Sony Walkman Black Friday 2020 deals

For those interested in grabbing a Walkman this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there are some deals. They are not crazy like 50% off or anything but the price drops are quite nice. These are from Amazon, but I have compared to other sites and the prices are pretty identical.

Firmware Update to version 4.00.02 for NW-ZX500/NW-A100 series

Sony has released a new update for the A-Series and ZX-Series Walkmans. The firmware update brings the models up to 4.00.02. The following models are supported:

• NW-A100TPS
• NW-A105
• NW-106HN
• NW-ZX507

Sony Amazon Prime Day Deals

For those interested in grabbing some discounted Sony products during prime day, here is a list of the deals Amazon has for Prime Day. Of course if you can find any of these cheaper elsewhere, I recommend you buy it there. but for anyone wishing to buy off Amazon, here are the deals.

Firmware Update to Version 3.0.0 for WF-1000XM3

Sony has released a new firmware update for the WF-1000XM3. The updates brings the following changes:

• Allows the DSEE HX and Equalizer to function simultaneously

I do not use DSEE HX myself on my devices but for those who do, combining the both the equalizer and DSEE HX is now possible. Thanks to MrWalkman for bringing this to my attention.

Sony WH-1000XM4 in Midnight Blue?

Well this is a first. Sony will be adding a third colour option to the new WH-1000XM4. A listing has gone up on Best Buy and shows off the new colour from all the angles. The price is identical, $349,99 US, and shipping is expected in the first half of October.

Sony Walkman Battery Saver app

One major complaint regarding the Android-based A-Series and ZX-Series walkmans is the mediocre battery life. The larger screens are one reason, but using Android OS is another big factor. So Antonio Cirielli, who is an Android developer and Walkman fan, has developed a Walkman Battery Saver app.

Sony WH-1000XM4 teardown by 52Audio

I was not expecting a teardown so quickly of the Sony WH-1000XM4, but 52Audio.com has delivered once again, so time to dive in, see what is new and compare it to the WH-1000XM3. Warning a lot of photos coming up.

Custom Sony Walkman firmware by MrWalkman (NW-A40, NW-ZX300, NW-WM1/A)

MrWalkman, a user from Head-fi, has created 3 custom firmwares for the NW-A40, NW-ZX300 and NW-WM1/A. The new firmwares bring improved sound and features. I would highly recommend anyone with these Walkmans to check out the firmware, especially on the NW-A40.

Removing the Volume Cap from European Sony Walkmans

One of the biggest complaints from Walkman owners in Europe is the volume cap that was imposed on the devices by the EU. While the service menu method used to work on some previous models to remove the cap, it did not work for everyone. Fortunately there is another method that helps remove the volume cap and restore FM radio function to the NW-A55L for example. In addition, for those wanting to change the language of their Japanese model to English, this guide is for you.

Sony WF-XB700 Teardown by 52Audio.com

I generally check 52Audio's teardown's often but somehow missed this one, so putting it up now. The WF-XB700 is a mid-tier device, offering good quality sound, water and dust protection and a decent price. check out the Soundguys review here. You can check out Aaron is Loud and Wireless video review below.

Interview with Sony WH-1000XM4 Engineers

Sony Japan has put up an interview with some of the engineering team responsible for the WH-1000XM4. The interview is in Japanese, but Google translate does a decent job at translating it. You can check out the interview here. I will admit this interview is also a bit like an advertisement for the new headphones, but it does provide some insight into the development.

Firmware Update to Version 2.0.6 for WH-1000XM4

Sony's newly announced WH-1000XM4 already have a firmware update. For those lucky to own the new headset, check out the update on your "Sony | Headphones Connect" app.

The best just got better - Sony announces the WH-1000XM4

• Superior sound with Industry-leading Noise Cancellation
• Enjoy less noise and even purer sound with smart listening technology that automatically personalises your experience
• Practical, comfortable and stylish with up to 30 hours battery life

Sony today announced the WH-1000XM4, the 4th generation over-ear wireless noise cancelling headphones in Sony’s award-winning 1000X family. The latest headphones offer all the much-loved technology from the hugely popular WH-1000XM3, with additional intelligent features that allow you to personalise and control your music, improve noise cancellation and adjust ambient sound automatically based on your preferences for a superior sound experience.

