Which Walkman?
Over the last few years I’ve inadvertently helped fuel the cassette revival. Many of the people who bought their first home tape deck from ebay would also now like a decent personal stereo so they can play their cassette collection on the go.
I’ve received lots of requests to make a video about the cassette Walkman. With such a broad topic to cover I thought the best thing I could do was to show the various models I’ve bought and explain why I chose them.
The links posted under the video on youtube will likely be of more use than the video itself, but both things combined should help point the first-time walkman buyer in the right direction.
Comments (29)
Techmoan: For those of us with limited space in the stereo gear rack, what are your thoughts on using a WM-D6C as a home "tape deck"? Is it mechanically durable, in your experience?
I haven't got any real insight into durability, however I should think that it's ideally suited for this purpose.
Nostalgia overload. My personal memory is when an American family moved in a few doors down circa 1980 and their son had a TPS-L2, which, along with having an accent, made him very cool. Super muppert😂.
Not really a walkman but I got my hands on a Marantz PMD-430 Cassette deck/recorder that has a long large battery so it could be used portable (but not pocket sized by any stretch). built like a tank and has dual VU meters and a few ways to adjust stuff. I'm just not sure if these were quality and worth testing/repairing. (actually I looked.. guess it was pretty solid and still is looked at as decent Lol. I'll be interested to see how it stacks with my old Sony Dual auto-rev cassette deck I still have).
You can see my Marantz 430 in this video. <a href="https://youtu.be/BtjqF70F5wI?t=14m19s" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/BtjqF70F5wI?t=14m19s</a>
That video felt like a labour of love to me, hope you enjoyed making it as much as I enjoyed watching it. I'll stick to my 20 year old Denon deck for now, (dug out because I bought a deluxe version of an album that came with a cassette recently) though I may have a Sony of some kind in the loft...... Good to see a proper pub argument at the end :)
For some reason our household ended up with a TCS-310, a Sony personal stereo recorder released in 1981. I remember being weirdly impressed by the fact it needed 4 batteries and of course the in-built stereo microphones that dominated a corner of the machine next to the transport controls. Most of all, I remember it was built like a tank. Every personal stereo I encountered after that felt like a flimsy bit of plastic. I'm quite sure you could fell large game with one swing of the TCS-310, should the need arise, and it would still let you enjoy your 'Now That’s What I Call Music!' tape afterwards just fine!
I remember salivating over some of those mid 80s models I saw in hi-fi magazines back then, such as the Boodo Khan. But I was in my early teens and couldn't possibly afford them. Nice trip down memory lane in any case. Thanks, Mat.
Fascinating to watch, as always. Thank you! :) Not related to walkmans. Do you think there's a place for a Hi-Fi VHS technology video in the future? I've just recently learned that those can capture audio in very high quality. Searching the net there's a few models which were made with audio only use in mind, with front panel VU meters, dedicated RCA audio in/out jacks on the back, as well as headphone jacks on the front. I think it would worth an episode.
I'll add it on the list. I don't have a suitable HiFi machine and it's not something I'm too familiar with - so It might be a couple of years before I get to it.
Really enjoyable video. It can't just be nostalgia - well maybe it is and I delude myself - but I still find this technology so much more interesting than modern stuff for the most part. I don't really understand it - how is it possible to feel that we lost something even when a modern digital file player eliminates so many of the flaws inherent to tape...
Brings back good memories. I think my mid-90s teenage companion was a WM-EX102. Got that and Now 29 from my parents for Christmas '94. Lasted me through most of my school years, but I remember when the belt broke and I replaced it, it never really played at the correct speed again. I agree though, it didn't matter the manufacturer, it was always a walkman. Can't hear the phrase "personal stereo" without thinking of Zig and Zag's classic song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL-NT9Vmp8M." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL-NT9Vmp8M.</a>
Thanks for another great video. Now I want a Walkman :(
Dam you - now I also need to buy a walkman...
In spite of conversion to digital, the pro model (your favorite sound) easily sounded superior on my end. Lovely episode!
"Over the last few years I’ve inadvertently helped fuel the cassette revival." Oh...so YOU'RE the one. I'm personally behind the resurgence of the quadraphonic 8-track...ka-chunk...tape. :)
Great video! Also a great bonus hearing Anders Enger Jensen's music as well!
Muppets! <3 Speaking of sound quality and devices to get, how does your preferred walkman stack up versus a DCC player with an analog cassette inside? As you have both devices to check, maybe that would make a nice followup video? Stacking the alternatives versus the original? :D
Given some of the oddball complaints about retro tech reviews, it would have funny if in reply to 'What would I recommend?' you'd said 'Well, frankly, none of them, it's 2017 and digital music is definitely where it's at, so don't bother. Thanks for watching!' then cut to the outro for a few seconds before continuing as usual ;)
That would have been a good idea. Maybe next time.
Great guide! I bought a cassette player with a recharable ni-cad battery that advertised long play feature sometime late 1998, 2002(?). I think it is somewhere in my closet in its original box, there is a risk that I lost it moving some stuff after a renovation!
My DCC portable has a non functional NiCad that was discontinued years ago. After all these years I'm looking forward to freeing it from the mains power supply when I receive a newly manufactured battery (using an old battery case packed with new LiPo cells) from the DCCMuseum.
I'm looking forward to watching this video in the morning! I live in Japan where there are used electronics stores with bins and bins of late-model portable cassette players you can buy for the equivalent of a quid untested. But since they're late-model they all use proprietary rechargeable batteries. I picked up one Sony and one Aiwa. The Sony you can get batteries for (since they were the same batteries as for their MD players), but the rubber band was dead. The Aiwa had a good rubber band, but their proprietary battery is no longer available... I opened it up and soldered on an AA battery holder and it plays fine but is very usable in this state...
I don't think I'd be able to walk past one of those bins without buying an armful of machines. I suppose you get used to it...but it would take me a while.
Fantastic! A real buyers guide to Walkman (Made by Sony of course!) and Personal Stereos. My favourite would have to be the WM-D6C, minimal hiss and a real depth to the sound (Even through YouTube). Thanks Matt
Bought a WM-D6C soon after I started watching your videos. Found a great eBay seller that specializes in them (cleaning/fixing/etc.) and it works great.
Great - I'm the same with things like these, I'd rather leave any repairs to the professionals.
I see you have impeccable taste in music! :D (Hehe)
Anders I got an email re your comment about Dolby, but can't see the post here. Don't be concerned about the lack of NR on the tape - It's extremely uncommon for any company to release a new tape with Dolby NR on it. I was very surprised when I saw it on your previous release because I didn't think it could even be licenced any more. I wanted a tape for this demo that didn't have any noise reduction as this is an accurate test for what people will likely be hearing if they play any of the current crop of tape releases. As far as I know the only tape types being made any more are Type 1 (although I'm aware of the imminent introduction of a new High end type 1 by NAC in the US). I thought it sounded great and it's only during the very quiet sections where you can hear any hiss and that's totally normal for tape, it's part of the authentic charm. Anyone that doesn't want hiss can listen to a MP3....I'd rather have the tape.