Engineering:Walkman ZX Series
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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
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
- List of Sony Walkman products
References
- ↑ Hoyle, Andrew. "Sony Walkman NWZ-ZX1 is an MP3 player for the discerning audiophile". https://www.cnet.com/reviews/sony-walkman-nwz-zx1-preview/.
- ↑ "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」". https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/1309/25/news082.html.
- ↑ "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". https://japanese.engadget.com/jp-2013-12-05-nw-zx1-7.html.
- ↑ "Sony NW-ZX2 Walkman Review". 26 October 2015. https://www.avforums.com/reviews/sony-nw-zx2-walkman-review.11967/.
- ↑ "Home review". 26 February 2016. https://www.whathifi.com/sony/nw-zx100hn/review.
- ↑ "Sony NW-ZX300 Walkman Review: Elevates Your Audio File Quality". 10 June 2018. https://musicphotolife.com/2018/06/sony-nw-zx300-walkman-review-elevates-audio-quality/.
- ↑ "Sony announces the new NW-ZX300 Walkman". 2 September 2017. https://www.hear.audio/2017/09/02/sony-announces-new-nw-zx300-walkman/.
- ↑ September 2019, What Hi-Fi? 07 (7 September 2019). "Hands on: Sony Walkman NW-ZX507 review". https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-walkman-nw-zx507.
- ↑ "Sony-Walkman with USB-C". 12 September 2019. https://stereo-magazine.com/article/sony-walkman-with-usb-c.
- ↑ Hagedoorn, Hilbert. "Sony NW-ZX700 Streaming compatible Android Walkman" (in en-us). https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/sony-nw-zx700-streaming-compatible-android-walkman.html.
- ↑ "Sony Walkman NW-ZX707 with 5-inch display launched in India but costs more than iPhone 13" (in en). https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/sony-walkman-nw-zx707-with-5-inch-display-launched-in-india-but-costs-more-than-iphone-13-2328535-2023-01-31.
- ↑ Ascariss. "Sony NW-ZX700 Walkman Revealed (Update)". https://thewalkmanblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/sony-nw-zx700-walkman-revealed.html.
- ↑ "Home review". 28 January 2014. https://www.whathifi.com/sony/nwz-zx1/review.
- ↑ "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". https://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/review/sony/nwz-zx1/554329/.
- ↑ "Hands on: Sony Walkman NW-ZX507 review". 7 September 2019. https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-walkman-nw-zx507.
- ↑ "NWZ-ZX1 Specifications | Sony AP". https://www.sony-asia.com/electronics/support/digital-music-players-nw-nwz-zx-series/nwz-zx1/specifications.
- ↑ "NW-ZX2 Specifications | Sony AP". https://www.sony-asia.com/electronics/support/digital-music-players-nw-nwz-zx-series/nw-zx2/specifications.
- ↑ "NW-ZX100 Specifications | Sony AP". https://www.sony-asia.com/electronics/support/digital-music-players-nw-nwz-zx-series/nw-zx100/specifications.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "NW-ZX300 Specifications | Sony USA". https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/digital-music-players-nw-nwz-zx-series/nw-zx300/specifications.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Sony ZX500 Walkman® ZX Series". https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/walkman/nw-zx500-series/specifications.
- ↑ Ascariss. "Sony NW-ZX700 Walkman Revealed (Update)". https://thewalkmanblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/sony-nw-zx700-walkman-revealed.html.
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