Sony WH-1000XM4 Promo videos and stills

These were sent to me from an anonymous user. They are still from a promotional video, same as the leaked one from Youtube but in higher quality. Also anyone know a good places to upload a video to? Preferably not Youtube. Click on the photos for full size. Enjoy

Sony Japan Finally Teases the WH-1000XM4 for an Early August reveal (update 5)

Sony Japan has finally teased the upcoming WH-1000XM4. The press conference or reveal is scheduled for August 7th, at 9:00 local time I am guessing, so Japan. If this is local time, then the press conference will be at 17:00 PST/ 20:00 EST and 02:00 CET for other regions.

Edit, seems like Sony North America has also put up a teaser but with a different time and date, August 6th, 08:00 PST / 11:00 EST, which could be 17:00 CET. So it seems like North America will have the earlier introduction, with Japan a bit later on the 7th.

Update 2: A promotional video leaked on youtube, it will eventually be taken down for sure.

Update 3: Argos UK has support up for the new WH-1000XM4 (black, silver). Uploading screenshots just in case the links are removed. Click on the photos for larger size. Also the price on alza.co.uk is £369.90.

Update 4: Amazon.fr have the WH-1000XM4 listed on their page. It is listed for €380.00 with a release date of August 7th. One little piece of information from the page is the weigth, 254grams for the new headphones versus 255g for the WH-1000XM3.

Here is the text in case the page goes down:

Le casque Bluetooth WH1000XM4 à réduction de bruit concentre toute la technologie de Sony en termes de qualité de son, de réduction de bruit et de fonctionnalités innovantes. Il propose la meilleure réduction de bruit du marché avec intelligence artificielle pour une expérience sonore immersive exceptionnelle. La réduction de bruit est réglable sur 20 niveaux et ce casque bluetooth est compatible avec le mode Ambient Sound pour rester à l’écoute de votre environnement. Les fonctions intelligentes Quick Attention et Speak To Chat permettent de réduire instantanément le volume de votre musique pour suivre une conversation en posant la main sur le casque ou en parlant tout simplement à quelqu'un. Jusqu’à 30 heures d’autonomie avec la réduction de bruit active et 38 heures en Bluetooth uniquement. Fonction charge rapide (15 minutes = 8 heures de lecture). Le WH-1000XM4 est équipé de la fonction détection de port : il met en pause automatiquement votre musique quand vous retirez votre casque. Compatible Bluetooth multipoint pour changer d’écoute facilement et rapidement entre votre smartphone, votre tablette, pc … Le contrôle tactile intuitif sur le côté droit pour piloter votre musique, le volume, les appels et les assistants vocaux du bout des doigts sans toucher à votre téléphone. La technologie Voice Pickup permet de passer des appels clairs sans bruits environnants. Compatible Hi-Res Audio Wireless pour un son Haute Résolution digne du studio et 360 Reality Audio pour une expérience immersive comme si vous étiez en studio ou sur scène. Optimisé pour Amazon Alexa et l’Assistant Google. Accédez à votre assistant vocal d’une simple pression sur une touche.

And here are the bullet points.

• La meilleure réduction de bruit* du marché avec intelligence artificielle pour une expérience sonore immersive exceptionnelle. Réglable sur 20 niveaux et mode Ambient Sound pour rester à l’écoute de votre environnement. Plus de réglages intelligents grâce à l’application gratuite Sony | Headphones Connect. (*D'après une étude menée par Sony Corporation, conformément aux directives de la JEITA. Sur le marché des casques sans fil de type bandeau à réduction de bruit.)
• Fonctions intelligentes pour réduire instantanément le volume de votre musique et pouvoir suivre une conversation : soit en posant votre main sur le côté droit avec la fonction Quick Attention ; soit en parlant à quelqu'un sans toucher à votre casque avec la fonction Speak To Chat. Fonction pour réduire instantanément le volume de votre musique et pouvoir suivre une conversation en posant votre main sur le côté droit.
  
