to drive MDR-1R headphones

IFA 2014 Preview

Link for Live Stream on September 3 @ 16:15 CET

We are at that time of the year again when tech is front and centre in the news. When I was posting the preview for 2013, I was not expecting much of anything from the Walkman but Sony threw a surprise and introduced the updated F-Series and the ZX1.

Budget Headphone Review: Sony MDR-V150 and Sony MDR-EX15

A family member needed a good cheap pair of headphones for a flight back home.  There was not much on offer at the Sony Centre but I decided to grab 2 different models, the MDR-V150 and MDR-EX15 in case the person would have wanted in ear or over the ear.  Prices were 19 Euros for the V150s, and 11 Euros for the EX15s.

Korean RRA Certification for Sony M-Series

Although Sony Europe has not officially released the M-Series, it is already present and ready to pre-order on the various EU Sony sites.  I have checked other Sony websites around the world and found nothing yet but the Korean RRA have certified the M-Series.

Sony Europe Introduces the M-Series, quietly (NWZ-M504)

Sony Europe has quietly introduced the M-Series Walkman that is already on sale in Japan.  Unlike the model in Japan which tops out at 16GB, the international model will only ship in 8 GB and black.  The international model is identical to the Japanese one, except no ATRAC support.

Korean RRA Certification for New Sony A-Series

The Korean FCC, the RRA, has certified the new A-Series (A10) this week.  Hopefully some images leak soon, but I doubt it.  I can't seem to find the new devices on any retailer sites as I write this, this could indicate a much later availability date, either late September or early October.

Sony WS-Series to come with a remote?

 

I stumbled upon a certification from a Russian website (link dead) for the new WS-Series and it seems there might be a remote for the new Walkman.

Sony to introduce cheaper MDR-ZX550BN headphones?

This past April, Sony introduced the new MDR-ZX750BN headphones with Bluetooth and built in noise cancellation.  At 149 euros, they are not that expensive but reviews have not been that stellar regarding the noise cancellation feature.

Sony Japan releases 'GazettE' edition S and F-Series Walkmans

Starting today, August 4th, Sony will begin accepting orders for the limited edition GazettE S and F-Series Walkmans.   The models will be available in Sony store retail locations starting August 5th, at Ginza, Osaka, and Nagoy.

Sony ZX1 Coming to Canada in Mid September

Good news for Walkman fans in Canada, it appears that the new ZX1 will soon be on sale and available in mid September, 16th September according to Sony.ca.  Unfortunately the price is also rather high as with other countries, at 749.99 CAD, it is not cheap but much less expensive than in Europe, where it retails at 689 euros, or slightly above 1000 CAD. The difference in price is around 200 CAD, but this is rather significant and either means the European model is overpriced or the Canadian model is underpriced.

Sony B-Series on sale in Canada

 

It looks like Sony Canada introduced the new B-Series recently since it is on sale and available in red or black, at 2 GB for $39.99.  A quiet introduction follows the European launch as well.  Not sure why only 2GB, guess the larger capacity models did not sell that well in the past.

NWZ-A860 Service Manual (Volume cap removal)

Hey everyone, here is the NWZ-A86x service manual.  You should be able to enter the service menu to remove any volume caps but at your own risk.  Although there is no guarantee that the cap will be removed.  The key combination seems to be different from the original set back from 2012.  Thanks to Robert for bringing this to my attention.

Sony NWZ-A15 passes through e-POSTEL

Click on the image for larger view

The NWZ-A15 passed through the Indonesian certification agency this past Monday, 15th of July.  This provides further evidence for a release soon and at least a NWZ-A15 being sold in Indonesia.

New Sony A-Series coming at IFA 2014?

Sony will soon be introducing a new Walkman, resurrecting the A-Series name once again.  The most surprising aspect may actually be what appears to be a micro-SD card slot on the side.  There will be 3 models, with Japan receiving the NW-A16 (32 GB) and A17 (64 GB) and the the rest of the world will have 2 models, NWZ-A15 (16 GB) and NWZ-A17 (64 GB).

Walkman WS-Series coming soon?

 

Sony will be introducing an improved wearable Walkman in the near future.  The WS-Series will feature NFC and Bluetooth which will permit its use as a wireless headset.  In addition, the capacity has been bumped up substantially.  While the current W270 tops out at 8GB, the new WS-Series will come in 4 and 16GB capacities, NWZ-WS613 (4GB), NWZ-WS615 (16GB).  

