Sony’s high-resolution audio Walkman they announced back at CES is in-stock and ready to ship in Australia. The Walkman appeared on the Sony site last weekend, but was listed as out of stock, but that’s now resolved, though with only limited stock available.
The limited stock availability may be Sony testing the waters on the high-priced player which at $1599, will only really appeal to the higher-end audiophile. The $1599 pricetag is somewhat offset by free shipping, but that’s a drop in the ocean in this case.
The Walkman is of course one of Sony’s most iconic brands, which brings back memories of long ago when they kicked off the personal audio revolution. Those days are gone, and audio is playable on just about any digital device, but Sony has kicked it up a notch with the ZX2 Walkman, offering support for loss-less audio codecs and a large amount of storage capacity.
The Walkman ZX2 is a great looking device as well, with a strong industrial feel to it with a textured aluminium alloy frame giving the Walkman a more rugged yet functional look. The device has a number of external controls including physical power, volume and playback controls and a full-size USB port and microSD card slot on the base.
Spec wise, it should keep you quite happy:
- Memory capacity 128 GB
- External memory microSD (card not included)
- Key features High-Resolution Audio playback, S-Master HX Digital Amplifier, DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), ClearAudio+, Clear Bass, Equaliser, VPT, one-touch listening via NFC and Bluetooth® connectivity
- Compatible audio formats MP3, WMA1, FLAC (192KHz/24bit), Linear PCM (192KHz/24bit), WAV (192KHz/24bit), AAC-LC2, HE-AAC, Apple Lossless (192KHz/24bit), AIFF (192KHz/24bit), DSD (2.8MHz, 5.6MHz)*1: Copyright protected WMA files cannot be played back.*2: Copyright protected AAC-LC files cannot be played back
- Battery life MP3 up to 60 hours**(MP3 128kbps), Hi-Res Audio 33 hrs**(FLAC 192kHz/24bit)
- Charging time Approximately 4.5 hours
- Operating platform Android™ 4.2
- Display 4.0 inch FWVGA (854×480) TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile
- Communication mode Wi-Fi® (IEEE 802.11b/g/n/a)
- Bluetooth® Bluetooth® (A2DP/AVRCP/OPP/HID/SPP)Supported Codec: SBC/LDAC
- NFC Yes
- Included applications Media Go (for Windows), Content Transfer for Mac (for Mac OS)
- Dimensions 65.1×131.2×18.5 mm (WxHxD, excluding max. protruding section)
- Mass Weight: Approx. 235 g
- Accessories USB cable, leather carrying case, spacer (headphones not included)
If you’re in the market for a Walkman ZX2 head on over to the Sony Australia website and check it out.