• Jusqu’à 30 heures d’autonomie avec la réduction de bruit active et 38 heures en Bluetooth uniquement. Fonction charge rapide (15 minutes = 8 heures de lecture) Détection de port : met en pause automatiquement votre musique quand vous retirez votre casque pour économiser de la batterie.
  
• Utilisation intuitive et intelligente : Bluetooth multipoint pour changer d’écoute facilement et rapidement entre votre smartphone, votre tablette et votre PC. Contrôle tactile sur le côté droit pour piloter votre musique, le volume, les appels et les assistants vocaux du bout des doigts sans toucher à votre téléphone. Optimisé pour Amazon Alexa et l’Assistant Google. Accédez à votre assistant vocal d’une simple pression sur une touche pour écouter de la musique, demander un itinéraire, consulter la météo et bien plus.
  
• Compatible Hi-Res Audio Wireless pour un son Haute Résolution digne du studio et 360 Reality Audio pour une expérience immersive comme si vous étiez en studio ou sur scène
  

One interesting section is the 3rd bullet point about multipoint, but this could be the same a the WF-1000X3 multipoint, you will need to physically pair the devices. Here is the google translation:

Intuitive and intelligent use: Multipoint Bluetooth for quick and easy listening changes between your smartphone, tablet and PC.

Update 5: Thanks to user koenssociallife on reddit for pointing this out. The Sony WH-1000XM4 has appeared on the mediamarkt belgium website in a banner, but the links do not work yet.

Here is the video from twitter.

The rumour is that the headphones will become available for purchase about a month after introduction, so early September but I feel availability will vary from region to region, with perhaps certain markets having retail availability earlier. I have provided a link to the Youtube stream below.

Update:

Seems that some retailers are once again showing the WH-1000XM4, elviapro.cz being one of them.

Source: Sony Japan | Youtube stream

Sony WH-1000XM4 teased by Sony Brazil? (update 2)

Sony Brazil had an interesting story up on their Instagram page. It featured a set of headphones with the phrase "O futuro do audio está aquí!", which translates to "the future of audio is here". The photo is quite dark, so it is hard to see any details of the headphones but with such a tag line, one would expect this is the WH-1000XM4. Unfortunately Sony Brazil has removed the photo.

Sony WH-1000XM4 previewed in Youtube video

Xuan Vu Audio from Vietnam has uploaded a video comparing the WH-1000XM4 to the WH-1000XM3. The video is not in English but if anyone wishes to post a comment with any interesting information from the video, please post below. Thanks to Ross for sending this in.

Sony WH-1000XM4 confirmed as HDX-2943 by FCC teardown (update)

The Sony WH-1000XM4 has been unveiled by the FCC, the external photos do not provide anything new, they are the same ones as from the Anatel certification. The manual is the same but with English, the various details like battery, impedance and even power consumption are blank. The internal teardown provides even less detail but we do know the internal code finally, HDX-2943. I will go briefly over what we can see from these poor blurry photos but we will need to wait for a proper teardown to see all the details.

Sony WH-1000XM4 shows up on Dell Canada, ships late June (update 4)

Dell Canada has posted up the WH-1000XM4 on their site. No photos are shown, but a price, $499.99 CAD and a ship date of June 23rd are provided. Interesting the price has gone up in Canada from $449.99 to $499.99. The link can be found here, but I doubt it will be up for long.

Sony WH-1000XM4 shows up on Walmart

Best Buy leaked the WH-1000XM4 at the end of April and in that same post I wrote that the WH-1000XM4 was in the Walmart inventory which was posted on Reddit. Well now, the upcoming headset has appeared on Walmart's website. The headset is priced at $348, but no date is provided for when it will be available. Thanks to Armin for sending in the information.