NWZ-F800 Firmware update to v1.13

Sony Indonesia released a firmware update for the older F-Series.  The update is for Indonesia, but Sony Europe also has released the update on their site, dated April 23rd. The changes are as follows:

Sony quietly introduces the new B180 Series Walkman

 

Sony quietly introduced the new B180 Series Walkman.  No press release that I can see and not a surprise since it only just changes the design but I feel much of what is inside the device is the same as before.  It is 4GB only, USB 2.0, around 20 hours of playback, there is no FLAC support.  Apparently the design is aluminum, which adds a nice premium touch.  Colurs are blue, pink, red and black, price in the UK is 35 pounds, can't seem to find the EU price yet, EU price appears to be 49.00 euros.  It states the device is temporarily out of stock on the Sony UK site.

Sony introduces mew MDR-ZX and MDR-EX headphones

So Sony has introduced a bunch of new headphones last month, I was meaning to post it but time escaped me.  I feel I could have waited with my MDR-10R purchase and got the MDR-ZX750BN which included BT and noise cancellation. 

Sony 'The Bottled Walkman' by DraftFCB

This is a pretty unique advertising idea, and something Sony needs to be doing more of in order to keep the Walkman brand alive.  I'd kill for a water bottle with the Sony Walkman Logo.  I'm sure they will appear on ebay or somewhere but won't be cheap.  Bravo Sony and DraftFCB for a great idea.

Sony Bluetooth NC Headphones (MDR-NWBT20N) Review

After about a month of waiting, my MDR-NWBT20N headphones finally arrived this past Friday.  This is my first Japanese Sony product and having used the headphones for about 3 days now the first thing that came to me was, Why isn't Sony selling this in Europe?

Sony M-Series dissembled

(click on photo for larger size)

Not much to see here, just one photo but it is interesting to see Sony crammed both noise cancellation, and the S-master MX amp into this little sucker.  I don't understand why Sony can't just add both these features to an Xperia mobile phone, not like the current Z1 is that small, it could easily fit these features if Sony tried hard enough.

Sony MDR-10R Bluetooth Headphones Review

The headphones I use everyday with my Walkman are the MDR-NC033Es which came with my E580.  They serve their purpose quite well, are portable and minimize outside noise quite well.  I needed new large headphones since I gave away my MDR-V55s to my younger nephew and was now left without anything for home use.  I had a few options, first go for the Walkman WH-Series and use it headphones and have it as a standalone Walkman when I didn't want to take my E-Series.  Second option was a small Bluetooth capable set, something along the lines of the Sony SBH80, SBH52 or SBH50 but the first one was not out yet and I don't think the sound quality of the headphones would be better than my NC033s.

So the final option was something else, perhaps wireless and with noise cancellation built in, something to use on my Xperia Z1 but have it wireless and with noise cancellation, but nothing like that in Europe from Sony.  So I ended up looking at other Bluetooth enabled headphones, MDR-1RBT was way too expensive and way too bulky, any other model was designed for home use only and not very portable or light weight, others were not available in store or were back ordered on most websites.  The only option were the MDR-10Rs

Rest of the review after the break.

Firmware Update for Sony NWZ-F804/F805/F806

Sony Indonesia has just released a firmware update for the previous generation F-Series, you can grab it here at this link.

The Sony MDR-10RBT headphones

A promo video from Sony for the new MDR-10BT headphones.

Sony introduces the ZX1 to Europe (price update)

 

NWZ-ZX1 Walkman

Enjoy High-Resolution Audio while you’re out and about with the Walkman® ZX1. Every single part, material, and feature of the ZX1 has been crafted by Sony engineers to realise the ultimate High-Resolution Audio experience on the move.

Sony CES 2014

It is that time of the year again where CES arrives with all the new goodies for the new year.  I am not expecting much from the Walkman camp, perhaps just US releases of already announced products like the updated F-Series and the new ZX1.  Although perhaps Sony will surprise us all and announce something new.  Personally I'd like to see more accessories, like the MDR-NWBT20N.  If it is not announced, I will have to order one from Japan.

Sony Asia Pacific introduces the ZX-Series

Enjoy Ultimate Sound Quality in High-Resolution Audio Like You’ve Never Experienced Before: The Walkman® ZX1 from Sony

(ASIA PACIFIC, 30 December 2013) – Sony is proud to announce the launch of the Walkman® NWZ-ZX1, designed especially for those who demand the very best in music playback quality while on the move. Utilizing its proprietary audio technologies and support for High-Resolution Audio1 to offer up to seven times the audio quality than what a CD2 can deliver, Sony has developed a high-performance portable music player that takes listeners right into the recording studio or concert.