RTM is preparing to make a new walkman

I think they are asking too much for this because if they want to get people on board they have to be cheap

 

For people who don't want to watch the whole video he reckons it will be about 60 Euros.
I think a lot of the test just proves you get what you pay for. Many tests of cassette players and record players from Amazon are comparable to comparing a 2020 Dacia car with a 1990s Jaguar and then complaining about the Dacia.

Having a quick look through my Argos Catalogues I can't find the exact Sony model he was using but here are some models from 1997
It wouldn't surprise me if his Sony cost more than 60 euros back when it was new.
Sony also had the advantage of economy of scale. While they kept changing the cases they probably made a million or two of each mechanism.

 

thrown better in the bin...i would rather what longman has shown

 

We could almost do with a "How much did you pay for your first personal stereo and when" thread.

I think I paid about £27 for a basic Sanyo back in about 1982. That would be approaching £100 in today's money.

I think the Personal Stereos they should really try to beat are the all plastic Aiwas and Sonys from the turn of the century. For the £20 or so they cost they sounded great. I have one.

Which would be better, A rebelted one of these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AIWA-HS-...153775?hash=item1ccf8c29ef:g:rIkAAOSw4QRcumd6

or the Mystik ?

p.s. I just found the non Dolby Aiwa at a more sensible price

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AIWA-HS-...a=1&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

 

I think 60€ for a crap sounding player is too much in my opinion,for 60€ you can get a very decent used Walkman
I guess it won't sound anything special
But hey it's a start

 

Hi guys! Sorry for misleading you! I will make it straight here:
The current walkman (Le Toile Sur Ecoute) is selling their kit (walkman + cassettes + a retro box) for 69€ here: https://walkman-la-toile-sur-ecoute.myshopify.com/
I was just saying that the CURRENT walkman is probably around 50€.
I HAVE NO IDEA OF THE FINAL PRICE OF THE MYSTIK. RTM did not inform me on this because I think they are still deciding what to put in the player and where to invest more, besides seeing how the kickstrarter will go. If it goes bad....it will be 0€ (and zero walkmans)! ;-)

 

I think they should add a noise reduction system to it but maybe im asking too much,50€ would be a good price for a decent quality walkmans.

 

True! But I must admit that their target, young artists and casual listeners, which have some attention to quality but not too much, are buying mainly new pre-recorded cassettes and those (sadly) in the vast majority of cases are without Dolby...but I agree, it would be fantastic!

 

The problem is that no one has made Dolby chips for years. The latest Teac deck only has something like dBx and by the looks of the one VWestlife reviewed they are using new old stock ICs for that.

Welcome to the forum ANA(DIA)LOG. I enjoyed the review although to me the Sony looked to be close to the top of their range.
It would be interesting to do a comparison of the new stereo with the last of the Sony Tape Walkmans. As late as 2012 massive UK retailer Argos was selling them. Surprisingly this was after the last Sony Discmans had disappeared from their catalogue

 

Thanks Longman!
I see your point but as I said in the video, the EX615is a REFERENCE, not an equal comparison. Apart from that, my personal opinion is that the EX615 isn't that good after all. Bofore doing more testing I would like to see the final result or a true prototype of the Mystik.

 

I wonder... how many folks realize that once you add auto-reverse, bluetooth, EQ, etc... to a Walkman built for under $100 it's SQ shall take a hit???!!! A simple thing, DD style with brass flywheel and 2020 styling might have a chance to compete with iPhone

 

Absolutely - this approach is key to focusing on the sound rather than gimmicks.

70/120 setting, and good sound quality is what they should focus on in my opinion.

 

Agree with you on that entry level product and price. I recently got a nice Sony WM-22 mainly because its featured in the film "Blinded by the Light". It was released in the UK in 1987 or thereabouts as a budget model. Under £30. Yes it's all plastic but the sound is quite good. So to get it right with a new product I would be less concerned about it having bluetooth than the size, the material construction and the sound. Factoring in the quality of most pre recorded tapes is not great to begin with you need the best head and audio out you can afford in a new device. Headphones you expect to replace, like the wired ones you get with a smartphone. Overall its hard to make something today that is on par with some of the Sony EX6nn series from the late 90's. Most were metal construction, with amorphous heads, soft touch controls, remotes, DBB and Groove EQ enhancements and were small units with rechargeable batteries. Still available for around $120 to $150.
I want encourage RTM but the cost of production of an equivalent to an EX677 Walkman, for example, in today's $$ maybe a bridge too far.

 

Just for comparison, vwestlife has done a more in-depth review:

 

I think all the reviews indicate that the new RTM player will just be an existing one in a different case with a few bells and whistles added. Given the problems Lithium batteries can cause long term I don't know if that is a selling feature or something to put people off.

It is interesting that Silverera mentions the Sony WM22 as I almost suggested that as one the new unit should be compared against. It is actually slightly older than you think being released in 1984 as Sony's answer to the Sanyo etc "imitation" Walkmans on the market.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sony++wm22+advert+smash+hits&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=0mlHAO_X3Z-mIM%3A%2CWwN-L7iKzxJTtM%2C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTyx4wG28oURoViOB-es4dD1oHwLA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjRvOWYyNbnAhXloXEKHf3cCHAQ9QEwAHoECAkQBQ#imgrc=0mlHAO_X3Z-mIM:

feed £30 through the Bank of England Inflation calculator and you get £97 in 2019 money. Cheap compared to their previosu Walkmans but definitely not bargain basement.

 

I wasn't sure when the WM-22 was released to the market as in AUS it was never sold domestically to the best of my knowledge. Anyway my point is that to get the best sound out of a cassette player the head, the transport and the caps used are critical. Even for £97 today it will be still belt driven, single capstan and a high degree of SMD used on the PCB. I wouldn't be expecting a heap of tantalum caps used in today's budget players. I think you're better off refurbishing a Walkman from the late 90's but that's just my opinion. It's always about the sound for me.