You know members, I still keep coming back to the WM-F18 at the end of the week for my evening listening. (QUEEN, LENNON, etc.) I've been using a restored WM-EX622, Which I don't belive has the Amphorous ES playback head like the WM-190, etc. Or am I wrong? The WM-F18 I have had since the late 80's. I still think it really brings out the details on a clean pre-recored cassette when maintenance is kept up. Please share your Experiences if you own one in your collection! I don't write to much on here , but I had some nice help on restoring a Sony WM-FX70(2 months ago) which sounds really nice when done properly. Thanks if you can share.
Through my journey with 'walkmans' I learned my lessons. 1. Most of the 'walkamns' have issues by now. It's been 20, 30, 40 years they were produced and they need service if you want them to work as they were new. Sometimes, you can even make them better (new improved parts, capacitors etc). 2. Even those that work when bought are prone to failure. 3. Even serviced ones can develop different problems (been there done that). 4. If you don't need Dolby C (and most people don't, if you don't have a great deck, tapes and time to record music) I would suggest next best thing (but serviced), not the top model for example Aiwa HS P202 not PC202, Panasonic RQ-S60 not S80 (it's rare and absurdly expensive even if not working). What are my go to Walkmans? (from most used, most usable) 1. Panasonic RQ-S33 - it was repaired and slightly servied by me, I would say it gives me enough quality and plays on AA battery or gumstick 2. When I need radio Sony WM FX811, just works, gumstick or AA 3. Aiwa PC202, for great sound, sturdines 4. Sony WM 501 for the look of 'Walkman' , great sound, and being small 5. Sony WM EX622 or 633 for pleasure of watching tape spinning through door, convienience - running quite some time with one AA battery If I were me with knowledge I have now, I wouldn't have bought a lot of walkmans in my collection like Sony WM-701 , WM550C and some of their brothers/ sisters like WM150, 170, 190. I spend a lot of time and money to try to repair them than ended with just throwing money.
Totally agree with you both. Out of the units that I have I too always resort back to the very first Walkman that I bought back in the early eighties. The WM-4. Basic model. 4-AA batteries or 6volt adaptor. Feed it a well recorded metal tape, use a good pair of headphones and to me it sounds good. Use what sounds good to you. That's the important thing.
I have a few favorites, like the Sony EX90(0) and DX100, and Aiwa HS-PC202. One of the issues of having restored ones at your disposal, you need to give them a regular workout! Else, the rubber ring on DDs might get dented, that replaced pinch roller of the FX70 needs another replacement, that belt is stretched in the same position, etc. So I am close to making a decision: do I keep some just for eye candy, or do I attempt to sell, do I want them restored, ...
The most important thing is to rotate them on a regular basis. Use them for what they were designed for. Emiel you have some nice units there. I would try and get the Walkman repaired because usually once you decide to sell them I find you always regret it. I realise personal circumstances may come into play here but I,personally would keep them.
I agree with @Raul observations in regard to servicing. Unfortunately the fact that a particular device works when bought is not a guarantee that it will work long-term. I also agree with @Emiel regarding the regular workout. It's why I'm not that interested (anymore) in buying many walkmans, rather buy the ones I intend to use. The RQ-S series from Panasonic I do like a lot in regard to sound and how compact they are. However for me, biggest disadvantage is the lack of a window. Seeing the reels spinning is a big part of the experience of using cassette (or CD). So for me personally, it's more about the overall experience than just the sound. Also the looks of a walkman does matter a lot to me and does contribute to the experience of using it. That's why I like these walkmans a lot for example: https://stereo2go.com/forums/threads/another-teac-marantz-akai-aka.3951/ (I have the JVC and the AKAI PM-R2) Or the SONY WM-7 because of its logic control motors that sound like a VCR, despite wow&flutter is higher than average. Or the full logic JVCs: CX-5 and CX-R7 for the same reason. JVCs (not just those mentioned) I also like because they're different than the regular walkman: both in looks and in sound. In practice, having well recorded tapes and good headphones is more important than the walkman itself, despite there are significant differences between devices out there. One such unit I have in my favourite list is Panasonic RQ-S35. It's pretty basic, but does the job really well. I like its design, its sound, the fact it has Dolby NR (I have quite a few tapes recorded with NR). Curious enough, I use this Panasonic more than my DDs, as it has lower noise floor and I just like the looks more. So at the end of day, it's not just about the best performance for me. Not to mention exactly the fact that I have quite a few of them makes the experience more interesting as I can rotate between them on a regular basis.
