Hello everyone. I am new here, this is my first new thread to this forum. I have been an active member of another forum for many years now, AudioKarma, so I am not new to vintage audio. I have acquired a Sony WM-EX808 from Japan for about 10 dollars. Was sold as junk (untested). Here's some pics: I bought it because it looked to be in better shape than the typical Walkman parts specimen found online. My question is, is this a good unit, and is it reliable. I've worked on many Walkman models, but this is my first one like this, so any guidance would be appreciated. When unit arrives, I will update with results of first test. Thanks a lot!
Welcome to Stereo2Go! Oh, if that thing's functional then you might have had a pretty decent deal for those 10 dollars! I haven't seen this model in particular all too often myself and I can't speak for audio quality or reliability there (due to a lack of one), but as far as I know these should be among the better models. Maybe someone will be able to confirm what I said, but the casing alone doesn't look like one of the cheaper ones, it has soft buttons, a remote jack and if I'm not mistaken it's also a metal casing. Also AVLS (automatic volume limiter system) and especially AMS (automatic music sensor/search, so basically skipping to the next break without audio in your tape on forward and rewind) weren't really a feature among cheaper units either. I think this one, like similar built models, should also have the blank skip feature, so empty passages in tapes get skipped. As far as I know it uses a gumstick battery and at least the slim case implies so too. Many people seem to have mixed feelings about these regarding durability, so you might want to check if it is still all fine (or if you can at least get the AA battery module, fitting one battery, for it). Also check the belts once it arrives, they might be goo. Did you purchase it with its remote and/or any other gimmicks, or is it just the unit itself? Not sure if it has any issues with gears or capacitors. It's at least not one of those "green button Walkmans", which have a high capacitor failure rate, heh.
It is a great find and an excellent later Sony model in my Opinion . It will however need a special adaptor for the headphones unless you bought it with the associated headphones with the remote as the connection is as shown in your photos not the usual round connection but a slotted one. It is possible to buy adaptors on EBay but they are usual quite expensive say anything from £ 40 to £80 . I am not good on repairs but I guess this unit is not as easy as the earlier units but I am sure other members can give support when you have received the unit Finally welcome to Stereo2Go
Yes, I made sure not to buy any of those green button models. Although I have recapped several Discman, finding those teeny-tiny caps with really big values is difficult and adds another layer of complexity. Yes, you are correct, it is all metal. The only thing that is plastic is the silver band around the middle. It also has all of the features you have described. Blank skip, AMS, soft buttons, and more. I am hoping the only problem is a bad belt. Yeah, I will need that special adapter for it. It didn't come with anything but the body. Maybe I'm wrong here, but it would seem that the remote isn't that helpful since the headphone jack on the remote is proprietary as well! There's not much info online about this, except for the polished silver WM-EX808HG, which is really nice. Thanks for the replies, and the welcome!
Regarding the proprietary headphone jack on remotes, the vast majority has the same proprietary jack and there are proprietary Sony microjack to 3.5mm jack remote adapters out there, but it's tricky to find them without any model, especially since they're not sold by Sony anymore. Most come with used models, so if you find a defect EX-808 with its remote for a ridiculously low price and it happens to have the adapter too, it might be worth a shot. Even more so if you find the original headphones. The defect model might be good for parts or you could simply resell it. From what I can see the EX-808 does have the same jack, so the adapter and pretty much any remote-walkman headphones with such a jack should work just fine with it. The headphones that come with it also remind me a lot of those for DAT and MD models with proprietary jacks too, so you could also look out for those. Though note that there are some exceptional walkmans which have a regular 3.5mm jack on their remote. So far I've only come across very few though. Speaking from my experiences there: It's not impossible to find. I was lucky enough to get a MD walkman with remote and adapter, which I can use interchangeably with both my DAT walkman's remote and the MD walkman's remote. Same with the headphones that came with the MD walkman that have the proprietary microjack (or whatever it's actually called) connection for the remote. Causes no issues, though original headphones are probably preferred as the 3.5mm head of the adapter weighs a bit and tends to just hang and I doubt that's good for your cable. Nothing that can't be fixed with a simple wire to attach it anywhere to your clothes.
Yeah, I've thought about which would be better, adapting from the remote, or straight out of the body. Here's my findings: Option number 1: Walkman lab remote jack to headphone adapter ($35 or roughly £30) This is undoubtedly the cheapest option of them all. The Walkman lab custom sells these on eBay. It's much cheaper than the Sony official model, but is a bit more manky. Option number 2: SONY remote jack to headphone adapter ($62 or roughly £50) This is the official Sony version of the adapter below. It is made better, but is a lot more expensive. Probably not worth the extra cost. Option number 3: SONY Micro plug to 3.5mm adapter ($73 or roughly £60) This is the optimal solution, since I could use a remote with the device, but this is indeed very expensive, as I would have to pay for a remote as well. I have had many remotes, for my MZ-N1, CD Walkman, and others, and I have to say, I don't think they are extremely useful for me personally. They add a level of convenience, but that's about it. Thoughts?