Sony WF-SP800N FCC Teardown

The FCC teardown is finally available for viewing for the WF-SP800N. There are not many surprises in the teardown and it does confirm the Mediatek MT2811S Bluetooth chip. In fact, the documents even have the name of the chip as a label, MT2811SP/A.

Sony adds support for Hi-Res streaming on NW-A100 and NW-ZX500 Walkmans

Sony has released a new firmware update for the NW-A100 and NW-ZX500, version 2.00.05. The new

update finally brings support for Hi-Res streaming which was missing initially. I am trying to find where I wrote about the missing H-Res streaming but cannot find it, but will update the post once I do.

Sony introduces the new WF-SP800N (update)

 

Sony has expanded its truly wireless headphones range with today's announcement of the WF-SP800N. The new headset replaces the WF-SP700N and brings many new updates and features.

Sony WH-1000XM4 Leaked by Best Buy (update 4)

Best Buy US had the Sony WH-1000XM4 up on their site a bit but pulled the listing down a few days ago. I did grab the photos of the site and I am posting them below. Pricing is the same as the current model, $349.99 USD, so expect identical pricing to the WH-1000XM3 when it was new in your own country.

Sony WH-CH710N has shown up on Amazon UK and US

The newly announced WH-CH710N have shown up on Amazon UK and US. Pricing is 130 GBP or 199 USD, with an availability date of end of April for the UK, but no information for the US. But I suspect it will also be end of April.

Sony WH-1000XM4 spotted on a Sony document

Sony's upcoming WH-1000XM4 has appeared in an official Sony document. The document looks like it is from Sony Belgium/Netherlands and is titled "SBNL AUDIO Trial Models Summer". I doubt the document will stay about for long after I post this, but I am linking to it here for those interested in seeing it.

Sony WF-XB700 Bring EXTRA BASS to everything you do (update)

The final headset from today's reveal, the WF-XB700, and no this is not an April Fool's joke. I do not think it is a coincidence that all 3 of these new headsets were unveiled after their FCC short term confidentiality was finished, so I guess we can expect the WF-SP800N in May, and the WH-1000XM4 in June.

The Sony WH-CH710N, the affordable NC option is here (update)

The second new wireless headset unveiled today is the Sony WH-CH710N, the successor to the WH-CH700N. Last month when an Anatel certification revealed the design, I said that the shiny surface in the photos was most likely just for the pre-production model and it looks like I was correct. The official photos show a much more matte paint scheme now.

Sony introduces the WI-SP510 Wireless sports headset (Update)

Sony has just unveiled a bunch of new wireless headsets, the first is the WI-SP510. The design is much different and it offers improved water protection when compared to the model it replaces.

Will Upcoming Sony products be delayed due to the Coronavirus?

Sony has released a statement regarding the impact of the coronavirus on their operations. As expected, production sites have been shut down or were shut down in the past. Sony has 4 plants in China, and all 4 were closed from January 24th to February 9th. Currently both plants in Malaysia are closed. The Penang factory is the main production for a lot of Sony Audio products, like wireless headphones and Walkmans, so its closure will sure have an effect on upcoming audio products.

Qualcomm QCC514x and QCC304x Bluetooth SoCs, could Sony switch back?

In the past year, Sony has slowly been switching from Qualcomm to Mediatek Bluetooth SoCs. The Mediatek MT2811S (Airoha AB155x) is the Bluetooth SoC of choice for Sony's high end wireless headphones, with some lower and models on Realtek. So with Qualcomm announcing a new series of Bluetooth SoCs, should Sony switch back to Qualcomm?

Firmware Update to version 1.21.00 for NW-ZX500/NW-A100 series

Yesterday Sony released a new firmware for both new A-Series and the ZX-Series. There are not many improvements in the firmware unlike in the previous update, which I think I forgot to post about, but this update includes those previous updates as well.

Firmware Update to Version 2.3.0 for WF-1000XM3

Sony has pushed a new update for the WF-1000XM3. There are quite a few changes compared to the previous 2.1.0 update, but no aptX, which I do not think will happen ever sadly. The update should be available through the Sony headphones app.

