Does Anyone Need a Walkman in 2024?

More than a decade after its predecessor was discontinued, Sony has updated the Walkman media player with Android, dual headphone jacks, and a long list of audio-centric features. But is it worth the high price?

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:30 Miles' Walkman Android experience
05:27 Adam's thoughts & codec explainer
08:33 Ellis' thorough testing
15:36 Conclusion

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Equipment used in this video and others:

Shot and produced by Miles Somerville
Audio by Ellis Rovin
Graphics by Tim McMahon and Michael Emerick

[illusivedestroyer]

This trio killed it, I loved the contrast between each segment of how the Walkman performed from the actual phone experience with miles to the audiophile perspective with Ellis, it was really well done

[thelonelyloner]

Okay Miles is a natural on camera, great explaining and good pace

[markowalski]

As a professional audio engineer I really hope there are more videos like this. Sound is often overlooked in a lot of tech products.

[rugareee]

These reviews from the whole MKBHD team are great! Would love to see more

[unlaikable]

These group of people Marques has assembled are really amazing. It's kinda trippy seeing the studio sets but other people sitting there reviewing products, yet the video is still amazingly well produced.

About the Walkman itself, I saw a tweet pop off and people replied they're getting their first Walkman ever. Hope they get to see this video before making the purchase.

Get some sleep Ellis.

[arthurkillen]

Using most popular music as test material for audiophile gear is like test driving a Ferrari in stop and go traffic. To really see what it can do, you need source material with less compression like classical or jazz, or other styles with more acoustic instruments. Popular music is dynamically compressed, which by nature, means that it will sound pretty similar regardless of the playback system.

[JosephHerzog]

Ellis' explanation of Hi-res Audio was beginner friendly and super educational. He's great!

[Caelford]

Miles was stunning! Wonderful presence and phenomenal voice! It’s a shame the classic Walkman brand isn’t getting the revival it deserves.

[emystic]

Great to see Miles working with the MKBHD team. Missed seeing him on 9to5. Please tell me this is not temporary. He is an absolute pleasure to listen to.

[jaytee]

Despite the device that was reviewed :) This was another excellent quality video. Adam is a pro from sound guys but so glad to see Miles and Ellis getting some air time. A truly amazing team you have assembled, Marques!

[ColeBarsen]

Miles is an amazing presenter and reviewer! I know the main MKBHD channel is mostly Marques, but I’d love to see more Miles over there. Seriously professional!

[mhmnn]

It would be great to compare the Walkman to something more similar, like one of the FiiO DAPs that are recognized in the audio enthusiast world. The conclusion that a DAP is not comparable to a smartphone, and that a DAP is not recommended for “regular” music listeners is not a far fetched one. But that is also not the target audience — someone looking to buy a dedicated audio streaming device for $500+ already knows that it does not compare to a smartphone. They want to know how does it fare with high impedance headphones, what DAC is used, what amp is used, how much power does the balanced output deliver… I like the way that the review was set up and how different facets were presented, but for me it missed the main talking points I would like to know about a DAP.

[RicardoBrazil]

On of the best, well-produced, most technical and fun videos I've seen on the entire MKBHD family of channels.

[thelonelyloner]

This channel has become the one I get most excited about posting a "uploading..." tweet. Amazing content.

[nasseralsharif]

Ellis and Adam are both big leap in audio engineering for MKBHD channel.

[jockajocka]

Best tech video I’ve seen in a long time! Awesome job! I don’t usually make comments but I just wanted to say that this was a exiting video to watch especially with the different parts and it felt like a documentary narration in some kind of way. Please make more videos of this kind. Maybe with the more mainstream products as well! All the best, greetings from Sweden!

[LegendSnapped]

Love seeing more of the studio members on the channel 👌🏾

[ChChelis]

Loved this format, with more people from the Studio as hosts, all of you speak very well, and the video itself is great: quality, script, subject. All of it!

[ThomasRoscoeMusic]

Miles! There you are! Congratulations on the new position. This studio team is so epic.

[thelonelyloner]

Damn I just learned a lot about audio than I ever knew (especially the sound curve replication that Ellis explained). Just after I got my new Nothing Ear (2). Time to look for audio codecs in the developer settings. Thanks guys.