The Walkman ZX Series is a line of premium high-end digital audio players designed and developed by Sony since 2013. It sits above the A Series and below the luxury WM1 Series in the Walkman range.

History

Sony NW-ZX507 playing music

The first model, NW-ZX1, featured a 4-inch display and a high quality digital amplifier that sold for about $900. It runs on Android.[1] It was introduced on September 25, 2013, alongside the NW-F880 series and first released in Japan on December 7, followed by overseas markets in 2014.[2][3]

A second generation player, the NW-ZX2, was released in 2015.[4]

Later in the same year, the NW-ZX100 was introduced. This player is cheaper than the ZX2, has a more compact and slimmer body, and runs on custom Sony software.[5]

In 2017 the NW-ZX300 replaced the NW-ZX100. It is slimmer than the ZX100 and borrows design cues from the A Series of the same time.[6] It also includes a 4.4 mm Pentaconn connector.[7]

The NW-ZX500 series was introduced at IFA 2019, retailing for €830/£750, with native DSD and MQA playback.[8] It also had a USB-C port replacing the proprietary WM-PORT for data and power connection.[9]

The NW-ZX700 series was introduced in January 2023.[10] It has been released in select Asia-Pacific countries in January such as India,[11] and will be released in Japan on February 23 for ¥104,500.[12]

Reception

What Hi-Fi? reviewed the NW-ZX1, praising the sound, design and buttons, while criticising its price and non-expandable memory.[13] PC World Australia gave the player 3.5 stars out of 5, giving merit to sound quality and battery life, but noting that the buying price is steep.[14]

In What Hi-Fi?'s early review of the NW-ZX507, its "detailed and dynamic sound" was praised, with no negatives given.[15]

Specification and comparison

Series Image Model Capacity Release Date Display Rated battery life Audio formats OS Wireless connectivity Terminals Physical size Weight
NWZ-ZX1 NWZ-ZX1 128 GB December 2013 4" (10.2 cm) 854 x 480 (FWVGA) 16 hours (Hi-Res Audio), 32 hours (MP3) MP3, WMA, ATRAC (Japanese market), ATRAC Advanced Lossless (Japanese market), WAV, AAC, HE-AAC, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, DSD[16][17][18] Android 4.1 IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 3.5 mm stereo jack, WM-PORT 122 mm
60 mm
13 mm		 139 g
(4.9 oz)
NW-ZX2 NW-ZX2 February 2015 33 hours (Hi-Res Audio), 60 hours (MP3) Android 4.2 3.5 mm stereo jack, WM-PORT, Micro SD 131 mm
65 mm
18 mm		 235 g
(8.29 oz)
NW-ZX100 NW-ZX100 October 2015 3" (7.6 cm) 400x240 (WQVGA) 45 hours (Hi-Res Audio), 70 hours (MP3) Original Bluetooth 3.0 3.5 mm stereo jack, WM-PORT, Micro SD 120 mm
54 mm
15 mm		 145 g
(5.11 oz)
NW-ZX100HN
NW-ZX300 NW-ZX300A 16 GB October 2017 3.1" (7.8 cm) 800 x 480 (WVGA) 26 hours (Hi-Res Audio), 30 hours (MP3) MP3, WMA, ATRAC (Japanese market), ATRAC Advanced Lossless (Japanese market), WAV, AAC, HE-AAC, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, DSD, APE, MQA[19][20] Bluetooth 4.2 3.5 mm stereo jack, 4.4 mm balanced jack, WM-PORT, Micro SD 120.4 mm
57.7 mm
14.9 mm		 157 g
(5.54 oz)
NW-ZX300 64 GB
NW-ZX300G 128 GB
NW-ZX500 NW-ZX505 16 GB November 2019 3.6" (9.1 cm) 1280 x 720 (HD) 16 hours (Hi-Res Audio), 20 hours (MP3) MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, HE-AAC, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, DSD, APE, MQA[19][20] Android 9 IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0 3.5 mm stereo jack, 4.4 mm balanced jack, USB-C, Micro SD 122.6 mm
57.9 mm
14.8 mm		 164 g
(5.78 oz)
NW-ZX507 64 GB
NW-ZX700 NW-ZX706 32 GB January 2023[21] 5" 1280 x 720 (HD) 21-25 hours Android 12 3.5 mm stereo jack, 4.4 mm balanced jack
NW-ZX707 64 GB

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hoyle, Andrew. "Sony Walkman NWZ-ZX1 is an MP3 player for the discerning audiophile". CNET.
  2. ↑ "ソニー、ハイレゾ対応・実売7万円台のハイエンドウォークマン「Zx1」".
  3. ↑ "ハイレゾ対応ウォークマン NW-ZX1 は7日発売。体験イベントにシシド・カフカ登場 - Engadget 日本版".
  4. ↑ "Sony NW-ZX2 Walkman Review". 26 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Home review". 26 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Sony NW-ZX300 Walkman Review: Elevates Your Audio File Quality". 10 June 2018.
  7. ↑ "Sony announces the new NW-ZX300 Walkman". 2 September 2017.
  8. ↑ September 2019, What Hi-Fi? 07 (7 September 2019). "Hands on: Sony Walkman NW-ZX507 review". whathifi.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "Sony-Walkman with USB-C". 12 September 2019.
  10. ↑ Hagedoorn, Hilbert. "Sony NW-ZX700 Streaming compatible Android Walkman". Guru3D.com. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  11. ↑ "Sony Walkman NW-ZX707 with 5-inch display launched in India but costs more than iPhone 13". India Today. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  12. ↑ Ascariss. "Sony NW-ZX700 Walkman Revealed (Update)". The Walkman Blog. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  13. ↑ "Home review". 28 January 2014.
  14. ↑ "Sony NWZ-ZX1 Review: A beautifully designed top-end audio player that supports high-resolution files - MP3 Players - MP3 & Portable Media Players - PC World Australia".
  15. ↑ "Hands on: Sony Walkman NW-ZX507 review". 7 September 2019.
  16. ↑ "NWZ-ZX1 Specifications | Sony AP".
  17. ↑ "NW-ZX2 Specifications | Sony AP".
  18. ↑ "NW-ZX100 Specifications | Sony AP".
  19. 1 2 "NW-ZX300 Specifications | Sony USA".
  20. 1 2 "Sony ZX500 Walkman® ZX Series".
  21. ↑ Ascariss. "Sony NW-ZX700 Walkman Revealed (Update)". The Walkman Blog. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
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