Benefits and Improvements from the latest update

• Fixes an issue where the volume operations are not correctly applied while the music is paused, even when operated from the smartphone
• Fixes an issue where the volume adjustment bar is unintentionally displayed on some smartphones
• Improves general performance 

Sony WF-H800 Teardown from 52Audio.com

I was hoping 52Audio.com would perform a teardown of the Sony WF-H800 and it looks like they have jut posted it up on their site today. I will not be posting all the photos here, so do check out their full teardown on their site for the full teardown.

Sony's upcoming WF-XB700, will it sport larger drivers?

The WF-XB700 is the final wireless headset coming from Sony in the first half of this year. The FCC filing last December gave almost nothing away, so this latest reveal from Anatel helps shine a light onto Sony's first Extra Bass Truly Wireless headset.

Sony WF-SP800N revealed, could feature QN1e (update 2)

I reported on this upcoming wireless headset back in December, not much was revealed in the FCC filing, a photo of part of the case, the presence of the Mediatek MT2811 and Bluetooth 5.0. But now with the Anatel certification, we have a bit more information, including the full design.

Sony WH-CH710N revealed by Certification

First revealed from a FCC filing back in late December 2019, the Sony WH-CH710N is Sony's affordable Noise cancellation headset. The design is now less edgy and more rounded. The photos show a shiny plastic, but I suspect this is a pre-production unit, so the final product might have a more matte finish.

Sony WI-SP510 changes up the design from predecessor

Seems like Anatel is not finished with the reveals. I recently posted the WH-1000XM4 and now it is time for a more affordable option, the WI-SP510. This model will replace the WI-SP500 and I first wrote about it last December when it first appeared on the FCC. Unfortunately not much was revealed in that filing so now we have a bit more including the new updated deign.

Sony WH-1000XM4 revealed by Anatel Certification

Sony's highly anticipated WH-1000XM4 has been revealed by an Anatel Certification. This is similar to last year when the upcoming WI-1000XM2 was revealed by a certification as well. Anyways, it does not come as a big surprise that the design of the WH-1000XM4 is almost identical to the WH-1000XM3, similar pattern between MDR-1000X and WH-1000XM2 occured. The model in the photos is a pre-production unit so the quality of the materials will look better on the final product.

Sony WH-1000XM4 passes through Korean FCC (MSIP)

So good news, the Sony WH-1000XM4 has passed through Korea's FCC, the MSIP. This certification is 76 days after the US FCC filing which is a bit worrying. This large gap between the US and Korean certifications rarely occurs, last time was with the original MDR-1000X.

Sony to add aptX HD support to WF-1000XM3? (update)

Sony's WF-1000XM3 has been praised as one of the best wireless NC headsets but nothing is perfect. The lack of LDAC support is one of those issues raised. So to see the WF-1000XM3 on Qualcomm's aptX site showing support for aptX, a competitor for Sony's LDAC is surprising and puzzling. Could this mean we will see aptX support soon in a future firmware update? Or is this a mistake?

Sony Japan launches the WF-H800

When Sony introduced the WF-H800 back at IFA 2019, there were no plans to introduce the model in Japan or Europe. So I was a bit surprised when I saw a tweet from Sony Japan launching the new headset for Japan.

Sony WI-1000XM2 now available in US and Canada

The new WI-1000XM2 has finally become available in Canada and the US. The wireless headset is available on Amazon price at $299 USD or $399 CAD, identical to the previews model. I was worried that with no announcement at CES 2020, users would have to import from Asia or Europe. But with the appearance on Sony's site, people will not have to import and will save on import fees and easier returns.

Sony WH-1000XM4 passes through Malaysia's SIRIM for Certification

The SIRIM certification does not reveal anything specific or new, but with every new certification this brings the device closer to market. The approval date is January 22nd 2020 as seen above, and looking back at the WH-1000XM3, its date was July 9th, 2018, so around 2 months before debut at IFA 2018.