I quite agree with this. Despite being made better, they can and do get worn out. I have a few of these and most of them don't lock very well. There is a notch on the back and I can see that they're kinda worn down, making the connection to the walkman quite wiggly. I don't know how common this is, but it's a thing to consider if you're gonna spend that much on an adapter. I'd say there's a kinda a 4th option, though it does take a while. That is, finding a cheap junk walkman with the adapter included. If you're patient & lucky you can get one of these for much less than all those previous options.
Absolutely! I did fail to mention that, didn't I! Especially if you use Yahoo Auctions Japan. I've seen whole Walkmans complete with remote, headphones, and battery box for only about $15 (ones that even look fixable). Interesting info on the adapter, I'm sure many who have never owned one (like me) would want to know this before buying!
I think one of the problems with the adaptors is that there is (at least in the WM-701C) a release switch inside the walkman and perhaps people forgot this and tried to pull it straight off.
OK, So this thread is now going to be about two Walkmans I imported from Japan for about $10 a piece. Here's the other I found today: It's a Panasonic RQ-SX55 with original case. Another operation unconfirmed model, but I think even the case is worth what I paid for the unit. Apparently is was very high end in 1996 when it was announced. All metal, and the same features the Sony boasts, plus a normal headphone jack! I will keep you posted as these units arrive and I get them repaired!
Hi. The remote on the Sony can be important as it has controls that are not on the player itself. But you can plug headphones into the 3.5 mm part of the remote input. When I bought mine, the EX 808 was among those I considered. The final choice came down to price, condition, and accessories, not the particular model. It's an EX 921 and quite similar. Getting a remote took some time and I eventually did have to buy a second Walkman. The second one ended up being better than the first. So I have a parts machine. One of the things I learned was that you need the model number for the remote and be sure that is what you are getting. There are Discman remotes in abundance out there and several have the same plug and look identical to mine. But they won't run the player. The remotes for the 808 and 921 are not alike even though the players are similar enough that I would have guessed they might share accessories. Whether one will function on the other, I don't know. Some of the units in this model range are Japanese made. I seem to recall the 808 or maybe 810 being among them. Mine is Malaysian. But what is most important to me is that it sounds amazing when plugged directly in to the auxilliary input of a car stereo. Another nice thing I added was the external battery box for use of an AA which also has an input for the old Sony DC adapter that plugs into the car lighter outlet. Together they allow me to just leave the player batteries at home. Don
OK, so the SONY never arrived. Something with the Japan Post... Anyways, the Panasonic DID arrive. Check it out: So, it's really nice for the price I paid. All it needed were new belts and a new head. The old head had some alignment tabs broken off. seems funny, but true. So after replacing all of that and spending 4 hours getting that double hinge put back properly, it plays OK. I say OK, because it doesn't play well. The speed is accurate, and it doesn't have the worst wow/flutter I've ever heard, but it has this one issue. There's a very fine fast flutter you can hear fairly evenly and it's worse on one capstan (auto reverse side). I'm guessing this has something to do with pinch rollers, because in my understanding if the pinch rollers on these aren't perfect, they do tend to sound bad. All in all, I'd say I didn't do half bad, after parts, I have about $45 invested in it. Total would've been less if I didn't have to buy a second RQ-SX52 to scrap the head out of.
this was one of there low end walkmans but nice none the less...i would rather this than something big and bulky like a sony tps l2
I had no idea it was low-end. In fact, I was interested in it because of all the great seemingly 'high-end' features. Aluminum Body, X25 fast forward with auto track find, Dolby, S-XBS, remote capability, and the very premium two-part shell-lock lid... I'm very happy it doesn't have that cheap plastic feel of so many of the walkmans I consider low-end. I guess the only thing it really lacks is recording... I wonder, with all the great build quality and features of this Walkman, what does a "High-end" Walkman from Panasonic look like from 1996? Anyways, I found out why it's fluttering. The belt that I got to replace it is too thin and it flexes and slips from not having enough strength to turn the resistance of the capstan with a tape in play mode. Does anyone have any pricing guides for this or catalogue info?
my memory is failing me Sir but the high end panasonic had dolby c and lcd remote like many other makers like sony, like i said i would rather this than something like an early 80s bulky walkman a quick look on ebay and i found these https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-...887719?hash=item2f42113867:g:ACsAAOSwK05en02l https://www.ebay.com/itm/Panasonic-...695242?hash=item3b468cae4a:g:rIoAAOSwv89euU2u
No doubt these are much higher end. Yeah, I agree with you, this would be more convenient than a bulky unit.
OK, so what did I learn from the whole cheap junk Walkman crusade number 1? Analysis: 1. Don't buy a Panasonic RQ-SX. They have cracked gears, bad motors, and failed solenoid. 2. Sony WM-EX808 was great. even with some scratches and scuffs, great solid player for a great price. 3. Find units with remotes, battery holders, accessories. You might pay a tad more, but you will usually get a better deal. 4. Avoid eBay. This is much better for me.
I thought I had the 808 or 888 or whatever this is instead I can't find it. I have the ex999 complete with both headphone connections that is for the standard 3.5 mm adapter and the Sony preferred multi-connection headphone adapter with remote and also headphones and the pouch. Here's a picture. Cuz I lost my files. I don't remember if I have an 808 or not. This is all I could find in a quick look,
