Sony introduces The Walkman ZX1

Sony recently announced the launch of their new signature Walkman series, the Walkman® NWZ-ZX1, designed especially for those who demand the very best in music playback quality while on the move. Utilising its proprietary audio technologies and support for High-Resolution Audio[1] to offer up to seven times the audio quality than what a CD[2] can deliver, Sony has developed a high-performance portable music player that takes listeners right into the recording studio or concert.

Powered by a OMAP™4 Cortex-A9 1GHz dual-core processor, the Walkman® NWZ-ZX1 has the latest S-Master HX™ digital amplifier built in, which helps to reduce distortion and noise at all frequency ranges and is optimised for High-Resolution Audio. Combined with Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE HX™) technology that upgrades[3] the audio quality of existing compressed sound files to near High-Resolution Audio quality and ClearAudio+™ to ensure realistic audio playback of ground-shaking lows to delicate highs, consumers will be hearing music just as the artist intended.

The Walkman® NWZ-ZX1 has an aluminium body combined with brass-plated components for a very clean and sleek design. A moulded base at its rear acts as an amp block to house all electrical components necessary for high-quality music reproduction. In addition, its leather-effect rear rubber grip adds comfort and stability when holding it in one’s hands. Besides giving the Walkman® NWZ-ZX1 its well-crafted and industrial design, high-grade aluminium alloy was chosen for its rigidity, and carving out the body from a single piece of metal minimises any unwanted inference and electrical noise to deliver stable high-quality 196KHz/24bit audio in various formats, including FLAC, Apple Lossless and AIFF.

Besides the hardware, Sony has also taken into consideration other factors that may impede on audio quality. The S-Master HX™ digital amplifier uses a film capacitor with good thermal properties for its audio output stage filter to reproduce the tonal nuances of string instruments and vocals and vibrant overtones of woodwind instruments. Besides incorporating a larger, higher-quality OS-CON polymer capacitor typically not used in mobile devices, the battery connection of the Walkman® has also been strengthened with protection circuits and special lower-resistance cables to deliver deep and booming bass notes and explosive mid- to high-range notes. A common source for sound distortion, Sony has opted to design a larger headphone jack to help reduce wear and tear damage over time by reducing contact resistance while still stabilising contact point pressure.

The Walkman® NWZ-ZX1 combines the audio quality that the Walkman® brand is known for with the versatility of the Android platform. Running on Android 4.1, users can download apps via Google Play to fully explore the entertainment potential of the Walkman®. A host of connectivity features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth® and NFC for One-touch listening, giving users unlimited options when playing music either at home, outdoors or any other location – with just a simple wireless pairing of compatible devices.

The flagship Walkman® NWZ-ZX1 comes with 128GB of built-in memory capable of storing High-Resolution Audio content equivalent to approximately 800 songs[1]. It is the largest capacity Walkman® ever produced by Sony. Viewing of the large library of high-quality music files is made easy with its brilliant 4-inch (854 x 480 pixel) TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile touchscreen. Buttons for playback, pause, song selection and volume have been thoughtfully mapped to be located by the side of the ZX1, allowing users to play audio and video quickly and conveniently. A dedicated WM-PORT has also been built in to allow for the output of audio. A new dashboard feature for the Music Player application gives users the freedom to choose what content they want to enjoy directly from the screen itself. And when you can’t decide on what to listen to, let the SensMe Channels app suggests songs for you instead.

The premium Walkman® NWZ-ZX1 from Sony will be available at all Sony stores and authorised outlets from February 2014 onwards at a recommended retail price of S$899.

Specifications Sheet