Sony has lifted the lid on two new hi-res Walkmans, but they are both significantly more expensive than their 2022 predecessors.
But let's not dwell on that – after all, it would be a bit naive to expect new products at four-year-old prices. Let's focus on the good stuff.
And there's certainly plenty of that. The flagship NW-WM1ZM3 and step-down NW-WM1AM3 promise to "bring together Sony's most advanced audio technologies" and capture "subtle nuances throughout a performance, while maintaining clarity, scale and dynamics at higher volumes."
So what's the difference between them? The flagship NW-WM1ZM3 features a gold-plated oxygen-free copper (OFC) chassis which doesn't just hold the parts in place, but helps enhance the sound quality.
The 99.99 per cent (4N) purity OFC main chassis and OFC rear chassis are secured with screws secured with a low-resistance gold-plated treatment that's exclusive to the ZM3, which provides a stable ground connection to deliver "powerful bass, an expansive soundstage and smooth, extended high frequencies."
It also has the same thick Kimber Kable wiring as the massive DMP-Z1, which reduces noise and preserves signal integrity.
The NW-WM1AM3 isn't quite as premium, but still boasts an aluminium-alloy main chassis and gold-plated OFC rear chassis to enhance rigidity and hence sound quality.
Both models have upgraded power supply architecture, with the single high-polymer capacitor replaced by dual ones. Add in hand-soldered OFC wiring, and it should produce a cleaner, more stable power supply with less interference.
The larger, high-purity 4N copper coil used in the L-C filter optimises the balance output signal from the digital amplifier, while its flat conductive wire reduces resistance and distortion, meaning better clarity and detail across the frequency range.
The digital ground is further strengthened by an OFC milled block covering the digital components, resulting in more clarity and definition, Sony says.
Also onboard is Sony's S-Master HX digital amp tech, which was developed specifically for Walkmans, and promises a powerful, detailed sound. It's compatible with Native DSD formats, and includes a look-ahead noise shaper that predicts quantisation noise in advance and applies optimal processing for a clearer, faster sound reproduction.
The same look-ahead noise shaper features in Sony's five-star WH-100XM6 headphones, courtesy of the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3.
Sony's DSD Remastering Engine is there too, to resample PCM audio into an 11.2MHz DSD ultra-high-frequency stream. Sony claims this gives the sound a character that's closer to analogue.
You can now use the DSD Remastering Engine when listening to music streamed over wi-fi or that's been downloaded.
The 35-hour battery life (for both) is a big step on from the 18 hours offered by the ZM2, but there's a caveat. That figure involves listening to 128kbps MP3s, which would seem a bit of a waste considering the audio chops at your disposal. Listening to DSD files will drain the battery far quicker – we got less than 10 hours from the ZM2, which is around 50 per cent less than the quoted run time.
Over streaming, Sony claims the new players will last 31 hours (though that's in "offline mode with balanced connection").
The screens have also been enlarged, and now stand 5.5 inches across (half an inch bigger than the ZM2's). You can now customise the home screen interface, too. And the screens promise to be smoother and more responsive – which is good news, given that the clunky interface was one of our main criticisms of the last model.
Which brings us to the price. The NW1-WM1ZM3 costs £4299 (around $5899 / AU$8499) and the NW-WM1AM3 £2099 (around $2999 / AU$3999). That's an increase on their 2022 predecessors of £949 for the flagship and £799 for the step-down. Ouch.
We found the ZM2 to be a deeply impressive performer with beautiful build quality, but it was let down by its limited power output and rather clunky operation. Let's hope these improvements can help the new model earn that elusive fifth star.
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